Aerodynamic Scooter Fairing(s)

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Rooivalk1

Something like a Dymaxion car? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dymaxion_car

Not exactly. As you might remember, the Piaggio Ape is a conventional trike, with one steerable front wheel and 2 driven rear wheels, while the Dymaxion is a "reverse trike" in spite of having its rear wheel steerable and the front wheels were driven and non-steerable. Also, the Dymaxion was kinda fancy with its rear-mounted V8 engine.

This is an Indian-made licensed copy of the early Piaggio Ape.


This is an Innocenti Lambro


This is a random Chinese 3-wheeled pick-up truck (or "bakkie" as you South Africans say) that I spotted last year in Uruguay, fitted with a water-cooled single-cylinder 200cc engine


I was thinking about something conceptually similar to these ones, but with 5 seats (one centrally-mounted for the driver to reduce the frontal drag, and 2 rows with 2 seats on each behind the cockpit, probably retractible jump-seats to save space and allow an occasional usage of the vehicle for light cargo hauling) and some luggage space, driven by a single-cylinder engine between 250 to 600cc, intended to provide a reasonable overall performance not just in city but also on roadways, as it would be intended to be an alternative to a small car such as a Chevy Spark.

[freebeard]

Too much frontal area.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by freebeard

Too much frontal area.

There is always something to compromise. Wanna commute solo? A Honda Biz with a full fairing might be perfect. Wanna haul the family on vacations? Either you'll have to use a wider vehicle or a longer one, and I don't see any reasonably-minded person using a stretched scooter for that just because of its enhanced aerodynamic profile when compared to a shorter and wider trike.

It may look nice as an exotic deal, but it's far from practical in a 3rd-world perspective.

[freebeard]

I understand that. But people still build choppers with raked forks and ape-hanger handlebars. They aren't practical either.

I just like the picture. It's a grab from a Youtube video. I've thought about building a model from a kit and sculpting the figures in Sculpey. My son is good at painting patina on minatures.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by freebeard

I understand that. But people still build choppers with raked forks and ape-hanger handlebars. They aren't practical either.

Sure, but they're targeted towards a different purpose. Also, in spite of an enhanced aerodynamic profile in a longer, narrower, 2-wheel stretched scooter, a fully-enclosed, wider and shorter 3-wheel vehicle would provide more stability without having to use gyroscopes to keep it standing, and cope better with crosswinds. Road conditions in 3rd-world countries are usually also far from ideal, and I say it from first-hand experience.

[Rooivalk1]

Originally Posted by freebeard

I see that was the one you chose for your avatar.

I don't know how much you've poked around this site. Have you seen Allert Jacobs 125cc Honda? It has an interesting solution to ingress/egress.



Also concerning Craig Vetter's rough interior; http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ion-32556.html Hit on the left, injuries on his right.

Thanks, I have seen this design before and while I like it purely for practicality's sake, I'd like to make something a little more original, and slightly better looking haha

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Have you ever considered to make an aerodynamic side-car to match the scooter? That would be awesome.

[Rooivalk1]

Originally Posted by cRiPpLe_rOoStEr

Have you ever considered to make an aerodynamic side-car to match the scooter? That would be awesome.

I like sidecars, but they're strictly for motorcycles haha. Scooters usually just won't have the same power so that much extra friction is going to limit the speed to a point that the scooter won't be usable on highways, and also make it pointless for one of the main reasons people use scooters - you don't need a car parking spot if you only have two wheels.

Plus, overtaking is already enough of a challenge when you can lean in and out of turns, the lack of power and acceleration combined with the wide track would make that impossible.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

I have already seen pictures of Vespas and Lambrettas fitted with side-cars. Anyway, the aerodynamic treatment would be supposed to make the effort to keep highway speeds somewhat lighter, so, let's say a 250cc scooter could still be suitable for all-round commuting needs. And the side-car could be made detachable with some sort of quick-release setup to be used only when that little extra cargo (or passenger) capacity is really needed. Possibilities are nearly infinite, it's just a matter of priorities.