E-Trike Project

[AussieJester]

Well i had a bad nights sleep due to painful leg spasms last night so i wasn't up until noon today, the weather is wet and cold here atm so i wasn't super enthusiastic to get alot of work done, suffice to say i did manage to add a couple of more bracing tubes to the rear end--->

The plan for tomorrow all going well, is to attach mounting 'plates' so as i can bolt the assembly to the frame, fabricate mounts on both the frame and the rear swing arm assembly for the shockie to bolt to as well as cut the axle tube housing and slide in the 15mm axle rod (i bought yesterday )

Back tomorrow ladies...

Kim...

 

[deecanio]

looking very nice Kim
keep those pics a coming!!!!!!!!!!

Cheers

D

 

[AussieJester]

Thanks deecanio appologies though No update today, well not anything worth taking pics of, it was wet and freezing here again today so i stayed in wrapped in my sleeping bag a couple of fluffy girlie pillows on the lounge watching movies all day and didnt feel at all guilty due to the shocking weather outside hahaha...i did however mosey out around 4pm and tack the plates for mounting the swing arm to frame and cut the axle tube, shall force myself to get alot more done tomorrow and take some pics of the work done...

p.s will be ordering a springer front end next week from ChoppersRus in the US of A have decided to bite the bullet and buy the fully adjustable springer for $US299 i have seen my mates and the workmanship is simply outstanding and all up after chroming if i made it myself not alot dearer really, theirs also have cnced aluminum plates so also alot lighter than anything i can build here.

 

[AussieJester]

Small Update

Few more upto date pics for you fellas on the progress of the swing arm assembly fabrication-->

Last pic shows how much i want to move the tubing support back, shall simply cut 20-30mm off the rear of the tube and ~10mm off the front to drop it slightly lower, slight adjustments to allow the shockie to miss on full suspension travel. As also can be seen i have attached the mounting plates (still only tacked until i bolt them in and ensure the axle/swing arm is in correct position...it looks pretty spot on to me hopefully this will be the case when i fit the bearings and bolt it in place. I have also welded in the lower supports that the lower shockie mounts will be attached to.

Back tomorrow fellas

Kim

 

[tropmonky]

awsome! it's going to look soooo cooool, that would fit right in here in Los Angeles.

Keep all these beautiful pictures coming!

Great job!
Kyle

 

[1000w]

Good work Kim, looking very sweeeeet. I can't stop thinking about powering my new chopper build after all your emails. Time will tell.
Cheers,
Matt.

 

[AussieJester]

Thanks Tropomonkey and Matt And my persistence simply can't cease until the objective is reached....I know you will comez round in the end Matt hehehe Now theres the 0-100 meter time trial to gives you even more incentive, that light ali frame of yours packed with 1000watt motor and the 7 speed hub on a 20in rim will be up there with the fastest over the 100 meters im sure The cruiser prolly would be too ?

 

[AussieJester]

Couple pics i took today while working out exactly where i will mount the shock mountz on the frame...will sit slightly higher than the width of the brick...

Word on the springer forks is they are out of stock waiting on word back from Alan @ choppersRus for approximate time on availability hopefully wont be too long

Back soon fellas

Kim

 

[docnjoj]

That Sir, is ART! Beautiful shape and looks like it will function super! Keep up the great welding!
otherDoc

 

[AussieJester]

Thanks Doc appreciate that

LiL Update

I cut some metal for the lower shock arm and tacked it in place today, I was excited to get this shock mounted as i haven't been able to sitz on the trike myself til this point-->

Had my mate take a pic of me sitting on the trike, guess givez you and idea of the size a little better in comparison to me anywayz haha... OH, top shock mount is temporary.

Suspension works excellent, very firm (spring is on very high tension setting at the moment) Had ~40mm of movement when i bumped up and down on the seat, at rest with me sitting on it it 'sags' ~10-20mm it has a HEAP of room for adjustment, ground clearance from bottom bar was 105mm this will be raised to 120 when the top mount is moved down ever so slightly...

Have also tried the 24inch rim after my mate saw yesterdays pics with the 26 inch rim and thought it looked too big, i tend to agree and have opted to use the 24inch

A lil bad news on the tool front my angle grinders brushes bit the dust now i am grinder less ;-( Waiting on my brother to drop me off his spare hopefully tomorrow.

Next on the agender (when have grinder) is to fabricate top mounting bracket then grind/flap disk and sand the rear swing arm assembly ready for chroming...

TD...notice anything on the front end of the frame I went to JayCar today and picked up (in shop didnt buy yet) a 12v 18Ah SLA battery, soon as i got home i made that template for the gusset from cardboard just so as you dont get a chance to say told you so if it did break hehehee ;-P

Thats it for now back ASAP with another update... thanks again Doc

Kim

P.S Still no word back from Alan @ choppersRus regarding springer fork availability ;-(


EDIT:

I just did a little comparison pic of the two size wheelz...thoughts, preferences?

I think the 26inch would probably 'ride' better on bumps etc though i think i do prefer the look of the 24inch front wheel...

 

[recumpence]

24 inch definately.

Hmm, that thing would look great with low profile 12 inch wide car tires on the rear. :wink:

Matt

 

[docnjoj]

I guess the 24 also, but what is your trick for attaching the wheel to the fork invisibly??????? Is that where the springer will extend to????
otherDoc

 

[docnjoj]

This place has a springer.

http://www.chubbyscruisers.com/shop/%22schwinn_style%22_springer_fork-p-198.html
otherDoc

 

[docnjoj]

And another! Should i stop now???????
http://www.bicycledesigner.com/defaulthome.asp?Main=/datasheet.asp%3FPartNumber%3D450301

otherDoc

 

[AussieJester]

I guess the 24 also, but what is your trick for attaching the wheel to the fork invisibly??????? Is that where the springer will extend to????
otherDoc

It IS magic doc i could tellz you but then i would have to killz you and well i kinda got used to you being around now hehehee Seriously though , masking tape between the spokes from the forks and yes that is where the springer will extend to.

Cheers for the links, i have seen the sites before, you also missed one LoL

This one from Firebikes was an option early in the piece but after seeing the springer fork Matt (1000watt) bought from ChoppersRus none come close, the one I am waiting on is actually fully adjustable springer fork which will allow me to get the exact ride hieght im looking for where as the others are not adjustable and as they are chromed you cant cut and re-weld them with0out destroying the finish etc...OH also the fully adjustable springers have dual disk drop outs on them standard

Cheers fellas

Kim

 

[docnjoj]

Gotchya! I hope U get the magic fork soon! Twin discs sound really important for a fast, heavy trike! My tadpole has twins also, but just one one each front wheel!
otherDoc

 

[AussieJester]

Yes hopefully they wont be far away :-S

I finished the top mount for the shockie today, also the last struts for the swing arm, couple pics of the work-->

Will be disassembling everything tomorrow before starting the long tedious grinding sanding prepping of the swing arm before welding the tubular supports to the arm...


Back with update tomorrow

Kim

 

[AussieJester]

lil Update

I welded up the tubes and cleaned the swing arm up with a flap disk on the grinder. They come up quite well obviously though much sanding still needed... ::sigh::

I have also noticed the seat is slightly off to one side, this will mean removing it shortening a side and re-welding.. :-(

Back soon...

Kim

 

[docnjoj]

Still lookin good! Keep up the polish and then clearcoat comlete frame!
otherDoc

 

[AussieJester]

Still lookin good! Keep up the polish and then clearcoat comlete frame!
otherDoc

Yeah would look nice wouldnt it, damn load of work though....


cheer mate

 

[AussieJester]

Well Miles...taking everything i have learned in this build and totally forgetting most of it i have started on a new lighter version of the frame LoL I hope with your continued guidance it can be better than the first (you aint going to like the suspension pivot point i'll tellz you straight up buddy ;-( LoL...) Weight of the original was really worrying me, i cant lift it anymore with the heavy swing arm setup, as sweet as i think it looks its too heavy for my liking. So...the Lack of updates recently is due to the construction of a completely new frame...shall have some progress shots in a few days (have been taking them from the start of construction) ...suffice to say it is a slimmer MUCH lighter version of the original I have used 25mm OD pipe for the rear suspension (2mm wall thickness) and again ~33OD tubing predominantly in the front section of the frame....I am also awaiting delivery of a trike conversion kit from ChoppersUS (which will 'bolt up' to the rear swing arms i have constructed.)... along with a few other bitz and pieces including disk brakes and smaller lighter 15cm long shock absorber for the build... I have lengthened the new frame slightly to accommodate 72 volts 20ah worth of SLa batteries also

Back very soon with pics.

Kim

 

[Miles]

Looking forward to the first pics.

 

[AussieJester]

Looking forward to the first pics.

I was going to wait until i had progressed a little more along in the construction stage before uploading pics, however i decided to empty what i have taken off the camera today, figured get a start on it rather than let them build up and then have a hour long job resizing and uploading them ... my excuse and im sticking with it ;-P
Has NOTHING to do with having Miles seeing the early stages and suggesting changes (all for the better dont get me wrong buddy) hehehe... seriously though, there will geometry issues i think as far as suspension is concerned i think Miles : wink : i have come to the conclusion it aint going to matter much if it isn't 100% correct seeing it is for use on paved paths that are flatter than a pool table

OK then...sleeker lighter version of the original using smaller tubing for rear assembly and thinner wall thickness tubing for the front section (same OD as original frame) I will also increase the stretch and height of the frame, rake will remain ~45 degrees...this is all due to me downloading 8-9 eps of Biker Buildoff and watching them back to back grrr LoL so...the frame will have a lil more of a chopper look ;-|

Hard to judge by first pics but the bottom section (where batteries will be located) width wise is nearly half the size of original, shall take a front on pic tomorrow

As you can see not far along in the construction, that said i have put in a good 6 hours thus far to get where its at :-| My welder has been playing up a little (wire speed inconsistencies...all fixed now) so the welds haven't come up to usual standard im afraid, never the less penetration is excellent and they will be ground down and 'prettied up' in the prepping before paint process...

The plan is to have the frame fabricated and simply attach the trike conversion kit-->

I have ordered and am awaiting delivery of from ChoppersUS

(im thinking welding possibly will bolt the conversion kit to the rear swing arm assembly i am working on presently....will make final decision when i have the kit here) Suffice to say the whole setup will be easily half the weight of the first attempt which makes me much happier, getting everything 'true' and square and having an axle machined up also are now non existent issues i had to deal with before.

I have also ordered a lighter shockie as mentioned earlier again from ChoppersUS-->

Thats it for now fo9ks...running gear will remain the same (although i have made room for 6 Sla 12v 20ah batteries side by side now

Back with another update tomorrow (having the day off tday tiz Sundee here in OZ)

Kim

 

[RLT]

I've been following your progress with interest, since my next project will be a trike too, although I don't know if I'll do as much fabrication, and even if I do it certainly won't be as artistically done.

Let us all know how that ChoppersRUs trike adapter does... I've been looking at them, but their pictures are so small I can't tell if it is something that would be useful to me.

 

[AussieJester]

Let us all know how that ChoppersRUs trike adapter does... I've been looking at them, but their pictures are so small I can't tell if it is something that would be useful to me.

Shall do bud, will take some close up macro shots with ruler next to the unit so you can getz a good idea of what shes like etc, I know i am wondering the size etc as i have been unable to locate any decent size pics of the unit myself I am hoping it will be here early next week it was posted from ChopersUS few days ago. I received one of my/and 1000watts combined orders from them today actually (see below pics for what i got from that ) Need to put the pressure on 1000wat to up some pics of his TWO new chopper frames to fellas...just quietly ;-p hint hint Matt

Update

So i got a lil more done on the frame today have taken 'progress' shots of this along with shot of old frame next to the new frame to show the differences.

I will endevour to finish the frames rear suspension setup tomorrow (wont be able to complete it due to not having the new shockie, i do know its 15cm from top to bottom hole so can make up a 'dumby' shockie for mock up purposes.

Miles..have you any 'concerns' suggestions (aside from raising pivot point hehee) for the setup im 99% set on doing...ie. copying this setup--->

BIG apologies for not being able to locate the thread started by the owner of this frame here on ES if you read this post please do leave the link to your thread


And... a few pics of what was accomplished today along with a snap of what i received today from ChoppersUS... still have another 2 disks and calipers to come ( the ones in pic are actually destined for the rear end i just popped them on the front hub for pic purposes )

Shall be back with more tomorrow...

Kim

p.s can anyone tell me the time difference between Perth WA and California (i believe that is where ChoppersUS is...agh i regret not paying attention at school these days (take note youngins PAY ATTENTION IN SCHOOL if you dont know ASK !! agh school days BEST days now lookin back at it...) I cant workout how to uhm ha workout the difference myself i know you yanks are a day behind us Aussies........cheers fellas (and ladies)