2025 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

This senior design project aims to revitalize an iconic 1973 Honda CB-500 by converting it to electric power. The primary objective is to create a sustainable and efficient electric motorcycle while preserving the bike's classic aesthetic. This is a senior design project that aims to the following:
● Promote sustainability: Reduce waste by reusing existing components and minimizing the need for new materials.
● Preserve heritage: Maintain the original styling and character of the CB-500.
● Develop a versatile platform: Design a drop-in conversion kit that can be applied to other vintage motorcycle models, fostering a more accessible and sustainable electric vehicle market.
● Advance electric vehicle technology: Contribute to the ongoing development of electric powertrains for motorcycles.
This senior project involves a comprehensive design process, including:
● Vehicle assessment: Evaluating the CB-500's structural integrity and identifying suitable components for reuse.
● Electric powertrain selection: Choosing a high-performance and efficient electric motor, battery pack, and controller.
● Conversion kit design: Developing a modular kit that can be easily integrated into other vintage motorcycles.
● Safety considerations: Ensuring the converted motorcycle meets all relevant safety standards.
● Performance optimization: Balancing range, power, and handling characteristics.
By successfully completing this project, we hope to demonstrate the feasibility and benefits of converting vintage motorcycles to electric power, paving the way for a more sustainable and environmentally friendly transportation future for vintage enthusiasts.
The primary challenge in this project lies in converting a vintage motorcycle, designed for an internal combustion engine, to an electric powertrain while maintaining its vintage aesthetics, performance, and ensuring the design is adaptable to other platforms. The electric motorcycle industry is currently growing, but most commercially available products either underperform or are prohibitively expensive. In the custom market for electric motorcycles information is disjointed and incomplete, accurate performance specs after a conversion are nearly non-existent. This project aims to be a compilation of useful information for electric motorcycle conversions complete with: product comparisons, parts selection metrics, and performance reviews of specific components, and accurate plans for a drop in conversion system.

Implementation of an affordable and easy to install electric conversion kit would cut the initial cost of owning an electric motorcycle (EM) and would decrease the amount of resources needed to provide viable transportation. As the popularity of electric vehicles continues to increase the other factor to consider is charging stations. When designing an EM careful consideration of battery type, voltage, and charging requirements must be taken to ensure standard charging stations in cities will function for them.

Batteries are the other major component to consider when building an EM. Many different types and configurations exist but currently the industry standard for EV batteries is Lithium type batteries, because of their high energy density and increasing affordability. Once a battery type is selected the next step is to determine the configuration of the batteries and how the charging and discharging will be handled.

The path to solving an engineering design problem can take many different routes and is almost always different for each project. The key to success is to have a well-defined plan, do in-depth research on the problem and possible solutions, evaluate the solutions for viability, and then test and prototype those solutions until the result is desirable. This project contains many different design challenges along with a myriad of solutions for each.