Trike?!

I Concur

Hi,
Just hoping to get some information on building a trike!!

andr3w103

are you building from scratch or putting a two wheel axel on a bike

Anan1

I'm going to move this to motorbikes, I think you'll get better answers there. If you want it moved back just PM me.

I Concur

I'll be starting from scratch

seanybiker

ya need 3 wheels .
Mr chips and someone else on here should be able to help ya out. What engine ya putting in her?

KamiKazi

wheres mr. chips when you need him eh

honeybadger

unless you can weld or rely on some donor donation parts your talking a good few euros before u can build your owm trike reasonably priced

KTRIC

KamiKazi wrote: »

wheres mr. chips when you need him eh

Off getting his wheels balanced.

I Concur

Ah my dad's a welder so i'm okay that way.
I'm not sure what engine to put in it..... Any ideas?

Interceptor

Find a rear engined car, cut the back off it (FIAT X1/9?)

Find a very big bike with a strong set of forks, cut the front off it (XS1100?)

Weld them together and paint it orange.

Easy...

'cptr

seanybiker

now there ya go.

andr3w103

I Concur wrote: »

Ah my dad's a welder so i'm okay that way.
I'm not sure what engine to put in it..... Any ideas?

ive seen alot of people use classic vw beetle engines...i think you can buy packages like with kit-cars im not too sure though....but it would be better to have yoyr own design i suppose there are loads of vw trikes out there

....but if you want an easy life doner bike is the way to go lol


it took me and my dad like 2 weeks only on evenings working at it to take off the back drive and axel and put it on a goldwing

mr chips

You can also cut the front off a front-engined, front wheel drive car, lock the steering and use the original gearbox - think the engine has to be transverse mounted though, with the gearbox to the side - this is so you can bring a rod forward to be able to change gear. Mate of mine did that with a Peugeot 306. Mounted some sort of Honda frame to it, can't remember what one and it's all customised & covered with a one off fairing. Another mate has a VW based trike, into which he's about to put a Subaru engine (4 speed gearbox though). My own trike has a 1.5 Peugeot diesel engine mounted to a Beetle gearbox. Am about to try and swap in a 1.6 TD out of a Passat, bringing me up to 80bhp before I fit an intercooler ... otherwise I'll be upgrading to a 1.8 TD from a 306.

Common car axles/engines that trikers use are the old style Beetle, the Reliant Robin, Jaguar, BMW 5/7 Series, Ford Sierra. You also get a few with Porsche gearboxes/axles, and also VW campervan ones, but those are a lot less common. I was recently talking to a guy who's building a trike out of a Ford Capri, and I've seen a couple of really sweet machines, one based on a Citroen 2 CV and the other based on a Fiat 500! If you're going for some serious power (over 200bhp) then a Sierra/BMW-based structure might be more suitable - still a reasonable number about and the diff will be able to cope with the torque of a more powerful engine.

Would strongly recommend that you go for independent rear suspension rather than a hardtail or live axle - you'll find it makes a big difference to the handling and stability. One guy I know is looking to convert his V-Max trike from live axle to IRS for that very reason. Using the Beetle setup is ideal for that, as it's not too hard to get your hands on the axle itself and spares/consumables are pretty cheap - a set of new coilover shocks/springs for £56 ain't too bad!

Also, a lot of trikes, especially the bigger ones, tend to have a wider front wheel than your average bike, for better grip & steering. I've just gotten myself the rear wheel off a Yamaha Thunderace, 17" diameter and 6" wide. I know a guy who can build real heavy duty leading link forks, but which are dead cheap to buy and really look well - google Boom Trikes and you'll see the sort of thing I'm on about. He's building himself a V8 trike right now.

In terms of engine types, the possibilities are virtually endless, your only limitations are budget, talent and imagination! I have yet another triking buddy who has a collection of muscle trikes - one powered by the engine out of a Honda NSX, another by a 4.5 litre TVR engine, another by a 5.5 litre Chevy V8, another by a Rover V8 ... I'm hoping to build a 5 or 6 cylinder turbodiesel powered one myself!

Whereabouts are you based? I might be able to put you in touch with a triker that lives near you. Also, I have a spare Beetle axle sitting in my garage which I'm unlikely to be using any time soon - might be useful for you.

I Concur

Thanks for all your help

Trikeguy

Hey folks,

I just bought a trike and need help/advice on building/buying a front end. If anyone knows anyone who can help can you let me know thanks. I have a robin reliant trike with a MR2 1.6 engine. No rear suspension and the front end is dangerous at the moment.

mr chips

What area are you based in Trikeguy? My buddy is in Co. Antrim - was just chatting to him today, as it happens, & he mentioned a new front end design that he's thinking of. What is it about the front end on your trike that's dangerous - is it too light (bump steer), too skittery, steering too heavy maybe?

Trikeguy

Hey Mr Chips. Thanks for getting back. I'm based in the Midlands, ( Rhode, Offaly ) The front end problems are bearings in headstock are gone, no brakes, seals are gone(burst when the previous owner hit a speed ramp)Wheel and discs are good but the wheel is off set to one side. With these issues it's hard to say what the real issue is with handling. The front end id off a Kawasaki but I don't know what one. How much does you friend charge for a front end excluding wheel and discs?

I'm new to message boards so please bear with my. Thanks again

mr chips

If you're not handy with the spanners yourself, replacing the bearings & seals should be a relatively straightforward job for any decent bike mechanic. Ditto bleeding the brakes & replacing brake pads or calipers but having said that, it's worth remembering that on a trike the rear brakes do more of the stopping than the front so make sure they're in good nick as well. Also, check that there's no warp at all in your brake discs.
If you're not sure which specific model of bike your front end came from, maybe one of the mechanics from a Kawasaki dealership might be able to identify it for you. Or take a couple of pics and post them on this forum, as there's a reasonable chance someone here might be able to tell you.
Forgive me if I'm teaching my granny to suck eggs, but in case you're not confident about tackling any of those jobs yourself, a ten-week night class in motorbike maintenance would give you the skills & confidence to do at least some of them in a relatively short space of time. Not looking to "talk down" to you or anything like that at all (I still have to rely on other folk for a lot of jobs myself), but just thought I'd mention it in case it was an option for you - plus it's nearly the right time of year for that. It was something I found pretty useful for basic maintenance stuff and helps me keep the machine running safely.

When you say the wheel is off to one side, do you mean it's closer to one fork than the other? Just wondering if there's an issue with incorrectly-fitted spacers or something. I imagine though that so long as it's true to the straight-ahead, that shouldn't be too much of an issue - just thinking that a bike with a sidecar should still ride in a straight line without wandering/wobbling, even though it's not a symmetrical setup. However if the issue has come about as a result of an impact such as the one you mentioned, you may have to replace a bent fork after all, or even both.

My pal doesn't run a trike-building business as such, he's just an enthusiast who has built a few trikes for himself or occasionally for mates in his spare time & helps people out every once in a while. I dunno if he'd be able to build something to order in a timescale that would suit you, but I'll ask him when I next see him (should be in a week or so) and let you know what he thinks.

Trikeguy

Thanks Mr Chips,
I took off the front wheel last night, Just needs one bearing but I'll put two new ones in. I'm just going to replace the forks and callipers next week and put a new steering stem with bearings in aswell. i can youtube most of it. thanks for your help, I'll let you know how I get on.