OX Patagonia: Designing a Scrambler Style Electric Motorcycle

Published by EEVAM Technologies on 24/02/202224/02/2022

After carrying out the necessary tasks to finish the design of the OX One, we were presented with a new challenge: turning a Café Racer style motorcycle into a Scrambler.

This is not only about modifying and adapting the aesthetics of the vehicle to align them with this new style. It's also about achieving a new motorcycle that behaves well in the scenarios associated with a Scrambler. This motorcycle is focused on light off-road use, having to also be comfortable and practical on the road.

In this case, we started based on the design of the OX One, so we had to be creative about the modifications and new components that would allow for the transformation. It wasn’t about designing a new motorcycle from scratch, but adapting to the conditions imposed by the original design.

One of the most influential elements when developing the off-road capacities of any vehicle is the suspension. Tinkering with these components allowed us to increase the height of the motorcycle, modify the riding posture and guarantee a good behavior in irregular terrain.

These changes modified the vehicle’s geometry, which required new adjustments such as redesigning the dumper. With the new rear suspension, we had to find a new angle for the dumper, as well as increasing its length.

It is very important to develop a well-done study of the constants inherent to each suspension. Both the springs and the shock absorbers must offer the appropriate resistance, able to withstand a fair amount of vibrations without transmitting them to the pilot, but able to hold the tires on the ground with enough firmness. Also, the frontal and rear suspension need to have a certain accordance to avoid unexpected behaviors on the vehicle.

The setting of the resulting suspensions gave us a bigger battle to fight, and allowed us to choose a bigger diameter wheel that had less trouble climbing obstacles.

Another key consideration is the protection of the motorcycle from the environment it will be used on. The off-road riding has a bigger risk of impact of pebbles, mud splatters and dirt in general, which could damage the aesthetic and functional elements of the vehicle.

To minimize these potential risks, we added a series of protective parts: a skid plate and side shields.

The skid plate is responsible for keeping the dirt out of the battery compartment as well as the rest of the electronics necessary for the operation of the motorcycle. Also, it protects battery compartment panels from said behavior, which would cause aesthetic damage.

To offer some protection to the fake fuel tank in case of falls or impacts of common elements in an off-road trail (such as tree branches), we include steel side shields. Also, these shields would protect the fake fuel tank if falling.

With all of these add-ons and changes, we were finally able una to design an electric motorcycle capable of managing both city and road scenarios as well as the countryside and off-road trials.