Three-Wheel Think Tank

[TedV]

On the eco-trike video linked. Did they connect the rear shock to the straight top of the triangle? If so that puts the top tubes there in a bending moment, not in simple tension-compresion and is very weak. that could be triangulated a bit better. I have seen videos of few simple trikes where motorcycle frames have been attached to a front cabin structure with poor triangulation support. This results in the bike rear flexing and twisting in corners.

[Michael Moore]

Originally Posted by Smurf

Any thoughts on that design?

It will only be driven by the agile and acrobatic since you've got to squirm into a small space through a window opening. It might get a bit uncomfortable in the rain without side windows (since they have to be left open for the driver to enter/exit).

cheers,
Michael

[sendler]

I like the Zing. Series hybrid/ plug in with two wheel front drive.
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http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...ike-19843.html
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[Smurf]

Originally Posted by TedV

On the eco-trike video linked. Did they connect the rear shock to the straight top of the triangle?

Fixed?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Found it while walking the dog to a park near my home.


58MPG with a 125cc engine and poor aerodynamics.

[GreenHornet]

Hey Smurf,

I am currently building a reverse trike as we speak that is focused on economy and performance efficiency. I originally was going to build it as a diesel. I got as far as purchasing the diesel 3cylinder 1 liter engine than realized I drive less than 20miles a day 99% of the time and decided to change courses. I decided to go electric hence the (ERT) Electric Reverse Trike project was born :-)

The end goal is to make a simple low cost DIY kit that anyone could get up and going in short order. The quicker that you can get to the completed rolling chassis the better your chances of completion become. The foundation of your vehicle or chassis is very important it sets the stages for all else.

My vehicle will have very little welding in fact all the welding can be completed in 1 day by any competent welder. Very minimal outsourcing costs if you did not want to tackle the welding and fabrication yourself.

Once components were sourced you could have a completed rolling chassis with in a month depending on how quick you could get the outsourced chassis components cleaned up and rust proofed.

There are many ways to go about building a reverse trike as you have discovered :-) There are a 100 different ways to skin a cat. Personally I am with you on the economy issue however if you plan and design properly you can have a vehicle that can go surprisingly fast as well. If you do it right you can have both economy and performance. The key ingredients are low weight, great aerodynamics, low rolling resistance, and high drivetrain efficiency. All of these ingredients can be achieved with minimal cost if you are patient and driven to succeed.

My personal preferences:

#1. 2 seat side by side vs tandem
#2. Electric Powertrain if you drive less than 100mi a day 99% of the time
#3. Transmission rather than direct drive
#4. single rear wheel vs single front wheel
#5. single RWD vs FWD unless using hub motors then AWD is ok
#6. LRR tires
#7. regen braking
#8 capacitor banks for regen, start stop, and ancillary devices
#9. backbone chassis vs unibody
#10. composite shell vs steel shell
#11. ground effects
#12. Tear drop shape
#13. Series hybrid vs parallel if dual power source is desired
#14. diesel genset vs gas genset
#15. batteries anything but Lead acid :-)
#16. recycled chassis vs scratch build
#17. recycled rear swingarm vs scratch build

By recycling the chassis and rear swingarm you will save an incredible amount of design time. All of the original brakes, suspension, and steering can all be reused. Again further saving time and design complexity.

Great thread Smurf I look forward to helping out anywhere I can take care,

GreenHornet