A blogger who writes about backyard motorcycle conversions that transform former gas machines into electric is publishing a book about his builds.

Ted Dillard of Dedham, Mass., is salvaging vintage bikes and converting them to lithium-powered electric vehicles. But for him it’s not about the carbon footprint, it’s about the power.

“The power delivery of an electric motor is a new experience, and like nothing else I’ve ever felt from a motorcycle,” Dillard says. “The torque is instant. If you have a big enough motor, and your batteries can deliver the current, acceleration is like getting shot out of a gun. My first project was just to find out what that felt like.”

Now he’s publishing …from Fossils to Flux, a guide to the basics of converting electric motorcycles aimed at an audience much like himself - the backyard builder with basic skills and a modest shop.

Dillard has converted two bikes so far -  a 1984 Honda VF500F and a 1971 Yamaha R5 - and he's now working on a third.

“There are so many things about this bike that make it right,” he says of the R5. “It was literally a box of parts. There was no motor, no transmission, not even a seat. Most of that stuff you’d be buying and discarding for a conversion, I was starting with just what I needed: just a classic frame that probably had no other future than getting melted down to scrap.”

Dillard is a photographer and writer who writes the blog, The Electric Chronicles.

Posted by Holly Wagner