Schwinn Trike Leaning test

CogHog

CogHog

100 W
Joined
Oct 1, 2011
Messages
128
Location
Mission Viejo, CA
If you haven't ridden one you don't know how bad they turn at any speed. I used a .75" diameter steel pin to pivot on my buddies bike. The rake is too much as I put the 20" tires on the back for stability so the front tire turns using the side of the tire. Need a bigger rim, smaller tire, better seat, and better handle bars. Needs more work but for the most part rides like a regular bike in straight line.

http://youtu.be/l6ZV9tsTENY
 
OK you teaser, We want a detailed build thread on that right now.

That looks like it works so good, why isn't it in production? Uhh, :idea: cuz you can't pedal it anymore. :) Who cares with a motor on it?
 
I am thinking of a belt with tentioner that can be a fix for proof of pedal to the law. I just took the two sections of the trike apart and added a .75" diameter steel shaft. I could go one more plate and add suspension too. Maybe a lockout to keep the trike upright instead of a kickstand. The return spring thing does not seem to be needed. I like the way it lays down for storage like hanging against the wall. People look at it like "What the F#ck happened to your bike"?

The rest is a front V2T BMC hub, 50 amp controller, 14s1p LiPo. It is here for the conversion and to be sold. I will do a stake bed style stained bed at the back. Just wanted to prove this theory and share it. Maybe I'll turn the fork around to lose some of that rake. I want to make tighter/faster turns.
 

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very cool!
always want to ride the Honda Gyro...

here's a similar production trike,
http://www.tiltingvehicles.blogspot.com/2010/07/cavalo-by-empowered-ebikes.html

file.php
 

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I guess that pic shows all we need to see. Just a couple blocks with a hole drilled in them. It shouldn't need a bearing really, just a drop of lube occasionally.

But you could bearing it easy enough too I think. Makes me wish my Schwinn trike didn't have a bent rear axle. But if I eliminate the drive chain, who needs the keyed wheel? HMMM. All I'd need is another left wheel hub.
 
I really like what he has done. DOGMAN he is pretty smart but to make it legal here it has to be able to peddle but it's a good idea and I am going to have to start thinking about continuing my MERIDIAN TRIKE BUILD, will look at this later. :mrgreen: 8) :p :wink:
 
With bearings you could turn that center shaft into a drive shaft with a couple of bevel gears. I am trying to keep it simple and low cost. After I reduce the rake I will determine the extent of the lean needed and stop it there. I can then decide on the belts or drive and the distance for the pedals.
 
Would need pedals to be legal in NM too. But not everywhere.

To be legal, you could put a unicycle wheel on the front? As legal as those scoots.
 
Changed the handlebars. Turned the neck around. Sissy bar coming and will bolt where the mid drive axle is. Kicking around the slotted side panels of the deck at the back. Second removable deck will be at the bottom near the lowest bar. The LiFe batt will be back in there. That mock up panel looks big but it's only 15" high and 21" long. Want to be able to remove the basket in case I want to mount a back hoe or something else (fifth wheel) lol. The taper angle of the back of the wall matches the seat post. Maybe white fenders to match the seat. At the top they can go back straight for a couple of inches.
 

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Very cool. Always good to leave some space for future options...like hauling a backhoe :D . That seat looks good, and the tires, and handlebar. Looks like a fun way to get to the store. A tie rod from a tractor supply/lawn garden store makes a good hitch if you ever get into the backhoe/piano moving business.
 
This is such a cool idea and implementation is nice and simple.

Thanks for sharing this. I'm sure there will be copy-cats. I'm getting ideas already myself, but I already have a cargo bike in mind. You're not making it easy here :D



How do you think that thing will work while carrying a load? Say.... 150 - 200lbs?
 
an extra 200 lbs on the flat should not be a problem. I am just making this available for sale but the looks are important to do so. When finished I won't feel humiliated to ride it. I am working on the springs/dampening to limit the lean (not to hit the bed). Feel free to improve your trikes to lean in the turns. I am also thinking of a tear drop head light that will sit right at the front of the handlebar neck and flow right into it so it looks like one piece.
 
That was really cool. Nice build. Certainly fired up my imagination.

Is there a way to put a spring on it so that it stays upright? I would think a little resistance would be a good idea.
 
Neet trike at only 2600 plus shipping. I thought about it but I already had purchased my Steintrike. Still cool but not as clever as the coghog build.
otherDoc
 
Have you considered the angle of your pivot? Similar to the trail of the front wheel, as straight line drawn thru the pivot doesn't extend thru the front wheel's contact patch, the difference can have an effect by causing some steering effect of the rear wheels. You'll want to experiment with that to make sure it doesn't create instability at high speeds. With the trike being low and sleek, you can't underestimate the possibility of some yahoo like myself putting a big motor on it and wanting to go fast. It looks like it handles great at low speed, so be sure to test it also at incrementally higher speeds. That's one thing about bicycles, we can safely push them to high speed, and while certain geometries get more sensitive at speed, they're still stable. The same is not necessarily true with a 3 wheeler that pivots like yours.

I love the look you're headed toward and I wish you luck with your venture.

John
 
I downloaded the pic to my desktop of the trike (OP) because I love the look of it. I'm not interested in making a tilting trike, but I sure might copy the design of the trike he has in terms of the low profile, handlebars, etc. It's hard to make a tricycle look cool, but by Jove he got it.


What is the diameter of the front wheel? Is that 24 or 26 inch?

And are the rear wheels 20 inch?

How did you keep the frame level with different sized wheels?
 
Mike, 26/20's. The frame does not look level in the stock photo but the basket does. So now it's 3" lower in the back. Now it looks level. Even the deck looks level. It may be another simplw challage to put a big ball diff and split the axle and drive the rears with a mid-hub. There is so much room back there now that it is extended by 3 or 4". Google Schwinn Trike Images for other ideas.
 

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John, I was aware of the pivot line not being at the center of the front axle. First test told me it didn't matter. And it seems like it will handle high speeds better then low because the rear drop increased the rake. Now it is sketcky to turn at slow speed. If I could turn the fork around it will be like turning a kids trike. It seems now with the short bars that I can stop, turn the wheel 90 degrees and twist the throttle and do doughnut holes. As soon as the sissy bar shows up I will try some slow turns. I absolutely intend to pedal this. First I need to determine the maximum lean then spring load and stop limits will be added. That will let me determine the front end of the wood basket so the sissy bar/seat will lean into it (my hips too). Then it could be belts and a tensioner and pullies bolted to the exsisting sprokets. It's the stainned wood stake bed basket, 3 chrome fenders, the small triangle covers, and the spacey headlight that will set it off from other Trikes. The "Meridian" sticker will go soon too.
 
I just got through reading a whole lot of stuff on tilting trikes and Varna. It seems that the pivot is supposed to be parallel with the road surface when the trike (delta) is going straight. Varna uses a torsion bar to return the trike front and seat to upright, no external springs. They state that it is "like a snow mobile torsion bar" inside a central tube. I hope this helps.
otherdoc
 
Yeah the torsion bar is the way many seem to go...and for good reason IMO. Easy to mimic also... with steel suiting your needs already easily available a la leaf springs. Simple math, small geometry changes, good leaf spring steel selection...a bike's correction could easily be almost customer specific. I really like where you are going with this. Best of luck!
 
CogHog said:
an extra 200 lbs on the flat should not be a problem. .
Click to expand...

carrying a lot of weight on the rear non-leaning part might not be good,
especially when the weight is high, and track width is narrow.

i think i see a wheel lift (highside) in this video,
http://tiltingvehicles.blogspot.com/2012/09/dbx-electric-trike.html

very wide track width.
http://tiltingvehicles.blogspot.com/2011/11/tilter-by-rwinsolo.html
 
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