I recently have played around with adding video recording to my motorcycle, as well as power via a relay for my iPhone so I can keep it powered during longer rides.
My battery is over 2 years old now, and the standard lead battery tends to start getting weaker after that much time. (It is pictured above) Finally it became necessarily to charge the battery every time I wanted to crank over, and the voltage would sharply drop down to 4volts instead of the healthier 11 volts it had before.
I decided to try an AGM based battery this time for the greater power and the no-liquid-sloshing design. I am an Amazon purchaser, and went with this battery for a replacement. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003YMRH70/ref=oh_o00_s01_i00_details
The company website page for this battery can be found here: http://www.motobattbatteries.com/motobatt-mbtx12u.html
When the new battery arrives, I will update this post with the installation pics, as well as some comments on how the battery holds up under stress.
This is a fairly poorly shot video, but it was the first try, and I am working to make the next recordings better. So far I have not been able to do much to fix the windshield since it is Lexan, but I will potentially replace it so videos can be more clearly shot. I also changed the mount so it is more stable and so I can include the speedometer. Hopefully in Portland the weather warms up and I can get some great videos out this Spring/Summer since I am planning on taking advanced riding courses + doing some track time.
I will admit, after playing World of Tanks the computer game (http://worldoftanks.com) – the idea of owning my own tank to drive to work with in downtown Portland Oregon has me pretty intrigued. I am pretty sure I would want an M36 Slugger – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M36_tank_destroyer
Source: http://i.autoblog.com/2011/11/05/infographic-the-ins-and-outs-of-owning-a-tank/
Please Check out the source post from this link: http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2012/01/dakar_rally_2012.html
This has been on my bucket list for a long time, to go do one of the long off road races, possible alternative could be the Baja 1000. There is a huge thrill in going fast, and coming up to a ridge at full speed on a bike, to then feel the weightlessness as the ground is no longer under you, only to land and continue on running the machine at 100% is just a huge thrill. I agree with the quote from Dust to Glory – “It is a continuous plane crash”
To check out a great documentary on the Baja race, watch the trailer below, and here is the IMDB link:
Dust to Glory Trailer from OMGmotorsports on Vimeo.
Project Wiki Page: http://atwlab.com/w/index.php?title=2011_Electric_Downhill_Bike
Anything with wheels in my opinion can have a motor added to it, and I have for a long time enjoyed tinkering and playing with locomotion systems, everything from gasoline based, electric, steam, mechanical, and human powered. In the past I created several gasoline powered bicycles to help get me around Portland, OR – quicker. So I was staring at a cheap to me downhill mountain bike – a K2 Proflex 4000. I used parts from AmpedBikes.com to help get me started on my first electric build, since I wanted to base this bike around LiPO based batteries.
I added disk brakes to the front forks for added braking power, and then mounted new rubber for the front and rear rims. The electric hub motor went on the front to avoid any conflicts with the rear gearing. The throttle is thumb controlled at the upper right. So far in day one tests I can go up a severe hill with no assist and everything stock and get around 15-20 MPH. If I am on flat ground, I can get around 25MPH. If I pedal at all, even lightly, the effect is dramatic, and I can easily hit speeds upwards of 30MPH. I will be revisiting this project since I am using it for daily commute to work, I am planning on getting it to 40MPH with no pedal assist. I will add more to the Wiki project page as the project develops further.
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