Window 'gawking' eBay trikes.... when...

[Papa]

.... I landed upon a bright yellow KMX tadpole. But not just any bright yellow KMX tadpole,. Take note the Astro 3220 tucked behind its seat, and a hellof'a lot of custom hardware. My first thought was Matt. Yes, Matt... so where is Matt these days?

I'm not into tads, but if I could scrape together $2500 bucks, I'd surely own this one.
www.ebay.com/itm/377288116630?itmmeta=01KWBM7QMGHX2YPA9C7B43G10T&hash=item57d81fc996

 

[lnanek]

So many people try then abandon e-trikes that I often see similar ones at one tenth the cost on Facebook Marketplace. I admit I almost owned one for a year or two last time I broke a hip.

 

[2old]

Surprisingly in my zip (OC). Sad that we don't hear from the small motor guys anymore (even the friction-eers). It seemed like a viable platform if you could mitigate or get past the whine.

 

[offGridDownUnder]

Take note the Astro 3220 tucked behind its seat

Interesting. Some of the same approach as me - that large empty space behind the seat was tempting. I suspect my goal is more opposite - I aim for reliability, usability, and load hauling. With a 4Kw motor, I suspect (but don't know) this was designed for speed.

I use a Gates Carbon belt, and I've repurposed an existing hub motor. I've mounted a GMAC, a ShengYi SX2, and an All-Axle in my motor cradle as I experimented. The v3 All-Axle wasn't released yet when I was designing, so I tried what I had while working out the motor cradle design.

 

[neptronix]

...even got some nice heatsink fins on it.

Would probably be fun to drive with a VESC in FOC mode instead of using these old square drive RC controllers that can barely drive those motors without exploding for unknown reasons.

 

[The Toecutter]

I wanted to buy this, but local pickup only. I don't live in California, so...

Dammit. I'd pay to have it shipped in a crate. WANT.

To get an idea of its capabilities:

0-50 mph in 4 seconds.

 

[The Toecutter]

Another video:

And another:

 

[Papa]

Yup... that's Matt's alright.
And I remember the vids... thanks for the memorable resurrection TC.

Like you TC, i'm nowhere close, and don't drive cagers anymore. Go for it.. if you can pull-it-off somehow

 

[The Toecutter]

Go for it.. if you can pull-it-off somehow

If I can, it's getting a front suspension kit, 16" DOT rims/Mitas MC2 16x2.25" tires on all 3 wheels, new controller, an upgrade to a 20S pack using Molicel P60C cells, and a velomobile body with roll cage around it. I want to keep it easy to pedal with the motor shut off, and freewheeling midrives separate from the pedal system don't have cogging torque losses.

 

[The Toecutter]

I just bought it. It will be shipped next week.

 

[neptronix]

Damn.. that went for the old price of the recumpence drive itself.. congratulations on getting yourself a piece of ES history.

 

[The Toecutter]

I promise to clown with it all over town. And beyond.

 

[The Toecutter]

How is recumpence doing these days? Is he even alive? His build is one of the builds that inspired me to start making my first velomobile, even if I didn't have the budget at the time to even electrify it, uncontrollable life circumstances getting in the way of it all.

 

[The Toecutter]

I heard that recumpence/Matt passed away.

 

[The Toecutter]

The trike has been crated and will be shipped soon. Looking forward to adding a front suspension to it at minimum. Probably getting a roll cage and body at a later date, and I'm not sure whether I want to convert it to a quad also. I will have to do some restoration work at minimum before I can use it as a trike. I will make a topic on it once it is my possession.