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Hello All! Have I got a tale for you!

I have been a lurker on this forum for years, ever since I bought my GL1200 back when I was in college. I attempted my own cafe build using college student resources in the parking lot of student housing. It went better than I hoped but was still pretty rough. Still some fiberglass and rattle-can paint can only go so far. A year post college the old girl no longer ran reliably and I didn't have the emotional fortitude to rebuild the carb again. Then my wife instated a strict *no vehicle parts in the sink or bathtub* policy and that was it for that.

After a few years we moved from one apartment or another until this year when I finally got my own garage. We had a harrowing trip to our new place with the family minivan towing me behind it using a tow strap. However, we made it and left the motorcycle to sit for another year.

It is now finally time to embark on a project I've been dreaming about ever since I got the bike. I am going to swap the ICE with an electric motor!

Now, on to some of my current thoughts for the technical details for the Electric Vehicle (EV) Conversions.

The key that finally allowed this project to move forward was when I found the Open Inverter project. Found here https://openinverter.org/ its a project of a bunch of way smarter than I who reverse engineered existing OEM Hybrid and EVs so they can be used in custom EVs. I'm currently debating about making my own version of the boards they use. Its a skillset I am very comfortable with but I'm not sure I need a project on top of my project.

Two weeks ago I went on a road trip three hours away to pick up the motor and inverter that I hope to use. I'm still in the R&D stage with these parts. I will be working on getting them working on a bench and I may discover they are not suitable for this purpose.
These are our star attractions! The rear transaxel motor from a Toyota Highlander and the inverter from a Gen 2 Prius.

I'm not sure how much detail on the electrical side is warranted on this forum. I will likely be going into significantly more detail on the OpenInverter forum.

Next, I'll be going into some of my GL1200 teardown.

Finally able to start doing something resembling actual work.
Here is where we start on our journey. Oh man, you can even see where I attached the leadlight with zip-ties.

I've been working over the last week tearing down the bike. For a day I was completely stumped with trying to get the gas tank out. Once I realized that the rear tire had to be removed before I could take the tank out I was pretty ticked about it. On reflection though I realized that if you needed to rebuild to the point of replacing the gas tank you probably need to take the rear tire off anyway.

I made my kids day when I let them go to town on the wire harness with wire cutters. I wasn't sure about letting them destroy it but it was clear that someone had been in there before me and re-wrapped it with electrical tape. I didn't want to do it so it was win-win letting the kids do it.
This is the state of things as of last night. I think I will strip it down completely and get the frame sandblasted and painted something obnoxious like orange or bright blue. Does anyone have an estimate on how much I should expect that to cost? Just ballpark figure. Thanks!

Interesting project for sure. I too have interest in getting an old pickup and converting it to EV in a similar maner.

I really want to do a car EV conversion. I want to get some really fun looking car from the '80s and convert it.
Perhaps something like a Fiero or Miata.

However, I'm hoping the GL1200 would be a better place to start. I miss riding it and its on hand.

I would do whatever fabrication you need to do to mount the motor and inverter and whatever else. Then once that's complete then I would consider having the frame powder coated. Not before. This should be an interesting thread to watch good luck!

That is a really good point. I don't have any welding gear but this might be the project that finally gives me the excuse to try it.

Thanks for pointing out that I should do that before getting the frame treated. I guess the weekend step is to strip down the frame and build a bench that will allow me to work on it more easily. Perhaps some circuit board design...

Welding is actually pretty fun once you get set up for it. While you can spend a lot of good equipment (and you probably should if you're able), I ended up going with a cheap 110/220 multifunction welder from Amazon. Is it cheap? Yes. Is it cheaply made? Also yes.

But here's my rationale- I don't weld that much, and if I do most of it will be on the thin-wall frame tubing anyway. So I don't need a super-powerful setup. I did a bit of work to my CB750 frame and it seems like it's holding up okay.

This looks like it could be a cool project.

FWIW: my cheap flux core welder does everything that I would ever want to do on my bikes,
and I totally agree with building a bench first.

Okay. I'm convinced. Harbor Freight has a good black friday deal on a TITANIUM Easy-Flux 125 Amp Welder, it has good reviews on Youtube and I've been dying for years to pick up welding as a skill.

meico wrote: ↑Sat Nov 18, 2023 11:13 am Okay. I'm convinced. Harbor Freight has a good black friday deal on a TITANIUM Easy-Flux 125 Amp Welder, it has good reviews on Youtube and I've been dying for years to pick up welding as a skill.

Plan on also picking up: welding gloves, helmet, an upgraded ground electrode, angle grinder and disks&brush.

+1 from what pidjones said. If you want to splurge a little on the hood, a lense that auto darkens helps those that are learning to weld.

Auto darkening helmets are worth it. Trust me- spend the money. Especially if you're learning. It removes so much frustration from the process.

Also, it's a little thing, but always wear sleeves and cover up. The UV coming off a welder will give you the worst sunburn of your life at BEST.