driveshaft

[sweat12]

hi
im a newby it looks a great site.
i wonder if anyone can help me im building a virago trike for my missus everythings going ok but im a bit stuck on the driveshaft connection..ill try to download a photo.
what it is..is my diff is 5" out of line with the drive shaft from the motor and the 2 ends are around 18" apart [if you see wot i mean..and was wondering how to connect them together.
ill try to download a photo and you can see wot i mean.
cheers sweat.
ps take no notice of the frame as its not been welded proper yet and its gotta be shotblasted etc.
pps i managed a couple of photos.
cheers.

 

[John Luciano]

Where did that rearend come from?
Too late now but the rear end should have been set over to one side not centered. Universal joints can recover a lot of Miss alignment .Not sure how much vibration it will cause, or how long it will last. A lot of trikes have offset driveshafts. Don't know if they are quite that far off. You could try 2 back to back Universal joints. or call a company called Borgeson .... http://www.borgeson.com/CONTACT.htm ...l tell them John Luciano from Torrington sent you .

 

[Nana]

Hi Sweat, I just want to give you a welcome to TrikeTalk and wish you great luck on your build. It will be good to hear about and see pictures as you work through the project .

 

[sweat12]

hi nana
thanks it looks a real good site....i just hope someone can answer my question.[there will be a few of themm as i get into the build.]
ill send sum photos as get on.
cheers sweat

 

[sweat12]

hi thanks for your response.
the rear axle is off a reliant robin van, ive stripped the trike down now and can still offset the diff..is it a hard thing to do?
the frame is and engine is a 535 virago...its only for the wife to plod about on.
and the rear steelwork is courtesy of my little brother [i gotta fix that.
thanks
sweat

 

[Baz]

Hi Sweat12, Baz here. In my humble opinion it is important to get the output & input as close to being aligned as possible to eliminate vibration / harmonic issues which are hard on both equipment & body.
It does represent more work but it is not difficult to cut & tuck the axle tubes & axles to line the Diff up. If the alignment is way out the only real alternative is to use an offset transfer case . ( expensive to say the least. ) :no:

 

[j3jim]

Remember....Whatever you nip out of one side you need to ADD to the other side to maintain width.

Trike On

 

[PhilGilbert]

Remember....Whatever you nip out of one side you need to ADD to the other side to maintain width.

Trike On

Depends on the desired width. Many are too wide to start.

 

[Greydog]

I don't think U-joints will solve the problem with a 5" in 18" offset. Just a guess but I think the vibration would shake the thing apart or at the very least make it unbearable to ride. Welcome to the forum and I hope someone can help you more than I can.

 

[Yogisan]

A couple of more pictures from different angles and a little farther away would have helped but here's my input from what I could make out.

It looks like the differential is centered on the axels which, if I read your description properly, places the inner side of each wheel 18" from the differential. Guessing that the differential is about 8" across, your wheel-to-wheel length is about 44". You could cut 5" off the axle housing and axel rod on the left side, reweld the sections and have about 39" wheel-to-wheel length. It would line up your differential with the bike's drive, but I'm not sure how the 39" length would work for the trike. Too narrow? You would also need to redo the frame to make up for the shorter axel. Anyone else want to chime in?

 

[PhilGilbert]

A 1-1 straight through offset gearbox could change the odds somewhat. set the gearbox somewhere in the angle. are you using the swing-arm and suspension from the Virago? It is possible if your trike is going to be short, you would want to offset the differential and have a narrower rear. It takes a good welder to make the trike safe enough to haul your precious cargo around so don't be cheap there.

 

[PhilGilbert]

"reliant robin van" Are in the UK?

 

[stacebg]

not sure where you are at this point ,,,, you may have already checked but because the drive is on the left of the bike the rear neads to be upside down... as for the shaft at that short distance i think she will vibrate real bad... been there

stace

 

[frankentrike]

look under a car.most driveshafts either raise some to get to the diff. or lower to get to it.i believe its called pinion angle.seems like youve got the same prob.,only laid on its side.....of course i could be wrong.

 

[Greydog]

Check this web page out....it might give you some insight as to what you need to do and what you should not do.

Driveline Angles & Phasing Problems