RE: Interest in FWD Enclosed Reverse Trike Build?

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by ecoboy

Thanks I appreciate that when I get to the fab stage I will be contacting you for the panels. Right now I got to put a team together as there is no way anyone person can do a project like this on their own.

Starting off I need a good Solidworks / CAD designer.


This is to be a open source project that can be modified by others. My goal is to actually have others use the information, copy it, and build lightweight efficient vehicles.

So far,anyone who has the chops to pull this off has their own spin on how it should be done,and I suspect that you'll find it challenging to find 'takers.'
A neighbor owned a motorcycle shop for a while.He offered a Chinese-manufactured street-legal,side-by-side, reverse-trike which anyone could have enclosed and done whatever they wanted with it.He sold one.To himself.And had it less than 6-months.
A friend has a saying:'It's easier to serve a market,than to create a market.'

[aerohead]

Originally Posted by ecoboy

Wow! Just got reading through your build thread and it is epic! I really got to hand it to you as all those compound curves can be very challenging.

I found this thread with some interesting designs.

https://endless-sphere.com/forums/vi...4547&start=105

One thing I learned from Old Mechanic's thread is that I want to make a few models out of clay or wood before I get into the fabrication stuff. Seems easier than spending several hours on CAD design anyhow.

Like Old Mechanic comfort is a priority, I got to have leg room for my long legs. I might even go to the junk yard and get a Jeep Cherokee fully electric adjustable seat. I really want to avoid having to crawl into the thing.

Does anyone have a formula or rule of thumb for height and areodynamics? I know lower is better, but like I said I don't want to crawl into it.

Follow Old Mechanic's lead on this one.You're not going to improve much on what he's doing.Seriously!

[Grant-53]

Check recumbents.com for the latest shell design software. Also there are paper model skin programs. Robert Q. Riley Enterprises has plans and articles on FWD trikes. Either square tube space frames or a composite aluminum honeycomb tub would work.

The minimum seat height for a trike in NYS is 20 inches.

[ecoboy]

Originally Posted by aerohead

Follow Old Mechanic's lead on this one.You're not going to improve much on what he's doing.Seriously!

Thanks for the input Aerohead,

You may be right. I was reading an article about eliomotors.com that said some of the reservations were fakes. No way to know the true level of interest or not. Do you have a link for or sources for the attempts made by GM. Ford, and VW? I would like to read up on prior attempts.


Thanks.

[ecoboy]

Originally Posted by Grant-53

Check recumbents.com for the latest shell design software. Also there are paper model skin programs. Robert Q. Riley Enterprises has plans and articles on FWD trikes. Either square tube space frames or a composite aluminum honeycomb tub would work.

The minimum seat height for a trike in NYS is 20 inches.

Thanks for for the information. Where is that 20" seat height taken from?

[Grant-53]

The seat must be at least 20 inches from the ground.

[ecoboy]

Originally Posted by Grant-53

Check recumbents.com for the latest shell design software. Also there are paper model skin programs. Robert Q. Riley Enterprises has plans and articles on FWD trikes. Either square tube space frames or a composite aluminum honeycomb tub would work.

The minimum seat height for a trike in NYS is 20 inches.

Hi Grant,

Spent some time reading up on the amazing XR3 designed by Mr Robert Q. Riley and he states it takes 500 to 650 hours to build an exact duplicate of his hybrid XR3 diesel / lithium ion powered reverse trike.

It also states that much of that time was spent on the fiberglass body. I sent him an email requesting the time breakdown for each segment of the build.

I will post an update if I hear back from him.

Just for fun I typed in how many hours does it take to build a car into Google and found out it takes 17 to 18 for Toyota to buid a car.

Source: トヨタ | How long does it actually take to make a car?

Lacking the experience to maufacture cars I don't see how eliomotors.com could ever produce their vehicle for $6,800. Sorry to beat a dead horse, but I want one.

[ecoboy]

Found this as well 3-wheelers.com home page

[ecoboy]

Interesting reading https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aptera_Motors

[Grant-53]

Build time depends on the method of construction, operators experience, and tooling. I don't suppose you happen to have a CNC milling machine or a robotic welder handy? Me either. I do know the professor at the local community college who teaches auto body courses and there is a CNC machinist program there as well. Fiber glass is time consuming for one unit projects due to the time building the mold. A square tube space frame with a skin of 0.060" ABS might be the easy way. A composite cut and fold tub would be lighter. Depends on your skill sets and tools.

Read all the NYS laws on motorcycles first. You will need a motorcycle license to operate a trike. It will be inspected and registered as a Class A homebuilt vehicle.