In a post-apocalyptic world, what is your ride? | Page 4 | GTAMotorcycle.com

In a post-apocalyptic world, what is your ride?

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PrivatePilot said:
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Reality is anyone with the skills to do either of those things will have the skills to wire together some simple DC solar panels and hook the output to an inverter to make some power....
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Why do you want to invert your DC power supply?
You planning to push it over power transmission cables for a hundred miles?
 
Bet I can make electricity way faster then you could ever make a solar panel :|
Any permanent magnet motor will output electricity when you spin it up.
 
Trials said:
Bet I can make electricity way faster then you could ever make a solar panel :|
Any permanent magnet motor will output electricity when you spin it up.
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There’s always the beaver dam


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Trials said:
Why do you want to invert your DC power supply?
You planning to push it over power transmission cables for a hundred miles?
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Because EV chargers, including the ones we are discussing as part of this theory about ones choice of vehicle, require AC, not DC?

As also because most other things we use on an everyday basis as part of life also run on AC?

How many things do you use every day that run on DC vs 120V AC?
 
Honda CRF230. Dead simple 4 stroke that was absolutely bullet proof and parts will be able to be scrounged everywhere.
 
PrivatePilot said:
Because EV chargers, including the ones we are discussing as part of this theory about ones choice of vehicle, require AC, not DC?

As also because most other things we use on an everyday basis as part of life also run on AC?

How many things do you use every day that run on DC vs 120V AC?
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That's because we get our hydro electricity from transmission lines that are very long and AC works far superior for that :|

Unless you are going to plug into one of these:
620px-Nelson_River_Bipoles_1_and_2_Terminus_at_Rosser.jpg
 
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Fine and dandy, but how much stuff in your house could you connected directly to a low voltage (or even high voltage for the purpose of this discussion) DC source and have function right now?

I’ll wait.
 
That's because we get our hydro electricity from transmission lines that are very long and AC works far superior for that :|
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Not quite

DC is used in extra high (EHV) and ultra high (UHV) power transmission (500,000V and up) for the following reasons:

It is asynchronous. That is, because DC has no frequency, it can be used to connect two differnent systems without worrying about having to synchronize the systems.

The DC connection is a open circuit to AC systems. This is important when it comes to system stability-having that isolation helps to separate two separate systems in the event of a electrical fault event, such as lightning or equipment failure. The DC circuit limits the fault's path, essentially protecting the unfaulted part of the system it is connected to.

For long distances, it is more economical. DC transmission towers take up less space which means less land can be used for right of way. Since DC only needs two poles at a maximum (sometimes one pole is used, and the ground is used as a return), less wire is needed. Towers are also more economical since they dont' have to carry three separate wires.

Fewer losses. With a DC system, there are fewer losses--there is no reactive component to a DC circuit, so AC system- related losses like capacitive, inductive and skin effect are nonexistent. Again because there is no AC, losses and other issues associated with electrical coupling/induced currents are not an issue. There are only resistive losses as opposed to AC, which has reactive and resistive losses.

Easy to transfer large blocks of power. With DC, direction of power can be switched easier. This makes DC indispensable for areas where summer loadings and winter loadings are opposite-for example a state that is cooler in winter in one area and warmer in summer in another area. The DC circuit could be used to export power to the colder region in the winter from the warmer region, and from the cooler region to the warmer region in summer. Inverters are used to change the direction of power instantanously, as well as the amount of power transmitted.

The disadvantages are:

Cost. DC installations are very expensive, which is one reason why they don't really get used below transmission voltage level. A DC substation requires more equipment than an AC substation would require, partially becuase the conversion process requires equipment that will eliminate harmonics that are created. This is very inefficient for subtransmission and tranmission voltages below 500kV (500,000V).

AC power is easier to step up and down. There is no such thing as a DC transformer, since transfomers require an alternating magnetic field to work. DC current, since there is no frequency, cannot produce the induced current in the secondary coil of the transformer. Transformation is an essential part of the AC power system, so this inability is a very significant negative.

Because of the disadvantages, DC transmission in the US is still not common it is very limited in scope, and is not generally used for voltages below 500kV. But in Europe it is decidedly more common. The asynchronous nature, as well as the particular areas, make DC connections a more suitable choice there than here in the US.
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How far back do you need to go to find something that survives the EMP?
 
Trials said:
Bet I can make electricity way faster then you could ever make a solar panel :|
Any permanent magnet motor will output electricity when you spin it up.
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Any perminent magnet motor will create electricity but you have to spin it fast enough to create a higher voltage then what you are charging otherwise the thing you are charging will power the motor. Volts/RPM on nameplate needs to be at least 0.04 ratio and your horse power better be at least 5hp to make it worth it. It took me a long time to find a motor that met those specs and it still barely makes over 12V if I hook a drill up to the shaft on low speed.

If you asked my wife she would tell you that I would get a KLR as I have been boring her with this convo since walking dead started. I've done some research into electric motorcycle conversions and I may be going that way now for the apocalypse. If the battery dies you can use nearly any other battery available as long as it's not too heavy/big to mount on a motorcycle. Forklift pump motors/controllers are great for the drivetrain and I'm sure there would be forklifts not in use during an apocalypse.
 
timtune said:
How far back do you need to go to find something that survives the EMP?
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Fun allowed answer: I haven't looked recently, but there used to be a healthy number of pre-transistor old Hondas on Kijiji. Though if you wanna go that route you might want to study up on maintaining/refurbishing points ignition.

No fun allowed answer: I think the overlap in the Venn diagram of "close enough to suffer permanent EMP damage" and "far away enough to survive a nuclear detonation undamaged" is very small
 
My 2003 Honda I just sold was carbureted and had no electronics at all.

You don't have to go back very far.

woot said:
If the battery dies you can use nearly any other battery available as long as it's not too heavy/big to mount on a motorcycle. Forklift pump motors/controllers are great for the drivetrain and I'm sure there would be forklifts not in use during an apocalypse.
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Glad to see someone else thinking outside the box.

On the topic of surviving an EMP, oldschool forklifts use simple relays and resistors for speed control, so there's nothing to burn out electrically. Easy to harvest parts.
 
PrivatePilot said:
You lost 99% of the population at “still” and “rejet the carburetor”, especially when theres presumably no internet anymore to just lookup how to do this stuff.

And how did electric motorcycles suddenly become “slow”?

Reality is anyone with the skills to do either of those things will have the skills to wire together some simple DC solar panels and hook the output to an inverter to make some power.

Everyone else can enjoy their gas/alcohol/mouthwash/whatever powered target-o-cycle. I’ll slip silently around on my electric motorcycle collecting supplies whilst you’re getting shot at, thanks.
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Putting a still on the bike makes more sense. You can make tons of fuel quickly and and store it forever. That m2 solar panel is going to putout <2kwh on a perfect sunny day, that might get you 10km on a tiny electric motorcycle.

Using ethanol also lets you use your gas tank as your bar. One petcock to the carb, the other to your red cup. What else can you do with solar fuel -- I guess a couple of alligator clips to the lips could be shocking too.
 
J_F said:
kind of related

seems like a great deal on a solar starter kit
100 watt panel, controller and some wiring for a 12V DC system

list is $549 marked down to $199...will review after I get it

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I have one of those in a tinny to keep it from sinking. Started with a marginal battery and it killed it good. Not sure if it was the fault of the controller or the battery.
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