This site inspired me to create my first project. I had to learn how to weld to make it so the welds are pretty nasty but seem to be holding well. I used the Duralast deep cycle batteries because they are cheap and have a superb warranty on em. The motors are 1000 watt motors from tncscooters.com (as are most the parts). I don't have any breaks yet (or a seat) so the test drive was a bit exciting :)
This will be street legal once I add lights, seat, breaks, etc. I plan on using it for short 10 mile or so round-trips to places like the hardware store, grocery store, or gym. Thanks for the inspiration. Have fun!
Mike
This is looking really cool! Looks like a battery powered dragster, which could be the start of a new racing sport! I'm not sure if adding brakes, lights, etc. would make this "street legal", though. Better check your state laws and registration requirements, if you haven't already. Possibly it could be registered as an "experimental vehicle" or something.
Buzzer
There are three kinds of people: Those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what happened.
I never actually expected it to be street legal until I called the local highway patrol office and their motor vehicle inspector set me straight. It falls under the category of an "assembled vehicle" and is the equivalent of a gas scooter. Under 30 MPH and 3 horsepower with lights, horn, etc. and it's surface street legal. It needs to pass an inspection which I gather is pretty trivial from his description. I live in Kansas and the laws for this type of thing are apparently pretty flexible here. The end result will be an inspection certificate I need to keep with me while driving it. Thanks!
Mike
It does look like a fun build - but, correct me if I'm wrong, it appears to have four wheels? So, are sure it would qualify as a gas scooter (the middle rear wheel appears to be the driving wheel and the two outrunners are for stability).
Anyway - whatever happens with registration it sounds like you're enjoying the build process. :-)
John H. Founder of Current Motor Company - opinions on this site belong to me; not to my employer
Remember: " 'lectric for local. diesel for distance" - JTH, Amp Bros || "No Gas.
If you do not have good BRAKES, you may have some bad BREAKS! (BRAKE=Stop,/ BREAK=Damage,Harm,Destroy,Separate by force) Also it appears not to have any suspension/shock absorbers,(Other tha what the tires provide) so operation over rough surfaces at speed could be hazardous.-Good luck, and BE CAREFUL!
Robert M. Curry
Thanks for all the comments. The "street legal" comment from the highway patrol was when it had two wheels. It's possible that it's no longer the case though I hope that it still is. I think I'll call em again to see. With just the two wheels, it was terribly unstable at low speeds. Probably only stable above 20 mph or so but I didn't have the guts to try it.
As for breaks, I'm using a pair of heavy mountain bike breaks that are occassionally used on mid-sized scooters. They are far from ideal, but I'm hoping they will work well enough. With the number of wheels on the ground, it doesn't coast terribly well even with the freewheel mechanism. You are correct in that it doesn't have suspension. For the 3-5 miles max distance each way that I'm looking to use it (almost all neighborhood driving) I think I should be OK.
If this doesn't work out in the end my next project will be an outrunner-based bike. Gives me a good excuse to start peddling again. Thanks!
Mike
Ha, you made me nervous so I called the highway patrol trooper who would do the inspection. He is on the fence as to if it's legit or not so I think some smooth talking is in order. He seemed fine with the idea but was a little nervous about sticking his neck on the line and making the call. It's really only the matter of the fourth wheel that makes him concerned it's more like a golf cart than a scooter. I'm going to try and swing it and see what happens :)
Mike
A further note: the steering angle seems rather large, and may tend to make the front wheel want to flop over "side to side" rather than steer the vehicle properly. I would cut that angle by about 50% (bring the angle closer to vertical)-It may help with stability!-Bob Curry
Robert M. Curry
Yup, I was thinking about that steering angle, and agree with Bob's suggestions. You should consider front shocks. You might want to research steering geometry, trail, etc., to find what has proven to be best for your situation.
Looks like a fun project. Seems like it could be quick or fast depending on how you gear it. I like the dual motors!
Have you considered two rear drive wheels (trike) with a motor on each one? You'd have less rolling resistance and better coasting. With a freewheel on each wheel, in a turn, the outside wheel could go faster. It seems like with your current configuration, when the center drive wheel goes over a bump, one or both of the other rear wheels may come off the ground which may be felt as more instability. If one of the side wheels goes over a bump, it may lift the drive wheel off the ground. Also, I find my scooters to be more stable at slow speed when I can stand up. They feel less stable when I sit down. More about where my ears are, I think. But that may have had an impact in your tests.
Anyway, thought I'd toss that out about converting to a trike. I think some legal gray areas would disappear.
Keep having fun and please post more pics of future mods.
Hi all, lots of great comments and advice. I appreciate it. The steering doesn't "flop" per-say but it's pretty heavy to steer due to mechanical disadvantage. I didn't sit down and do a complete design when I built this because I wanted to just see how it would turn out if I just dug in and tried it. I have a terrible tendency to never finish projects if I try and do too much design up front and this project was an attempt to really complete something of size. The steering is so raked (I think that's the term) back because I put the handlebar where it would be comfortable to drive when seated. You see this design on motorcycles a lot so I assumed it'd be good to go. The vehicle also has a tendency to feel "jittery" at top speed. Kinda scary actually. Have to really pay attention to steering it. I suspect this is all related.
The original design was for a trike but the sprocket + freewheel mechanism isn't "reverse threaded" so I'd have to run one motor on the inside and one on the outside and I hated the asymmetry of it - I'm a bit anal that way. I actually bought two motors, two sprockets, two rear wheels, etc. just so I could do that. This design was the compromise - make it a scooter instead of a trike. That's why there are some odd cross-members on it and such as I had already started building the battery box when I ended up switching designs.
Had I to do this all again, I'd switch to mountain bike wheels and build it "low slung" with the wheel centers nice and high. Super stable, off-the-shelf parts, etc. I regret how many Chinese import parts this has taken. The brakes are proving to be a real problem. I installed a front break and it's far too weak even set up as tight as it can go. A nice hydraulic disc break on mountain bike rims would be ideal. As it is, I have no idea how to get good breaks installed.
Thanks again for all the comments!
Mike