From electric motorcycles to one-person flying machines, here are six do-it-yourself projects that range from frugal and functional to flat-out just-for-fun.

Looking for interesting DIY projects for the weekend (or several)? We’ve compiled six varied projects costing as low as $20 to those costing up to $10,000 to complete. Take your pick as to which appeals to you.

Electric Motorcycle: Cut your fuel spending to 1.5 cents/mile by riding an electric motorcycle. For under $3,000, you can build the sleek electric motorcycle featured in the video below. It hits a top speed of 45 mph and, with six 12-volt, deep-cycle, 44-amp-hour batteries, it can be ridden up to 30 miles before it needs recharging.

Creator Lennon Rodgers, a NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer, lays out step-by-step instructions and provides a complete parts list and information on where to buy them.

Self-balancing Scooter, aka a DIY Segway®: If motorcycles aren’t your thing, tinker with a couple of 24V wheelchair motors with wheels attached, six 12V lead-acid batteries, a sturdy metal or wood platform and you can build your own Segway. Don’t forget to add the vertical stick from where you’ll attach the control pad/motor driver and handle bars.

To get the balancing act right, Anybots Inc. founder and CEO Trevor Blackwell provides the balance algorithm and code that you need to program into the microcontroller for making the scooter stable and responsive, along with the rest of the instructions for building the scooter.

Car Armrest Mini-fridge: Handy for hot days and relaxing weekend drives, a mini-fridge built into the car armrest is a relatively simple DIY project with a cool, refreshing reward.

“Just a kid who got into MIT,” Michael Ciuffo used his 1998 Toyota Corolla — a different car would work as well — and installed a thermoelectric cooler and heat sink in the armrest that is also a storage compartment. With plenty of pictures, Ciuffo provides detailed instructions for installing the cooler in the storage compartment (remove the armrest/lid first for easier access). By removing the cup holder at the bottom of the armrest compartment, you’ll be able to place the heat sink behind the cooler. Connect the wiring of the mini-fridge to the car battery.

Line the compartment with insulation tape, put the armrest/lid back on and you’re done. The mini-fridge holds three 12-oz soft drink cans.

Laser beam alarm system: Just like high-security areas in movies, you too can protect your home with lasers. (Just watch out for this guy.)

Instructables provides a video (see below) and photos with the instructions. For about $20, you can get all the necessary parts, including the laser, mirrors and siren. In one hobby box, assemble the circuit board and battery, siren and photocell. In the other box, assemble the laser and switch and attach them to an AC adapter.

Arrange the mirrors to bounce the laser beam across the doorways and spaces you want covered and have the last mirror reflect the light to the photocell.

VertiPod: This DIY is a bit pricey — but seems like a lot of fun. If you have about $10,000 to spare, you can purchase a VertiPod kit and assemble your very own one-person flying machine in a weekend, Wired says.

Made by AirBuoyant, the VertiPod is a “vertical take-off flying platform.” The propeller is on the bottom and the pilot stands on the platform above. It comes with back support, and controls are at waist level. Its 440 cubic cm. engine runs on petrol or ethanol and is activated with a pull-start. It can travel up to 15 ft above ground and has a top speed of 40 mph.

Racing Lawnmower: If you’ve ever wanted to combine mowing lawns with motorsports, then lawnmower racing is for you.

According to Instructables, you strip a small riding lawnmower down to its frame so you can alter the engine, reinforce the frame and install the proper brakes, steering system and transmission to make it go 50 mph or faster. Don’t forget to remove the blades!

To find many more ideas for DIY projects, check out today’s Top DIY Resources for places to start.

See also:

10 Off-the-Wall Projects

DIY Home Energy Audits

Resources

My Electric Motorcycle Project
by Lennon Rodgers
Electricmotion.org

Building a Balancing Scooter
by Trevor Blackwell
Tlb.org

The Ultimate Guide to Building a Minifridge into a 1998 Toyota Corolla
by Michael Ciuffo
antiyawn.com, Jan. 15, 2007

Protect Your Home with Laserbeams!
by Kipkay
Instructables, March 2, 2008

From Lightning Weapons to Flying Cars
by Sharon Weinberger
Wired, Nov. 27, 2008

How to Make a Racing Lawn Mower
by Mowerracer
Instructables, July 15, 2008