My next project - Tadpole Trike

[the wheelmaster]

Wheel Testing

Here's a little info, Since I may not be able to survive a 30 MPH impact, I cannot comment on that, But I have tested this design, It has handled a 272 pound Rider (Me) dropping off a highschool Bleacher from five feet up onto solid concrete, and my 24 inch cruiser has NO suspension, the 24 inch wheel took the impact easily, afterwords I inspected it, there was zero runout side to side, nor any dent in the rim, she sang like a bell on impact along with the frame of the Bike, My hands were Numb, but the wheel didn't flinch, and I'm happy beyond words that I can lend my skills to projects like this ! thank you Van for trusting me !

 

[gone_fishin]

wow, van...i'm glad i waited to read this...it was great with my morning joe

i'm really pumped to see something like this build...larger "green" vehicles have their place, too

one thing...my opinion about your steering: it will settle down quite a bit, after you stretch the wheelbase and improve the center of gravity with that engine.
__________________
"....Get a bicycle. You will not regret it. If you live." - Mark Twain - May 10, 1884

 

[50sville]

I'm sure it will scare any bears away for sure!
50sville / Roy

 

[Alaskavan]

Slowly but surely

Sunday, I went to the shop to get a grasp on what I'm going to do for motor mounts. I plan to leave a little bit of space behind the engine, to give myself some room for possible future tweaks. I need to gain about 16" for the engine to fit. The tube stock I have is 24".



The thick-walled tube will fit about 2 1/2" into the existing, giving me a gain of 19" in length. I've ordered some 3" channel that I will have welded on both sides of the tube to give me a platform for the engine (It should give me lots of room to move the engine around to get alignment right). The channel will give me a 1/4" thick surface to bolt to. The larger thin tube will be cut and welded in mostly for cosmetic purposes to match the existing.


I did identify that I will have a couple of areas where things get really snug. I may have to move or add, idler wheel(s) for the pedal chain to clear the exhaust and the rear of the engine case.

Time line at this point:

Pedal side freewheel: Due in this week (USPS)
Exhaust (I'll probably be doing some serious mods to that): Due in this week or early next (UPS)
3" 6061 channel: Due in this week or early next (UPS 2nd day air)
Getting Ron to do the welding: ???? (Small towns can be maddening. I'm sure he will do a good job, fast, when he does get to it)

Items unaccounted for at this time (suggestions please?):

420 chain
Throttle linkage (glad I don't have to deal with a clutch)
Parking brake linkage (A small lever that will be spring loaded in the On position, which can be hooked/locked in the Off position)
Chain tensioner

There's bound to be a million other details. If you notice anything I've omitted, please don't hesitate to bring it to my attention.

Should be an interesting year.

 

[Dockspa1]

Ya, no hurry. Got the rest of the winter to wait out. Man Van, I didn't realize how big that Lifan looked until you put it on the bare Tadpole. Gargantuan.
Keep on plugging.

 

[Tourezrick]

The boys at Wizwheelz never saw that comin'!

As a fellow trike rider, I gotta say, that is so sick, man! I love it! Don't know I'd do it with my Scorpion, but I'm waiting to see your end result. Just tell me that you have a video camera to make a vid with! Gotta see that one on Youtube. Almost bought a Wiz, but the seat on my Scorp called out to my backsides. When my Dualdrive breaks, a motorhub is replacing it, for sure.

Enjoy the build! Enjoy the ride! Hold on tight!!!

 

[Alaskavan]

I do have a video camera, and I will post some video when it's done.
I should say in here somewhere, that if I had it to do over, I think I'd just slap a GXH50 on there, perhaps with a Nu Vinci hub. But I can be pretty one-track when I decide to do something, and almost all the parts are paid for and either here, or on the way (the motor mount material that's being shipped UPS 2nd day air, is due here on the 11th, lol). The project should be reaching final stages around the end of the month.

 

[Alaskavan]

More Parts

Today I received the new freewheel I'm hoping to use (it's a 7 speed and I think it will be thin enough to fit. If not, I have some ideas about making it thinner), and the motor mount material.

Here they are:



I'm sure I could have come up with an alternative to the way I want to build the motor mount, but I have a particular way in mind. However, it does hurt a little to get a bill like this for a 12" long hunk of metal:




I need to do some milling on the mount piece. It will look totally different when I'm done. Then it will be time to cut and weld.

I'm still awaiting delivery of the exhaust and the chain.

A bit off topic (but it irked me enough to want to share it): I also recently ordered a new friction roller from Staton-Inc. for my Trek. The UPS Shipping price on it was exorbitant too. David noticed that, and was good enough to e-mail me asking if I didn't want to have it shipped by US Mail to save some money. He even offered to send me a refund. I replied to his e-mail that I would very much rather have it sent by US Mail, and thanked him for his excellent customer service. Today I received a reply from David (It has the entire trail of this correspondence on it). It notifies me that my purchase has been shipped by UPS at the original exorbitant price.
I will give David credit for attempting to provide good customer service, but I'm afraid I can't give him credit for actually providing such service.

 

[nwguy]

Van,

Is this what you're planning on riding from Bellingham to Ocean Park? I might have to build something new with a 50cc engine before this ride.

Re: throttles, I've been partial to using a thumb throttle on my geared, motored bikes, so I can operate the throttle with my right thumb and the shifter for the motor's gears with the left hand. Seems to work well.

What's the Lifan setup weigh? A jackshaft with gears for the motor on a setup like that would work well, especially if you're extending the frame. Looks like it's going to be great machine. Should be a lot of fun.

One word of caution, at high speeds, a recumbent with no suspension with a fabric seat such as that can literally trampoline you right out of the seat if you hit a big bump or pothole. Unlike an upright, there's no way to lift yourself off the seat to prepare for hitting a bump. Watch the road on this one.

 

[srdavo]

One word of caution, at high speeds, a recumbent with no suspension with a fabric seat such as that can literally trampoline you right out of the seat if you hit a big bump or pothole. Unlike an upright, there's no way to lift yourself off the seat to prepare for hitting a bump. Watch the road on this one.

you can brace yourself for bumps, by pushing both feet onto the pedals. this will help keep your back against the seat back. then just hang on...for good measure.

I can't wait to see this trike come together!!