Power Usage

Finally, I'm at a point where I can determine inputs and outputs.

I have a means to measure how much power goes into the bike. That is by way of the Kill-A-Watt.

I'll update this post in the future, but for now, I wish to document that from a 60% depth of discharge, 1.6 KW were used re-charging the bike. That's about the only stat I have.

I guess I should now keep a log of distance traveled and power spent recharging there-after to gather up data. From that I can determine the trend and I have some idea. I'll try to share as I go.

-Colby

Mileage

I think I started last week with around 435 km on the odometer. I did a test ride Saturday afternoon, rode to church on Sunday, rode to work every day except Friday, and rode Saturday morning. I ended the week at 510 km.

I didn't realize I'd ridden it so little in the past three years, to have only accumulated 270 miles. I'm enjoying  putting some real mileage on it now.

75km is about 46.6 miles.
My 350Z averages 17 miles/gallon of premium in the city.
46.6 miles / 17 mpg = 2.7 gallons
2.7 gallons * $3.50 a gallon = $9.59 I would have spent on premium gasoline last week.

How much I spent on electricity because of the bike last week is another question I'd like to answer. Since my employer is giving me fuel for free, it's not much.
-Colby

Overall Status

I wasn't able to get the bike ready and safe to ride on Friday. Here are recent pictures:

Chain isn't installed in these pictures, but that's done now. Rear reflector, a bit more inspecting and then I can start test riding it a bit.
-Colby

Turn Signal Circuits

I finally finished wiring up the turn signals. The rear ones are new, so no big deal. The front ones are not new, but used numerous connectors and different colored wires for just two simple circuits. I cleaned all that up, and in the process, found a really confounding and interesting issue.

After wiring everything up, I found all four turn signals blinked together when I signaled left or right. Furthermore, I have a single turn-signal indicator bulb in the dash. It is supposed to be lit when either the left or right signal is active. The indicator bulb in the dash did not appear to light at all (it was lit but extremely dim). This perplexed me for hours. I diagnosed all I could, but all the while, I knew I'd been careful not to alter any circuits in the harness re-work. Plus, there is a "winker" module involved which makes it difficult to absolutely figure out because it is a black box to me. In the end, my Dad and I worked out that the circuit for the indicator bulb in the dash must have been designed only with incandescent turn signals bulbs in mind. Something about all the turn signals using LEDs changed the behavior of the module or removed a circuit this indicator relied on.

For now, I have removed the indicator. The winker module beeps so loud, the dash-bulb is pointless anyway. The LED turn signals blink correctly and at their normal speed. Perhaps when I diagram the entire wiring harness (should have already done that), I'll figure out what exactly caused it and maybe a way to keep the indicator bulb.

I'm charging the batteries now, so that leaves...

• final coats of paint to tail light panel
• adjust winker module mounting
• Clean sprockets / chain
• Full road-worthiness inspection, test ride

One a day and I can ride on Friday. =)

-Colby

Tail Light Fabrication (5/5)

Lots of mud and lots of sanding produced this:

Several primer coats and more sanding:

Also accomplished a few other things recently.

• tested out wiring harness for the first time since the re-work.
• Added tail lights to wiring harness.
• made plastic washers for new tail light panel.
• Adjusted license plate bracket

I'm on a 3 phase plan now.

1. Get the bike running and start riding it to work
2. Install chargers so I can charge while at work
3. Install retractable extension cord

Todo for phase 1:

• charge batteries
• add final coats of paint to tail light panel
• finish re-wiring front blinkers 
• adjust winker module mounting
• Clean sprockets / chain
• Full road-worthiness inspection, test ride

Tail Light Fabrication (4/5)

Previously, I was able to shape the metal frame a bit and stage a photo. The idea of bridging the gap between the back of seat and this frame with plastic did not work out. I didn't have the right material, tools, or number of hands required and a trial run went very poorly. I realized fiberglass might fit the bill.

I took a stab at fiberglass and learned a few important things.

• You have to have a mold.
• You have to make relief cuts around sharp edges and corners.

Without those things, you get this:

The absence of relief cuts was not obvious - I figured the cheap matting would be very flexible when soaked in resin. It is flexible, but it also still acts like a solid sheet and resists folds and bends. No matter what I tried, it would not stick down in the corners and some edges. As this cured, it resulted in large air bubbles.

I realized how valuable a mold would have been the moment I started. Nothing I did stayed in place. Everything began to droop and slide due to gravity. This resulted in a very inconsistent and ugly shape.

Furthermore, fighting these problems cost me valuable time because the clock was ticking on getting it set up while it was still workable. Other small lessons include having a timer count minutes since I added hardener, using a disposable cup to hold resin, having paper down to protect my workbench, and having breathing and eye protection.

So, I stared at that for a couple of days before realizing it was simply no good. I decided I could do better and ripped it off to start anew. I made a mold by cutting styro-foam to fit on the inside of the frame and shaped it as desired. I test-fit the piece several times in the process. I happened to have avoided a pitfall here: Not all resins and foams are compatible. Research what you have before using it. Alternatively, create a barrier between the foam and the resign with packing tape. 

I cut many strips of mat and added relief cuts around the ones I knew were going in tight spots. The result was a much better, stronger shape with far fewer bubbles - a much more enjoyable process. After lots of sanding and some additional fiberglass work, it's starting to look acceptable.

This guy's only real job is to hug the back of the seat. It definitely does the trick at this point, so it's just a matter of smoothing it a bit more and painting it white.

-Colby

Overall Status

Since I didn't have any interesting or recent pictures in the last post, I figured I should capture some of the whole bike to share.

The tail-light assembly is coming along alright - It's ready for some bondo I think. Wiring harness is looking good. Tank may need some minor adjustments to fit like it once did.

-Colby