First video footage of my reverse trike kart

[dowies]

You guys asked to see footage of my reverse trike kart I just finished building, so here it is. You can go this DIY link to find out more info and pictures on how I built it. Be sure to watch the video in high quality mode.

www.diygokarts.com/vb/showthread.php?t=5916

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DwYk1sq_XA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpR0jNbqH94

 

[1992suburban]

NICE

VERY NICE

Reminds me of JACK@SS hahaha NICE HELMET

 

[weirdarmadillo]

Thats friggin sweet.
Have you clocked that thing?

 

[link]

that is one of the coolest karts ive ever seen....and perfectly safe!

 

[T-man]

I love that video ... what video editing software do you use?? I'm going to subscribe to your videos right now.......see I did ( tully712)

 

[1992suburban]

Flogginmolly ftw

 

[dowies]

I love that video ... what video editing software do you use?? I'm going to subscribe to your videos right now.......see I did ( tully712)

Thanks T-man. I'm all about low budget and free. The video software I used is free as well. It's Windows movie maker. It's probably on your computer right now. Just look under the standard microsoft applications. For the footage I used a $200.00 digital camera with video application.

The main goal of my design was to be as light and low as possible. Right now my rolling chassis weighs just 40.2 lbs. The motor weighs 36 lbs. Everything total is right at 80 lbs. That light for 6.5hp 200cc right?

 

[dowies]

Thats friggin sweet.
Have you clocked that thing?

According to my calculations it should be around 35mph at 5,000 rpm. I haven't actually taken it to full throttle / speed yet. Still breaking in the motor, so I've only given it about 80% so far.

 

[Dougthewelder]

looks like fun! put a tav on it and go 45-50mph

 

[stkcode]

Heh...cool. Sharps turns look interesting...I'm sure your gonna be going faster then 35 with how much it weighs...especially at more then 80% throttle. 6.5 seems huge for that kind of weight.

 

[freakboy]

WOW that things awsome

 

[dowies]

WOW that things awsome

I added some slow motion video clips of my reverse trike. Check it out. Top of the post.

 

[SpyGuy]

Awesome ride, amigo .... glad it all came together and worked out. That dual-handle trick linkage up front is just too cool - not too many people would have the nerve to try handling something like that. Cornering looks a little hairy, but the drifting looks like a LOT of fun! (Well, at least until ya dumped it ... ) Good thing is that you were smart enough to wear full protective gear.

(Also, kudos to your cameraman on getting some great footage. Can't forget the person behind the camera working their magic to put you on the screen ...)

 

[dowies]

Awesome ride, amigo .... glad it all came together and worked out. That dual-handle trick linkage up front is just too cool - not too many people would have the nerve to try handling something like that. Cornering looks a little hairy, but the drifting looks like a LOT of fun! (Well, at least until ya dumped it ... ) Good thing is that you were smart enough to wear full protective gear.

(Also, kudos to your cameraman on getting some great footage. Can't forget the person behind the camera working their magic to put you on the screen ...)

Thanks again. I'm going to shorten the steering levers by 1-2" for less throw. I also moved the seating postion forward to move the CG just a little more towards the front wheels. I hate winter, but I'm looking forward to doing do-nuts this winter in my cul-de-sac. I might even buy a set of tire chains for her.

The video footage was all during a lunch break. My buddy Greg takes great footage. We made the video with a free program called Microsoft movie maker. Every computer has it.

 

[SpyGuy]

Now you need to fab up a camera mount for the trike, so we can see some "from the driver's seat" vids ... Probably wouldn't be hard to mount one on the front, right between your feet. Doing an "over the shoulder" or off to one side mount would be a little more challenging, though ...

 

[Degerovita]

Nice job. Really liked the second video. Should put out a plans kit. Looks like a blast to ride.

 

[mike75925]

looks as though the steering wheels could be a smidge wider for better roll stability. are the mounting rings of your wheels offset? you could flip them wider and keep the same weight. also, is your steering linked to both wheels? mighty tricky if not. how much does that plastic off road kart chassis weigh, you may be able to half your chassis weight by going their route.

 

[Rickracer]

After watching the videos a couple of times, i'm thinkin adding some Ackerman may help, that way the inside tire will do most of the turning, and if/when it lifts, the outside tire will automatically increase the radius of the turn, lessening the force trying to tip the trike. Just a thought,

 

[dowies]

After watching the videos a couple of times, i'm thinkin adding some Ackerman may help, that way the inside tire will do most of the turning, and if/when it lifts, the outside tire will automatically increase the radius of the turn, lessening the force trying to tip the trike. Just a thought,

I agree 100%. Ackerman angle would help big time. This was my first kart build, and I made the spindles mount to the frame with bolts vs. welding. This way they are modular and I can upgrade them in the future. I might just make a new set of spindles that have Ackerman angle to them. I also made the current spindles have adjustable caster from 12 deg to 25 deg. This way I can really dial in the steering geometry.

 

[theo]

You can add ackermann in your bell cranks, you don't need to change the spindles.