Motorcycle... er... trike... 3-wheel Car? Camper?

[Stillwater]

Whatever, it was cool. This guy has found the meaning of life and is doing it. It made my day.<br><br>It is not a motorcycle engine. I couldn't safely get another shot but it is an inline-4 car motor forward and a standard rear differential... NOT a rear air-cooled pancake-4 VW motor. <br><br>Either way... I was impressed. He was his own Buddha.<br><br>

<br><br>

 

[cyndi]

<P><FONT size=3>My (x) in-laws have a similar set up and have traveled from coast to coast and all over&nbsp;Canada, loving every minute.&nbsp; When the weather gets too rough they hole up in a hotel. They've been&nbsp;traveling this way for years.</FONT>&nbsp;</P>

 

[4x4tour]

That dude doesn't look like the kayaking type...lol&nbsp;&nbsp; <br>

 

[Stillwater]

You'd be surprised. My kayaking buddies from the Smokies? A bunch of them were the hippy-billies that looked just like that. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" border="0" align="absmiddle"><br>

 

[Varmint]

Back in the late 70's there was a place up the highway from me that sold trikes that look like this. They had a tranny similar to snowmobiles and a 10-hp engine, ohler, tecumseh, etc. Top speed was about 45mph if I recall correctly. Not all that popular back then, as the off-road market wasn't really popular here, so they went under.

It would be astonishingly easy to build something like this these days with a lawn tractor or motorcycle engine, for those who can scrounge the parts and weld their own frame.

 

[Patrick46]

why limit yourself to a 10 hp engine and only a centrifugal clutch??

Get yerself a cheapo small Japaneeze car, and use the guts from that.



hmmmmmmm.......now ya got me thinkin'!! :dodgy:

 

[Terry]

The 4 cyl. front wheel drive drivetrain does make a real nice trike. I was going tot build one but my completion rate for projects has gone way down so I just bought ne a Shadow. I like the two wheels better anyway.

 

[Varmint]

Patrick46, in post #6 said, in part:
"why limit yourself to a 10 hp engine and only a centrifugal clutch??"


My reply:
That's what they sold, and that limited THEM into closing down. A three-wheeler is a waste of time to me, unless enclosed in a lightweight body, and I prefer a 4-wheel vehicle for my own use. The jap car drivetrain is a golden idea, though, as most of them have a good gear ratio for high mpg. Problem these days is finding one that doesn't bust your wallet. The nice thing about building your own is that you can make it the size you want, using componenets you want, for the results you want. Same goes for a camper or trailer.

 

[user 423]

I wasn't able to get a pic of it but I was recently at a WM where a guy was living in a teardrop trailer and pulled it with a machine like this. It was much bigger though and had a 350 Chevy engine.

Maybe the rig above had one of the shafty bike motors like a Honda Goldwing or a Silverwing. Hooking them up to a regular car-type rearend wouldn't be too difficult.