Staton-Inc.com rules!

[GoblinAero]

Hey Vegas

The speedo was definitely nice to have on the trip.

Today, I purchased from Staton a bigger drive gear so that the trike will do 30 at full throttle. After I get comfortable with that, we'll see about a variable transmission.

The only thing that felt a little bit slippery in my high speed turns down the mountain was a minor shift in my weight to the outside of the turn in the seat saddle. My hands down at my sides helped with that, though. I'm considering adding a lap belt to snug me into the seat and eliminate weight shift.

Today I started to sculpt the front fairing for the GoblinAero.

A work in progress is fun!

Jeff in Tucson

 

[vegaspaddy]

that big cushy seat is nice to sit on but i know were your coming from with the weight shifting issues...

(maybe some industrial velcro on the bottom of our pants would work !!!!)

anyhow dug up this old bookmarked site to help you brainstorm with the fairings,

http://www.zzipper.com/Products/prod_ez.php

if you click on easy racers and sun products and scroll down to the bottom you will see your trike.

 

[GoblinAero]

Zzipper link

I like the Velcro idea. It reminds me of David Letterman's wall of Velcro that he used to jump up against and stick to. Hah!

I've ridden bikes with Zzippers before. I'm making a fairing that is more effective and durable. I've built streamliner bikes and fairings many times. Fun! A picture of what the GoblinAero looks like can be seen here: www.goblinmotors.com It's a terrible one-page website that I use to communicate with, but a better one will be up soon.

Zzippers are great starter fairings that are quick to install and do a great job for just being a melted bubble of plastic. They're also lighter than many other options (like my fairing).

Best regards,

Jeff in Tucson

 

[vegaspaddy]

holy cow thats pretty insane if i do say so myself !!!! love that bright green sure to get you noticed.

Do you have any experience with the windwrap fairings they have a straight forward bolt on fairing that would fit my trike

http://www.windwrap.com/ez1/EZ3WithWERX64.jpg

my main concern is the fairings ability to stand up to loose gravel etc scratching the fairing and of course the heat but living in tuson you now what summers can be like,

thanks.

 

[GoblinAero]

Windwrap

Yep, pretty insane!

Zzipper is older, but Windwrap seems to be a bit more creative with their application. A draped or blown buble is no more scratch resistant than anyone else's, though. The scratch resistant material can't effectively be heat formed. Applying the scratch resistant coating after forming is cost prohibitive and problematic (which is why noone offers it in a formed version).

As long as you follow the maker's cleaning instructions to carefully remove dust and minor scratches, a heat formed clear fairing will look good for quite a while. The fairing itself should stand up to the heat just fine.

The main drawback to these types of fairings is that after the air is parted it begins to re-join about the time that it gets back to the rider. They actually do improve your speed, though, and can improve your comfort in cold weather. I'd say that they are worth having!

I always make my own fairings using other methods to get better performance. It costs me a lot more and takes a lot more time to do. Once I have finished the sculpting process and have made the mold, it's easy to make copies after that.

Eventually, I'll offer a version of the fairing that has no roof and a smaller windscreen. I'll also offer a more enclosed version that is far more aerodynamic and designed to be mounted to a higher-speed 2 wheeled scooter for high speed highway romps. Ha-hah! That'll be cool.

Jeff in Tucson

 

[cgbjake]

Goblin,
You wouldn't happen to have any pictures or specs on what kind of shaft you used would you? I'm doing something similiar except using the Nuvinci hub as a jack shaft and would like to use the left side as a drive. I have access to a lathe and will machine what I need, but would like to see what the best way to attach the free wheel is. How hard was it to get that shaft done? Did you use the original bearings.

 

[cgbjake]

And what do you guys use for throttles? I'm looking for the best idea and have come across a few, but would like to know what is tried and true. Any good ideas?

 

[Alaskavan]

I was a little skeptical of the efficiency of the Windwrap faring when I first got it, but it really makes the ride a lot more comfortable at high speeds, and/or in bad weather. I can't really say if it scratches "easily". Mine is pretty scratched up, but I am Very hard on stuff. A person who is capable of taking care of stuff should be able to have a faring look good for several years.

 

[GoblinAero]

throttle

And what do you guys use for throttles? I'm looking for the best idea and have come across a few, but would like to know what is tried and true. Any good ideas?

I'm using a twist grip throttle that I had gotten from Staton. It's a cheap unit that most vendors supply, but it works well. I bought a throttle lever as well, but I'm not sure if I'll try it or not. Time will tell.

Any one of the motor kit vendors should be able to sell you one. If you call David at Staton-Inc.com I suspect that he'll send one out to you today. If he says he's going to send it out that day, he does.

 

[GoblinAero]

Shafted

Goblin,
You wouldn't happen to have any pictures or specs on what kind of shaft you used would you? I'm doing something similiar except using the Nuvinci hub as a jack shaft and would like to use the left side as a drive. I have access to a lathe and will machine what I need, but would like to see what the best way to attach the free wheel is. How hard was it to get that shaft done? Did you use the original bearings.

Hey-o,

I had Ajo Bikes take the original shaft out of the trike, then I took it (along with the frewheel) to a local machine shop. I gave them the measurement that was between the shaft and the end of its housing and asked them to add that length, plus the correct diameter and length for the freewheel to fit onto. They did like I had asked except that they messed up a dimension in the middle of the shaft. It didn't show up as a problem until the new shaft was installed. It allowed the brake rotor to hit the housing (frame).

So, Ajo pulled the shaft back out for me and I had the machine shop do it again. They apologized and re-did it, making sure to make it just like the original shaft, plus the additions that I had asked for. It slipped right into the standard bearings and the freewheel fit on perfectly. No problems after round 2. The mistake that the machine shop had made was to measure from each end of the bar stock that they had cut and didn't verify the overall length, leaving the middle section off a little.

I only got shafted on time, not resulting quality. The machine shop made good on their work and Ajo Bikes did a stellar job of putting up with the dleay in getting the correct shaft to them.

It works out just fine to take the existing shaft to a machine shop and tell them what to change or add. I've heard of someone welding onto their existing shaft to run a set up like mine, but that doesn't sound like a good idea to me. You'd have the weak spot from the weld, plus you'd have to deal with trying to make sure the added section was centered.

It only cost me $80 to have the shaft machined. I don't have dimensions, but the machine shop has them. I don't have a photo of the shaft uninstalled.

Here's a BIG TIP for you... David at Staton-Inc.com now has his brand new milling machine set up so that he can provide people like you a motor kit along with a shaft. =) I'd give David a call.

Jeff in Tucson