DIY

VEHICLES

THE GOMICYCLE

A Honda Rebel 250 motorcycle goes electric. By Marque Cornblatt

Photography by Marque Cornblatt and Jeff Kramer

While most civilians wait patiently for electric vehicles (EVs) to arrive at their local showroom, we makers take matters into our own hands. We’ve created a dizzying array of street-legal electric cars, scooters, and motorcycles, and there’s even a National Electric Drag Racing Association.

I wanted to go electric for my own day-to-day transportation, but I didn’t want to reinvent the wheel. So I researched the existing art, and purchased plans for the “El Chopper ET,” a Honda Rebel 250 project that was developed by motorcycle EV conversion guru John Bidwell.

The plans turned out to be a little dated. They promised a quick and easy build, but the cost of the materials has risen, and some components are no longer available. I adapted and redesigned a few parts almost from scratch, but even though the

project went “off the reservation,” the El Chopper E T plans were a useful starting point.

Since I didn’t have all the tools and skills needed to do the full conversion, I assembled an informal team. Gary Xaoui and Kat Townsend helped with fabrication, while Todd Kollin at Electric Motorsport in Oakland, Calif., where I bought most of the electrical components, contributed valuable advice.

Battery Matters

Projects like this always have tradeoffs like speed vs. range, sturdiness vs. weight, or quick acceleration off the line vs. high top speed. The biggest factor with this one was cost vs. performance, particularly regarding the batteries. In theory, a lithium-ion battery bike would rock, but the batteries alone would cost something like $10,000.

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