I have just done this with my boys bike. Well i had to as i bought the bike second hand from the pawn shop. When i left the shop the originsl battery died instantly. The shop refused to give me any money of for a new battery. Luckily i found your video and late that night i rigged up the upgrade. My boy was absolutely buzzing. Going to take it on some mini adventures, fishing and camping. Cant wait.
@chrisbeall5831 just the 18v adapter off Amazon. Remove the old battery and splice the leads. It was so easy. I used silicone to glue it in the old battery compartment.
We have the same exact bike and I've had a cheap 18v battery on it but it only lasts about 10 minutes. Any idea how long yours run before it needs recharged? I'm trying to see if it would be worth it to spend the money on a good 18v battery. Thanks
No point waiting mate … turns the thing from a gimmick into a real bike. Here’s a link to a cheap and fast shipping Makita socket… (if that’s the brand you have) www.ebay.com.au/itm/154923800276?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0&ssspo=tbkjwddns4k&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=1Qhjbg6xS92&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I have to do this asap! My parents bought my runt lil 6 yr old one and he can run faster than it! In your video it seems to be atoeast twice as fast than the 12volt he gotnon it now factory! Thanks for the video! Since it’s hooked back up that way the charger still works that comes with it right?
@@joshuacraft493 it hammers man. Still lacks torque, uphill it dies in the arse, but keeps moving. On flat hard surface, like our dirt driveway, it’s too fast. And lasts all day. I think I’ll get a 36v motor and run two makita batteries in series next, when he gets a bit bigger. That’ll require a new controller though, and a bit more work. But absolutely, this first mod is best bang for buck. Turns it into a useable product for almost free.
Me too I was incredibly disappointed it claims to go 8 Mi an hour for up to 100 pound person and my barely 40lb 5 year old gets on it and it can't even go in the grass on a slight incline I was very disappointed I wasn't exactly expecting much but I figured a bike with a rubber wheels that could carry 100 lb could at least take him through bumpy grass but I was sadly wrong
Quick question, did you use a Makita battery with a star on it? Meaning it has a built in BMS (Battery Monitoring System)? Mine gave out. Suddenly goes full throttle on its own.
Hey man, that’s really weird. It literally doesn’t matter what batteries you use - the voltage is 18v and that’s all the controller sees. Thats really weird!! Don’t stress, it’s easy to replace that motor controller with another (rated) one off eBay. They’re really cheap. They all typically use the same connectors, in my experience. Super weird that yours did that. I had no trouble with mine until the kids outgrew it. I recently dropped an 800w motor in it, with a new 36v controller, and rigged up two 18v batteries. It goes absolutely ham now. Pretty easy upgrade too. Talk more on messenger about that if you want.
@@coryjeacocke yea, I can send a video of the weird experience but I’m charging the battery as of now and trying to troubleshoot in my mind in the mean time while everything charges. Can I message you?
I don’t have any videos on soldering, sorry. But plenty on TH-cam. It doesn’t really have to be soldered, that just makes it a better job. If you just strip the wires back nice and long, and twist them together really well. Wrap tape around it, it will work fine.
There’s only one thing to buy, and that’s the adapter for the battery. Just jump on eBay and search for “makita battery adapter” or whatever brand you have. I didn’t buy anything else. Just that.
Mines still going hard hey … The kids are getting too heavy for it though, the 100w motor is a bit gutless. I just ordered an 800w/36v motor and controller for AU$140, so I’m going drop that in it and see what it can do. 8x the torque will be fun to see.
No. The “amp-hours” are simply the capacity of the battery. Think of it like the amount of fuel in the tank. A 1ah will perform just as well, but it will go flat quickly. The voltage, on the other hand changes the speed. So even though this bike was designed for 12 volts, giving it 18v makes it 1.5x as fast.
@@coryjeacocke I did the same mod you did, it feels like. It's dying even tho I used a DeWalt 4 ah. Could it be because my bike is a mx 350 and the watt requirement is more than a 125? Thanks
Okay, mine lasted until the kids outgrew it …. Then I slapped an 800w in it. Super easy 1 afternoon build. No welding. If you swing an email address, I’ll show you some pics of where that same bike is at today. So powerful it flips them off the back haha, I put a speed limiting pot on it, which I can talk you though too. Or find me on Facebook messenger, Cory Jeacocke. I’m an electrician, so happy to help out where I can. Very easy cheap mod to take it to 8x the power mate.
@@coryjeacocke they use it more like a kick bike and add throttle occasionally as they haven't learned how to balance yet. I just want to find a motor that will last. Or do you think maybe I just got a dud motor originally?
@@dabrokest530yeah same as me. So they’re click click clicking then throttle? Yeah, that’ll kill it pretty quick. The current is very high when a motor first starts, so if they’re clicking it on and off, it’ll get hot. The problem with these bikes is that the factory throttle is simply a switch. There’s no variable speed control. The 48v controller + 800w motor combo I bought for about $150AUD came with variable throttle control. So the kids can hold it half throttle until it gets away, then full once they’re going. You could buy another 100w motor cheaply. But they’re pretty under powered. In this video my son is 4, and he outgrew it a few weeks later. That’s why I bumped the motor size up. You could do some other simple things though if you don’t want to upgrade the motor (which is a bit of mechanical work) … You could add a heat sink to the new 100w motor. You could possibly (and I’ll check this) replace the throttle switch with a variable throttle - I’m just not sure if the factory motor controller has variable throttle input, or not. Jump on whatsapp or messenger and we can chat more about options, with links and images
Might work … 20v might let the smoke out of the controller, I’m just not sure without information on it. 18v’s fine. 20 might be okay … one way to find out ….
Nah, the original charge port would deliver 12 volts … just unclip the battery and charge with the power tool charger. I’ve since upgraded this again, to a dual-18v, 800 watt motor and 2 battery holders. It’s awesome. I’ll have to make a video on it.
I have just done this with my boys bike. Well i had to as i bought the bike second hand from the pawn shop. When i left the shop the originsl battery died instantly. The shop refused to give me any money of for a new battery. Luckily i found your video and late that night i rigged up the upgrade. My boy was absolutely buzzing. Going to take it on some mini adventures, fishing and camping. Cant wait.
I swapped my daughters and the motor burnt up in a week.
Wow you are best father.
My son is happy whit this idea for another moto
Can you show how to solder the lead wires to the lithium battery connector ?
Bad advice buy a 3D printed. Battery holder for the brand Battery you are using and a lithium battery protector.
Ininstalled rigid 18volt and seems last half hr plus , motor gets warm but running strong thinking about upgrading motor
I just bought an 800w 36v motor and controller for it.. I’ll make another video when I put it in. Should be a reasonably simple mod.
Just did it with my rigid 18v batteries and they can be swapped as fast as a drill because I removed the housing.
What did you use? I have rigids and would like to know what I need to
@chrisbeall5831 just the 18v adapter off Amazon. Remove the old battery and splice the leads. It was so easy. I used silicone to glue it in the old battery compartment.
Does the provided adapter charger sufficiently charge an 18v battery?
No charge it with the drill battery
We have the same exact bike and I've had a cheap 18v battery on it but it only lasts about 10 minutes. Any idea how long yours run before it needs recharged?
I'm trying to see if it would be worth it to spend the money on a good 18v battery. Thanks
It seems to go all day with a Makita 6AH battery in it. My son gets bored before the battery goes flat. Literally lasted hours
Just got one for my boy and I'm so doing this.
No point waiting mate … turns the thing from a gimmick into a real bike.
Here’s a link to a cheap and fast shipping Makita socket… (if that’s the brand you have)
www.ebay.com.au/itm/154923800276?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=705-154756-20017-0&ssspo=tbkjwddns4k&sssrc=2349624&ssuid=1Qhjbg6xS92&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY
I have to do this asap! My parents bought my runt lil 6 yr old one and he can run faster than it! In your video it seems to be atoeast twice as fast than the 12volt he gotnon it now factory! Thanks for the video! Since it’s hooked back up that way the charger still works that comes with it right?
@@joshuacraft493 it hammers man. Still lacks torque, uphill it dies in the arse, but keeps moving.
On flat hard surface, like our dirt driveway, it’s too fast. And lasts all day.
I think I’ll get a 36v motor and run two makita batteries in series next, when he gets a bit bigger. That’ll require a new controller though, and a bit more work.
But absolutely, this first mod is best bang for buck. Turns it into a useable product for almost free.
Me too I was incredibly disappointed it claims to go 8 Mi an hour for up to 100 pound person and my barely 40lb 5 year old gets on it and it can't even go in the grass on a slight incline I was very disappointed I wasn't exactly expecting much but I figured a bike with a rubber wheels that could carry 100 lb could at least take him through bumpy grass but I was sadly wrong
Quick question, did you use a Makita battery with a star on it? Meaning it has a built in BMS (Battery Monitoring System)? Mine gave out. Suddenly goes full throttle on its own.
Hey man, that’s really weird.
It literally doesn’t matter what batteries you use - the voltage is 18v and that’s all the controller sees.
Thats really weird!!
Don’t stress, it’s easy to replace that motor controller with another (rated) one off eBay. They’re really cheap.
They all typically use the same connectors, in my experience.
Super weird that yours did that. I had no trouble with mine until the kids outgrew it. I recently dropped an 800w motor in it, with a new 36v controller, and rigged up two 18v batteries. It goes absolutely ham now.
Pretty easy upgrade too. Talk more on messenger about that if you want.
@@coryjeacocke yea, I can send a video of the weird experience but I’m charging the battery as of now and trying to troubleshoot in my mind in the mean time while everything charges. Can I message you?
@@jalospride Cory Jeacocke on Facebook messenger, if you like
@@coryjeacocke I sent you a pm. Thanks for the help!
Hi, what speed did you gain from 12v to 18? Best regards
How heavy when it is not useable?
i don’t have an 18 volt do you think my 20 volt will be to much for it
If it's a tool battery in the US it is 18v nominal they just call them 20v
How do you sauter it? Do you have a separate video showing that? Thank you.
I don’t have any videos on soldering, sorry. But plenty on TH-cam.
It doesn’t really have to be soldered, that just makes it a better job.
If you just strip the wires back nice and long, and twist them together really well. Wrap tape around it, it will work fine.
What’s the ride time in the 18v?
Are you the greatest dad in Australia?
Where are the links to everything you bought for it. Trying to do the same thing
There’s only one thing to buy, and that’s the adapter for the battery.
Just jump on eBay and search for “makita battery adapter” or whatever brand you have.
I didn’t buy anything else. Just that.
Whats battery life like?
Yeah goes forever with my 4 year on it. Bloody ages. Haven’t timed it, but he gets sick of it before it runs out. Hours.
i got a question can someone whos 77 kg fit and ride on the mx125
Is it still going hard? Seen on another video, their controller eventually got fried
Mines still going hard hey …
The kids are getting too heavy for it though, the 100w motor is a bit gutless.
I just ordered an 800w/36v motor and controller for AU$140, so I’m going drop that in it and see what it can do. 8x the torque will be fun to see.
Will using a 4ah battery make jt slower abd less powerful
No. The “amp-hours” are simply the capacity of the battery. Think of it like the amount of fuel in the tank.
A 1ah will perform just as well, but it will go flat quickly.
The voltage, on the other hand changes the speed. So even though this bike was designed for 12 volts, giving it 18v makes it 1.5x as fast.
@@coryjeacocke I did the same mod you did, it feels like. It's dying even tho I used a DeWalt 4 ah. Could it be because my bike is a mx 350 and the watt requirement is more than a 125? Thanks
What do you mean “it’s dying”?
How did it hold up long term?
Still using it today… no problems at all, he’s getting a bit big for the bike, but no issues with the drive.
Does anyone know of a replacement motor thats capable of handling the 18v upgrade? My daughters motor burnt up in a week
Okay, mine lasted until the kids outgrew it …. Then I slapped an 800w in it. Super easy 1 afternoon build. No welding. If you swing an email address, I’ll show you some pics of where that same bike is at today.
So powerful it flips them off the back haha, I put a speed limiting pot on it, which I can talk you though too.
Or find me on Facebook messenger, Cory Jeacocke. I’m an electrician, so happy to help out where I can. Very easy cheap mod to take it to 8x the power mate.
@@coryjeacocke they use it more like a kick bike and add throttle occasionally as they haven't learned how to balance yet. I just want to find a motor that will last. Or do you think maybe I just got a dud motor originally?
I only upgraded the battery because the original was dead. I bought it second hand
@@dabrokest530yeah same as me. So they’re click click clicking then throttle? Yeah, that’ll kill it pretty quick.
The current is very high when a motor first starts, so if they’re clicking it on and off, it’ll get hot.
The problem with these bikes is that the factory throttle is simply a switch. There’s no variable speed control.
The 48v controller + 800w motor combo I bought for about $150AUD came with variable throttle control. So the kids can hold it half throttle until it gets away, then full once they’re going.
You could buy another 100w motor cheaply. But they’re pretty under powered. In this video my son is 4, and he outgrew it a few weeks later.
That’s why I bumped the motor size up.
You could do some other simple things though if you don’t want to upgrade the motor (which is a bit of mechanical work) …
You could add a heat sink to the new 100w motor. You could possibly (and I’ll check this) replace the throttle switch with a variable throttle - I’m just not sure if the factory motor controller has variable throttle input, or not.
Jump on whatsapp or messenger and we can chat more about options, with links and images
@@coryjeacocke sounds good. Thank you!
Do you have the model number for that battery pack looks like bl1860.
Yeah, I think it is. Just the normal Makita power tool batteries. Any lithium tool battery will do, just make sure it’s 18v max.
Does it make the battery last longer?
Well, it’s a totally different battery … but yes, it lasts a lot longer than the factory lead acid.
nice
Imagine an 80volt
How fast does it go?
I haven’t clocked it, but fair to say 1.5x faster, once up to top speed.
Chalk and cheese
What about 20volt dewalt
Might work … 20v might let the smoke out of the controller, I’m just not sure without information on it.
18v’s fine. 20 might be okay … one way to find out ….
20v Dewalt is the same as milwaukee 18 or Makita 18volt. Thr 20volt is a marketing scam. This has been tested. Easy as using a multi meter to verify
Can i do it with 40v or 36v?
36v
Can you still charge it through the original charger?
Nah, the original charge port would deliver 12 volts … just unclip the battery and charge with the power tool charger.
I’ve since upgraded this again, to a dual-18v, 800 watt motor and 2 battery holders. It’s awesome.
I’ll have to make a video on it.
@@coryjeacockethat’s awesome, I kinda figured as much. Just would be nice if you could leave the battery buried in there and not have to take it out.
Kinda defeats the purpose though, because the original idea was to have hot-swappable batteries.
It works awesome with a battery connector
@coryjeacocke would be keen to see an update video.