Nice work! This is quite a project!
MAKING A TRIKE
- Thread starter transitman
- Start date
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more of the catch-up: by spring 2013 I had more or less finalised the frame construction
Pictures are tricky in a dark, narrow garage so I have taken a skewed view to get in as much as possible.
the 4 vertical tubes are the seat backs. The rear seat back has been completed with a roll-over hoop but the driver's seat back will have a more forgiving cross structure in the event of a head striking it. Some sort of structural analysis will be carried out as time goes by to make sure it will take a roll-over accident.
The seat back tubes are bent to run forwards and welded above the main frame tubes that themselves are welded to the original bike frame and extended back - and curved upwards - to form part of the rear platform. The rear platform is incomplete, the left hand hoop will be added later. Keeping it off for now will make it easier to transport in the Transit.
This picture taken from the back of the trike should clarify things a bit. As well as the 2 top tubes running back to form part of the rear platform there are also 2 lower tubes doing the same. These are bent to clear the shock mountings that are the curved hoops on the axle.
The third pic, taken later in the build, shows the shocks and hoops, the Range Rover Sport wheels and at the right hand end of the axle the adaptor I made to fit a 5 hole 120mm diameter wheel stud position to a 4 hole 100mm stud axle.
The hoops are there because I like them. There will be no bodywork except where required by the road traffic act so a bit of style is essential. As you can see if you look closely, some of the tubes are not exactly square - where I can I am modifying them, where I can't I will hide them from sight.
Those shock positions didn't survive - I had to move the top mounts back a few inches to get the axle in the right position, but they are close enough to show how the build is going. The fuel tank just fits there so a bracket will be made to fix it in place. One day.
So this is the build as it stood in 2013 and for most of 2014 as I have been making up the detailed bits and pieces that take a lot of time but don't add much to the picture. I am making a 'designer' handbrake lever, can't just have a car one, and the gear change will be done by hand when I have got all the bits together. Hope it all makes sense so far!
Pictures are tricky in a dark, narrow garage so I have taken a skewed view to get in as much as possible.
the 4 vertical tubes are the seat backs. The rear seat back has been completed with a roll-over hoop but the driver's seat back will have a more forgiving cross structure in the event of a head striking it. Some sort of structural analysis will be carried out as time goes by to make sure it will take a roll-over accident.
The seat back tubes are bent to run forwards and welded above the main frame tubes that themselves are welded to the original bike frame and extended back - and curved upwards - to form part of the rear platform. The rear platform is incomplete, the left hand hoop will be added later. Keeping it off for now will make it easier to transport in the Transit.
This picture taken from the back of the trike should clarify things a bit. As well as the 2 top tubes running back to form part of the rear platform there are also 2 lower tubes doing the same. These are bent to clear the shock mountings that are the curved hoops on the axle.
The third pic, taken later in the build, shows the shocks and hoops, the Range Rover Sport wheels and at the right hand end of the axle the adaptor I made to fit a 5 hole 120mm diameter wheel stud position to a 4 hole 100mm stud axle.
The hoops are there because I like them. There will be no bodywork except where required by the road traffic act so a bit of style is essential. As you can see if you look closely, some of the tubes are not exactly square - where I can I am modifying them, where I can't I will hide them from sight.
Those shock positions didn't survive - I had to move the top mounts back a few inches to get the axle in the right position, but they are close enough to show how the build is going. The fuel tank just fits there so a bracket will be made to fix it in place. One day.
So this is the build as it stood in 2013 and for most of 2014 as I have been making up the detailed bits and pieces that take a lot of time but don't add much to the picture. I am making a 'designer' handbrake lever, can't just have a car one, and the gear change will be done by hand when I have got all the bits together. Hope it all makes sense so far!
It's a very unique approach - I like it! Your fabrication skills are fantastic!
opcorn: hmmmm yummy ...this is quite the build you got going on .... :shock: suspense :good:
:doh: of course the driveshaft would have to be to the right! I never claimed to be smart. :whistling:
sledge
Well-known member
looks good , high tech . and you got some good tools to work with too. opcorn:
opcorn:
slabghost
Well-known member
Good to have you over here too transitman. I read through the entire build thread over on NGW. Very impressive. Have you considered a lift rack similar to the one on the transit for your scooter? Sure would be nice to just position it and lever it in place.
Hi Slabghost, the plan for the trike to carry a small scooter is with a winch hoist, and I want to make it so that it can be removed and refitted as needed, rather than clutter the trike up. Could be a long way away yet, speed I'm going, and I'm glad you like the build so far, I need all the encouragement I can get!
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2013
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- 9,855
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- Location
- Brisbane Australia
- My Bike Models
- 1981 GL1100 “Rats Nest”
1998 GL1500c Val
1987 CBR1000f “The Pig”
1991 CBR1000f Red
+1 on the encouragement :clapping: :good:
slabghost
Well-known member
Any more progress? How's your friend doing?
Hi Slabghost, yessir, plenty progress! just no reporting....
As usual, family stuff gets in the way almost on a daily basis, but I would be lost without them so there we go. I hope to do one more catch-up post then run it in line with NGW, more or less, but I intend to compress the posts a bit on this site because I will need a paper copy at the end to show the people who do the SVA testing here. It isn't a must-have, but a load of printed off info to show what's hidden can only help the cause.
At present, and I will follow up with a proper post with pics, I am finishing off the side impact bars/ headlight carriers/SVA test procedure foxing/rear mudguard bits and pieces. then it all comes apart for shot blasting which I will do in the garage (should be fun) then etch prime and primer surfacer. I am going to get on with this now because I am not happy working on the old rusty, semi-stripped frame. Got to have something nice to look at and work on! Have yet to finalise colour scheme as there will be just the minimum legal bodywork and all the tubes and the axle will be on show. The engine is finished in a silvery black and all the alloy will be polished, that includes the wheels so it would probably be best to do all the metal work in the same colour. Seats, backrests, and headrests will be in white leather. Choice of the moment is a deep maroon, but I am also tempted by Ferrari yellow. Any ideas welcome!
And mate Chris is recovering from his double leg fracture, not in any good spirits of course as he is only just able to get around inside the house. And as for me, as I approach 70 I am having to work hard to overcome my own health issues. These slow me down, but don't stop me!
As usual, family stuff gets in the way almost on a daily basis, but I would be lost without them so there we go. I hope to do one more catch-up post then run it in line with NGW, more or less, but I intend to compress the posts a bit on this site because I will need a paper copy at the end to show the people who do the SVA testing here. It isn't a must-have, but a load of printed off info to show what's hidden can only help the cause.
At present, and I will follow up with a proper post with pics, I am finishing off the side impact bars/ headlight carriers/SVA test procedure foxing/rear mudguard bits and pieces. then it all comes apart for shot blasting which I will do in the garage (should be fun) then etch prime and primer surfacer. I am going to get on with this now because I am not happy working on the old rusty, semi-stripped frame. Got to have something nice to look at and work on! Have yet to finalise colour scheme as there will be just the minimum legal bodywork and all the tubes and the axle will be on show. The engine is finished in a silvery black and all the alloy will be polished, that includes the wheels so it would probably be best to do all the metal work in the same colour. Seats, backrests, and headrests will be in white leather. Choice of the moment is a deep maroon, but I am also tempted by Ferrari yellow. Any ideas welcome!
And mate Chris is recovering from his double leg fracture, not in any good spirits of course as he is only just able to get around inside the house. And as for me, as I approach 70 I am having to work hard to overcome my own health issues. These slow me down, but don't stop me!
slabghost
Well-known member
Good to hear all is moving along and that Chris is recovering. I get tied down I get grouchy too.Ferrari yellow with the white upholstery sounds real good to me. Maybe some gold pinstriping or accents?
oh yes, forgot to mention the gold pinstriping.
lots of it...
lots of it...
hopefully with this post we will be up to date.
stuff to do:
1. make up hand gear change mechanism. designed, the easy bit done.
2. finish hand brake. designed and part constructed, in bits waiting
3. reverse gear: temporarily abandoned, may resuscitate the idea for an upgrade later, when I am too old to push it! Decided to leave it because the design and construction and testing would take too much time from the build and also the new propshaft will fit right in with a couple of new flanges and I would have had to chop it in two to add it to the reverse kit, which seems a shame. I will make sure I leave all the clearances in place to add it later.
4. finish side bars/mudguard supports/ headlight brackets. made up most of one side and I think it will fit just fine. Got the other side to do afterwards and a few more bits to add to the first side.
this pic shows the mudguard support bending over the wheel and dropping to a joint where the side bar attaches, then it closes in to the frame and rises to hang under the faux tank. the top horizontal bit will carry the headlight.
5. axle work: have made the right hand wheel fit but still have the left hand side to do from scratch. not easy, the new studs are too long, the new nuts need tapping out further, the spacing of the wheel is still not perfect (but it will be!) and the new brakes and wheel bearings have to be fitted, not a big deal those. finally for the axle have to realign the propshaft by means of the top shock fittings so that there is a slight out of straight in the shaft.
this pic shows the axle lying on its back and behind it is the new propshaft. hung the towels there to reduce the background clutter.
6. rear frame: reposition shock mounting bars, fitted them once but seem to have managed to get them offset an inch or so. Another senior moment, no doubt. and have to fit the left hand hoop part of the top platform, which somehow came out an inch too long.
7. overhaul leaking front forks, overhaul front wheel and brakes
8. shot blast, etch prime and prime the frame. working on that now, but not having much luck with it. new compressor regulator ordered today, some coarser grit to pick up from Machine Mart then we will see if it works. If not then its a new shot blasting gun needed.
and then, I should have a rolling trike chassis.
9. as for the engine, that's been paint stripped, cleaned, repainted but still needs bits of work like changing all the seals and stuff that would be better done while it's out.
these show the engine being stripped, it was then carefully cleaned then painted, the paint colour just doesn't show in the sunlight, it is a silvery satin finished black.
10. Not that doing all the above will be the end of it. Little things like the seats, backrests, headrests, fuel tank, carbs (overhauled by Old Fogey), rewiring, top coat, lights, windscreen and probably a dozen other things I've forgotten
onwards and upwards
stuff to do:
1. make up hand gear change mechanism. designed, the easy bit done.
2. finish hand brake. designed and part constructed, in bits waiting
3. reverse gear: temporarily abandoned, may resuscitate the idea for an upgrade later, when I am too old to push it! Decided to leave it because the design and construction and testing would take too much time from the build and also the new propshaft will fit right in with a couple of new flanges and I would have had to chop it in two to add it to the reverse kit, which seems a shame. I will make sure I leave all the clearances in place to add it later.
4. finish side bars/mudguard supports/ headlight brackets. made up most of one side and I think it will fit just fine. Got the other side to do afterwards and a few more bits to add to the first side.
this pic shows the mudguard support bending over the wheel and dropping to a joint where the side bar attaches, then it closes in to the frame and rises to hang under the faux tank. the top horizontal bit will carry the headlight.
5. axle work: have made the right hand wheel fit but still have the left hand side to do from scratch. not easy, the new studs are too long, the new nuts need tapping out further, the spacing of the wheel is still not perfect (but it will be!) and the new brakes and wheel bearings have to be fitted, not a big deal those. finally for the axle have to realign the propshaft by means of the top shock fittings so that there is a slight out of straight in the shaft.
this pic shows the axle lying on its back and behind it is the new propshaft. hung the towels there to reduce the background clutter.
6. rear frame: reposition shock mounting bars, fitted them once but seem to have managed to get them offset an inch or so. Another senior moment, no doubt. and have to fit the left hand hoop part of the top platform, which somehow came out an inch too long.
7. overhaul leaking front forks, overhaul front wheel and brakes
8. shot blast, etch prime and prime the frame. working on that now, but not having much luck with it. new compressor regulator ordered today, some coarser grit to pick up from Machine Mart then we will see if it works. If not then its a new shot blasting gun needed.
and then, I should have a rolling trike chassis.
9. as for the engine, that's been paint stripped, cleaned, repainted but still needs bits of work like changing all the seals and stuff that would be better done while it's out.
these show the engine being stripped, it was then carefully cleaned then painted, the paint colour just doesn't show in the sunlight, it is a silvery satin finished black.
10. Not that doing all the above will be the end of it. Little things like the seats, backrests, headrests, fuel tank, carbs (overhauled by Old Fogey), rewiring, top coat, lights, windscreen and probably a dozen other things I've forgotten
onwards and upwards
slabghost
Well-known member
Looking real good. I really like the iron look of the motor now. I understand the need for extra space on the right axle so the adapter is no problem adding length. Would it be possible to change the drive flange of the left axle to match the wheel and just redrill the brake drum to fit on the left side?
- Joined
- Jan 27, 2013
- Messages
- 9,855
- Reaction score
- 34
- Location
- Brisbane Australia
- My Bike Models
- 1981 GL1100 “Rats Nest”
1998 GL1500c Val
1987 CBR1000f “The Pig”
1991 CBR1000f Red
:thanks: for the update :good:
opcorn: opcorn:
opcorn: opcorn:
yep nice work ....i like the motor it is great color
Hi Slabghost, the 3 inch extension is to the left hand side - looking from the back - the diff is offset to the right of the wheel - so the thinnest adaptor is on the right hand side.
I did look at drilling the brake drum but the interior contours are complex; there is a machined face for the drive shaft, and it would not have been easy to avoid overlaps with the bolt fixings 4 on 5. I would still have to keep the 4 from the drive shaft even if they were just machined down to studs, (or there would be no drive) flush with the drum to allow the new wheel to face up to it. the pcd's are 100 mm and 120 mm; very close for a big fat Range Rover wheel stud. I appreciate your taking time to look at the build, its' good to get feedback, have had some great help from both Goldwing sites. thanks
I did look at drilling the brake drum but the interior contours are complex; there is a machined face for the drive shaft, and it would not have been easy to avoid overlaps with the bolt fixings 4 on 5. I would still have to keep the 4 from the drive shaft even if they were just machined down to studs, (or there would be no drive) flush with the drum to allow the new wheel to face up to it. the pcd's are 100 mm and 120 mm; very close for a big fat Range Rover wheel stud. I appreciate your taking time to look at the build, its' good to get feedback, have had some great help from both Goldwing sites. thanks
Looking good, Thanks for keeping us posted! Thanks Charlie in NC
sledge
Well-known member
BEAUTIFUL , I Love it . :laptop:
