MOD seated scooters up to 72V 5kW dual motor: VESC + modular DIY OpenSource electronics and software

[casainho]

Current state of my scooter:

Very hard to put inside this car, and with high risk of damage. On the other car, it will simple no fit.

 

[Zambam]

Maybe easier said then done. How about cut and weld the i12 frame to match the geometry of the Fiido?

 

[casainho]

Maybe easier said then done. How about cut and weld the i12 frame to match the geometry of the Fiido?

The guy that will cut and solder the frame, works daily on a workshop that do exatly that for producing their custom bicycle frames. The latest iScooter i12 I bought costed only 200€, on Aliexpress in a promotion, so for now is cheaper to buy that scooter and do some changes on the frame instead of doing a fully new frame.

 

[glennb]

Ideally you'd achieve the wheelbase reduction and head tube angle adjustment with a single cut and rejoin. The foot peg location complicates that. For shortening it'd be easier to remove sections below the battery, whereas for the angle adjustment it'd be preferable to cut and rejoin just in front of the foot pegs.

Bending's preferable to cutting and welding, but there's no avoiding cuts if you need to shorten the frame, so might as well consider utilising those cuts to adjust the seat and head tube angles.

You've already positioned your saddle as far forward as possible, and couldn't achieve appreciably more than that with a different seat post, except for a parallelogram type suspension post. But if you're in the mood for bending, there's no good reason not to bend your post to position you further forward.

Alternatively, achieve the same result when performing the wheelbase reduction by using angled joins on the horizontal base tubes, perhaps five degrees each.

With two such joins at front and rear to steepen the seat tube and slacken the head tube, five degrees is enough that from a distance it'll appear bowed and people might wonder if an elephant stomped on your scooter.

 

[Zambam]

I've come to accept the steel frame and will keep it. Maybe do some mods to make it go a little faster.

For testing, I had a broom stick lashed on with inner tube for foot pegs. It moved around too much. I have this long aluminum pipe laying around outside. Just cut a piece off it, secured with hose clamps. It's on solid now! On my full size moped, I like to ride with my feet on the passenger foot pegs. The pipe put my feet in about the same position.

After more test rides and if I decide to keep it, I will paint the pipe black.


View attachment 385307

With around 30 miles of test rides, I found my leg was catching on the footrest pipe when walking or maneuvering the scooter, very annoying so I removed it. I've been alternating between sitting and standing when one or the other gets tired- very nice feature of this scooter. I am also getting used to the handling.

 

[casainho]

A bit of maintenance on the display, the battery CR927 that keeps the clock, was discharged and I replaced it - was very easy to solder the new one in place.

That picture shows how simple is the display of the Escooter: ESP32-S3 board + LCD board + RTC real time clock board:

 

[casainho]

I tested the adjustable air shock I bought to Fiido Q1S and it is the same fit for the iScooter i12. Now I will buy a another one as this iScooter uses 2 unites.

The model I use and have good experience with it is the Meroca 165x45mm, you can buy it here on Aliexpress:


Most of my weight is on the rear wheel, so good adjustable air shocks will be a good improvement in my comfort while riding:


That spring shock is the original from iScooter i12 and is not responsive and soft as that adjustable air shocks!!

 

[Zambam]

I tested the adjustable air shock I bought to Fiido Q1S and it is the same fit for the iScooter i12. Now I will buy a another one as this iScooter uses 2 unites.

The model I use and have good experience with it is the Meroca 165x45mm, you can buy it here on Aliexpress:
View attachment 386868

Most of my weight is on the rear wheel, so good adjustable air shocks will be a good improvement in my comfort while riding:
View attachment 386867

That spring shock is the original from iScooter i12 and is not responsive and soft as that adjustable air shocks!!
View attachment 386866

What improvement in comfort do you get compared to the stock shocks? How often do you have to pump it up with air?

It's $52 each. Need 2, a bit spendy!

edit:
Found on Amazon for $45. Not sure if it's the same shock?

 

[casainho]

What improvement in comfort do you get compared to the stock shocks? How often do you have to pump it up with air?

I don't know how to explain, but you can search comparitions on bicycles air shocks.

I think maintenance pump every 1 year should be enough.

 

[casainho]

Yesterday I was really pushing it on the way to the gym, to the point that even the rear motor started to heat up. Luckily, with the front motor assisting, I did not notice much difference, and it only happened right as I arrived at the gym.

On the display, MR stands for rear motor. The bar indicates the motor temperature as a percentage and also shows the threshold at which the VESC begins to reduce motor power.

The bar would alternate to MF if the front motor also became hot.

So, even with this dual motors that are optimized for the max speed I need and max torque possible, I ride at powers that at least the rear motor starts to heat. So, I am on the limit for this scooter as this are the most powerful motors available on the market for this wheel size of 12 inches.

 

[Zambam]

Yesterday I was really pushing it on the way to the gym, to the point that even the rear motor started to heat up. Luckily, with the front motor assisting, I did not notice much difference, and it only happened right as I arrived at the gym.

How fast how long were you pushing it?

 

[Zambam]

I am on the limit for this scooter as this are the most powerful motors available on the market for this wheel size of 12 inches.

Will it fit a 14" in the rear? Make it a mullet?

 

[casainho]

How fast how long were you pushing it?

About 40kms/h average I guess, on mostly flat surfaces, for 7kms. But I weight 115 kgs and I have strong acceleration and regen/deceleration, and a lot of them, I think that is where the most heat his, on giving high torque for aceleration/deceleration.

I think this frame can handle a 14 inches tire, but only thin ones. My current tire is a 3.00-8 inches and has 165mm radius when full of air, and almost touch on the frame at the sides.

 

[casainho]

I'd like to share another modification I decided to make to my iScooter i12.

One of the things that bothered me most was its overall length, which made it difficult to fit into the trunks of my cars. After taking several measurements and comparing its dimensions with my previous Fiido Q1S, I concluded that shortening the frame by 150 mm would be a good solution.

To achieve this, I hired a local bicycle frame builder, who carried out the frame cutting and welding work.

Before the modification, the iScooter i12 (already equipped with a 14" front suspension and 3.5-8 tires) had the following dimensions:

• Overall length: 1320 mm

• Length with the handlebar turned sideways: 1250 mm

After shortening the frame by 150 mm:

• Overall length: 1170 mm
• Length with the handlebar turned sideways: 1100 mm

To reinforce the modified area, an internal sleeve tube was inserted inside the frame at the cut-and-weld section, helping to maintain the structural strength of the frame.

I have not yet had the opportunity to reassemble and test the scooter after this modification, so I cannot comment on its impact on handling or structural behavior. However, based on the workmanship and the final dimensions, I am very pleased with the result so far. It appears to have achieved exactly what I was aiming for: a more compact scooter that is much easier to transport in a car trunk.

I'm looking forward to testing it soon and sharing my impressions.

 

[casainho]

I have started assembling the new short frame. All the mechanical parts are now in place and fit well, except for the stem. As can be seen, the original stem is now too long for this 14-inch fork, and I do not want to cut the fork stem.

I am currently using the Fiido Q1S stem, and I have now realized that it is not straight; it has a positive angle, which actually gives me the correct reach for my arm length.

Since I could not find a similar stem on AliExpress, I decided to buy the Fiido Q1S stem from the Fiido EU store for €46, which seems a fair price.