Hello From Ghana

[yaw]

Hello everyone,

Yaw from Ghana here (West Africa). I have had a fascination for trikes since I first saw one; about 10yrs ago and I always wanted to build one. Unfortunately I am not an engineer and haven't had much luck in getting help and or pointers. Praise google for leading me here and I'm loving it. I hope I can get some help here in making my dream come true. I attached an image to this (my dream 2 seater reverse trike; dunno if I did it right) and I hope to get some input and pointers as to where to even begin. 
Looking forward to hearing from anyone who would be interested in getting this off the ground.

Kind regards,
Yaw

[DaveJ98092]

Welcome Yaw. I am sure you will not have any problems with getting help. You just have to ask and wait for an answer. Some members only come on once a week so you may not get answered real soon.

What is your native language for reading and writing? English is hard to translate sometimes.

An enclosed trike we call a Cabin. It does make a nice ride but the extra weight makes the engine selection a bit harder. What kind of parts are you thinking of using? Engine? Rear swing arm? Front suspension?

I do not know what motorcycles you have in your country to pick from. A 250cc is a bit small for a Cabin trike but will work for slower speeds.

A simple front suspension is from a VW Bug. In a light trike, Drum brakes up front are not too bad but disc brakes are a bit better.

Simple electrical wiring is one thing I can help you with. So just ask. There are really no stupid questions, I may give a stupid answer in a joke sometimes.

[yaw]

Thanks Dave. I speak English just fine. We mostly speak English in Ghana, though the average Ghanaian is bilingual. My mother-tongue is called twi; very poetic language. Anyhoo, we have all sorts of bikes, cars, parts...though it has been quite difficult to find parts for my Buick Century(RIP Hesus, sniff sniff).

I'm grateful for the help Dave. I do want a cabin as the sun is crazy hot here. That way I can fit it with a small a/c. I had been thinking 500-900cc or use a Daewoo matiz car engine; I have been sizing them lil critters lately, trying to compare its dimensions to the size of trike I want to build. Noted on the brakes and suspension, but would it be strong enough for the weight of 2 adults weight?....and I fully agree on the disk brakes.

Ok, now I have to start drawing a budget....tyres, what type would you suggest?

Thanks once again Dave for the reply and the pointers.

Regards,
Yaw