So, I actually went ahead and built an e motocross bike. Yeah, one of those electric dirt munchers. Sounded like a fun project, you know? Something to get my hands dirty with, different from the usual stuff I tinker with. I figured, how tough could it really be? Well, let me tell you, it was a bit of a ride, and not always the smooth kind.
I’ve messed around with regular petrol bikes for ages. Always fixing something, tuning something. But the idea of an electric one, quiet, instant torque, that really got me thinking. Plus, no more annoying the neighbors with a screaming two-stroke at odd hours. That was a big plus, probably for them more than me, ha!
Okay, so first things first, getting all the bits and pieces. Man, that was an adventure in itself. You’d think with the internet and all, it’d be easy. Nope. Finding a decent frame that wasn’t crazy expensive was the first hurdle. Then a motor that would actually fit without needing a degree in engineering to mount it. And the battery! Don’t even get me started on finding a good battery pack that wouldn’t conk out after ten minutes or cost more than a small car.
I spent weeks, and I mean weeks, scouring websites, forums, talking to guys who’d done similar stuff. Some parts came from one place, some from another. It was like a treasure hunt, but less fun and more waiting for shipping confirmations. I remember this one motor I ordered. Looked great online, specs seemed to line up. Took forever to arrive. When it finally did, the box looked like it had gone ten rounds with a bear. And surprise, surprise, the shaft was bent. Just fantastic. Dealing with returns and all that jazz, what a headache. Wasted a good chunk of time there.
Then came the wiring. Oh, the wiring. You’ve got the motor, the controller, the battery, the throttle, display, all needing to talk to each other. I’m not gonna lie, I had moments where I just stared at a pile of wires and thought, “What have I gotten myself into?” The diagrams that came with some parts? Might as well have been written in ancient Greek for all the good they did. Lots of trial and error, lots of checking and double-checking with my multimeter. Didn’t want to fry anything expensive, you know?
Mounting everything was its own saga.
- The motor needed custom brackets, of course. Nothing ever just bolts right on, does it? Had to get a bit creative with some metal fabrication there.
- Figuring out where to stuff the battery and the controller so it was protected but still accessible, that was like a game of Tetris.
- And making sure all the cables were routed neatly and wouldn’t get snagged on anything. That took patience.
I hit a few snags, naturally. There was this one time I thought I had it all hooked up. Flipped the main switch… and nothing. Absolutely dead. My stomach just dropped. Spent a whole evening tracing every single connection, checking every fuse. Turned out to be one dodgy connector that wasn’t making proper contact. Such a small thing, but it had me pulling my hair out.
But then, when I finally sorted that out, and flipped that switch again, and the motor hummed to life? Magic. Pure magic. Hearing that wheel spin up for the first time, powered by something I’d pieced together, that was a pretty awesome feeling, not gonna lie.
Took it for its first proper test ride in a nearby field. So different from a gas bike. The quietness is almost weird at first, but that instant torque is addictive. Just twist and go. Still got some tweaking to do, fine-tuning the suspension, maybe playing with the controller settings a bit more. But it works! It actually rips pretty good.
So yeah, that was my e motocross bike build. A lot of late nights, a fair bit of frustration, and it definitely tested my patience more than once. But seeing it come together, and actually riding it, made it all worthwhile. Learned a ton too. If you’re thinking of doing something similar, just be prepared for a journey. It’s not a weekend project, that’s for sure. But hey, now I’ve got my own custom electric beast. Pretty cool.