E-Trike Project

[AussieJester]

Nice metal work! Did U countersink those holes on the chain gear?? I always thought J&B was Scotch???????? Must be different in upside-down land But the thought is the same!
otherDoc

Not as yet Doc i dont have the correct size bolts for there either unfortunately, i hope to make it to Coventry Fasteners tomorrow and pick up high tensile steel (cap screws..."allen key head bolts") For both the chain ring setup and motor mounts, suffice to say i managed to get the holes on the chain ring veeeery accurate, 7mm from inner hole to edge of bolt holes on all 5 mounting holes She spins true with lil bolts

p.s JB= Jim Beam (Black) is what the lads prefer 8% alc (pre-mixed 375ml cans) JW=Johnny Walker another friend of mine that is Scotch ;-P Mr Turkey & Mr Jack Daniels are another couple of frequent visitors to The Garage also hehehe They also are accepted 'payment' for any work done on premises ;-P

 

[docnjoj]

Nice metal work! Did U countersink those holes on the chain gear?? I always thought J&B was Scotch???????? Must be different in upside-down land But the thought is the same!
otherDoc

Not as yet Doc i dont have the correct size bolts for there either unfortunately, i hope to make it to Coventry Fasteners tomorrow and pick up high tensile steel (cap screws..."allen key head bolts") For both the chain ring setup and motor mounts, suffice to say i managed to get the holes on the chain ring veeeery accurate, 7mm from inner hole to edge of bolt holes on all 5 mounting holes She spins true with lil bolts

p.s JB= Jim Beam (Black) is what the lads prefer 8% alc (pre-mixed 375ml cans) JW=Johnny Walker another friend of mine that is Scotch ;-P Mr Turkey & Mr Jack Daniels are another couple of frequent visitors to The Garage also hehehe They also are accepted 'payment' for any work done on premises ;-P

Now I know why your work looks so good!!!
otherDoc

 

[AussieJester]

Now I know why your work looks so good!!!
otherDoc

When i'm half cut even Paris Hilton looks doable ;-P

Update


For the last week there has been a BIG clean-up at my place due to our first council curbside rubbish collection in over 12 months happening this week...This
has slowed progress on my trike BUT also bought to me a few new "options" in terms of front shock choices thanks to locals 'trash' being my 'treasure' (ie. me and my mate have taken a handful of drives in the Ute around the area scabbing up bikes and parts off the side of the road)... Along with a couple more shocks a friend has found in his garage left over from his fathers bike shop owning days that i would LOVE to use but alas they have no disk brake mounts on them...heres some pics-->

I finished the rear shock mounting today and tacked it in place before mocking up the trike to assure ride height was correct prior to me welding the mount in place.
I'm happy with the height, now i will work on mounting the seat, i shall be utilizing a set of non-suspension forks legs mounted upside down & parallel for the seat to sit on...curious? shall see this next update... I will also be able to workout the 'platforms' that will hang from the frame for my feet to sitz on once i have the seat on her. DEFINITELY heading to local bike shop tomorrow with the 20in rims and trike hubs to have them laced up also

I can still lift the frame with forks and wheel mounted!!! SO much lighter than originals...

Toodles from me for now

Kim

 

[docnjoj]

Yep! Looks "just right"!
otherDoc

 

[AussieJester]

Thx Doc

I got a good start on the seat pan 'frame' today...as mentioned in yesterdays post i have used the legs off a set of forks...actually, i have used two sets, the support brackets are the bends from a second set of forks Still much work needed though, hope to finish them tomorrow, i have splashed some anti rust primer on anywayz, its getting very cold here at night and im finding the frame is damp in the morning, not so good on bar metal and welds...

FYI: for those wondering why i dont simply use a 'standard' bicycle seat, i have broken my pelvis in 16 places and it didnt go back together the way it was 'made' hahaa so i am unable to sit comfortably on a 'standard' seat it has to be alot wider and flat...

Back with update tomorrow...

Kim

 

[docnjoj]

Still looks like one of those sculptures they stick in front of famous buildings! Almost a shame to paint it Even with so called "normal" pelvises some of us have big butts and need a recumbent type seat! Rock on AJ!
otherDoc

 

[AussieJester]

Don't worry doc you will like the paint job i don't yet have planned ... ;-P Will be a mirror finish though...one thing i can do well is paint...and airbrush, Im thinking a ripped gfx thang for this... the rest though skill wise is a distant second... I would LOVE to have a go in a recumbent trike but i just dont think i would feel to safe albeit very comfortable from what i have seen of the seats....sitting on a soda can would resemble the pain i feel when sitting on a 'normal' bike seat if you downgrade the comfort factor by 20 ... i have one leg 2 inches shorter than the other 7 surgeons worked for 14 hours reassembling me after my accident they did the best they could with what i left them after spread egaling two lamposts at 70KM/hr (not that it matters i cant walk anywayz) gives u a general idea how rooted ie. out of shape my pelvis is...still has titanium plates in it. I had 12 external fixtures holding it in place for the first 8 months i was in hospital...most painful thing i have experienced was having these removed...i was conscious at the time, the doc used one of them woodwork hand drills (was chromed up) fastened the chuck to the steel external pins and cranked away, of course they used a "bonding solution" as well as them being screwed into my pelvis, so this "seal" also had to be "broken" .... sometimes morphine just dont take the edge off... :: sigh ::

Anywayz... back on topic... I got a call from my local bike shop hour ago, he was starting work on lacing my wheels, seems idiot me didnt bother to count, my trike hubs are 36 hole i presumed my 20in BMX alloy rims were the same, turns out they are 48 hole... another BIG ::sigh as takes swig of JD:: soooo he is ordering in some cheapo rims (i simply cant afford the 20x4in rims from ChoppersUS atm..well the rims i can afford the freight on them and the tires i can't tiz $US100) so i don't want to spend HUGE on these but i want to get the trike "rolling" at least i can upgrade as the $$$$ allow...Its taken longer than i had wanted and i see interest here has dropped off, I question why i even bother documenting it at times...anyway..I should have the rims by Tuesday , shall assemble the trike have me mate Flav sit on it and push him down a big HILL for a YOUtube moment then hehehe... Off to the pub now i feelz the need to whip some "able bods" in pool...and pick up a bed buddy for the night ;-P ...back tomorrow

Kim



Thanks for your interest Doc appreciated

 

[docnjoj]

Nah! U are still getting a bunch of hits. Anyway, u need to record sculpture for posterity(sp?) Or was that posterior? Keep up the pics, please AJ! My recumbent seat is more like a chair also!
otherDoc

 

[Lenk42602]

This is a great build - IMO, watching the vision come to life is one part, and how it shapes the capacity of the builder/fabricator is the second.....

Can you imagine if all of us were living on the same street? It would be like e-bike shakedown street, with all the mad characters.... Mayhem at its finest!

Keep it up!

 

[AussieJester]

Well fellas I finally got my rims/hubs laced by local bike shop (dropped them off a week ago today ;-| ) I really wanted to
get these done so i could get on the bike to determine the 'correct' seating potion AND the placement for the yet to be fabricated platforms for ma feetz to sit on...
As is the seat needs to be relocated ~100mm further back this will aso allow for the platforms to come back more also (away from the front wheel)..

My 'test rider' Flavio... is sitting on the bike Flav is 180cm hieght hope this gives you all a better idea of the size etc...not so 'safe like' now is it Doc hehehe

Will move seat back tomorrow/over weekend as well as getting a start on the tube work for the platforms ...

OH..i also 'prettied' up the drive sprocket and lightened it up a lil as well as making 5 spacers 9.5mm in height grrrr took me 4 hours to finish all this ::sigh::

Ciao for now fellas cheers for the continued interest

Kim

EDIT: NOT the handlebars and forks that will be used in final assembly...i need to change the head tube on the frame in order to fit the forks i will be using, they are of the threadless variety and as yet i have no idea what size tube is required OR where i will source one...well that's not entirely correct, 're-sizing' a tube to fit a threadless headset wont be an issue, i just need to get the headset first...

 

[voicecoils]

Looking good

If it's not showing up correctly on peoples computer here's the mini version:

And a link to the full size: BIG PIC HERE

 

[dontsendbubbamail]

Even with the current forks, it looks good. Good flow as the Orange County Chopper folks would say.

Bubba

 

[docnjoj]

A real classy trike! R U gonna do a lot of 2 wheel turns, cause with the power unit U chose, its gonna be quite quick! Nice lines, and U R right it isnt that big!
"Long may U run"
otherDoc

 

[AussieJester]

Thanks voicecoils...i forgot to re size the 'montage' of pics before i upped them

HAHA doc...i am aware how badly the trike will corner at speed BUT i'm having trouble making my test rider understand this hehehe.. might be a better YouTube moment than i first thought when he rides this down the hillz Luckily for him the bends are of the loooong sweeping variety he should be OK... The large motor was more for the steep hillz than top speed...well that's my argument and i'm sticking with it she should fairly scoot along though no doubt bout that Doc i can still lift it as is in picture easily i might add shes incredibly light compared to the first frame which i was unable to lift at all when the swing arm was attached Mate guesstimates 20kilos as is...i would have to concur much heavier than that and im unable to lift the weight tips my out of my chair LoL...

Have a minor update nothing big...

I re-positioned the seat this morning by re-drilling the seat pan holes moved it 60mm towards the rear... to move it anymore i will need to re-position the mounting tabs, I tried it out myself as is and i'm happy with it, i think i'll leave it and continue on with the tubular platforms for my footz to sit on ...

quick pic of the re-positioned seat-->

Even looks better i think, was actually how i pictured doing it in the first place, ended up all up forward though :-S..

Back soon chaps..

Kim

 

[docnjoj]

Looks Great! when is the "unveiling" for thet drive gonna happen. Seems all U need is some cheep controller and Batts!
otherDoc

 

[AussieJester]

Looks Great! when is the "unveiling" for thet drive gonna happen. Seems all U need is some cheep controller and Batts!
otherDoc

Actually all i need is the batteries as far as that goes i have the rest Doc Still need to fabricate caliper mounts for the two rear brakes and disk mounts for the hubs and mounts for the front forks... ALSO I need to buy a single disk hub (i have a dual atm which is no good as the forks i have are single caliper variety unfortunately) I will need to change the head tube on the frame as the forks are threadless and larger OD than the head tube will take, at this point i still dont know the head tube size required, i thought i would just take the forks to local bike shop buy a headset then make up a tube correct size from what i have here now. Of course once this is all done and the bike has its test runs i will then be breaking it all down for prep and paint its in anti-rust primer as seen in pics Still a month away i would guess ... manly due to available funds, cash flow is stagnate im afraid :-( little steps Doc little steps...

 

[docnjoj]

U mean U are gunna paint it before test photos? Wah!
otherDoc

 

[AussieJester]

U mean U are gunna paint it before test photos? Wah!
otherDoc

no no after doc will get a good thrashing erm testing before i pullz him apart and pretty him up hehehe

 

[AussieJester]

Update

Probably one of the most uninteresting updates you will see but as it is part of the build i thought i should add it to the worklog...it is the assembly/mount for the foot pegs/pedals ... As i have mentioned previously even the smallest things seem to take so long... checkout what 4 hours work got me-->

Apologies for the last blurred pic had to try and hold camera and the assembly without falling out of my chair and spilling my JB (no Doc didnt even occur to me to put my can down im an Aussie :: wink :: ) Granted i could have used new steel plate and not spent half that 4 hours grinding /sanding off rust to "pretty it up" BUT then it would have cost me money and at the risk of sounding 'safe' like i need to save when i can NOT because i want to because i have to :: sigh :: (chances are i can aviod grief from TD if i save enough and go straight to "ping" battery instead of SLA too ;-P) , the steel used for the assembly was obtained off the side of the road during council rubbish collection...

I made the assembly in two 'parts' seemed like the "professional" approach, obviously would have been easier and quicker to make one piece, i shall weld the mounting "plate" of the assembly on tomorrow, i plan to have a tube running between the two and the pedals mounted to this "solid" ie. the pedals wont spin but be 'fixed' platforms hopefully my feet will stay put IF not i will get some straps or well... use the mounting plates to attach a "take II" design that will see my feet staying put LoL... back tomorrow fellas..

Kim

 

[docnjoj]

Buying metal new can get expensive especially alloy! I have to order mine from Aircraft Spruce and Specialties in order to get the shape and sizes I need and flat plate is outrageous! Very professional work as always! Keep the progress coming as I learn a good deal from your posts.
otherDoc

 

[AussieJester]

Cheers Doc Damn aircraft grade ali must cost a mint mate!? Least i would expect it to be top quality and strong

I welded the mounting plate for the foot rest today and splashed some anti rust primer on it, will give it a grind when i disassemble the bike before painting for now it will be fine as is for a test. I unfortunately don't have a larger drill bit than 13mm, thus in the pic you see a solid steel rod of 12mm sitting in the mounts, i actually have a solid rod 16mm in diameter that i will use, shall die grind the hole tomorrow ALSO my 'test rider' Flavio has secured some 3mm thick aluminum checker plate for me that shall be used for footplates... here's a couple pics... OH and found this foam on side of road will shape it before covering with vinyl should do the trick is nice and comfy now

Back with another update tomorrow, shall be working on mounting the rear disk rotors and calipers....

Kim

 

[docnjoj]

Actually, 6061T6 is relatively inexpensive in shapes like square tube. The flat plate stuff is high! I dont use a lot of plate. Also I dont have to weld the stuff, and drilling holes in alloy is fairly easy. A lot easier than what U R doing!
otherDoc

 

[AussieJester]

The flat plate stuff is high! I dont use a lot of plate. Also I

I would guess the little amount of plate used would be for the joins, the tubing sandwiched between the plates. More time consuming i guess but it does make it possible to build some an awesome ride without expensive welding equipment and lets face it, its the way the ultralight fellas do it isnt it so must be safer to, not that your dangling in the air at a few hundred feet but still good to know when your cruising along at 30-40km/hr the bike isn't suddenly going to snap at a joints and leave you sliding down the road or worse. All that said i will still be keen to have a go welding up an ali frame when i get myself a TIG in the not to distant future nice neat tig welds on ali look sexy hehehe

 

[AussieJester]

Update

Today I moved to the rear of the trike and the mounting of the disk rotors...well that was the plan in reality only one rotor was mounted after 6 hours of cutting, sanding, swearing, sanding, swearing, removing a large piece of cutoff disk from my eye worst 'eye injury' i have had in all the years i been working with tools, took a good 30 minutes of flushing with the garden hose to get it out (and YES i was wearing safety glasses at the time!! NEVER start a power tool without putting them on...take not kids you only get one set of eyez) this of course was followed by more swearing LoL...

My rear trike hubs are a non-disk brake affair and thus i needed to make adapters for both hubs (for those that aren't aware, one of the wheels is non driving wheel and simply freewheels so a single rotor on the rear axle to stop both wheels isn't an option unfortunately) I knew without a lathe this was going to be big ask to get true, i decided instead of starting from scratch making adapters to butchers a dual front disk hub i have that i wont be using (will be using a single with a 200mm OD rotor instead as my forks are single caliper mount only) My initial idea was to simply cut it down drill 3 mounting holes and bolt it straight to the trike rear hubs, this would have worked beautifully, would have been nice and square and true BUT i hit a snag when attempting to drill aforementioned mounting holes, the front hub was a pressed unit made of three pieces, one of these pieces was hardened stel and thus i was unable to drill it, at this stage i knew i would be in for a looooong afternoon. I cut the mounting section of the hub down further to eliminate the hardened steel section and was left with a solid piece to mount to the hubs, this of course need to exactly the same width overall so the disk would spin without a wobble...after ALOT of lapping measuring with verniers lapping measuring mounting lapping etc etc etc add 4 hours i came up with the following-->

I have only mounted the rotor with 2 screws at present and it is pretty close to spot on, the adapter is held to the hub via 3mm countersunk high tensile steel allen key bolts, i would have preferred 4mm but there was simply no room for this 3mm was a tight ask, i believe these will be plenty strong enough :: fingers crossed :: lol... its the best i will get it without the use of specialty machinery namely a lathe which alas i no longer have or have access to :-( Here's a quick vid of the rotor mounted and spinning-->

[youtube]quVx5nCwV2k[/youtube]

I shall mount the adapter for the other side tomorrow, i wont be mounting it to the hub as i did this rotor but to the plate on the axle with the 3 studs on it that sits flush against the hub...more on ~ this time tomorrow...

ciao for now

Kim

 

[Miles]

after 6 hours of cutting, sanding, swearing, sanding, swearing, removing a large piece of cutoff disk from my eye worst 'eye injury' i have had in all the years i been working with tools, took a good 30 minutes of flushing with the garden hose to get it out (and YES i was wearing safety glasses at the time!! NEVER start a power tool without putting them on...take not kids you only get one set of eyez)

Yikes! Sorry to hear that, Kim. I remember when a drill bit broke and a fragment of that ended up embedded in my eye... Yes, ALWAYS wear safety glasses!