Inventor and content creator Jake Carlini has turned a damaged electric bike into a wearable motorcycle suit, one that lets him ride while lying nearly flat in a planking position. After his bike was wrecked in a crash, he salvaged key parts, namely the rear-hub motor and battery, and reconceived the system entirely. Rather than reattach the components to a conventional frame, Carlini attached the motor directly to his lower legs using painter’s stilt straps, effectively turning his legs into the drive train.

To house the heavy battery, he reinforced and modified a vest, integrating wiring and connectors into it. Steering and stability posed unusual challenges. Without a normal front fork and handlebars, Carlini built a small front rig incorporating aero bars, armrest pads, and pegs so he could shift some weight to his arms. He integrated the original throttle on a grip and preserved the digital display, routing wiring along his arms into the vest.

Designer: Jake Carlini

The outcome looks like a hybrid of suit and machine, a kind of exoskeleton with wires, straps, and glowing components. In test runs, the suit reached speeds over 20 mph, powered by the motor on his legs, while balance depended entirely on his core engagement and the precision of the straps. Carlini tweaked alignment, strap tension, and arm support to improve stability, and that allowed him to ride at road-level height while maintaining control. The build leans heavily on repurposed parts: the motor, battery, throttle, display, as well as everyday items such as straps, screws, glue, and fabric.

The significance of this project lies not just in its novelty but in how it blurs the boundary between clothing and vehicle. The wearer literally becomes the ride rather than riding a separate machine. It’s not yet a practical or mass-market solution, but rather a daring experiment in personal mobility and creative reuse. While suited more for demonstration and exploration than daily commuting, the project sparks questions about how we define vehicles, wearable tech, and the future of transport.

In creating this suit, Carlini leaned heavily on ingenuity and resourcefulness. He addressed engineering hurdles of weight distribution, control, and integration within a human-body interface. Safety is one concern that pops up the first time you lay your eyes on this wearable bike. Driving with this on the crowded city streets or the highway is no less than a risky proposition with crazy motorists out there. Though far from a polished product, it stands as proof of concept that mobility might be reimagined in radically intimate, body-centric forms. In an age of evolving wearables and electric mobility, this wearable electric motorcycle suit invites us to consider what comes next.

The post Pac-Man on Wheels: Jake Carlini Builds a Wearable DIY Electric Motorcycle Suit first appeared on Yanko Design.