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

OK, ive been toying with the idea of a trike for some time and realise that
it will take a couple of years to complete anyway but there are several
things i need to plan and be on the look out for.

So, basic plan is probably mad, but its what i want.

It'll have a Lambretta series 3 front end - will be able to source that easy
enough.

However, I want to put a large motorcycle engine into it, hence the need for
it to be a trike realistically. People have put RD 350s and some guy even
put a GT500 into a lambretta and thats fine.
But I want more. Yep, Im looking to build a trike that has at least a 600cc
motorbike engine in it.

So, on the technical and engineering front my foremost concerns are, which
engine and how do i drive the rear wheels? Both rear wheels will need to be
independant on their axle i guess, ie freewheel independantly, but driving
the wheels and the axle configuration will be dependant on the engine, in
that it will depend on whether the engine i choose is belt, chain or shaft
driven.

Anyone got any recommendations for a trike?

Ive been keeping an eye on ebay for engines, and there have been several,
from 250s to a Goldwing 1000cc on there at the moment, though i think thats
too excessive

 

It'll have a Lambretta series 3 front end - will be able to source that
easy

I aint no expert but would aLambretta front end support the extra weight
(especially under braking) let alone day to day use
i guess you may get away with it if you had a rear engined trike, but mid or
front engined?
but worth getting an expert opinion..as i could be talking utter bollox (as
usual)
HTH
Yoda Out

Reliant 850 Trike - Green

 

"Yoda Of Borg" replied to DP

I should have mentioned, it will definitely be a rear engined jobbie. Not
sure exactly yet how im going to do it, but want to enclose the engine under
the bodywork too, although obviously not the original stuff as it would
never fit.

 

I should have mentioned, it will definitely be a rear engined jobbie. Not

depending on budget, i thing you are pretty much restricted to car engines
things like
VW
Mini
Metro
Skoda
i dont think there would be many bike engines that you could use at the back
with spending a bit of money, although i do remeber seeing a rewaco trike
with a VTwin at the back (worth a google)

HTH
Yoda out
Trike 850 reliant - Green

 

Yoda Of Borg made the world a better place for us by saying..

a 1600 Ford crossflow (Mk2 Escort etc) is near as dammit bolts onto the
Skoda gearbox.
And you can get 180 bhp out of a well tweaked x-flow.. could be fun in a
Lambrettrike!

--
Pete M.

Golf Gti (For Sale)
Alfa Romeo 164 TS.
Wahey, I'm a proper petrolhead again!"
Liverpool, Great Britain.

"you can lead a horse to water, but a pencil must be lead"

 

Donegal Paul wrote

You are fucking sick you are.

repeat until you get better:-

"There is no substitute for cubes."

Now **** off until you _understand_,

 

Didn't know that. Interesting.

--

Dave

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

 

Wotcha.

It need not take that long - I built one in around five weeks, with the plan
of selling it.
61 000 miles later, I'm still using it . . or would be if the gearbox hadn't
spat its dummy ;-)
http://www.moonshiners.freeserve.co.uk/gearbox.html
Still - it keeps me off the streets for a while.

No plan is ever mad where trikes are concerned.

Hmm - might make the steering a tad "quick" - and I'd definitely look at
upgrading the brakes.

I remember seeing a 400 / 4 Honda engine in one once - a most interesting
looking beast.

Bike engines can be a damn sight more expensive than car engines - but I'd
say the bike engine would be far easier to work with.

Give this page a try - a bit long winded, but well worth it.
http://www.btinternet.com/~jhpart/bktrikeo.htm

Just take a nose at every trike you see and steal all the best ideas.

Ebay is a most useful thing as far as trike building goes - I've got quite a
few little odds
and ends for mine from there.

 

^..^ Lone Wolf wrote

Kin *lot* of reading and it is mostly words rather than pictures. Dunno
about long winded or whatever yet as it takes a while over a 28k dialup.

 

I should have mentioned, it will definitely be a rear engined jobbie. Not

Or what about mid-engined?
http://www.subspace.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/Trike_Page/Yodatrike.htm
heres mine, built specifically for me and my disability?
but as mentioned rob the best ideas and use them on a new build

Yoda Out
Trike Reliant 850 - Green

 

"Yoda Of Borg" said

Was really hoping for a motorbike engine to be honest, mainly so i can
contain it within bodywork.
I found the V twin at http://www.rewaco-trikes.com/hs6.aspx

I did consider using a VW or some such but think that might be too big on
the rear end, also, i dont want to have an actual gearstick :-(
unless theres a simplish way to convert it?

 

"steve auvache" said to Donegal Paul wrote

The thing that put me off was that the GL1000 engine on ebay atm isnt a
runner, otherwise i may have considered it

 

"^..^ Lone Wolf"replied to "Donegal Paul" who wrote

Nice

Planning to put a disc brake set up on the front thats for sure!

Thats what im hoping , my numpty brain tells me i should get a nice quick
big chain drive engine, manufacture my rear axle with an appropriate cog on
and voila, trike!

Already got it thanks to the links on fluffycats homepage about her trike

Slowly making my way through it

Cheers

 

"Yoda Of Borg" said

Dont think i can get away with a mid engine with a lambretta front

 

Fun? Fucking lethal, more like.

 

Sounds utterly brilliant.

 

Shaft drive would be easiest I reckon to fit onto some cars rear diff and
axle and if you're having an enclosed engine then probably a watercooled
one as well. Hows about an old BMW K series motor. Shaft drive, good torque
and a fairly low profile for a mid engine style fitment.
Course I’ve never even thought about building a trike so this could be
all bollox.

 

mups wrote

I just happen to know where there is a K100 rusting quietly away.

Make a lovely trike it would.

 

steve auvache wrote

That was a kin hard read. Interesting though.

 

"steve auvache" replied to mups and "Donegal Paul"
SNIP
So, would I be better off with a shaft drive then as per the above
suggestion and finding / molishing some form of interface twixt the two,
rather than having a chain driven motor and molishing a "cog" onto a shaft
to drive the rear wheels?
I was avoiding the shaft drive on the basis that I didn't think it would be
possible to join it to a car axle (notwithstanding the difficulties in
finding an axle that will take quite low / small wheels anyway)

Do you now?

hmmmmmmmmmmm.