For various reasons the seat has been slow to develop. However, I’m enthusiastic to get this finished so it can be ticked off the list of things to do. Being the kinda guy who is always happy to learn new things, I I’m going to have a go myself. Because I’m new to the upholstery…
Category: design
Just xj600e renders
Been trying hard to suck at something new again… and have finally worked out the correct buttons to push to improve the quality of some of my visualisation skills on my #xj600e Have moved from UE5 to Twinmotion. Finding it amazing to work with new programs.
Design Freeze 01
Okay, I think this project has reached a design freeze. Or at least a freeze until all is printed out and it has passed the DVLA MSVA (Motorcycle Single Vehicle Approval). The last task was to cover cables that route from the lower battery box to the controller at the top of the frame with…
… colours?
I think my obsession with detail and fiddly bits is getting out of control. Out of all the bits printed for my electric motorcycle so far, this is my favourite design & part. Just a plain old cable collar (about 150mm in length) that holds the front and rear panels together, keeps them on the…
Battery cover panels
Managed to find some time to do some B-surface CAD and knock out some more panels to test fit. I suffered some issues with the printer which was eventually fixed after I had printed most of the job. I’d used the z-hop to make the printing more reliable but this cause ringing which is why…
Colour break
I have been making slow progress on top panels of the xj600e. After putting together some draft surfaces I decided to try out the colour breaks on half a front panel I have proposed so far. Works very well to make the top set look less long and imposing. I think this is defo the…
330mm shock test length
As mentioned in the last post, I decided to try a TW125 shock to test the length. No bottoming out, I had a jolly good bounce on it, felt like a child again. No clearance issues around the swingarm or linkages. The stance has changed, greater incline on the frame, more rear wheel clearance on…
New Geometry
Got some new geometry to lift the seat up and improve stance to remove the rear squat. 335mm mono strut from 295mm mono strut. Have had a chat with a sock absorber builder and they think all is good but I need to check the compression length. To check I have got my hands on…
Voltage Aesthetic
Engine & Tank vs’ Battery/Controller & Motor For a while I have been okay with the controller cover. However lazy I am, I feel the need to try something different because it is starting to look just like a ICE bike with a fuel tank. I’m sure this is inoffensive but some exploration can’t hurt….
Seat mock-up for upholstery v2
Have had a rethink about the seat. Needed to check it with rads… because I really want to find an upholsterer that can get clear rads as close to the 5mm used on the CAD model. I also placed the central line in the model to check that. Actually does a lot to reduce the…
Seat mock-up for upholstery
Originally I was going to make a foam mock-up of the seat as in CAD. However, I thought it would be a bit more accurate as an RP mock-up that matched the CAD model as a hard reference for the upholsterers foam. There was a strange 30mm correction to make. Which leads me to think…
Wheel covers (v2 angled)
The first version (v1) of the wheel covers had flat side. The geometry was adequate on v1. However the original design visualised an angled conical cover, so amendments need to me made to v1. On v2 print time has increased from 2hrs to 6hrs. But maybe some volume reductions in the void created by the…
1st split panel
Back to the print… First split panel has been detailed with preliminary locator & fixing points. Yes, I need to get a load more completed. But, so chuffed to get the first one out of CAD and into the 3D printer. After looking at the model and the new part I think the only additional…
Security
I have decided to take some measures to give the bike a small level of security by locking up the activation switches. I have designed a cam lock into the switch cover. Quite simple really and there is enough purchase at the back of the new switch panel to hold the lever securely. Ultimately this…
Details…
I think I finally feel happy with the main surfaces of the covers. However, there is a fair distance to travel still until it is ready to print unfortunately. Parts still need to be designed for functions such as airflow, movability, and fixing. First task of late has been airflow. The old design had heat…
Surface update
Have worked on some surface updates that include a load of details that aren’t so visible but are needed to make printable parts that fit to the frame securely. The surfaces are still WIP so still a shed load to finish. Main area to date have been the formation of : – The new blistered…
Control Panel v2
The first switch panel was great as a mule to test the system but it didn’t match the upper panels so it’s time to make a new design that works better with the upper panels. Once I have finished this i need to make a flip-up cover to give access to the panel and make…
Top panel breaks
I have started to think about how to supports and breaks on the top panels in 300mm chunks. Although I’m still at very early days I thought it will be sensible to make the controller cover made from aluminium the main structural component of this assembly. The top, side, front and rear replacement panel pinning…
Cover redesign
3 issues that seem important at the moment: Access to the control panel – Currently thinking of a hatch over the control panel that hinges from the front (pivot point arrowed in red). Potentially this could be locked. Air flow to the bottom of the controller – Marked in green thinking that it would be…
Switch panel
Need to start mounting some of the components that are just hanging around at the moment. I have put something together in CAD quickly and spent a bit of time with the printer. Have tried a new material rPETG that has a substantially higher temperature and water resistance and has excellent ductile strength making it…
Isolator carriage v2 printed
I know I should be used to it by now (after all I see it happens all the time in University and in the design industry) but it still amazes me that I can print designs into reality that only exist on a computer. Anyway, I managed to push out a rough print overnight to…
Isolator carriage v2
Have made some changes to v1 design of the isolator carriage. A bit more cable management and some amendments to the BMS to ensure the charge input cables are orriended correctly, etc. Need to print the design to double check it maybe get some advise of the management of the cables. Currently the high and…
Isolator carriage v1
Having had some small issues with dimensional accuracy I have finally started to get some results on the bigger prints and I am finding new uses for the printer. Originally I planned to stick the BMS, charger, and precharger components onto a thin board with 3M double sided tape to isolate it from the batteries….
300mm cuts
Have started to think about the opportunity to 3D print panels rather than metal form them. The more I think about it the more it makes sense. Plastic doesn’t conduct electricity, useful trait on an electric bike… and the production will be easier for my CAD skillset. Having had the printer for a while I…
Rear battery box cover v2
I have spent an evening making some changes to the design of the original battery box to give better clearance for the cables I originally planned to through the bottom of the box because that is where the BMS used to be but now that it is better placed above the battery amendments need to…
Mock under bracket
Interesting to see the growing form of the battery as a whole with the under bracket mocked up in card. All seems to be good. The contactor can be easily removed and replaced and when in position both the contactor and the DCDC convertor clearance is good. On issue is the cable routing. The high…
Underside mounts & protection
Started to think of mounting points for the lower covers and extra protection for the contactor and DC/DC convertor components under the battery case. Decided to combine them. thinking it needs to be quite strong so some folded 3mm alu will make for easy fabricate but maintain strength. The extra thickness should make the mounting…
Step back and see…
Great light today, thought it word be a good opportunity to take a step back and have a look at the old bike to observe it from a distance. Being stuck in the garage I’m often working up close and never get to see how it looks from a ‘normal’ street level perspective. Social media…
Shiny lines
I have some shiny new stainless steel custom brake hoses from OHA motorsport. I know this because that is what it says on the bag — useful sticker. Fitment seems good in general. There is a bit of slack in the rear line. It was ordered with extra length because there are still questions about…
Lights behind
The 3D print is delivered, LED strip installed and bolted to the frame. Works well, slightly worried about the suspension travel now but will have to run it over some heavy ground before final seat design to see how much actual movement there is in the rear swingarm. Worst comes to worst I turn it…
Rear light holder v1
Have had to put together a holder that bolts to the inside of the seat hoop to locate the rear brake/indicator light strip quickly. Original thought was to cut the metal seat hoop and insert the LED strip inside. But for the sake of getting the electric assembly together for the pilot build I’ll 3D…
Low res scans
Have been unhappy with the exchange between 3D CAS (Computer Aided Styling) and mock fabrication for a while. Very much so to the extent that it has caused me to be overly cautious in preceding to cutting a metal pattern. A solution to that has been to scan amendments that have been made in card….
Riser turned
Spend a but of time visualising the old model further to inspect the design at a higher resolution in motion. Looks interesting. Feel that there are some odd areas that need further resolving, but the self critique is good for progress. Still batting back and forth between cafe and riser, but leaning toward riser —…
Benchmark: wheel covers Pt.1
While thinking about laser cutting wheel covers/rim fillers at a later date I bumped into an interesting post on XS650.com; a Yamaha enthusiast forum. Instead of laser cutting rim fillers they modify pizza pans. Yes, pizza pans. JRay77 goes through the steps he completed to make some convincing fillers. The whole post is here: http://www.xs650.com/threads/wheel-covers-ideas.46953
Cafe again
Not too bad in eCafe style too, by the seaside… That is all!
Top cover [front]
Filled in the gap between the forks and the top panel. A colour contrast has been made between the two areas. I would like to make several front areas that reflect different function eventually. I.E. storage, extra functions, etc. But for the moment the simple vents that will let airflow under the controller, to avoid…
Fly screen
Started to look at fly screens. I mocked up a first stab in card. based on the CAS design, feel like it could do with some development though in terms of surface development. After seeing the bike naked for so long I feel that I could do with a smaller version. One that is a…
Final sub-frame laser patterns
Finally finished some lasercut patterns. A couple of changes were made. Only subtle one such as the sub-frame section that holds the type 2 socket is now separated from the main body to make assembly easier. Also, have cut side walls to be replaced by polymer sheets to save weight. Have sent to machinist, should…
Rise(r)… again
To experiment I have mounted some new riser bars that were lower than my 3-4 inch risers. I originally went back to cafe racer bars after planing to use risers because although the rise improved the seating comfort they looked too high, kinda felt like a chopper. However, after trying a couple of bikes that…
Battery BMS/charger socket/cover
After making a few mods to the battery/charge socket cover it became evident that there would be some extra space due to the re-shaping of surfaces. Great news is that there was enough to hold the rectangular BMS board so it looks that i’ll be using this one instead of the flatter square BMS. Rethinking…
Mock controller subframe v.5
A finally think i have a final part and pattern to lasercut for the controller subframe. versions 3 and 4 had minor tweeks and changes. however the latest revision is modelled to 1.5mm thickness steel. and covers the controller better while still allowing the wires to run out of the controller pics and pattern below….
Mock controller subframe v.2
Having experimented with the first version obvious flaws were identified in the design of the controller subframe. First, it was slightly dimensionally inaccurate because it was lashed together. Secondly, it was unstable where it fixed to the controller, after a certain amount of yanking around the thin side arms snapped. Obviously the real subframe would…
Mock controller subframe v.1
Have started to check the packaging of the system components on the controller subframe. I used 21650 cells for the 12v battery but plan to use 26650 A123 system cells. This will add an extra 20mm width and 5mm depth but it looks like there is enough space to fit them in. 65mm height will…
COVID garage CAD (Cardboard Aided Design)
Finally managed to get the bike all into one place back in the garage after being locked out of the NTDC due to COIVID19. Thought it would be good to check some things that can be seen in 3D models but still leave a bit of doubt with regards to the real thing. After a…
Refinement
Have started to refine the design. Have added a set of fins to cover the controller cover. Main tasks are to redevelop the battery and charging area, refine the fins profiles on the top and bottom covers so they can be laser cut, I’m really liking the fly screen so that needs further development.
Back to Cafe
Being a fickle beast i decided to consider cafe racer bars… again. As I have never visualised XJ600e with cafe racer bars in it’s last phase. I think i quite like it now. As the controller cover is now exposed I think there needs to be a further level of development to detail the front…
v3 Sketch surface update
Surfaces have been update for the xj600e. Using the sketchwork seen in a previous post CAS renders visualise the potential outcomes of using new riser bars instead of the Cafe racer clip-ons and how the change of design direction works in 3D with the current powertrain.
1200w onboard charger [48v/20A]
Pictured in blue in CAD [with wheel travel] is: 1200W on-board waterproof battery charger 48v/20A, KC CE Ro1200W on-board waterproof charger – Main advantage of this charger is compact size– 130mm x 90mm x 230mm– Pre-charging – automatic shut off – over charging protection https://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/1200W-on-board-waterproof-24V-48V_62252160597.html?spm=a2700.details.pronpeci14.11.652e4b9afSCIvk Other options are: 48v 20A 1500W Waterproof Intelligent Battery Charger…
Sketches… v2 (out with the old)
More sketches… this time with a mince pie. It’s Christmas! Version 1 of the XJ600e used aesthetic features that would make it acceptable to the traditional rider. However, further research and dialogue with manufactures indicated that the new rapidly moving marketplace for 2020 preferred aesthetics that were more aggressive and ‘gadget-like’.
Rough ‘n’ sketchy…
Got bored so I started to sketch on top of the frame. Need to do more… Nice to scratch around in the photo though.
BMS position
In CAD the Battery Management System box (66 x 180 x 27.5mm) locates nicely at the front of the battery box. Considering that it needs heat sinks to dissipate heat this could be a good position to gain direct air cooling if the bodywork is managed well. The top of the battery box will need…
Battery mounting spacers
Have fudged about with different sized washers for the day as well as defacing the queen’s head (1.5mm penny washers) to find out some dimensions that work. Might have CAD but nothing beats really fitting parts to see if they are good. Scribbled down some sketch dimensions (below) and bashed together an STL file. Might…
Backbox mould
Note to self: STL file to back box mould is avalible here. http://shaunhutchinson.com/xj600e/batterybox_back_mould.stl
Seat support v1
As a temporary device to stabilise the seat I have decided to rig some rose joints together until I can work out a frame I am happy with. 4 roses and a steel with a thread tapped into it at both ends should serve well for now. The lugs however can be placed in despite…
Prototyping battery case v1
Have finally managed to get some time to put a quick box together to protect and hold the Leaf cells to get the bike up and running for prototype development. Keeping it 48v at the mo, which complies of 3 double block cells. The box made from 5 lasercut (1.5mm thickness) steel sheet, using a…
Saddle bags?
Been thinking about options for storage for some reasons. If I can make the offset surface on the battery case a bit deeper then I could nest a saddle bag into the design to break-up the surfaces and add interest to the area. Could be an interesting feature. Maybe made from reused leather or weather…
XJ600e (v3)
With a new set of batteries a new design is needed for the faring surfaces. So far these are the closest to the final cells so these designs can move further than the last set. With the Nissan cells the package size is reduced so this leaves. leaves more space in the frame and they…
leaf configurations
Trying a couple of battery configuration for the second life leaf batteries to see if any advantages can be found by positioning them. Below is the first; 1) All components low as possible to create low centre of gravity. 2) Main mass (battery) low with controller higher to give a safer clearance for front wheel…
Second life leaf cells
Started to think about a set of prototype cells to experiment with and use for initial testing, etc. Nissan leaf cells are very popular now-a-days, durable, and very easy to work with as you can just use threaded screws to link the cells together with busbars and bolt them together with all tread rods. I…
Seat Hoop v2
The seat hoop needs amending to give more clearance for the wheel travel. Bit of chop and weld will suffice surely. CAD drawings below for new hoop link at 21 degrees and chopped hoop.
front spacer
A new front end is in construction and as a result a new spacer set for the front end is required. The forks will be original to the 1991 XJ600 this time so the calipers can be used on the current front wheel. In fact all the parts can be reused except the speedo sensor…
xj600e: Surface update v4
Have updated the sketch surfaces on the xj600. Tried something different to lighten the body. The front of the lower farings now aligns with the contours of the frame to see how that works out. The bike definitely looks lighter. However on the next iteration I might re-establish the lower air intake to get more…
xj600e: Seat hoop
The hoop and stand that will support the new seat/cushion needs to be fabrication ASAP. Drawings have been produced to send to skilled craftsmen.
xj600e: original suspension
The original suspension is finally mocked-up in CAD and positioned correctly to ensure the new body designs do not interfere with the working mechanics. That is all.
Surface update 3
Surfaces are developing slowly in the time I have between teaching and living the parenting life. Have pushed the top and bottom covers closer together to make the over all form smoother rather than fragmented. Also refining the surfaces around the feet. Traditionally clearance is needed around the feet to allow foot pivoting from the…
Package check
Thought it good to revisit the technology package to check it as make sense to have most of the components in the CAD laid out accurately. Having looked again at the kit spec for the 8kw motor I find that the controller will need to be switched if I upgrade so best to do that…
Seat Chop?
Have been thinking about a seat chop [rough mock-up pictured above] to improve the proportions of the XJ600 in profile. The old seat felt to rear heavy and to be honest it’ll never carry more than one person. Pimmel and Messer [pictured below] have made an interesting seat chop on an XJ600 mounting the seat…
XJ600e: Sketch surface v2
The design of the XJ600e sketch has seen updates. However much still needs to be resolved for this single designs. Looking forward to seeing more focused designs. It would be good to this in different formats. Proposals for the X, Y, Z generation will be v-interesting.
XJ600e: Airflow?
Started to wonder how the air flows through front air intake. While watching the airflow in CFD at 40mph and 70mph (pictured) I noticed that the flow is sucked into the air intake over the wheel and around the wheel. Think the solid wheel help with this as there is no turbulence around the wheel….
XJ600e: Swingarm mods
Have made some mods to the current swingarm frame to accommodate the suspension strut in the new position. There are some interesting swingarm designs around, seen in the photos. The modified xj600 swingarm borrows elements from them to ensure reliability. Mods have been made to the current XJ600 swingarm because fabrication of the wider arm…
XJ600: Sketch farings
Started to sketch some farings into the model to see what the proportions are like with the big old cylindrical batteries. Looks like a bit of a beast… With curved body work it slims down quite well. Quite like the look of the exposed batteries. Kinda like an electric version of a semi-naked bike. Might…
XJ600e: CAS in VR
Ryan boshed the XJ600e CAS into VR. The colour and texture rendering is not compete. However, the sensation of interaction with the vehicle is very defined and realistic to the extent that one feels that one would knock the bike over if you drag your leg across the frame. It was interesting to see the…
Suspension geometry V2
Managed to mock up an animation of the new more efficient suspension system that pushed loads along the strut with minimum rotation at the static mounting point that is at the node of the frames triangulation (bit of a tongue twister). A distance of 140mm wheel travel is possible with this geometry, this is more…
Swingarm refinement
Had a good meeting today with Geoff Booth (motorbike and advanced manufacturing engineering specialist) that helped to direct the design of the rear of the XJ600e. Main factors discussed were swingarm design and rear suspension. Overall no big changes to be made but some tweaks would make the design more effective. First being to stretch…
Swingarm clamp v2
The swingarm clamp has been updated to reflect creative changes made in 3D CAD. Additionally the lug that fits inside the 2mm walled 25 x 60mm box tube is lengthened to make a more positive joint and some extra weld holed on the box tube have been added. PDF here: swingarm clamp v2
Swingarm mods
Started making some obvious swingarm mods. The first is to provide more strength on the inside by the first bend/weld. Some U-section metal will be welded to this point, pictured in red below. The second is to provide some rigidity around the strut mounting point and to provide more strength and rigidity around the front…
14kw fitment
The pivot ends on the 14kw 273 motor are particularly large, and the motor wide. The speed of rotation and the mass of the wheel unfortunately prohibit the use of conventional pivot bolts and nuts. Hence a new swingarm must be fabricated to hold the new motor. The new design [pictured below] needs to be…
3-legged Daan
Meet Daan, my three legged friend. He helps me when I have ergonomic issue to solve. He is Dutch and a 97.5%ile adult male, the largest type of manikin used for anthropometric evaluation in transport design human factors. Daan sat on the XJ600-e to see how it felt. Without any farings he had a approx…
XJ600e: RP Mock front spacing
Need to mock-up the spacers to check they fit before fabricating them in stainless steel. The round end nut will need drilling and tapping and M14 thread with a fine 1.5mm pitch, the rest should be accurate to slot them straight into the assembly. STL file is stored here: https://livecoventryac-my.sharepoint.com/:u:/g/personal/aa5147_coventry_ac_uk/EVev3KJR-_9EnrFfMZnj1AYBreTbDbn3QL-qmHl5dZ_vgQ?e=egytSg
XJ600e: Front spacers
Finally stripped the bearing out of the wheel so I could get a measure of all the spacing parts. Have put together a quick drawing to base fabrication on. PDF file here: front wheel spacers
XJ600e: LiFePO4 Headway cells, 273 hub motor
Have managed to have a first bash at packaging. A very rough start with no accurate dimensions. However, the cell sizes for the Headway LiFePO4 cells are realistic, as is the XJ600 frame. The hum Motor and tyres are random objects that need to be speed-up properly from conversations with manufacturers. After trying a couple…
xJ600e: front wheel spacers
Had some thoughts about the front spacers. as the forks are not from the XJ600 then all the spindle spacers and bearing sizes are different. To be honest it would be easier if I knew the exact model that the forks came from but it isn’t a problem. Made some plans. Will mock most up…
XJ600e: Integrated body?
Tried a design that integrates the tank and side farings together. Looks interesting. bit more mordern. Is this what I want. dunno. Will sleep on it. Zzzzzzz!
XJ600e: Knee scoops
Had a quick go at a loose human occupant package. 97.5 male %ile manikin and xj600 bike are to scale. When laid over a sketch it would seem that I am on the dot for the scoops at the moment when it is positioned in line with the intersection of bars that are normally under…
XJ600e: v2 front end & side
Started to think about body work at the side and front end. Knee scallops need refining. Really need to do a package to see where knees actually sit on 95th %ile male. Saw some leaf batteries in a e-motorbike and they looked wide so pushed out the body work to see what it would look…
XJ600e: Contours & details
Need to start thinking about surface contours for knees, air outlets for front intake (presuming batteries produce some heat) and to create more interest in places. Just doodling. Need to start sketching in perspective to get a better feeling for the forms. Preferring shorter seat and gap between tank, may continue with these features.
XJ600e: V2 stance
Pulled an underlay from the last photo of the frame to sketch on top of to help see if all is going in the right direction aesthetically. I like the lower rear wheel but feel either front drops of the rear needs pushing up slightly as it looks like it is squatting slightly at the…
XJ600e: Shorter tank
Experimented with a shorter tank in sketchwork to give more variability on the seating position. Also increased the height of the tank to raise ensure it is the highest part of the bike, a traditional stylistic factors of a cafe racer. not sure about the seat but think the farings and the covers under the…
XJ600e: Nobbly vs Race tyres
– Nobblies look much more interesting. – Nobbiles. More authentic, The great escape springs to mind. – Nobblies are my choice, more in proportion to the frame. Although some question the function of a nobbly tyres on a low bike with race posture and stance: – The seating position is head down, bum up, which…
XJ600e: BRAT / Cafe design?
Had a wee crack at simple brat style stance and panels with the 17inch wheels. The way it was set-up in the last photo it was too high. this still needs a fair amount of refinement and to visualisation from other angles but looks like it could be an interesting direction. Battery cooling is a…
An electrifying life on two wheels... 