2012 is Trike year.. What do i want ?

Ok.. so i know a bunch of you guys have KMX's and i'm done being jealous, what i want to knwo is this, What model should i get ?..

I'm 5ft 7" , 190 lbs ( actually 185 atm, working on 180 ).. I plan to do mostly road, occasional off-road.

Plan is to run about 5kw, either hub or RC motor, i happen to have an Agni 95r in my hands needing a home.. but that's a bit over the hill and certainly over 5kw..

Aaaanyways.. to those of you who have done this, what did you start with and what did you change that i should just skip ahead and get right from the start.

edit :

And where do i get it from ?.. if i go RC, obviously i get it right from the source.. knock knock recumpence.... but if i go hub, the savings of buying locally or as close as possible to save on shipping factor in..

Good decision. You will love the recumbent comfort and trike stability. As far as what type motor, I would recommend the mid-drive over the hub if you have many hills. The downsides of the mid-drive include more complexity and the need for stronger components at your anticipated power level.

Good luck with your build, we'll all enjoy seeing it on the road.

Have you looked at FFR Trikes?
http://www.ffrtrikes.com/default.asp

They have a very nice bolt-on system for the kmx trikes, which you can get as a package deal or DIY. If you are ordering a new KMX, I would reccommend giving these guys serious consideration.

Hey ypedal!
Varna in Canada has a tilting trike. It's a delta and it ain't cheep, but they seem to have got it right. Just a thought.
otherDoc

Hmnm..

http://www.varnahandcycles.com/index.htm

there is a whole lineup of hand-cycles.. cool.. but i'm looking for leg power types..

Hi Ypedal,

I have an X-Class (old) KMX that I purchased second hand.

I went hub motor (HS3540) with a Lyen controller because I wanted stealth and RC setups are too noisy for me.

The only change I made was just recently I went from the standard 16" front wheels to 20".
The ride is much smoother and the ground clearance is better but I will now have to upgrade the front brakes.

that's what i'm looking to know....

http://www.kmxus.com/

looking at the different models... 24" rear and 20" fronts.. ?

KMX all the way!!!

The typhoon or the cobra nothing else!!

The typhoon is the same as the cobra except that teh cobra is 20 and 24 while the typhoon is 20'' and 16'' wheels.

Also the cobra have 3 gears on the pedalier and the typhoon have one.

Otherwise no reall difference, same frame.. etc.

If you wnat to avoid fliping over, go with the typhoon! it is 2 inch lower to the ground compare to the Cobra..

Even if you want to upgrade for the wheel size it is possible just to replace the 3 wheels :wink:

but if that can help you, the upgrade i would make on mine is to get larger rims for the front wheel!... it will help to avoid the front tire to torsion when cornering. The stockl tires on the typhoon are more for street road and are lightweight.

It is easy to do 7Wh per km at 32kmh with those Something also i wouldlike to do is to install a rear suspension on mine.. by cuting the frame square steel tube just before the "Y" and to install a pivot and a good quality shock.

Hitting a puthole with a no suspension trike is.. something a little special :lol:

After all I found mine pretty strong! The KMX frame are well engineered ! steel at teh right place and aluminum at the right place.

Also the rear drop out can accept perfectly my ultimate torque arms!.. it just fit like a charm!


You will really love the push feeling on acceleration thru the seat!! it is way different than being pulled by the handle bar! Way more impressive... at least with my 5304 on a 20" and 250A burst

I love the drift too!.. but i would say it's only fesable with the typhoon wheel size due to the lower center of gravity.

I have a contact here in Victoriab=ville that is selling KMXs. His name is Dave and is a pretty good guy. I bought mine from him and paid with paypal.
http://fr-fr.facebook.com/pages/Quebec-Trike/269605596388375

Doc

Ypedal said:

Hmnm..

http://www.varnahandcycles.com/index.htm

there is a whole lineup of hand-cycles.. cool.. but i'm looking for leg power types..

Click to expand...

No affiliation.
When I searched "Varna Bikes" I got
http://www.varnahandcycles.com/cycles.htm
Pedal power.

Seems that the KMX is the top choice around here, though.

Good luck on your laid back journey.

Doctorbass - How do you handle the rough road (bumpy) and did your butt gets sore on your KMX?

I rode Eric's (GreenMachine) Cobra KMX equiped recumpence's dual Astro 3220 gearbox. This thing darn rocket motors and lot bumpy on road at San Francisco. It was short time like less 200-300 feet then that's all. Yet, complete experience with the kmx.

Lastly, Does typhoon 16" wheel have 2.5" wide hookworm tires?

Let me know thanks.

Hey ypedal

This trike is for feet!

http://www.varnahandcycles.com/cycles.htm

otherDoc

sorry doc, all those are a bit too flimsy for my needs.. i'm going KMX unless someone knows of an even more robust/tough rig..

thx for the feedback guys. keep it comming.. by end of march i'm ordering..

I am investing in some new bikes this year.. I am still considering a trike - after watching some of the videos
they look soooo fun.. hope you get something you enjoy I like following the thread as you think it out.

Ypedal

I also was considering a trike, to me the KMX Tornado F8 is the sweet spot. I am a bit hesitant because I wouldn't want to get on the bike lake here in Florida on a trike. Anyone here has a daily driver trike? I'd like to hear your thoughts as well.

Some day I hope to be a "trike guy". When I do, it'll be a leaning trike, full suspension would be a bonus. Sadly that narrows the field and up's the price considerably. Two options that fit the bill are http://fn-trike.de/ and http://tripendo.com/EDEFAULT.htm

Of course if I have the time, tools and skills, there's always DIY. This one is inspirational: http://www.recumbents.com/wisil/wianecki/leaning_trike.htm

The thing about leaning trikes is (from what I've read), the heels don't need to be as robust because the leaning compensates for the lateral forces.

Just some thoughts...

I ride my recumbent trike in the bike lanes here in Boise ID. Doesn't worry me any more than riding a diamond frame bike, as I actually feel the "WTF is THAT" factor gets me seen more often than not.

Mine is a cheap actionbent, but before I bought it used, I was drooling over the suspended ICE trikes.

I have heard good things about Terratrikes, Greenspeeds, and Catrikes too.

http://www.icetrikes.co/
http://www.terratrike.com/
http://www.catrike.com/
http://www.greenspeed.com.au/

Recumbent trikes to me seem to be a great ride but also statistically the most likely to get killed driving. When a car passes you, you disappear.

I have every intention of lighting this thing up like a christmas tree.. orange whips and all..

and 2nd.. i dont plan to be passed very often !

edit : I actually have lots of trike friendly roads all around my house, dedicated bike lanes, a CN Rail service rd , but it might become a winter machine as my job is moving across the city and this makes busses a nightmare and financially impossible via taxi..

The best trick is to install a 6" tall stick with reflective flag and also led strip!.. just like i did!

While you drive, the flag dance with the wind and led move fast anc get alot of attention.. not only by the fly !

Doc

Pretty visible!!

Ypedal said:

I have every intention of lighting this thing up like a christmas tree.. orange whips and all..

Click to expand...

I'm definitely a believer in having an abundance of lights http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=37528. I was harassed recently by some college kids in a car. Called the cops, they sent an officer over to take a statement. He took one look at my bike and said "Oh, you're the guy with the lights". Started to lecture me on his opinion about lights. I asked him to tell me what he knew about state bike laws, he just had to hang his hed in shame. Point is: you, not the drivers, not the cops, have the most control over your safety. Burning someone's retina is a great way to get drivers off your A$$.

Just to keep in mind...

One sensation i get when riding my trike on public roads is an incredible sense of danger. You really feel invisible to traffic and you really can get run over. On a bike you get hit and you are atleast seen..on the trike you get run over.

Skateboarders, bicyclists, joggers get hit by cars....trike riders, go kart riders, get run over by cars. Big difference.

I do agree with lights flags etc..

Also if you dont widen your trike its really susceptible to flipping if you dont lean into every turn at high speeds. Flipping on a turn and sliding on your side into oncoming traffic would also count as being "run over".

WHenever i ride on the trike in traffic i feel like it is the most dangerous thing i have done all year. And i fly a plane drive a motorcycle etc..

Doctorbass said:

The best trick is to install a 6" tall stick with reflective flag and also led strip!.. just like i did!

While you drive, the flag dance with the wind and led move fast anc get alot of attention.. not only by the fly !

Doc

Pretty visible!!

Click to expand...

Got any video of this Doc?

Sacman said:

Doctorbass said:

The best trick is to install a 6" tall stick with reflective flag and also led strip!.. just like i did!

While you drive, the flag dance with the wind and led move fast anc get alot of attention.. not only by the fly !

Doc

Pretty visible!!

Click to expand...

Got any video of this Doc?

Click to expand...

Yeah!
look at 1:25 and 2:58 of this video

[youtube]oPw8BKPSQms[/youtube]

Doc

One thing the KMX has going for it are the RC electric bike parts FFR makes http://endless-sphere.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=32349.

FFR is an excellent company to work with. I bought one of their disk-brake-to-chainring adapters, but found its pocket was too deep. Not only did they gladly accept it in return, but on their next run of parts they CNC'd an adapter that was "shallow" enough for my purposes. Not that is what I call excellent customer service.

If you can weld you could always build one!! Strong as you like then!! Farfle's is nice, and mines in the photos section if you fancy a look-see (White Warrior).