We recently covered the incredible XR3 DIY hybrid car, so it seemed only natural to follow up with an in-depth account of Kyle Dansie’s home-built electric motorcycle. The owner of ZEVUtah purchased a defunct old Kawasaki Ninja from eBay and transformed it into a slick solar-powered vehicle capable of hitting 55 mph with a 50 mile range.

For inspiration in his project, Kyle turned to the good folks at Wheel Experience Boulder. He chose to base the vehicle around a beat-up 1986 Kawasaki Ninja ZX 900 – the only working components were the the tires, frame and suspension, which happened to fit his plans perfectly well.

Over the course of half a year, Kyle set to work painstakingly restoring the bike and retrofitting it with a 72 volt drive train powered by 6 batteries and a photovoltaic array. For those of you looking for an interesting read, check out his in-depth project log at the ZEVUtah website.

+ ZEVUtah