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danwyke
Jun 18, 2012 19:51:30 GMT -5
Post by Liteway on Jun 18, 2012 19:51:30 GMT -5
Pardon my skepticism on on that center pinion rack, curiosity made me look up some pictures on the net,and danged if they don't look just like yours. Still dont see how that worked on a passenger car though, looks as though that would require an accessively angled shaft.,,,, keep up the good work and give us more pictures.
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danwyke
Jun 30, 2012 14:22:29 GMT -5
Post by danwyke on Jun 30, 2012 14:22:29 GMT -5
First drive around the block!! The popping noise is the chain between the engine and jackshaft skipping. I have some tension issues to resolve but other than that it went pretty well!
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danwyke
Feb 7, 2013 19:03:21 GMT -5
Post by danwyke on Feb 7, 2013 19:03:21 GMT -5
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danwyke
Feb 8, 2013 20:02:20 GMT -5
Post by Liteway on Feb 8, 2013 20:02:20 GMT -5
Congrats on getting it Legal. I know the feeling of spending endless hours on an obsession , not knowing if you will ultimately be able to use it much. Took me five years to get to the point of getting it registered and another year before it was suitable for interstate highway use. I have 4500 miles on it now.
I went through your Locost web site postings hoping to see some good angles on your creation. Couldn't really see all I wanted. Any way, good if you can post some more.
About the frustration of not being able to drive it in the cold:
If you have a front mounted radiator, and if the nose is enclosed and side panels are in place , effective heating can be provided below the waist. Its been a mild winter here (central Okla.) and I've been able to get out for a ride most weekends and even some evenings after work. I'm surprised more builders Don't see the value of this.
That, along with a comfy seat, are what make trikes more desirable than bikes. Oh yes, road rash is also a bit less likely, especially if you use belts.
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danwyke
Feb 11, 2013 18:51:05 GMT -5
Post by danwyke on Feb 11, 2013 18:51:05 GMT -5
Thanks triplethreat, I'll get some more pictures once it gets a little nicer out. It's tough to want to push it out of the garage these days. I'll update the build log with multiple angles soon. Anything you specifically wanted to see?
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danwyke
Feb 11, 2013 19:15:42 GMT -5
Post by Liteway on Feb 11, 2013 19:15:42 GMT -5
Thanks for asking. The seat, a slightly high angle from the left or right front quarter. Shifter, Foot well, that sort of thing.
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danwyke
Apr 6, 2013 15:54:37 GMT -5
Post by danwyke on Apr 6, 2013 15:54:37 GMT -5
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danwyke
Apr 7, 2013 18:22:48 GMT -5
Post by Liteway on Apr 7, 2013 18:22:48 GMT -5
That is one wild looking contraption Danwyke. Thanks for the pictures.
You have the front wheels further back (in relation to the driver) than any other trike I've seen. Should make for good handling. Got any idea about weight or how its distributed front to back yet? Let us know how you came out on the compromise all us rear drive chassis guys have to make, that is; traction vs handling. Fenders appear to be an excellent fit and made from aluminum. Where did you get them.
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danwyke
Apr 12, 2013 17:17:38 GMT -5
Post by danwyke on Apr 12, 2013 17:17:38 GMT -5
Thanks triplethreat
I did a rough weight at each wheel (didn't take the time to level everything and was using a bathroom scale) and came out to ~325lbs at each front wheel and ~408 at the back wheel. That was with me (235lbs) sitting in the seat. Not perfect 33% at each corner, but not too bad. To answer your question I came up with the front wheel location based off trying to get that 66% on the front end (including me). It looks worse due to my long legs which makes the front of the frame even longer.
The fenders were custom made. They started as sheet aluminum, bent on the sides to conform to the (lateral) shape of the tire and then a shrinker was used on the bent side edges in order to pull it into the radius of the wheel/tire. Surprisingly easy and cheap compared to finding ones that are pre-made and fit your wheel/tire combo.
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danwyke
Dec 22, 2014 10:04:03 GMT -5
Post by danwyke on Dec 22, 2014 10:04:03 GMT -5
It's been awhile since I have updated things on this site. The short story is after 1000 miles on the trike I have given up on the air cooled engine. I picked up a used CBR 954rr and I'm currently in the process of swapping engines. To get the engine as low as possible I've swapped out the stock oil sump with a low profile baffled unit. I picked up some used GL1500 Goldwing radiators which just barely fit in the existing side pods. I'm planning on incorporating a cush drive into the jacktube since I felt like I was hammering on the transmission every time I came off the gas. I'm also working on the rat rod appearance. I'm still leaving the frame untouched until I sort this engine out but I got a DIY powder coating kit and started working on the front suspension. More info and pictures on the Locostusa site (should be a link further up) Looking forward to being able to just drive and not worry about overheating...
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danwyke
Dec 22, 2014 12:46:50 GMT -5
Post by Magilla on Dec 22, 2014 12:46:50 GMT -5
That’s a very nice ride you have there. I am currently designing mine and I am having some difficulty with making the rear swingarm, any clean pic’s everyone seem to just use a regular swingarm but I am using a wider tire so I need to make a wider swingarm any ideas. Also how does the paddle shifter work cable or solenoid?
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danwyke
Dec 22, 2014 23:26:59 GMT -5
Post by Liteway on Dec 22, 2014 23:26:59 GMT -5
Thanks triplethreat I did a rough weight at each wheel (didn't take the time to level everything and was using a bathroom scale) and came out to ~325lbs at each front wheel and ~408 at the back wheel. That was with me (235lbs) sitting in the seat. Not perfect 33% at each corner, but not too bad. To answer your question I came up with the front wheel location based off trying to get that 66% on the front end (including me). It looks worse due to my long legs which makes the front of the frame even longer. The fenders were custom made. They started as sheet aluminum, bent on the sides to conform to the (lateral) shape of the tire and then a shrinker was used on the bent side edges in order to pull it into the radius of the wheel/tire. Surprisingly easy and cheap compared to finding ones that are pre-made and fit your wheel/tire combo. Great to see you back danwyke. I applaud your efforts to keep the C.G. as low as possible, even going as far as a low profile sump and jackshaft to get it. I considered a Jackshaft to lower the engine and still have the proper swing arm geometry, but decided I was not up to fabbing a set of equal length headers to get them out from under the motor,so it became pointless. Your effort is sure to aid handling. I think you are misguided in your effort to get that much weight forward though. You are looking at a theoretical figure to get a third of the weight on each wheel? That is fine for (maybe) handling, but with the pwr/wt ratio you are likely to achieve with the CBR engine, traction will be a BIG problem . A case can be made for 66/34 or 61/39 for a front drive or a low powered rear drive trike but not for a powerful rear drive. The Captain's trike has a similar pwr/ weight ratio to yours and 58/42 distribution. Read about his experiences at the drags. Could not hook up till 3rd gear or beyond. He could have 50hp less and get down the strip just as fast, at least through the 8th mi. If you are reading this Captain, and I got it wrong, Please correct me. My trike has 52.5/47.5 distribution with me aboard. I have a paltry 98hp. I can creep off the line, nail it with the clutch already engaged, and spin all the way through first. I see you are sporting a bigger rear tire than either of us, and that will sure help. Won't be enough though. That ultra low C.G,. you seek for good cornering will be a further hindrance for forward traction. Less rearward weight transfer under acceleration. Anybody know the weight distribution of a T-rex or Sling-shot? Can't find it on the net. Edit 12/27/14 I will acknowledge, other factors being equal, the trike with more weight forward is more tipover resistant, and I won't minimize the importance of that. But, if you get less than 60% wt. forward, the trike need not handle like a pig. I have to say mine handles extremely well. I won't embarrass any Lotus Sevens on a road course, but I have no trouble keeping up with my friends FZ-1 on public twisty roads. Turn-in is sharp, with mild understeer the primary feel. Simultaneous cornering and braking or acceleration produce no unusual instability. Traction vs rollover risk is a compromise that must be accepted in a high power rear drive trike. If you think the rollover risk is the only thing to be concerned about, and you balance the chassis for that, using a powerfull engine will just mean the waste of a powerful engine.
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Post by danwyke on Feb 4, 2015 6:19:46 GMT -5
Magilla - Thanks, there is a couple pictures on the locostusa site of the swingarm, both rendering, during build and after complete. Basically I used rectangular tubing for the basic H and then welded plate on the top and bottom in order to get it somewhat of a double web I beam (which has a real name but it's not coming to mind right now). Some people get away with a stock motorcycle swingarm but as you said if your going with a wider wheel/tire comb then you may have to fab your own. The paddle shifter is using a push/pull cable.
Triplethreat - I understand where you are coming from but as you mentioned everything in the design of a car/trike is a compromise between so many factors. My primary concern was in fact roll over so I based my design on Dave Norton's SAE paper on the subject. I literally lost sleep over the idea that I would roll over. Am I traction limited? Sure, but so are most 4-wheeled cars with this kind of power to weight ratio. I really couldn't care less what my 0-60 times are or my quarter mile times (I've made no attempts to quantify either one). I didn't design it for those kind of figures. Powering out of a curve on a back country road, that's what I designed it for, that's where the extra Hp/torque and low CoG come into their own. Have I found it to be traction limited or understeer in those scenarios? Nope.
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