So i'm building a sit down cycle with a twist!

mhornfeck72205

mhornfeck72205

New Member
#1
#1
I posted about 2 weeks ago talking about a recumbent motorcycle and I've decided to give it a go but I'm going to make it fool proof if I decide that I dont like it as a 2 wheeler. Interchangeable wheel styles.

Heres a pic of what I have right now, but just picture a second tower in the front to where it's supposed to according to the diagram. Going to add in the third angled tower after I get pillow block bearings. The total kart length will be about 6.5ft long.



List of future plans:
(skip below to see the "twist" if you dont feel like reading)
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I'm going to put a 45 degree pivot shaft for steering and run a steering wheel on pillow block bearings on the three towers in front of the seat. two before the 45 and one afterward.

I currently have a drum brake from my go kart which I decided to stop working on and I am wondering if I can use this or if I should just pick up a disk brake. I know a lot of people are going to say just get the disk but do you think that I could mount it for the time being and be ok with it?

I also have it hinged between the engine plate and the seat so that I can add suspension as well. If anybody has suggestions on good shocks that I can use, I'd appreciate it!

One more thing I have to figure out is mounting the engine. I'll be using a honda clone on this as I already have a clutch and I know a good bit about them. Only problem is that the ohv cover hits the wheel. Suppose I should have figured this before I built it. Is there a way that I can mount the engine on a slight angle to move the cover up and away from the wheel? only a slight turn would be perfect.

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Ok, now the fun part... The twist is that the front is going to be removable by a bolt together angle iron section. I will even be able to add a longer rear axle to allow for any combo of 1+1, 1+2, 2+1, or 2+2 wheels for a bike, reverse trike, standard trike, or regular go kart. Heck, I suppose I could add a 3+2, rofl.. That would just be madness though. Doubt I could steer it.

I'll be ordering the pillowblocks soon to finish the front end of the 1+1 so I can atleast try some stuff out and get it moving.

I'll keep this post updated as I progress. Should be an interesting build when it's all finished.
 
mhornfeck72205

mhornfeck72205

New Member
#3
#3
Built the joint for the front half to back half today. What i'm going to do is use the angle iron bolt on thing to bind them together and use a peg system to put the 1" from one side onto the other. I will have a 1" rod welded inside of the 1" pipe which will slide into the receiving half of the front end. I'll then use bolts to hold the other side of the rod through the front. No pics for now.

Tomorrow I will be buying my 45 degree pivot.. Going to try a cheap way first by using a swivel socket wrench adapter from harbor freight. All it has to do is transfer like 5-10lbs of torque, if that, and I'm sure with it being a socket wrench head, it can handle much more than that. Its only $6 for a 4pc set so Its worth a shot vs the $25 200in/lb one that I was going to get.
 
jeep2003

jeep2003

#6
#6
very intresting i like. shocks depends how heavy you are and how you mount them. minibike shocks will be too weak youll need some from a light motorcycle
 
mhornfeck72205

mhornfeck72205

New Member
#14
#14
Heres my 45 degree pivot thing. I'm going to put the steering shaft at a slight downslope so that I dont have so much angle stress on the joint. It should be flexing about 35-40 degrees instead of 45.

Going to put a 1/2" peg of steel for it to fit on, drill a hole through it and bolt it on. Other side will have a 1/2" socket welded to 1" pipe.

 
mhornfeck72205

mhornfeck72205

New Member
#15
#15
Rigged the joint to the shaft. Should be fun to mount it! Going to order the bearings really soon. Works perfectly at a 40 degree angle. Also still functions as a 1/2" pivot because it's removable.

Plug welded the right side 2x with a socket inside and I'll be cleaning up and fixing the left side weld.

Do you guys think that I could use another of the same type of rear wheel for the front as well? I don't know how well it would steer with it being square-ish and all.. Mounting it isn't a problem though.

 
mhornfeck72205

mhornfeck72205

New Member
#18
#18
Heres whats done so far. Welded in the angle joint bit and as you can see, the second tower is in place. The connector pegs will go inside of the frame about a foot deep on each side.

Going to figure out how to mount the engine next. It's going to be a bit of a problem I believe.



 
jeep2003

jeep2003

#19
#19
your going to have to build a sort of framing around the seat or you'll have nowhere to mount your shocks. if you move the seat forward it will give you more room to do that and move your engine forward too
 
mhornfeck72205

mhornfeck72205

New Member
#20
#20
I'll be building a metal frame coming up behind the seat, I am just waiting on designing it until I am able to see what kind of shocks I can get for it. Not sure about how shocks are rated and how they are best applied to a frame yet. I'm a heavy rider (220lbs) so I'll need to take that into consideration.

After taking these photos I cut the seat slots longer so that I can move it up further but I'm not liking the closeness to where the steering wheel is going to be. I may remove the hinge on the seat side and extend the frame a few more inches to add some extra space, and then re-weld it back on. As of now, the seat side part of the hinge is barely welded on so it wont be a problem to adjust it.
 
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