Motorcycle Skateboard Rack

I usually ride my skateboard whenever I can, but there are certain occasions when firstly I have to go by motorcycle to the place where I start to skate. I've always put the board under my shoes upside down, but I wanted a more elegant and better looking way to transport it on my scooter. This is what I came up with.

• Blacksmithing equipment (forge, anvil, hammer), but you can do this project only with a blowtorch if you want to bend the steel rods instead of forging out sharp corners
• 10 mm square stock mild steel (approx. 100cm/3 ft for starting length)
• 16 mm square stock mild steel (approx. 100cm/3 ft for starting length)
• Drill
• Angle grinder

First of all, you have to decide where you want to fix your rack on the scooter. In my case I chose one of the "cargo rack" screws on the top and the bolt that fixes the splasher at the bottom. If you have the fixing points, then you have to take some measurements regarding to how far you want the rack to stick out to the side and what is the distence between the fixing points. If you know where the bends or corners should have to be, mark them with chalk first and then with a chisel or cutting tool afterwards.

Now you have to make the frame! This is the part where you have to decide what is the best design for you and your scooter: Bending or forging sharp corners. If you decide to forge them out, then firstly you have to upset the corner part, then make the corner at the edge of the anvil, finally stretch out the material by hitting it from the side towards the edge of the corner to make it sharp. If you stick to bending, then just hold the material into a vice and do the muscle job.

In case you want to make your fixing points properly, you have to flatten them out a little bit. If you are able to, just hit it with a hammer on an anvil to proper height, width and shape, but you can use a cutting disc on the angle grinder to cut out the needed shape.Then drill the holes where you want the bolts to go.

Now that you have a frame on the scooter, you should make the holders for the board. I didn't choose to make sharp edges on these two to protect my skateboard from demages and I wasn't able to forge out two corners so close to each other (I'm not a professional blacksmith). Therefore I've made two U-shape with bending out of 16 mm square stock. I've measured the width of my board, then I've marked that length + a little bit more on the stock, where the middle of the U-shape should have to be. If you dont have a bending hardy tool, you can use two pieces of steel held in a vise. Make sure the two legs of the "U" are parallel to each other.

Now we have to connect the pieces. Firstly I've made a slot on the frame where the holders should go. Then I've drilled holes both on the frame and holders, and finally connected them with 6 mm bolts and nuts. If I had the right tools, I would have used hot punching tools and rivets for the whole process.

So for now we have a frame and two U-shape holders in on piece, we only have to make it fancy. I've used wire brush and flap disc on my angle grinder for the cleanup. The inner side of the two U-holders are hard to reach with the grinder, so I had to do a little hand-sanding in that area. After that I've used black acrylic spray paint for finishing the job. I didn't have primer on hand, but if you have, do not miss to apply it before painting. Make sure to wear respirator throughout both the cleaning and painting processes.

Depending on which points did you choose for fixing the rack on your bike, you might have to make minor adjustments. In my case I only had to make a little slot on my "default" "cargo-rack" which allows to use one of it's screws as a fixing point. For that I've used a little grinding wheel on my drill. You might have to make new screwholes depenging on the type of your vehicle. It's totally up to you how you can utilize the existing opportunities.

As a final step, we have to mount our finished rack on the prepared bike. Make sure your rack does not able to reach moving parts of your vehicle and cause damage to it. The most important is you should not make anything that is dangerous for your bike and your health. Always comply with local regulations when modifying your vehicle. Now go out and have fun! #MakeNSkate