The weight of an Unladen XS

M

MISTERPROFESSIONALITY

XS650 Enthusiast
Messages
57
Reaction score
53
Points
18
Location
CHARLESTON, SC
I'm wondering if anybody has ever happened to weigh their XS650 without the motor / battery installed, or if they happen to know the weight of the motor by itself.

I'm potentially going to strip a non-working XS650 down to its frame and suspension and make an Electric motorcycle out of it, and I need to know what kind of weight i'm potentially lugging around. Everywhere I look I can only find the total weight of the bike with the motor and whatnot.
 
I weighed an unfinished motor at 121lbs. That was minus the alternator, carbs, clutch, both side covers, starter motor..... and other odds and ends. I think 160lbs ballpark.... just for planning purposes would be pretty close.
You planning on detailing the build here on the forum?



1657134406833.png
 
MISTERPROFESSIONALITY said:
Thanks a lot for that.

If i get the idea off the ground at all i will do just that. Then you can all watch a completely talentless lay person try to build a complex motor vehicle and have a good laugh lol.
Click to expand...

Now, now @MISTERPROFESSIONALITY....we all started somewhere with something that was a bit of a mess (or a LOT of a mess) and we're all here now with one (and sometimes more than one) running and ridable XS650.

You can do the same - just post lots of pictures, ask lots of questions (and there are no, repeat NO stupid questions) - and the group here will get you to where you want to be.

All it takes is time, patience, some money and the help of knowledgeable buddies.....and wee sense of humour.

Have faith and enjoy the journey - it is worth it for sure!

Pete

PS - welcome from Canada's sunny southern coast near Harrow Ontario!
 
MISTERPROFESSIONALITY said:
Thanks a lot for that.

If i get the idea off the ground at all i will do just that. Then you can all watch a completely talentless lay person try to build a complex motor vehicle and have a good laugh lol.
Click to expand...
Got a particular motor and battery/inverter/controller in mind?
 
Jim said:
Got a particular motor and battery/inverter/controller in mind?
Click to expand...
Im planning on keeping it as simple as possible with a Hub motor. I found one thats 72v 150a 8000w. Thats why im researching the weight to see if my top speed is servicable with that kinda power.

Dunno about batteries and all that though. That will have to be researched next.
 
An XS650 chassis is mighty big for an electric hub motor.
A 200CC or less on off chassis would be a much closer match.
Even the E-bike crowd starts to have structural issues with some hub motors...
What's licensing/insurance for home built like in SC?
 
Licensure is pretty easy for a hand built bike here. We dont have annual inspections so its pretty much taking it in and proving that it goes and stops and has at least 1 mirror and lights.

What sorts of structural issues would a hub motor have? I dont know much about these things at this stage. The strongest ive found so far was 72v 8000w.
 
A link to what you found? Hub motors are mostly found for bicycles on steroids. Flanges spoke holes etc are based on bicycle dimensions, weights, stresses.
 
MISTERPROFESSIONALITY said:
Licensure is pretty easy for a hand built bike here. We dont have annual inspections so its pretty much taking it in and proving that it goes and stops and has at least 1 mirror and lights.

What sorts of structural issues would a hub motor have? I dont know much about these things at this stage. The strongest ive found so far was 72v 8000w.
Click to expand...
I'm with Gary.... 8000W is a tad over 10HP. That's a huge drop from the 40-50HP it's built for.
I'm thinkin' you'll need at least 15-20K watts for an XS platform.... minimum. And I don't think there's a hub motor out there that'll give you that.
 
From a long history of exploring such things it's helpful to set your goals then work backwards towards what you will need to design accomplish them.
 
Look at the chassis they show.
1657153696222.png

All in that's mebbie 100 pounds
check out the customer builds in the comments, all in that range.
Battery (not included) is big bux.
I've nosed around this stuff, have a couple e-bikes and had a 1,000 watt kit on a bicycle. even for 1000 watts batteries ain't cheap.
A serious off road mountain bicycle frame would be a reasonable starting point, concept.
 
Jim said:
I'm with Gary.... 8000W is a tad over 10HP. That's a huge drop from the 40-50HP it's built for.
I'm thinkin' you'll need at least 15-20K watts for an XS platform.... minimum. And I don't think there's a hub motor out there that'll give you that.
Click to expand...
That is interesting actuallly. The resources i was looking up were equating it to more like 20 to 25 horse. Shows what happens when you try to look things up on your own. 10 would make it more suitable for something like my old ct90....theres an idea....
 
MISTERPROFESSIONALITY said:
That is interesting actuallly. The resources i was looking up were equating it to more like 20 to 25 horse. Shows what happens when you try to look things up on your own. 10 would make it more suitable for something like my old ct90....theres an idea....
Click to expand...
746 watts = 1hp. So 8000W is 10.7hp
An electric motor has the advantage of having that hp on tap almost from the start. So yes, they "feel" more powerful.... and as a practical matter, yes you can get away with a lower hp electric motor. But that has limits.... 10.7 hp in place of 40hp is beyond those limits.
Just as a guess... 'cause yes, I'm an amateur at this stuff too.... 20,000W would prolly get you close to the feel of an XS motor.
 
MISTERPROFESSIONALITY said:
I'm wondering if anybody has ever happened to weigh their XS650 without the motor / battery installed, or if they happen to know the weight of the motor by itself.

I'm potentially going to strip a non-working XS650 down to its frame and suspension and make an Electric motorcycle out of it, and I need to know what kind of weight i'm potentially lugging around. Everywhere I look I can only find the total weight of the bike with the motor and whatnot.
Click to expand...
Would that be a European XS or an African XS?
 

Similar threads

B
Xs1100 electrical help
Replies
4
Views
287
Brayden2980
B
Mannyroad
URGENT HELP to source electric ignition for rephased motor
Replies
10
Views
535
Mannyroad
Mannyroad
2ManyHobbies
77 xs650 won't start after mods
Replies
19
Views
554
sleddog83
sleddog83
H
Non-Locking Fuel Cap?
Replies
2
Views
723
jetmechmarty
jetmechmarty
C
New bike, The works
2
Replies
27
Views
2K
5twins
5twins
Back
Top