Okay, here we go. Here’s my rundown on the Honda e dirt bike project. Buckle up, it’s gonna be a ride!
Alright folks, so I had this crazy idea kicking around in my head for ages: could I turn a Honda e – you know, that cute little electric hatchback – into a freakin’ dirt bike? Yeah, sounds nuts, I know. But I was bored, had some time, and a slightly unhealthy obsession with both electric vehicles and off-roading. So I figured, why not?
Step 1: Acquisition (aka Finding a Victim)
First thing’s first, I needed a Honda e. Now, I wasn’t about to tear apart a perfectly good, brand new one. That’d be insane (even for me). So, I started scouring online marketplaces for something… less pristine. Ended up finding one with a salvaged title – minor front-end damage, nothing too scary. Got it for a steal (relatively speaking). The wife wasn’t thrilled, but hey, gotta follow your dreams, right?
Step 2: The Great Disassembly (aka Taking Apart the Poor Thing)
This was the fun part! I basically gutted the entire car. Seats? Gone. Interior trim? Gone. Doors? See ya! I stripped it down to the bare chassis. I mean, completely naked. The goal was to get rid of all the unnecessary weight and bulk. It looked like a automotive graveyard in my garage for a solid month.
Step 3: The Chassis Reinforcements (aka Making it Tougher)
The Honda e’s chassis wasn’t exactly designed for jumping over logs and tearing through mud. So, I had to reinforce it. I welded in a bunch of extra steel tubing – roll cage style – to give it some serious rigidity. This was probably the most time-consuming part. Lots of measuring, cutting, welding, grinding… my garage looked like a scene from Mad Max for a while.
Step 4: The Suspension Upgrade (aka Making it Bouncy)
Stock suspension? Forget about it. I needed something with way more travel and beefier shocks. I ended up sourcing some aftermarket suspension components from a long-travel off-road buggy. Had to do a fair amount of custom fabrication to get them to fit, but it was worth it. The thing now sat about a foot higher off the ground – looked seriously mean.
Step 5: The Wheel and Tire Situation (aka Getting Some Grip)
Those little Honda e wheels and tires? Useless. I needed some proper off-road rubber. I went with some chunky mud tires mounted on some heavy-duty steel rims. They looked like they belonged on a monster truck – perfect!
Step 6: The Bodywork (aka Making it Look Less Like a Car)
Okay, so this was where things got really creative. I fabricated a custom body out of fiberglass. It was basically a minimalist shell that covered the important bits (battery, motor, etc.) and looked vaguely like a dirt bike. I even added a motocross-style seat and handlebars. It wasn’t pretty, but it was functional.
Step 7: The Electric Gremlins (aka Solving the Wiring Headaches)
This was by far the most frustrating part. Messing with the Honda e’s electrical system was a nightmare. I had to rewire a bunch of stuff to get everything working with the new components. There were moments where I thought I’d fried the whole thing, but eventually, I managed to sort it all out (with a lot of help from online forums and some very patient friends).
Step 8: The Moment of Truth (aka The First Test Ride)
Finally, the day arrived. I wheeled the Frankenstein-esque creation out into the desert and fired it up. And… it worked! It was surprisingly fast and surprisingly capable off-road. The suspension soaked up the bumps like a champ, and the electric motor provided instant torque. It was a blast! Sure, it was a bit rough around the edges, but hey, it was a Honda e dirt bike!
Step 9: The Fine Tuning (aka Fixing All the Little Things)
Since the first test ride, I’ve been constantly tweaking and improving the design. I’ve added a skid plate to protect the battery, upgraded the brakes, and refined the bodywork. It’s still a work in progress, but I’m pretty happy with how it’s turned out.
Final Thoughts
- This was a crazy project, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone who’s not prepared to spend a lot of time, money, and effort.
- But it was also incredibly rewarding. I learned a ton about electric vehicles, fabrication, and problem-solving.
- And hey, I now have a one-of-a-kind Honda e dirt bike that’s guaranteed to turn heads wherever I go.
Would I do it again? Probably not with a Honda e specifically. But the experience has definitely got me thinking about other crazy electric vehicle projects I could tackle in the future. Stay tuned!
