I originally took this project on for fun because I wanted to learn how to weld and have a good ride to go fishing at the nearby pier. I started by making a quick frame design and welding it together. I chose this more boxy look because I started with trolling motor an wanted to have an easier way to mount it. I started with that motor hoping that it would have enough torque to move the bike, it didn't. I then tried a scooter motor hoping it would have enough torque, it also didn't. I thought about changing the gearing ratio on the bike but realized I didn't have the room for a bigger gear. A friend of mine offered up a battery that I could borrow and a hub motor that his friend was selling for cheap. I took him up on the offer and I got the first version up and running.
The idea behind Version 1 was to build a platform to test on, learn from, and experiment with knowing that I would build a better version later on. I essential went by the saying "Just make it work, then make it better." I came up with the name by combing the words "Janky" and "Jester"; I feel like I don't need to elaborate on that too much.
Here's the make it better part. All I did was throw the old components on a brand new frame. On this version I had a chop saw and a drill press to work with which allowed me to make better and more accurate cuts (as opposed to an angle grinder). I spent a lot more time planning out this frame then ithe first version, in order to make the Jankster look less janky.
Overall this project taught me a lot and resulted in something I use almost everyday (to get to and from class and the fishing pier).