Jerry Can Mini Electric Motorcycle

I decided to publish this build after completion because honestly I wasn't sure it was going to be successful (first build). This may actually be my first post on this forum but I have received an immeasurable amount of help from everyone's posts here so I'm happy to finally contribute.

I'm new to steel fab (don't look at the welds, its a developing skill) so one of the goals with the design was to make it as simple as possible as far as the steel work goes. I'm okay with 3D-printing so for non-structural items I went for the printed parts. The other criteria was that I was set on the QS Motor 3000W mid-drive swingarm setup because I know its a well sorted little power plant. I have it's 1500W little brother on a purchased E-moto (CSC city slicker). My goal with this mini moto was to double the range of that bike and increase the torque and speed a bit too.

Basic details:

• -QS 3000W 138 72V Mid Drive Motor 12inch Assembly
  -Votol EM150SP Controller
  DKD speedometer and Z6 throttle
  -72V 45.6 AH 24S-12P custom LiFePO4 battery pack using K2 26650 cells
  -IRC 100/90-12 and 120/70-12 street/trail tires. (They won't see dirt I just like the scrambler look)
  -735mm pit bike forks and triple clamp
  -Off-road driving lights as headlights
  -Nose-less bicycle seat (actually really comfortable but no room to move around though)
  -2x4" and 2x2" 0.12" thick tube steel for frame. (Overkill for sure on the thickness but the benefits out-way the weight penalty I think)
  -2" OD .12"thick pipe for swing arm pivot extension and head tube.
  -3/4" 14ga sq steel tube for battery box/controller frame
  -Printed parts are carbon fiber infused poly-carbonate (heat and weather resistant, honestly I'm skeptical on the actual CF benefit but it sounds cool and it gives parts a nice flat black surface finish).
  -The iconic 5 gallon steel Jerry can cut in half (I love the irony of it and the charging port is in the gas cap)

Performance:
With basically the stock settings on the controller I'm super pleased with the performance. It pulls to 45mph quickly and it presently tops out at about 65. Up around 60mph it feels like death is right around the corner with 12 inch wheels so 25-45mph roads are it's sweet spot. Range is about 45 miles traveling at 40mph give or take. Seat height is very low at just under 29". It feels very comfortable to me and the geometry is spot on I think. One taller rider had said the seat height could do with a 1-2" raise to stretch the legs a bit but that would be easy to change if you wanted to.

Future:
Complete the official DOT certification and get a vin and title and all that. I already know I'll have to add a front fender to pass. Over the winter I would like to publish some detailed plans with dims and parts lists so others can build similar bikes easier. Some bathroom remodels were put on hold for this project so I may have to get to that in the short-term to maintain the peace at home. I may add a faux gas tank/storage compartment but I'm not sure if that will mess up the aesthetics. Switching battery chemistry and getting more capacity in the battery is also on the table. In the end this was an extremely rewarding project and its an absolute blast to ride, I hope others will build even better versions of it in the future.

Artistic ... nice job

Great build :thumb:

What a goofy looking bike. I like it! Very clean build with lots of nice features (belt drive etc.)

Green with envy........Love It.

Still enjoying the bike?

I’m driving it every chance I get when the weather cooperates and I’m smiling the whole time. I have two other bikes and I have pretty much decided to sell them both in the spring and just keep this one.

I added a front fender from a mini dirtbike and it doesn’t detract from the look too much so I may make that a permanent addition

Nice piece of art you got there! Love all the detail you put into this build. Great job!

Up around 60mph it feels like death is right around the corner with 12 inch wheels

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My Vespa P125X EV conversion is nice and stable up to its max speed of 62 MPH on 10 inch wheels. I also have a Vespa GTS250ie that has 12 inch wheels; it is nice and stable up to its max speed of 75 MPH. I think maybe the knobby tires might be the reason, not the 12 inch wheels.

Other factors could be at play such as steering geometry (rake and trail).

My fear at over 60mph is only in my brain and isn’t really justified by poor handling or anything.

I would probably slacken the head tube angle 1-2 degrees if I designed anything for continuous driving at those speeds. The steering now I would call quick but it’s still pretty stable.

The tires are only J rated (62mph) so that is one of the thoughts rattling around in my brain at speed.

Really cool build man!

Where in PA are you? I'm very interested in the whole VIN aquisition process. Keep us posted on that.

Nice build! Did you build the battery?

Ok, that is just plain rad..really mate. Nice job

mtblink said:

My fear at over 60mph is only in my brain and isn’t really justified by poor handling or anything.

I would probably slacken the head tube angle 1-2 degrees if I designed anything for continuous driving at those speeds. The steering now I would call quick but it’s still pretty stable.

The tires are only J rated (62mph) so that is one of the thoughts rattling around in my brain at speed.

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Dude this bike kicks ass! Have any pictures of the battery build?

problemaddict said:

Really cool build man!

Where in PA are you? I'm very interested in the whole VIN aquisition process. Keep us posted on that.

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Thanks and I live in Pittsburgh. I have been slacking on the VIN process but I'll eventually get around to getting it over to the enhanced inspection place to initiate the inspection and paperwork. This will definitely occur before the riding season starts again. I messed around with adding and tweaking the front fender for too long and then I ended up changing the front wiring box to improve the aesthetics slightly too. For good and bad, having a bunch of printed parts on their makes it to easy to endlessly modify it.

Here are a couple pics of the battery build for those asking. Its a 72V 45.6 AH 24S-12P pack using LiFePO4 K2 26650 cells. First battery build. I didn't really blaze any new trails here as I used pre-made cell holders and nickel tape etc. In hindsight I would have made some improvements though.

The ANT BMS is has plenty of overhead on the current requirements at 180A continuous and 400A peak but I accidentally didn't get the can-bus version. I may replace it someday to improve the accuracy of the battery level gauge on the speedometer. It does have a nice Bluetooth app for the phone which gives me tons of info so I'm not too worried about it. Also the series and parallel connections on the battery are only the .15 x 10mm nickel strip. The motor can draw 150+A during hard acceleration and I think these connections are probably the weak spot in the battery build. I have a few temp probes around the battery and reporting to the BMS and Bluetooth app and the temps aren't particularly high or anything even after hard riding. I usually ride in gear 2 which reduces the top speed to about 55mph or so and lowers the peak current to 120A for short intervals of high acceleration. It's the perfect balance of performance and battery life at that level I think.

Thanks for the great feedback on the build, its making me think about doing another one for sure.

Nice build. Your battery is nearly identical to mine, cept I used 32650, but still used the same 3 layers, same orientation. To beef up the series connections, from just plain nickel strip, and to handle more current easily without a drop, what I did was find tinned copper strips online. Cut those to length and soldered them to the top of the series connections. Certainly not the perfect way to do it. But worked for me. LiFePO4 can handle soldering for a few more seconds than smaller Li-ion cells, though not unlimited heat applied. And anyway, I was heating the series connections, nickel, not the cells directly.

Your battery should last quite awhile. I hope to follow yours years from now to see when you need to replace it, so I can compare it to mine, at such a similar build quality and style

problemaddict said:

Really cool build man!

Where in PA are you? I'm very interested in the whole VIN aquisition process. Keep us posted on that.

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Quick update on VIN process:

I finally got around to actually starting the VIN process earlier this year and the bike is now finally legal. I was expecting the whole process to be much worse from what I've heard from others, but I guess I was one of the lucky ones because it actually went really smooth. My only regret is not starting it earlier. The basic process involved the following:

• Enhanced inspection and associated state paperwork filled out by the inspection station and myself.
• Collected all receipts for all parts of the bike and wrote a couple paragraphs describing it.
• Took all the above paperwork to a notary/messenger (I used AAA) and they sent the information to the state. It took almost all of the stated 90 day period for the state to review and then that was it.
• The state sent a title to my address and they sent the specialty built vehicle PA VIN plate to AAA.
• With the Vin # I was able to get insurance and with insurance I was able to get a plate and registration on the spot.

I attached the Vin plate near the head tube when I got home and that's that. I do need to get regular yearly inspection as the enhanced inspection doesn't actually qualify for some reason. I'm guessing that during the yearly inspection they will actually confirm that the Vin plate is permanently attached.

mtblink said:

Quick update on VIN process:

I finally got around to actually starting the VIN process earlier this year

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Awesome info. Thanks for the update.