slaphappygamer
100 W
Hello all, I'm working on something cool. I've found a CityBug scooter, by Sharper Image (hello 2007). I've actually been working on this for a few months now and am at the point where I've become confident that this scooter will become useful to make runs to and from the corner market.
Although the frame was in good shape, I found this scooter in a poor state. It was missing....
- Right handle bar, that originally had the throttle
- The seatpost was attached, but no seat
- Batteries, of course. Originally ran on 2x12v SLAs
- Missing kickstand, the bracket is still there though
What I've done so far..
- Added handlebars from a bike that my kid has outgrown
- Added a seat from an old 80s metal office chair. I used the seatpost from my kids old bike. It fit right inside the seatpost that was found with the scooter. A seatpost within a seatpost.
- I've placed a new controller, a YK31C 24v 500w
- Added a thumb throttle, from my ebike
- Added Hailong 36v 20ah (10s6p). Overvolting the rated 24v 300w brushed motor and controller. This may be an issue later
- Installed a coulometer to monitor my battery usage
- Cleaned up the wiring
- Cut up the fiberglass shell to accommodate the new battery
- New tires and tubes
Here it is now.
The next things I am looking to do is...
- Changing out the brake cable and lever. That is original.
- Fashioning some type of deck. Perhaps from wood, for now. With a deck, I'd have more area to stand on. The existing fiberglass shell wont last much longer. It's slowly breaking apart.
- A voltmeter with key, switch, and throttle. It's an all in one unit.
- Lastly, changing out the motor for an 8" rear hub with band brake
- A proper 36v controller. So I can wire a charging port and get off overvolting the 24v controller. Better LVC too. I should get this sooner, but I feel I should change the motor at the same time. I just don't want to buy a 36v brushed controller and then get a brushless motor, and again have to replace the controller. I guess I could go with a new brushed motor, but I'd rather go to the brushless motor.
The current motor is rated at 24v 300w, according to the manual. It gets hot at 36v. My meter shows that it peaks at 31 amps, when going up steep hills. I weight 150lbs and the scooter is about 40-50lbs. I assisted after a short bit. After reaching the top of the hill, I checked the motor temp. It was very hot too the touch and measured (with a BBQ thermal gun) 212f. I think that's too hot for a brushed motor. I'm pretty sure it was a bit hotter inside and that the thermometer only measures surface temp. I rode it around for almost 4 miles and still had 80 percent battery (16A measured by my coulometer). This scooter will definitely get me to work and back now. That's an 8 mile round trip. It's really fun to ride.
Here is my motor
I've decided to go with a 8" hub motor, with a band brake for ease of install. I have no idea how I could attach brackets to mount brake calipers for disc brakes. I'm not looking to go really fast. 20mph is plenty fast on a scooter. I just need the power to go up hills. Anyhow, I'm not capable of working with metal. I have no tools for that scale of work. So the band brake fits my needs.
I'm pretty stoked on getting this working. I've been learning a lot from this project.
I'm open to any input. How does this look? Am I overlooking something important?
Although the frame was in good shape, I found this scooter in a poor state. It was missing....
- Right handle bar, that originally had the throttle
- The seatpost was attached, but no seat
- Batteries, of course. Originally ran on 2x12v SLAs
- Missing kickstand, the bracket is still there though
What I've done so far..
- Added handlebars from a bike that my kid has outgrown
- Added a seat from an old 80s metal office chair. I used the seatpost from my kids old bike. It fit right inside the seatpost that was found with the scooter. A seatpost within a seatpost.
- I've placed a new controller, a YK31C 24v 500w
- Added a thumb throttle, from my ebike
- Added Hailong 36v 20ah (10s6p). Overvolting the rated 24v 300w brushed motor and controller. This may be an issue later
- Installed a coulometer to monitor my battery usage
- Cleaned up the wiring
- Cut up the fiberglass shell to accommodate the new battery
- New tires and tubes
Here it is now.
The next things I am looking to do is...
- Changing out the brake cable and lever. That is original.
- Fashioning some type of deck. Perhaps from wood, for now. With a deck, I'd have more area to stand on. The existing fiberglass shell wont last much longer. It's slowly breaking apart.
- A voltmeter with key, switch, and throttle. It's an all in one unit.
- Lastly, changing out the motor for an 8" rear hub with band brake
- A proper 36v controller. So I can wire a charging port and get off overvolting the 24v controller. Better LVC too. I should get this sooner, but I feel I should change the motor at the same time. I just don't want to buy a 36v brushed controller and then get a brushless motor, and again have to replace the controller. I guess I could go with a new brushed motor, but I'd rather go to the brushless motor.
The current motor is rated at 24v 300w, according to the manual. It gets hot at 36v. My meter shows that it peaks at 31 amps, when going up steep hills. I weight 150lbs and the scooter is about 40-50lbs. I assisted after a short bit. After reaching the top of the hill, I checked the motor temp. It was very hot too the touch and measured (with a BBQ thermal gun) 212f. I think that's too hot for a brushed motor. I'm pretty sure it was a bit hotter inside and that the thermometer only measures surface temp. I rode it around for almost 4 miles and still had 80 percent battery (16A measured by my coulometer). This scooter will definitely get me to work and back now. That's an 8 mile round trip. It's really fun to ride.
Here is my motor
I've decided to go with a 8" hub motor, with a band brake for ease of install. I have no idea how I could attach brackets to mount brake calipers for disc brakes. I'm not looking to go really fast. 20mph is plenty fast on a scooter. I just need the power to go up hills. Anyhow, I'm not capable of working with metal. I have no tools for that scale of work. So the band brake fits my needs.
I'm pretty stoked on getting this working. I've been learning a lot from this project.
I'm open to any input. How does this look? Am I overlooking something important?