Monday, March 30th

 Monday, March 30th: Initial discoveries and research

Today was an interesting day to say the least. Eli and I showed up to school at 8 AM and attended period two, then met in the Lovett library and began our research into motor bike parts, costs, positives, negatives, and anything you can think of when it comes to motor bikes. I think the best way to reflect on my day is to go through our major research findings of the day.

To start our day, we looked into gas-powered engines. We spent a good while after viewing some engine models debating if we should buy an engine that you build yourself, or if we should buy an engine that is preassembled. Now this may seem like a simple solution, but it took some time to figure out, as both engine types had their pros and cons. In regards to the manual assembly engine, we thought this would be the best way to build our motor. We felt that this would be a rewarding experience to build an engine from scratch. Moreover, the engine was cheaper than a pre-assembled one. However, we encountered a slight problem when reading the description of the engine parts. We found that the self-assembly engine only included an engine in the order. This meant that we would have to compile a parts list and buy all the other parts needed to make a motor bicycle separately, such as a muffler and motor mount. We then looked into a pre-assembled motor and found that these kits included all parts needed to assemble the motor onto the bike. We did some quick calculations and found that buying the parts all in one ended up being cheaper than having to compile a list and buy every single part of the bike separately.

Next, after deciding to buy a pre-assembled motorbike, we looked into what type of engine to buy. We saw listings on different websites for a “2 Stroke engine” or a “4 Stroke Engine”.  We then began our research into what the difference was between the two in regards to motorbikes. With a two-stroke engine, we found that the bike did not actually use solely gasoline, but rather a gas and oil mix. Moreover, we learned that the two-stroke engines we were looking into had more torque than a 4-stroke engine. Now, torque is useful for hills or heavier riders, as it offers more horsepower. However, because a two-stroke engine offers more power, it is not as fuel efficient as a 4 stroke. However, what the four stroke lacks in power, it makes up for with its fuel consumption rate. We ended up deciding on purchasing a two-stroke engine, as the low cost outweighed the pros of a 4-stroke engine.

After determining which gas powered engine to buy, we began looking into electric motors. These motors were actually very different from those powered by gas, as we discovered. Instead of one large engine cell, we saw that these kits included a wheel that was to be attatched on the bike that spun and propelled the bike forward when turned on. We did our research on how voltage of each engine translated into miles per hour. We looked into 48v engines as well as 36v engines. We discovered that though the 36v engine was cheaper, it did not move the bike at a practical speed for getting around, which made us want to go with the 48v engine. However, the 48v engine was about $200, which would go over our budget.

After deciding on to buy the 48v engine, we ran into a problem with our budget. Lovett graciously awarded us $350 for our senior project, but after calculating all the costs of the engines, bikes, etc., we saw that our budget was going to come out to more around $500 (rough estimate, not final). Upon discovering this, we decided to email Mrs. Switzer who was the faculty sponsor of the Green Team. We explained the predicament we found ourselves in, and asked if the Green Team would like to contribute to our energy efficient, green mode of transportation. Mrs. Switzer told us to write a proposal and send it to Dr. Dunkel, which was done immediately.

As you can tell by the length of my reflection I am really excited to be a part of this project. Though this research can be tiresome, I know what is in store for us in the coming weeks will be worth it. We planned out our entire week today and cannot wait to continue educating ourselves on the subject of motorbike mechanics. I am looking forward to learning what the mechanical industry has to offer and what I can learn from it. Tomorrow, we plan to research bikes and what they might cost, where they are located, and whether or not we should buy them. We are also planning on continuing our research covering every aspect of what motorbikes are, and what their engines accomplish.