Ian F wrote: 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.
It would also look bitchen as a vintage trike
Ian F wrote: 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.
It would also look bitchen as a vintage trike
mad_machine wrote:Ian F wrote: 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.It would also look bitchen as a vintage trike
Umm.. What? A FWD Morgan-styled trike (with the engine hanging out for all to see) would look horrible. One of the main reasons it does look cool is the exposed air-cooled V-twin.
Ian F wrote: Umm.. What? A FWD Morgan-styled trike (with the engine hanging out for all to see) would look horrible. One of the main reasons it does look cool is the exposed air-cooled V-twin.
I give you the:
mad_machine wrote: I give you the: BlackJack Zero
Umm... no... that is fugly... especially compared to this:
If I was going to build a 3 wheeler, it would be a Morgan replica but I would use a Moto Guzzi engine attached to a VW Bug transmission driving the front wheels.
93EXCivic wrote: If I was going to build a 3 wheeler, it would be a Morgan replica but I would use a Moto Guzzi engine attached to a VW Bug transmission driving the front wheels.
Yuck... but to each his own...
Ian F wrote:93EXCivic wrote: If I was going to build a 3 wheeler, it would be a Morgan replica but I would use a Moto Guzzi engine attached to a VW Bug transmission driving the front wheels.Yuck... but to each his own...
The thing is that front wheel drive works better on a two front wheel trike.
^ $80k, ouch! 
Cheaper -
Speed costs money.
Beauty costs, too, and that Sub is beautiful.
$48k for this. I would much rather have that then the Sub.
in thinking about it.. you could do the VW fwd as a locost without it looking too funky.
the early 911s had a shorter wheelbase than the post 69s.. they pushed the rear wheels back without changing where the engine was located by extending the trailing arms and then putting in longer half shafts that angled back to where the rear wheels were now located.
build the chassis with that in mind, you could push the engine and trans back into the body some and angle the half shafts foward to push the front wheels more towards the front of the car.
Use Classis SAAB 900 based A arms and spindles .. and you are golden
93EXCivic wrote: The thing is that front wheel drive works better on a two front wheel trike.
Doesn't matter... 3-wheeler = form > function. V-twin cooler than VW F4.
I don't want a Morgan because I'd think it is some performance super-trike. I want one because they look freakin' cool and anyone who sees one on the street will go, "WTF was that???"
well.. I think the VW flat four would look VERY cool with the 911 style fan shroud out front..
the Blackjack also has the tasty Guzzi engine option.
Ian F wrote:93EXCivic wrote: The thing is that front wheel drive works better on a two front wheel trike.Doesn't matter... 3-wheeler = form > function. V-twin cooler than VW F4. I don't want a Morgan because I'd think it is some performance super-trike. I want one because they look freakin' cool and anyone who sees one on the street will go, "WTF was that???"
I said I was going to use a Moto Guzzi air cooled V-twin. And a VW Bug transmission
this is a pretty rare thing for me, but a trike like this would also be a form > function type deal for me. as long as it looks good and goes relatively well, I don't terribly mind how they accomplish that performance. FWD would almost be preferable for me, since a RWD trike will always be at a traction disadvantage compared to a FWD trike with the same size tires/same engine/same everything.
now an AWD trike, using a Subaru gearbox with a nice torquey V2 of some description and a shaft-drive rear end... 
lock up the center diff and adjust tire height and gear ratios to get a 50/50 power split, or keep the center and make it a LSD or a Torsen so that you don't unload all the acceleration to the front wheels or all the engine braking to the rear wheels? THAT would be fun, and that way you get a good 5 speed box that's already set up to power the front wheels while sitting at the front end of the car, AND it's already set up for AWD
Apparently, the T-Rex or any other trike that has 2 wheels at the front is not legal anymore in Ontario. However for some bizzare reason, motorcycle based trikes with 2 wheels at the back are OK, as is the Can Am spider! Now please tell me why a narrow, short wheelbase, under powered trike with a very high centre of gravity is deemed safer than a T-Rex?
In reply to Slyp_Dawg:
Maybe it's just me, but your first sentence is contradicted by the rest of your post... 
If looks are the primary concern, then RWD is better since it lets the front suspension be minimal and clean-looking as well as keeping the transmission and drive line hidden under the bodywork.
What I like about the Morgan is it basically looks like a WWI airplane with wheels instead of wings.
In reply to ptrxly:
Might have to do with the seating position, which in the T-Rex is car-like vs. the bike-position on the Can-Am. Since in theory, you would be belted into the T-Rex seats, it would need to absorb a collision like a car. On the Can Am, the rider could be ejected during a collision, which if wearing proper riding gear, seems to lessen severe injuries (spreading the force of impact over a longer period of time). It ain't the fall that kills you - it's the sudden stop, which is the general concept behind automotive safety.
Ian F wrote: In reply to Slyp_Dawg: Maybe it's just me, but your first sentence is contradicted by the rest of your post...
now that I read it again, I did sorta contradict myself, but still, there is a reason a lot of production cars that are FWD, they do have a traction advantage in some cases, and when they do loose grip, you don't end up dead sideways or spinning out. I honestly don't mind the looks of a FWD trike, even with the beefier front suspension and drivetrain, it looks rather utilitarian. then again, I do quite like the looks of the Blackjack, so I might be a bit weird, even among this crowd
Can anyone point me to a build diary for a homebuilt Morgan Trike replica?
I'm liking this!
Bruce
In reply to egnorant:
http://exomotive.com/ This little company has some interesting trike kits.
Wow, I don't know how I could have missed this thread. Trikes have a special place in my heart because I happen to live about 10 minutes from Campagna Motorsports (builder of the T-Rex) and I remember seeing them in the 90's when they were just starting out.
I always thought they were really cool. But like other people have said, they are mostly about looks. Even here, you don't see any on track because they are snappy at the limit because when it starts to roll in a corner, that large rear wheel gets on its outside edge and becomes pretty useless. And on the road you feel more exposed than on a bike because you are super low (you look up at corvettes), it's super wide (can't squeeze into a small gaps) and everyone around you is looking at the T-Rex instead of the road. As far as licensing, most places will class it as a motorcycle and that's where the problem is, because in most places a bike cannot have a structure around the rider. And even if there is no structure, they can be quite difficult to license, see http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=36&t=3198 . Look at the last page to see the difficulties he is having.
So three wheeler are pretty much all about looks, but I still want one. For the ones that like the idea of a FWD 2f1r three wheeler, check out the Blackjack Avion. It uses 2CV mechanicals and isn't that bad looking I think.
For a morgan replica build diary in the US, look at: http://www.freewebs.com/jzrusa/
Personally, I would love to build a modern interpretation of a 1927 Sandford GS, which I think is one of the best looking trikes ever. I even design the entire 3D frame on CAD. I would use a Goldwing for all the mechanics....Maybe one day.
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