MY SECOND TRIKE PAGE 1

Below are some pictures showing how I build my next trike. I am in the process of building it right now. I will be posting pictures as I proceed. I am useing a lot of Flashs' ideas, and throwing in some of my own, for the personal touch. Thats the beauty of building your own. Check back from time to time to watch the progress. I am slow but I will keep pictures posted from time to time.

Here is a shot of my shop. Real neat and orderly. Like military? Nope, ha.

Here is another shot of my shop. I have 3 more corners like this. I need someone to clean this up for me, but then I couldn't find anything. So all I can say is GOD BLESS THIS MESS.

Here is a shot of my buddy. Her name is Whizzer. She is a true Triker at heart, she would run a mile just too ride a foot. I have a harness I put on her and strap her to the back seat. She has enough room to get down on the running boards, but not off. She is pretty well my shadow during the day when I am around the house. Except if I start to make too much noise. ha I will post a picture later with her on the trike. I had a visitor the other day on a trike, and when he got ready to leave she hopped on board ready to go.

Here is another shot of Whizzer.

Above is a picture of the beginning of a new trike for me. It is my second attempt to build a trike. I will be keeping pictures posted on the process. I will be useing some things I learned from building my first trike, and I also will be using lot of ideas I got from Flash in Texas. He is putting up a web site and I will be linking to it later. If you have any questions about the VW trike, click on the link to the Kansas BTW web site in my favorites and go to ask Flash.

Here is a close up of the way I am tying the frame to the VW rear end. I am useing 2" square tubeing. This is what Flash uses. It is not as heavy as the 1 1/2" x 1/4" sq. tubeing I used on my first trike, but has the necessary strenth for the trike. Flash welds the tubeing to the horns and I will too, I like this idea.

Here is a shot that shows how the 2" tubing will protrude past the horns to form the trailer hitch on the rear. This too is a Flash design.

Above is a different angle, showing how I am connecting to the rear end of the Volkswagon.

Here I have added the skirt around the bottom of the frame. This will add strength to the frame and also lower the trike running boards. This is also an idea I got from Floyd. I used 1/4" thick by 3" wide plate. The floor plan will be welded to the bottom of the skirt.

This shot shows how I am starting to frame up for the skin cover. I am useing 1" tubeing to frame with, and will use 18 ga. sheet metal to cover the frame. Or I may use a lighter material, I haven't decided yet. I do a lot of decideing as I go along. I have drawn up what I want in the end but the structure benith the skin, I decide as I go along. I work a little and think a lot. Too much thinking at one time could cause this pea brain of mine to explode.

I have begin to make the frame for the back seat. My other trike has a small back seat, just right for my wife, but I have two sons that can't get back there. I am going to make this one wide enough for two. By doing this I will have to move my storage to somewhere else. Thats where I have to pause to think, but thanks to Floyd I have two brains to work with. ha

Here are the two Master Cylinders I am going to use on my clutch and brakes. The Clutch is a 5/8" bore, and the brake is a 3/4" bore. I am useing a clutch slave cyl to match the master. I mounted my first set up front, but I am going to try mounting these back at the rear and use rods from my peddles to the master cylinders.

I have added the running boards, or floor pan which ever you want to call them.I spent about a day and a half, building and braceing this. I don't have it welded solid yet. I just tacked it in a bunch of places.

Here is a shot from the front. I am trying to make this trike a lot lighter than the first one, but maintaing the strength, I am using lighter material but braceing more.

I laid the foot controls here to show how I had made them. they will opperate the clutch and the brakes. I machined shafts and attached them to 1" bolts which I have bored and added grease fittings too. I ran this through a 1 1/2" stainless steel cylinder. I will strap this to the frame, once I decide where they will go. I need to get some more of the front end built before the pedals are mounted.I bought some of those foot pegs they use on the hot dog bicycles, to use as the foot pedals. I have one mounted here, the other is the same. I found these at Wal-Mart on sale for $3.00.

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