Well Justin has shown an interest in also building a Trike and wants a little help with it, heck toss your thoughts out and I may learn something..

First, yes it will turn like a log with a solid rear axle in tight areas like a parking lot, but out on the open road its ok.
A rear axle with a diff is WONDERFULL........... but $$$$$$$$$$

I cant stand Trikes built from VW's or front wheel drive cars with the motor in the back........... they may have 3 wheels but not a Trike in my eyes.

A real Trike is nothing more than a motorcycle with 2 rear wheels, still has all the controls as a motorcycle it just wont lean, perfect for people with disabilities or people that have a hard time holding a motorcycle up.

One prob with a Trike is high speed turns, in slow speed in a parking lot you have to really turn it hard and sharp to lift a rear wheel, but with brakes applied and sharp turn it will happen, fast turns if taking to sharp can and will lift a rear wheel and TRUST ME it will make your heart miss a beat or two !

All in all a Trike is a pleasure to ride, you dont have to worry about dropping the bike or proper counter steering technique, you just ride and enjoy the wind...

Now for the rest of the story. Please ask away or toss in your opinion.

It's pretty tough to set up the trike so that the bike can lean inside the rear axle isnt it?

Wuhh? With 2 one ways only the outside wheel would over run the axle, OR, my mental picture is an abstraction/hallucination.


Or be like me and use a light and simple ATV axle for cheap and just deal with the odd tight turning...
Looks like a good start, I'm gonna have to llok around & see what I can find.
It seems to me that a pivot allowing some lean but going to to an axle that isnt solid mounted to the frame, then wouldnt it be hard to keep it standing up under way? The way I am thinking, the wheels on the bike need to be solid mounted to the frame, so that the frame & wheels lean together thru some mechanism. The ones Ive seen that have the front wheels lean are connected thru the steering arent they?I mean, they will lean only when the bars are turned & then only as much lean as would be proportionally "right" for any given amount of handlebar turn? I dont know, but where you are headed might need some work. Maybe the front wheel would be enough to keep the bike upright. I am sure there will be some well researched responses & Ill be getting an education on this.

Heres why I think the rear wheel needs to be somehow regulated in its lean.
The way I see riding is that its a constant correction of a constant fall. Whether we feel it or are aware of it, we are gently movong side to side, just a bit,steering under the butt. This is why countersteering works, drive the front wheel away from the desired path, then turn the front back under ourselves in a coordinated way, that stands the bike back up.
I can name at least 3 here who I believe have the "stuff" to either support or decisively smack my point down. I have to go out & get some stuff done, Its Pretty today! Gotta go round up some firewood.
I hope this thread finds some interest & we are able to get input from the guru types.

Best Trike axle out ! But at $3500

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/FRANKENSTEIN-TRIKE-REAR-END-REAREND-4-HARLEY-A...

verslagen1 wrote on 11/20/08 at 10:29:06:

Since leaning into a turn is everything m/c, I would try to accomplish it and tie the steering to the lean mechanism for a coordinated turn/lean.

How about a electric clutch to tie the left and right axles together?  Either disengage manually for tight turns studdered for limited slip.

Well if you really want to lean go with a motorcycle.... to make a Trike lean is very costly and hard, and unsafe if not done right, one Co, has a independent rear axle that has a lean option that uses an electric actuator but it cost like $13,000............ You can get Trikes with a single rear wheel and ATV type frontend that leans..... Like $15,000.
If you want to lean but still be upright at stops you can buy a little Trike Scooter deal but it still cost like $8000.
As for types of rear setups that will work and is favorable for most all Trikes, stick with a Solid ATV axle or one with a center diff, all other ideas have been looked at or try'd with not so good results...

On my last Trike I did alot or working out numbers to get the right wheel base and width, but this one is not a high speed deal, so the wheel base and width I put the rear tires in place and looked at it for a bit, drank a beer or two and moved them a few times until I came up to what you see in the pics, the new swing arm will be 24" from pivot bolt to center of the rear bearings and 36" from hub to hub... and I will also lower the whole thing 2" ..

I was going to go all out retro, but my back cant take much as in bumps so a hard tail is out... I know I wanted to do that and white walls and all. But.
I still have the SS rods holding my back together, it pops and hurts all the time as it is.

T Mack 1 - FSO wrote on 11/21/08 at 14:12:17:



Prob with that it they are all SHAFT drive !!!! I've been researching and looking into this for 5 years now.

Why ........ just use a solid ATV axle or pay to get a real Trike axle. You can try and find other ways but its a crap shoot or a waste of time.

I still have a few parts from an axle I was building if you want to finish it.
I have a diff with a sprocket replacing the ring gear, bearings to hold it, and axle shafts, you just need axle tubes from a Suzuki Samurai and make swing arm mounts.

You can have it cheap if you want.