Seeing as how I've spent 3 or 4 of the last 5 weekends on the bike, I figured I'd provide an update while it was still June. Things are moving along just fine, with a great deal of help from my father and his varied expertise.
What plan:
We've cut, heated, bent, tacked, welded, ground smooth, and stared. I'm really pleased with the way our semi-precise design and ideas are turning out. The bike frame has undergone more modifications than I ever intended, honestly, but it's opened the door to a far better looking and more well-constructed vehicle too. I had a plan, based on my rather time-expensive quarter-scale 2D profile of the bike (in the photo gallery). I'd placed battery cut-outs all around my rendering in order to get an idea of what could fit where. It ended up being useless really. Once we got the frame sitting next to the batteries down in the shop, it was obvious what to do. Thus, we've spent several days measuring parts, thinking about where they can and should go (considering maintenance and factors out of our control), modifying the frame to be what we need, and carefully adding anything we need as we go.
The Result:
Instead of batteries lying in all different directions, being difficult to remove and replace, and perhaps most importantly difficult to wire up, all the batteries sit uniformly in three efficient pairs. They will have space for removal, wiring, and routine inspection. Also, instead of a frame that suggests it can support two people, the frame has been trimmed in the rear. This cuts some weight, shows some individuality, and makes it a bit less misleading at first sight. Sure, we've added far more material up front to support the batteries, but every bit of weight counts. As much as I'd love to share a picture, I'll not be posting any until we reach a certain milestone on the frame. Then, I'll show it off for sure.
Hurdles Remaining:
I have yet to decide on the exact type of drive system. Partly, I'm still unsure whether or not it will work. I haven't seen many belt-driven EVs, but then again, I haven't searched, so I need to figure out what my options are, and make a decision. Going the belt route may have it's issues though. I'll need a way to couple a belt pulley to the wheel, or rather, the existing piece that grabs the wheel. Besides that, there's plenty of wiring to figure out and other parts to order and custom make. We'll get there.
Another Find:
Lastly, I wanted to direct anyone interested in Lifans to http://www.americanlifan.com/lifan3/customer/ which is the forum for American Lifan it appears. It's new to me, so I'm posting it. I'm not exactly an American Lifan buff, so to speak, but it does have very knowledgeable folks behind it providing help to owners of just about anything Lifan has made. I've had a few problems getting my account approved but I'm sure it will be done soon. I'll probably be asking some questions on there before long. Apparently, they get a lot of spam from gmail accounts, so they prevent gmail-based accounts from being created. A bit of a bummer, but oh well.
-Colby
