A little off topic...

I know this isn't about New Zealand, but all day I have been browsing ideas for an electric motorcycle. I plan to create one as a senior project. Above is an old honda rc racer, these racers were potent in the mid 60's on honda's racing team which created a firm ground in honda's sales, and strong racing history. (Not to mention shook the british motorcycle industry!) The lightweight tubular frame is one of my options for the E Bike, although I am considering a monocoque carbon fiber chassis.

Quickly done in MS Paint, ive added the components to the old photo. The motor can be conveniently placed where the oil tank and air filter once were, although caution mounting the motor underneath the seat may create a vibrational experience similar or worse than a brit bike! Access to the motor for removal is quite convenient. The batteries could be placed where the engine once was, and I beleive six 12-volt batteries could be easily done. A removable sub frame could provide extra stability/support and for easy removal of the batteries

The electrical components (controller, relays, DC-DC converter etc) would be placed where the gas tank used to be. I would try to mock the red rectangular gas tank of the cafe racer below which would hide all the electronics. For a corny thing i could put a voltmeter where the gas tank cap was haha.
I would try to use a similar composite fairing to decrease drag, and hide the ugly batteries.

Rather than that flat looking (and uncomfortable-looking) seat i would replace it with a bench seat similar to my Triumph's


The large sproket in the rear would also be a freewheel clutch, the reason for when coasting the rear wheel would not have to turn the electric motor. It has been reported by one diy-er he extended his range of his electric motorcycle by over 25%!

Anyway, i've got a few pages of notes, but the project should be exciting if it ever does go through. With my connections of the solar car team I could experiment (and use?) old equipment from previous years. (how about that $30,000 custom lithium battery pack? that would be nice.) The main goal is to create an E Bike using some ideas to save on weight, rolling resistance and drag keeping to all small details, having a functional commuter bike with easy maintanence, all while keeping a classy look .