Three Wheelers

Here's a photo of a CX500-powered replica...

I've thought about doing this from time to time (never get further thatn looking for CX500/650s on CL, though).

The formula is pretty simple: fab'd up square tube chassis and front suspension (uses CX swingarm w/ stretched driveshaft, CX engine and gearbox, and fabricated bodywork. Look at a 'barrel-back' Morgan as bodywork would be easier to make (no compound curves on rear deck. They even sell kits in Europe but where's the fun in that.

I know at least in MN, you can liscense ANYTHING as a kit car, as long as it passes "inspection" down at Pep Boys. The other day, we were chasing a 400whp sandrail with plates on it, while in a RHD STi Type R (GC8) that also had plates on it. As far as the state of MN is concerned, they're the same damn thing.

One of the things that's stopped me from getting excited about trikes is that they largely fit in a track day no-man's land. Neither bikes nor cars want to run with them. The origin of this feeling is that there are so many third-rate trikes out there that would be a menace on the track. They don't necessarily have to be this way. T-rex's are fast and safe from what I've heard, and there's a guy in Socal with a homebuilt 3 wheeler that kicks butt. Unfortunately, as an owner, you might have to do some pushing against the bias.

OTOH, if you're oing more of a vintage replica thing, there are advantages in states like California where three-wheelers are classed as motorcycles and thus subject to less stringent rules than hand-built cars.

Sounds like fun!

I really want to build my own car and it is between this and a Cobra replica but with my own chassis with pushrod suspension and such.

You need to old school 70s cool with some kind of Popular Mechanics kit type of ride:

http://rqriley.com/plans.html

http://rqriley.com/tri-mag.html

http://rqriley.com is a really good place to go for dreaming...He has a pretty decent explanation of the difference between 1F/2R and 2F/1R.

Get those minds out of the gutter, you lot!!!

It's worth visiting for those of demented enough to think this is cool. Which, thinking about it, is probably why this thread showed up.

In reply to Mikey52_1:

There are plans for sale!!!!! Excellent that will give me a starting point.

Have you not seen the Top Gear episode on the reliant Robin?

http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-reliant-robin_2032682.htm

Every three wheeler I ever drove wanted to become a two wheeler when it went around a curve.

NOHOME wrote: Have you not seen the Top Gear episode on the reliant Robin? http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-reliant-robin_2032682.htm Every three wheeler I ever drove wanted to become a two wheeler when it went around a curve.

Yes. On a single front wheel vehicles. Generally two front wheel vehicles are fairly stable.

+1 one on the T-rex

96DXCivic wrote:

NOHOME wrote: Have you not seen the Top Gear episode on the reliant Robin? http://www.streetfire.net/video/top-gear-reliant-robin_2032682.htm Every three wheeler I ever drove wanted to become a two wheeler when it went around a curve.

Yes. On a single front wheel vehicles. Generally two front wheel vehicles are fairly stable.

Unless you want to drive really fast around corners....IN REVERSE!

Saw my first t-rex some years ago in front of the Delano in South Beach. Pure sex. And in the right setting.

Got to talk to the owner who seemed a more flamboyant playboy than a car guy. With other folks around he made statements about it being the greatest car in the world Privately it seemed that the reality of owning and driving a car like that was not quite as good as the fantasy.

I'd sign up in a second... if the price of entry were reasonable. Way too much interesting iron in that price range... even if i were going to play in the price range.

Ok so with the rear swing arm, should I make my own swing arm? I am worried about using a motorcycle tire on the rear.

Reminds me of the kit car/bike the Fire Aero, you took a stock motorcycle, maybe one with front end damage, and stripped the forks and wheel off and bolted the motorcycle triple tree to the rear of the kit's frame, and there ya go, a three wheeler. http://www.angelfire.com/pa/fireaerotrikes/images/f1.jpg

96DXCivic wrote: Ok so with the rear swing arm, should I make my own swing arm? I am worried about using a motorcycle tire on the rear.

Use one side of a FWD IRS.

You could probably even use something like one side of a late Corvair rear suspension...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPnrN-JZXHg

TriHawk:

http://www.designmassif.com/trihawk/trihawk_history.html

It 's obvious this thread needs moar:

I luv me some GX3.

I don't remember who makes it, but there's a kit out there that uses a BMW K bike drivetrain as its basis. That's the way I'd go.

I've long thought that the thing to do is use a complete K1200LT (electric reverse) driveline from the engine and transmission to the swingarm, and build a frame to connect a Miata front end. Find a place to put the seats and Bob's your uncle.

As much as I can respect the T-Rex....I am leaning towards the Morgan-esque versions.

Sorry for the bump, but I thought I might be able to point you towards some help. I was looking at the "new" Morgan Trike that's being reintroduced and was reminded of a replica I saw around 2003 or so. I tried searching for it and ran across this thread.

While I was at UK I bought an old mountain bike from a friend. Some of the metal was torn where the seatpost went into the frame so I went searching for a welder and ended up at Downtown Danz in Lexington. He was interesting guy and had quite a few neat projects in his shop.

One of them was a replica of a Morgan trike that he and some other guys were building from scratch. They were using the back half of a motorcycle (the one whose engine they were putting in front) and building the rest of the tubular frame around it. They'd hand formed an aluminum body, done the upholstery and made a wood dashboard, everything. It was awesome.

Not sure if the shop is still there but it might be worth trying to find it. There's a body shop next door called Perfect Auto whom Downtown worked with, they might know some information. They had a salt flat belly tank racer that they'd put together as a joint project, using a plane fuselage and a Honda S2000 drivetrain. The thing was gorgeous.

Anyway, thought you might want to check it out since it's relatively close, or at least try to find out where the car went. They might have some good info. If there's anything cool in the shop it might be worth the trip up!

A couple of links to Dan's shop and a personal page:

http://downtownwelding.tripod.com/welcome/index.html

http://www.hubgarage.com/mygarage/downtowndan

Good luck! Brian Elmer

I've also been dreaming of a home-built Morgan recently. That said, I would use a set-up bascially the same as the Morgan-endorsed replica: a H-D V-twin backed by a automotive T-9 feeding into whatever moto swing-axle I can find. The main issue to overcome would be the clutch, sicne I think this is integrated into the H-D transmission rather than being on the engine (I may be wrong, tho).

The H-D has some advantages in this application: it's a divorced transmission design; by MC standards it's a low RPM torque monster; they're readily available; it looks similar to the original JAP Morgan engine.

Honestly, I would go FWD with a trike.. better to fight two wheels for traction than to have a single rear with none at all

I suppose... although if I were building a trike, it would be more of toy, so performance would be secondary. In which case a Morgan trike trumps all for me.

mad_machine wrote: Honestly, I would go FWD with a trike.. better to fight two wheels for traction than to have a single rear with none at all

I think it would be more stable as well, as long as it didn't have limited slip - if a front wheel drive trike lifted the inside front wheel in a hard turn it would spin and then the front end would come back down again, so it would be automatically self limiting.

As far as trikes with one wheel in the front (like the Reliant) go, my parents bought one of these things back in the 1970s:

It was pedal powered so you could only go so fast, and with two passengers it was fairly stable, but with just one person it was really easy to flip when going around corners. I had the scrapes and bruises to prove it.