Alright, so I finally got around to documenting this electric Grom project. It’s been a bit of a journey, but pretty satisfying to see it all come together. Figured I’d share how I went about it, for anyone curious or maybe thinking of doing something similar.
Where It All Began
So, I had this Honda Grom, a fun little bike, but I got this itch, you know? An idea popped into my head: “What if I made this thing electric?” Gas prices were doing their usual dance, and I just liked the challenge of it. Plus, the thought of a silent little Grom zipping around was kinda cool.
First thing I did was stare at the bike for a good long while. Took a bunch of measurements, tried to visualize where all the electric bits would go. The gas engine and tank obviously had to come out. That was the easy part, relatively speaking. Just a lot of unbolting and disconnecting. Made a bit of a mess with leftover fuel, but hey, that’s part of the fun, right?
The Heart of the Matter: Motor and Batteries
Then came the big decision: motor and batteries. Man, I spent weeks, maybe months, just researching online. Watched a ton of videos, read forums until my eyes went blurry. Hub motor? Mid-drive? What voltage? What kind of controller? So many options, and everyone’s got an opinion.
I eventually settled on a hub motor. Seemed simpler for a first conversion. Less fabrication needed for mounting, or so I thought. Finding one that would fit the Grom’s wheel and have decent power took some digging. I ordered one, waited for what felt like forever, and when it arrived, it was like Christmas morning for a grown-up kid.
Batteries were another beast. Pre-made packs were expensive. I’m not made of money, so I decided to build my own pack from 18650 cells. This was probably the most time-consuming and nerve-wracking part. Learned how to spot weld (carefully!), designed the pack layout, figured out the BMS. Lots of respect for people who do this professionally. My fingers were sore for days from handling all those tiny cells and nickel strips.
- Spent hours balancing cells.
- Double-checked every connection.
- Worried a lot about safety, honestly.
Getting it All to Fit and Work
Once I had the main components, it was time to start fitting everything. This is where the real “fun” began. The spot where the gas engine used to be wasn’t perfectly shaped for my battery box and controller. I had to fabricate some custom mounts. Lots of cutting, grinding, and welding small bits of metal. My garage looked like a disaster zone, but slowly, things started taking shape.
Wiring everything up was next. Took my sweet time with this. Drew diagrams, labeled every wire. The controller instructions were… well, let’s just say they were translated. Had to use a bit of intuition and common sense. Connected the throttle, the key switch, the motor phases. It was a proper spaghetti monster for a while there.
The first time I hooked up the battery and turned the key, I was holding my breath. No smoke, no sparks. Good sign! Twisted the throttle… and nothing. My heart sank a bit. Went back over all the wiring, checked the controller settings. Found a loose connection on one of the hall sensors for the motor. Tightened it up, tried again.
The First Ride and Tweaks
And then, it moved! Just a little lurch at first, but it moved! The feeling was awesome. Took it for a very cautious spin around my driveway. It was alive! It was quiet, almost too quiet. I could hear the birds chirping, which was a new experience on a Grom.
There was still a lot of tweaking to do. The acceleration wasn’t quite right, the regenerative braking needed adjusting. Spent a few evenings just riding it up and down the street, stopping, changing a setting on the controller, then riding again. It’s a process, you know? You don’t just bolt it together and it’s perfect.
I remember my neighbor, Dave, kept popping his head over the fence. He’s a car guy, old school. First, he was skeptical. “Electric? On a bike? Why?” he’d grumble. But then he saw it running, saw me zipping around silently, and he got curious. Even asked for a go, which surprised me. He came back with a grin. “Not bad, not bad at all,” he said. That felt pretty good, getting his nod of approval.
So yeah, that’s pretty much the story of my electric Grom build. It’s not the fastest thing on the road, but it’s a blast for running errands, and it’s unique. Plus, I built it myself, and that’s a great feeling. Definitely learned a lot. Might even tackle another electric project one day. Who knows?
