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Post by joeld0803 on Mar 10, 2013 21:41:41 GMT -5
The DMV here classifies a motorcycle as a 3 wheel vehicle or 2 wheel vehicle that has a saddle for the rider to ride on but these rules have been bent all to heck and back. The 4 wheeled quad for instance and the T-rex. So I am really not certain where I stand but was told to leave it titled as the bike and tell them it's a modified motorcycle which is what I will try to do first and see how it flies. Afterall it really is a modified motorcycle and that isn't lying to them.
I will not be attempting to drive it on the HOV as I do not want to draw negative attention to it. I mainly plan to ride it out here in the countryside on weekends occassionally and try to keep it out of the larger city limit area.
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Post by joeld0803 on Mar 24, 2013 21:41:20 GMT -5
Been working on the body for about 2 weeks trying to get some shape to it and here are the results so far. It's 1/4 inch foam board, duct tape, and a sealer that will allow me to fiberglass over. Here are the recents.     I put a 5 degree advance timing wheel for the ignition and that has helped qite a bit. It's running pretty good and I have probably put about 200 miles on it with all the back roads riding I have been doing around here local and all seems to be going well so far so I decided to start working on the body. It's turning some heads. |
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Post by joeld0803 on Mar 30, 2013 8:44:28 GMT -5
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tryota
Junior Member
Posts: 62
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Post by tryota on May 15, 2013 14:04:40 GMT -5
I like how you cut out the rectangle tube for lightening very cool. TRYOTA
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Post by joeld0803 on May 20, 2013 20:36:45 GMT -5
It helped but it's still pretty heavy for the engine I am using.
I really wish it had a 4 cylinder turbo 180 HP engine.
There is always the posibility of an engine upgrade though but trying to get the body work into shape has been a chore but I am making progress
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Post by joeld0803 on May 20, 2013 20:53:41 GMT -5
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Post by mtntech on May 21, 2013 0:05:17 GMT -5
It helped but it's still pretty heavy for the engine I am using. I really wish it had a 4 cylinder turbo 180 HP engine. THat's why I chose to stay away from a regular motorcycle powerplant. It's torque they are really lacking in. |
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Post by Liteway on May 21, 2013 21:28:03 GMT -5
Yep. Also no flywheel and extremely close ratio transmissions with a tall first gear. I like the way they scream to 12000 plus though. Just got to be disciplined with the weight thing.
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Post by mtntech on May 21, 2013 21:38:05 GMT -5
Good point on the no flywheel. I remember a Fiero I had years ago with a custom built fuel injected 327. It had a very light flywheel, which I thought would be great...........wrong!!! Not fun to drive in the city at all.
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Post by noahkatz on May 27, 2013 16:42:25 GMT -5
There are plenty of large displacement cruisers with usable powerbands besides the "regular" 12,000 rpm shreikers. THat's why I chose to stay away from a regular motorcycle powerplant. It's torque they are really lacking in. |
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Post by Liteway on May 27, 2013 18:18:39 GMT -5
Right. Their engines, transmissions and clutches and are designed to work with heavier loads. In some cases they may be a good compromise between sport bike and auto drivetrains. Still like a little rev capability though, such as choosing a ST 1300 or Vrod motor over a conventional Harley or Yamaha V-Star.
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Post by noahkatz on Jun 3, 2013 23:20:04 GMT -5
One of the bigger Triumph triples might be just the ticket; testers always comment on the wide power band and tractability
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Post by mtntech on Aug 23, 2013 20:18:56 GMT -5
Been driving the Bandit much?
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Post by joeld0803 on Sept 25, 2013 18:29:39 GMT -5
I have been driving in our back neighborhoods on and off for almost 1 year working out a few bugs with the chain and working gradually on the body but had to take a break from the heat of the summer. I am tired of driving in this 10 mile stretch.......LOL
I have probably put 280 miles on it but I am ready to venture away further.
It has been running and driving good and handling well in the corners and turns as well as the suspension doing its job well. No real issues since I fixed the chain problem. I finished cutting up the bandit bike frame and sold most all of the spare parts to recover some of the cost of the bike. I got the VIN number from the gooseneck section and will be welding into the frame cross member behind the seats in about a week.
I am ready to get it inspected other than that as I have recently found out that since I am leaving it titled as a motorcycle then I was told by the inspector that it didn't need a body on it which was my misperception.
The plate from the bike is registered to the bike and has a current state registration and is mounted on the back. It is insured thru Geico as a motorcycle (which could be a form of fraud.....LOL) and once I have the inspection legal on it I can venture out of the back neighborhood and see how far I get before a cop pulls me over..............LOL!
It truly is a one of a kind and I can't wait to get it out in the public eye. I have most of the body panels done out of foam but haven't started on the fiber glassing just yet again due to the heat. Temps this summer between June and Sept have been hitting the upper 90's with a heat index of 108 which is just miserable.
The last photo's posted I believe are still pretty recent as far as the looks of it.
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Post by endeavor on Feb 18, 2014 8:18:15 GMT -5
This looks like a great and sound design. I see a lot of potential in the construction of this cage type design. From the pictures I see two things that would be a concern. One is the apparent zero caster, at least this is what it appears to be. I would recommend 5to6 degrees for inline stability. Also I would be concerned over the top ball joint as the distance between the A-arm end and ball joint seems rather long and could possible bend during hard braking.
I am not being critical of your efforts so please do not take any offense. I am just voicing some concerns related to my own experiences and failures.
Keep up the good work!
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Post by joeld0803 on Mar 27, 2014 18:50:39 GMT -5
I appreciate the concern endeveor. I actually have about 6 degrees of negative caster in the front end. The longer arms were a consequence of the squared frame up front and yet it has been handling well in spite but not to say that I wouldn't have issues if I got to drive it more. The suspension is really soft and has a very nice cush factor so it doesn't bump around all over the road and it handles very well at high and low speeds. I have had it up to 110mph a few times.
I have been fighting to get this thing titled as a assembled vehicle since it won't be legal as a motorcycle for the last year and have been given the run around so much that I have pretty much given up. Texas just revamped their forms to now include that an assembled or rebuilt car can not have a mix match of different vehicle classifications designed by manufactures...........In other words no mixing of motorcycle parts with automotive parts so that is probably going to put an end to custom trikes here in Texas. I will sell it to anyone wanting to buy into a well started project and maybe have it in a state where such stupid rules don't exist. If Henry Ford didn't have vision that a car could be built for less money for the lower class citizens of this country then 90% of us would all still be riding bikes. Needless to say I am pissed about their decline of a title for it stating it is a combination of motorcycle, car, and ATV which were never engineered to mesh with one another. It's a matter of opinion. Wheels, axles and spindles, engines, steering and just the idea of putting something into motion for travel has been pretty much the same concepts of our way of daily life but because I am not a manufacturer I apparently don't have the right to build something that will be worthy of driving on Texas roads.
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Post by DaveJ98092 on Mar 28, 2014 11:59:36 GMT -5
Joe, I'd be upset too. How much work would it take to remove all the ATV parts and make it a 3 wheel trike. Would the fine Republic then allow you to get it registered?
Maybe you were just venting, if you are serous about selling it off, let us know your price. Shipping from Texas to Washington State would most likely be a killer for me. The buyer would need good solid receipts for all the parts, no Ebay receipts are accepted unless the Ebay seller sent a hard copy "Invoice" type receipt with the VIN of the donor bike/car.
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Post by joeld0803 on Mar 30, 2014 13:11:57 GMT -5
Dave,
As is was saying the DMV here seems bent on allowing motorcycle with legit conversion parts used and sold by manufactures. In other words if I went and purchased a manufactured rear axle from Harley or one of the companies that have a patented design and paid 4000 dollars for it then maybe I could build a trike from a standard 2 wheel motorcycle and it would become a trike. If I install a custom manufactured swing arm form a company and mounted it on the back then it would be a reverse trike but the fact that it is a 2 seater side by side and I custom designed the frame and welded up myself they said it is no longer classified as a Suzuki bandit either and therefore would need to be retitled and they would more than likely say the frame is not acceptable. It's like they only have the manufactures allowed to build anything worthy of street use and they are really cracking down on the type of modifications that can be done. I am VENTING because this new ruling on the forms just came about in Feb of 2014. I am just now to the point that I would like to get it titled although I have been testing driving it around the back streets near me for over a year. I purchased most of my parts off ebay and have bank statements that prove they were purchased from my account as well as most of the ebay receipts to match the purchase. Most but not all unfortunately. I have a decent amount of documentation. I have the title of the bike bought and paid for and bill of sale. It is still insured as a motorcycle and the state tag is till current for the bike plate. I have spent over $10,000 in total on this project and any REASONABLE offer would more than likely be accepted because I did not build it to be a TROPHY sitting in my garage. My guess is if I can make close to 8000.00 back on it then I would part with it otherwise I would keep it and start over using the parts to possibly construct something different although I would more than likely rather sell it and maybe get a FIERO and strip it down and build something similar to this using a Fierro BODY and FRAME to achieve the same look. I LIKE my design and it is exactly as I envisioned it with the exception of cleaner lines on the body with fiberglass which would have been the next steps once titled and legal. I would not really wish to pay for the shipping of this thing to Washington as it would have to be carried there on rollback or trailered. Again...............ANY REASONABLE offer would not be refused and in my opinion 6000.00 would fit that unreasonable category. It is a true one of a kind I assure you and it drives great in my opinion. You would have to test drive it for yourself. The hardest thing is getting it moving from a dead stop due to torque but is accomplished once you know the vehicle. It could be better with a larger rear sprocket. 1 or 2 more teeth on the rear would make all the difference but at the time I didn't want to sacrifice top end speed too much until I knew what it was capable of and now that I know it can still go 120mph I know I could stand to lose another 14-20 mph and it would still be fine at highway speeds.
Any one feel free to contact me for any other info but I have been posting the build of this on here since the beginning.
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Post by fatherchuck53 on Mar 30, 2014 13:43:56 GMT -5
I had no problem here in texas, where I believe you are located, in getting mine registered and titled two weeks ago. Took it to a licensed safety inspection shop. Took their statement with recites to auto theft law enforcement officer for VIN number. Then took these along with form VTR-61 to DMV office got Title receipt and metal tags issued. total time and cost Three partial days and $216.00
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Post by mtntech on Mar 30, 2014 14:11:25 GMT -5
I had no problem here in texas, where I believe you are located, in getting mine registered and titled two weeks ago. Took it to a licensed safety inspection shop. Took their statement with recites to auto theft law enforcement officer for VIN number. Then took these along with form VTR-61 to DMV office got Title receipt and metal tags issued. total time and cost Three partial days and $216.00 What kind of trike and parts? |
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