6500watt RC Outrunner Powered E-Crusier

[AussieJester]

Turnigy HXT Powered Custom Cruiser Worklog

(please be aware this worklog is upped on several forums as such some names mentioned in this worklog might not pertain to members in this particualr forum..apologies in advance for any confusion this may cause.)

Time has come to build myself another e-bike! a TWO WHEEL* e-bike even!!

Some may or may not have already seen the design i have entered into the Free single stage drive "Contest"

This will be the worklog for that build!

I see some members here idea of a "custom build" is to start with a pile of battery cells then
2-3 pages of assembling the packs and fitting the BMS etc etc etc then bolt on a hub motor:-S...
bout as interesting and exciting to me as watching paintdry...no offence intended SO...
You wont see that here i can guarantee you that! ill be using 5000mah 22v Lipo packs when
the bikes done...that it for battery info until i purchase batteries in a month or twos time..<--YES Deecanio I WILLZ finally be "GangSta" :-P

The e-bike i have in mind is a low slung stretched cruiser design with linear actuators raising
and lowering a set of stabiliser wheels too keep the bike upright whilst transferring to
and from the bike from my wheelchair. The bike will have operational pedals
as such my feet will need to be strapped to the pedals and the stabiliser wheels used
when starting and stopping...

I will be fabricating the frame from scratch & if all goes well it will vaguely resemble this--->



The motor (i have) is the Turnigy HXT 130-->


(additional glue will be applied to magnets and bearings replaced)

I picked this up Friday from a fella (Joe) that spotted my trike video on YouTube and got interested in building an e-bike...he has since decided
a motorcycle (bobber) is the direction he is going to take, the HXT was bought for $AU150 NEVER USED..

So i have the motor...i still require to purchase ESC, servo driver and a BEC...I am leaning towards
the Sentilons ESC i'm not as insane as Liveforphysics (any more anywayz) so i'm hoping i wont have the 8in flames shooting out the unit as
in Luke's case haha...:-P BEC...no idea haven't seen one capable of running on 44v yet worse comes to worse
i guess a battery hooked directly to the ESC will suffice, no biggy will work that out when the time comes.

i think the servo tester i'll go with what Mr Recumpence SIR sells...waiting to hear back from Matt on this and
a single stage drive...If you have a suitable BEC also Matt i would be interested in price/avaiability/freight charges ...

Today I picked up the tubing and mild steel plate I will use for constructing the custom frame-->



Larger OD tube is 35mm the smaller is 21mm



Large OD tube has 2mm wall thickness...Smaller OD tube is 3mm<--smaller to be used for the rear half of frame.
Total cost for tubing $AU45

I also went out to Bills Machinery AWESOME place
officially now my fav establishment I could spend days there browsing, if they ever need a
place for an Aussie version of Junkyard Wars (Scrapheap Challenge for the English members)
Bills is the place!! I picked up a 10in 'V' pulley that will require machining to suit 5mm pitch flat belt,
I have spoken to a good mate of mine and he said he will take it too his work and turn it
down on the lathe for me--->



I shall then add teeth to it in the same manner Matt (1000watt) has done on his pulley for the cruiser. Using spare belt, release
agent and epoxy. Matt also picked up a 21tooth pulley for me online (see pic of motor)
when he ordered a spare for himself...I'm hoping to swap this for the sprocket Matt (Recumpence) puts
on the reduction drive unit...

I plan to start the fabrication of the frame tomorrow. First things first a frame jig will be knocked up
to 'hold' the head tube, the two bottom brackets and rear axle drop-outs.
This will likely take best part of the day, i shall return with the pics of the days activities...

As always i hope all that view this thread get something from it, if anyone
has any questions OR ideas please feel free to chip in.

KiM

[size=2 * indicates 2 wheels PLUS 2 additional retracting stabilising wheels[/size]

[AussieJester]

UPDATE

Well it took FOUR bloody hours to make ONE extra wide botttom bracket today DAMN! im out of
practise haha Turns out OCC and WestCoast Chopper bicycles have 120mm wide bottom brackets...the
mission is to make two of these for the frame, thankfully Matt (1000watt) has offered me his
extra wide bottom bracket shaft and threaded ends so only one shaft is needed to be made thankfully



Last pic you can see i have smeared some JB Weld around to fitt a few imperfections from the welding will
sand the majority of it off when its set...


[color=#0000FF]


Not very exciting stuff but obviously essential for the build, i will have two bottom brackets, one up
front for the cranks and one midway on the frame, I plan to have the crank sprocket on the front left side going
to mid bottom bracket where another sprocket will be mounted, on the right side ANOTHER freewheel
going to the back wheel...So we have the motor driving the left hand side of the rear wheel,
pedal power the right...Going to be rather cramped with frreewheels, pulley and rotor ALL
good though I have angle grinder WILL make it fit hahaaa

More tomorrow chaps...

KiM

[AussieJester]

UPdate

I Started bending the tube for the cruisers frame today, i have changed the design slightly
to the sketch, for the better i think hehe...as always heres a few pics-->



The bottom pic is a 2 minute photochop excuse the "dodginess" haha thought might give a good indication what i am seeing n my head anywayz

The notching of the tubes went well each one i did was hassle free ... I have welded the bottom tube the rest is still sitting
loosely sitting in place, I will finish the remain cuts and have the front half of the frame tacked up tomorrow
and the majority of the back also completed..back with more then fellas...

KiM

EDIT: *Note..Forks, bars, stem pictured WILL NOT be used in finished build.

[AussieJester]

Update

Sorry fellas but i didn't get quite as much accomplished today as i thought i would yesterday, i have
spent ~4 hours in the workshop but started feeling sickly in the stomach around lunch time
due to having a couple of Jacks and Cola last night and nothing too eat i think, when i blew
a small hole (first one in as long as i can remember) when welding up the last of the frame
i new it was time to call it a day.

I did get the front half of the frame fab completed though, I reshaped the front down tube more to match the
drawing and less like my trike frame, i like it ALOT better than the 'pointy' front it had yesterday, i will also
now be able to mount the front bottom bracket almost directly on the front down tube, i stuck one
in position with masking tape before i came in and the pedal clearance is excellent! Thankyou again to
Al.Fisherman on MotoredBikes.com for taking the time to answer my question on bottom bracket
height in prompt time appreciate your time buddy :-) With the bottom bracket Mounted on the inner front tube now
the bikes pedals will be 4inches from the ground making the bracket ~10in from lowest
point to the ground, AMPLE clearance i think...

As always pics of the mornings activities-->



The frame is completely welded now she came up beautiful im very happy with the look now i am also
considering adding another horizontal tube about 1/4 of the way up the frame, this will be the level
the front bottom bracket it at, below this tube the mechanism for the stabilisers could be mounted
and then enclosed with aluminium sheet.

All opinions and suggestions welcome fellas, i shall get myself a good feed and a sleep (was up most of the night couldn't sleep)
and be bright and enthusiastic tomorrow to finish the frame off...

KiM

[AussieJester]

UPdate

I failed to reach my objective of completing the rear end for the frame, unfortunately
the drop-outs used my last grinding disk AND cuttoff disk i thought i had extras
but alas i found out i didnt..Lack of $$$ till pay day tomorrow for replacement
forced me to call it a day as i need gthe disks to notch the tubing :: sigh :: always
something sent to test my patience LoL Anywayz...i DID finish the rear drop-outs
heres how i went about it-->


[size=85]


The drop-outs were cut from 5mm thick mild steel, prolly thicker than some of
you would use for your custom rides but seeing this rear end will have ALOT
of stress put on it i tend to go overkill Last thing i need is the frame to fail when im hooting down the
road at 60km/hr LoL

Shall get to Bunnings (local Hardware chain in Australia) tomorrow morning
and get stuck into the tubing for the frame in the afternoon..

Back same time same channel with update tomorrow HOPEFULLY with a frame that looks complete LoL

KiM

[AussieJester]

Update

Bit of a late one today the rear of the frame is progressing
along nicely but boy am i knackered, long days take it out
of this ole timer haha.... I had to redo my work several
times this afternoon until i was satisfied...i think the
neighbours might have also picked up a few new swear
words, wasn't easy sailing by a long shot i just wasn't
on my game today, in the end though, it all came together
and im rapt rapt with the look...here's what i have for you
all this evening anywayz-->



The rear dropouts are fully welded inside , ill get some
close up MACROs tomorrow in the daylight, you cant
see the welds i run a double fillet weld adn hit it with the
flap disk it looks nice IMHO... I have also shown in the
last two pics WHY i have opted to mount the upper rear
tubing in front of the "seat tube" doing so leaves adequate
area for the "mini shock" that will suspend the seat and save
my kidneys ;-) The tubing IS NOT welded to the frame
at all, i want to complete the lower tubing tomorrow
prior to welding. The gap between the rear drop-outs is
180mm the 3 speed i intend using for "everyday cruising"
is 175mm from lock nut to lock nut. I intend to rip a
rear wheel off my trike tomorrow (has 20x4.25 rims/tires
and slot it into the rear end to make 100% sure there's
adequate clearance, i know there is but i'm HANGIN
to see how she looks with a fat 4inch 20 on the ass
end haha......ok I'm out please if you have any
suggestions or question feel free to fire away...

KiM

[GAM]

Hey AJ! Very cool project. I did end having a look through on the other forum and was mighty impressed. Haha, I like your framing jig too.

I look forward to seeing it all come together and then hearing of you taking our first prize!!!

Cheers
Greig

[BigDave]

Hey KiM, It's good to see the mad scientist at it again.

[AussieJester]

Cheers Fellas :-)

I forgot the last page of the worklog frame was "finished" Friday heres the update from then


Update

In a bit of a rush have a few buds dropping in this evening after work for drinks, so i wont ramble on suffice to say
i completed the a s s end of the frame today, it is 95% fully welded towards end of day my trigger in the welder hand piece
is sticking, will fix this tomorrow and complete the welds on the frame..pics of afternoons work-->



I'm very happy with the way it has turned out, only welds not fully completed are the underside of the tubing, topsides all fully welded..

I shall move on to the suspension mechanism for the seat next...more soon

KiM

[AussieJester]

Update

Thanks again YPedal Man and amberwolf the info has been noted frame
measured and marked ready for seat mounting and bottom bracket placement...I
went out ready to get to the seatpan/suspension setup then realised i still hadn't
added the gusset for lower frame OR completed the welding of the underside
of the tubes SO...picked up the welder to complete this ONLY to find the welder
was still broken forgot it broke Friday (had the weekend off) ...fucked around
fixing the hand piece up, the switch mechanism had snapped in half that
out of the way i completed the rest of the welding of the frame it is now FULLY WELDED...
The seat support still to be done and obviously the front bottom bracket and
of course the stabiliser mechanism...Frame itself though is DONE...shes nice and straight
and oober strong ready for Mr Rs CNC reduction drive Pr0n! Few pics OH and i weighed
the frame also-->



7kilo! (15 pound) Yup shes a lil heavier than your average frame but i guarantee its a
shitload stronger! i will feel ALOT safer hitting speeds on this than i would on a Wallmart or equivalent
shit quality china bike.

With above information in hand the seat shall be on the frame this time tomorrow!

OH...we went out yesterday curb side collecting as i have now decided to make a
girder style fork!-->



I think this will better suit the bike rather than a mountain bike fork...I plan
to use 4 front hubs (extended and reinforced..found 8 whells on curbside :-))
rather than simply drilling a hole and sliding a bolt through, my plan is to utilise the front hubs with
the ball bearings so it is nice and free moving when tightened up
giving me (hopefully) a nice solid springy fork...more on that soon though
need to pickup a length of tubing to make the fork from :-)

Back tomorrow with another update...till then...

KiM

[AussieJester]

I have been tossing up which way to mount the front bottom bracket the cranks will be mounted in
the two possibilities i have quickly photochopped onto the frame-->



As i see it there's advantages too both options...

A) will allow easier mounting of the batteries but adds extra weight to the frame...i would say it
adds strength or rigidity as it does but its not needed its not flexing as is.

B) This options lighter but i have no top bar to mount tabs to that will aid in battery mounting...i think
i prefer this look though...

Seeing i'm unsure im throwing it out to the meembers of the forum, see what the general thought
on the two different designs is...ALTERNATIVELY, if you have another possibility that you think
would be better please, feel free to suggest away ...thanks in advance...

KiM

[AussieJester]

Update

Today i started work on the seat pan/support that the actual
seat itself will be fastened too. I am NOT using the seat in
picture...i had this seat on the first trike i built, i cut it down
a lil too much and is now too uncomfortable for my unstable
pelvis, I shall pick up a new one from Movement Systems
for final assembly, the one in picture is merely
for "mock up" purposes....ok that out of the way...
Pics of today's progress-->



Pretty self explanatory i think? the front pivot hole
i have welded a tube through, this will have LIBERAL
amounts of graphite grease applied when final assembly
happens this should ensure a squeak free pivot and
hopefully not wear excessively. I was going to go with
sealed bearings but finally after procrastinating over
it for few sleepless nights hahaa chose the K.I.S.S method.

I only need weld the front plates on they are shaped
ready for fitting but it was late when i finished and the
light was gone (my garage has poor lightening need the
sunlight when welding or cant see what the fuck im
doing hahaa.) Will weld these plates first up tomorrow
along with the bracket for the mini shock and the rear
seat shock mounts will also be cut and welded to the
pan...totally forgot these but again was late so wouldn't
have gotten to them anywayz

Thanks for the positive feed back fellas as always much
appreciated, shall be back tomorrow with another
update of the days activities...till then its hooroo from
me :-)

KiM

[AussieJester]

G'day Fellas...

Trike HUBS!! I will use a trike hub on the rear, they have three holes in them already from where the
studs on the trike axle slide into i will utilise these and simple bolt everything onto them directly they
take a nice 15mm axle too so extra strength there!! I took a few pics to show the ample room i have to run left side
chain for the manual pedals WITH a disk brake..Only need to skim ~10-15mm off the pulley and that will line up
with the reduction drive how easy is that! These pulleys are in abundant supply to there was wall full of them
i could get a few of them in various sizes to dial in higer speeds for when i want to have some "fun" for
cruising what i have now will max around 50km/hr use 44 volt.. i think for me is ample for now
and it should climb any hill with easy...


NB: The Handle bars, fairing, forks and front wheel will NOT be used on finished bike...24in front rim will also be used not 26as pictured

I shall still grab a 3 speed hub from Choppers US for now though using the trike hub will expedite getting the bike mobile
in quicker time...the 3 speed can be an "upgrade" in the near future :-)

Back too it...

KiM

[AussieJester]

It is Grand Final Day here in Australia today we dont play Soccer or GridIron as our National Sport we play AFL..Australian Rules Football..Geelong And St Kilda battle it out in under an hour for premiership glory, neither are the team i support unfortunately but i have a croud coming around none the less, bar-b-q is warming and the beer is cold...no work will be done on Cruiser this weekend...

I do have a couple of pics that maybe of interest...I was looking the seat mount pivot point and after Travis (IronSpadeCycles) from RatRodBikes commented on lining the tube with brass i recalled that we did exactly that on the suspension of the 1/8th scale buggies i raced as a teenager to help with wear..Well..i poked around in my scrap metal pile and found some brass that slid neatly into the steel tube of the pivot point with ~0.5mm to spare..light smear of JB Weld will be used to hold it in place permanently when full assembly takes place, this will wear over time when the joint pivots, when it needs to be replaced it will be simply as running a 1/2in drill bit through the hole and replace the copper! This wont be in a couple of years and i doubt i will ever need to replace it the bike will more likely be a memory by then and a new one in the garage never the less it is a lil more "professional" that steel bolt on steel tube...



I have also re-sketched the linear actuator design i have for mounting the actuator on the front side of the seat tube...



Now please be aware this is just a "sketch of the method" it is NOT to scale, the levers will be altered accordingly so the necessary range of motion is obtained to both raise and lower the stabilisers.

Back in a few days with another update..

KiM

[AussieJester]

Update

Another rather boring update but again something that needed to be done so pictures were taken...

The second extra wide bottom bracket the crankshaft will be mounted in was made-->



I cut 3 bottom brackets from the donor bikes before i found one that wasn't hollowed out at each 'joint'
I also found out my aging compressor has given up the ghost when i went to die grind the tube to extend
the shaft LUCKILY my mate Matt came to the rescue popping around with the shaft from his old OCC Chopper!
We also went for another kerbside run before the rubbish is collected this week...

I also recieved in the mail today thanks to Reid Welsh his old Drain Brain! BIG THANKYOU to Reid for this
contribution to "the cause"



The blue DB (old Cycle Anaylist model) comes with speedo (and you did include the wheel magnet Reid its
in the bag with the mounting hardware buddy!) You thought you had misplaced it if i recall correctly? The
Blue housing will match the paint job too WHICH coincidently will also be blue, Ford XY GTHO Phase III metallic blue
to be precise, my good buddy Mick has kindly donated enough two pak to paint the frame (he has a been
restoring his XY for ~15 years 99% done now hence i get the remaining paint for my bike LoL) Thanks Mick :-)

I need to fix my compressor before i can notch the tubing where the extra wide bottom bracket
will be mounted, failing that ill have my mate bring his around so i can use it ...

Back soon gents

KiM