Project Idea - Trike ( I must be feckin' mad)

"Big Tim" said to Donegal Paul wrote:
SNIP

<cowers in corner>

 

Hmmmm a half track lambretta?

 

Potential, much potential I think.

 

Keep meaning to look into triking one of my VW engines, but that'll have to
wait until I get the Beetle back on the road.

 

"athomik" said to "Yoda Of Borg"

Ah, well, I looked at the VW as they are all in one units, however, unless
you build quite a longish trike its likely to keep wheelying, fine and fun
for a couple of times , but not everytime you pop it into second.
Hence apparently the mini / Alfa Romeo / ford escort layout is better as the
engines on or just in front of the wheels.

At least that's what http://www.btinternet.com/~jhpart/bktrikeo.htm says

 

And if you get the balance right/wrong[1], they can be wheeling
all the time, esp. for a rear engined thing...

[1] depending on point of view...

 

Not if you build it to have 1 forward and 4 reverse gears. ;o)

 

William Grainger wrote

Usual story. When I had time I didn't have the money and when I had the
money etc., etc. The real clincher is the chronic lack of a garage to
keep it in while it evolves.

I still really fancy my mid engined 2.3litre Bedford Diesel idea but it
will have to wait until I can find a builder I can trust and the cash to
pay her.

 

Not really.

http://www.flook.homeip.net/castlehill/DSCF0057.JPG
http://www.flook.homeip.net/castlehill/DSCF0058.JPG
http://www.flook.homeip.net/castlehill/DSCF0059.JPG
http://www.flook.homeip.net/castlehill/DSCF0060.JPG

Although I can't remember if that has 2 engines or not.

flook

 

"flook"said to Mick Whittingham

Well **** me. That's exactly the lines my original plans were taking me
before thinking about putting in a car engine.
Although, a lambretta not a vespa. **** **** ****.

Right well, I think ill have to go down the mini engined trike route now and
get the lump concealed under the bodywork so from the outer it looks similar
to that vespa.

 

Just don't get torpedoed.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6? DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#16? FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19

 

You do know the VW transaxle will run quite happily arse-about-face,
don't you? Gives you a mid-engined configuration that you can fit a
decent engine to. Only slightly difficult bit is the gear linkage, but
plenty of folk have done it and it works.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6? DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#16? FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19

 

Only thing you have to watch is the direction of rotation of the bike
output and the Reliant axle.

A mate got his XS1100 trike to the rolling under power stage and found
he'd got 5 reverse gears...

Fixed, though. Just swivelled the axle round and made up new brackets.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6? DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#16? FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19

 

"Grimly Curmudgeon" said in reply to "Donegal Paul"

Didn't know that at all. Mind you there are other advantages that the mini
configuration has over the beetle, at least as far as I know

1) Disc brakes on the newer (1984 ish onwards) minis
2) If I use an auto mini engine, it will be much easier to sort out
gearstick placement. Afaik beetles never came as autos??

 

Mick Whittingham wibbled like a little girl....

John Cooper did it in 1965 with his Twini[1]. Two 1275 Cooper S motors
in an outwardly standard Mini Cooper S shell.

He almost died when he hit the wall on the Kingston bypass, apparently
one of the arms that locked the steering on the rear subframe[2]
fractured at high speed and one rar wheel decided to turn at 90 deg. His
car hit the wall 7 feet up and the gouge is still there today.

[1] 2300cc twin cam, 4 carbs, 4wd, discs all round. I spoke to Mr Cooper
himself about it in 1994 and he still rated it as the most exciting car
he'd ever driven.
[2] A modified front subframe/engine/box with bars that locked the hubs
from self steering.

--
Lozzo
ZZR1100D, GPZ500S, CB250RS x3.
BOTAFOT#57/70a, BOTAFOF#57, two#49, MIB#22, TCP#7, BONY#9,
ANORAK#9, DIAABTCOD#14, UKRMT5BB, IBW#013, MIRTTH#15a/16,
BotToS#8, GP#2, SBS#10, SH#3, DFV#14, KoBV#3, HYPO#1.
Url for ukrm newbies : http://www.ukrm.net/faq/ukrmscbt.html
www.mjkleathers.com

 

"Lozzo" replied to Mick Whittingham wibbled like a little girl....

This is exactly the set up I propose for the rear end of the trike. Mind you
Ill have to be sure that the hubs are locked well, or perhaps weld them in
place ....

 

Donegal Paul wibbled like a little girl....

You can't weld them. The hub needs to be able to move up and down with
the suspension. Welding bars into place would either lock the
suspension, or snap the bars when the hubs attempt to move up/down.

You need track-rod ends monted on bars with a large rose joint at the
other end which are bolted to the subframe at as close to 45 deg as
possible to the wheel's directional plane.

--
Lozzo
ZZR1100D, GPZ500S, CB250RS x3.
BOTAFOT#57/70a, BOTAFOF#57, two#49, MIB#22, TCP#7, BONY#9,
ANORAK#9, DIAABTCOD#14, UKRMT5BB, IBW#013, MIRTTH#15a/16,
BotToS#8, GP#2, SBS#10, SH#3, DFV#14, KoBV#3, HYPO#1.
Url for ukrm newbies : http://www.ukrm.net/faq/ukrmscbt.html
www.mjkleathers.com

 

Probably far too late to find one in the scrappers now, but the same
idea occured to me years back using the 1750 Maxi engine/autobox.

I think VW experimented with some electrically operated autobox, but it
was a pile of shit.


--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6? DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#16? FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19

 

There was a trike in BSH the other year that was built around a Rover V8
IIRC. As it was a lightweight, solo trike, and the engine had huge
torque from well down the rev range, the gearbox was dispensed with and
the propshaft was attached directly to the back of the diff. Yellow it
was.

--
Platypus - Faster Than Champ
VN800 Drifter, R80RT
DIAABTCOD#2 GPOTHUF#19
BOTAFOS#6 BOTAFOT#89 FTB#11
BOB#1 SBS#35 ANORAK#18 TWA#15

 

I recall seeing one like that at the Bulldog Bash some years back with a
smallblock Chevy lump coupled direct via clutch and dogbox to the axle.

Brutal.

--

Dave

GS 850 x2 / SE 6a
SbS#6? DIAABTCOD#16 APOSTLE#16? FUB#3
FUB KotL OSOS#12? UKRMMA#19