New member from New Hampshire

[stray catalyst]

I guess I've come into trikes from a different direction from most of the people on this forum - I've never owned a Harley, I don't tour the country on my bikes. I've been working on, and modifying, Volkswagons since the late 80's, and just recently bought my first trike, a "Big Daddy" Roth trike built on a 1971 VW Bug rear end. It's still a project - the previous owner put a lot of time, money, and effort into it before dying of old age, and his kids shuffled it from garage to basement to garage, before getting tired of it and shoving it out in the yard, where I bought it. The engine is a fresh rebuild, dual-carbs, but I don't know if it's bored/stroked/etc - I bought the trike without hearing it run.
I've spent most of the winter eagerly awaiting spring, so the snow can retreat and I can get to work on the trike. Last autumn when I parked it, it didn't want to turn over - some kind of electrical problem, as VWs are so prone to have. I'll rewire it as soon as it's not holding up a snowbank, which should eliminate the problem. After that, it's time to clean out the gas tank, change the fuel lines, rebuild the carbs, replace the brake master cylinder, replace the tires, adjust the brakes, get it a tuneup, and start riding. Any other trikers in NH?

Stray Catalyst

[katfish16]

Hello Stray, there r a couple of guys that might be able to help U if u need any information on ur VW trike. Vance has one 4 sale and I think their r a couple others too.
I too have never owed a Harley in fact I have never even ridden one!!!! Nothing against them just never rode one. We have travel a fair bit on the Goldwing both trike and 2 wheeler. Have a great time and enjoy. Post some pictures when u get started.

[Ozarkryder]

Fun project you have going there! Luckily, VW, Type 1 engines and componets are very easy to work on. We had a VW based trike, and I dropped the engine, re-did and added some wire and gauges, changed the heads, new distributor and had it all back togather on a 3 day weekend. In contrast, on the Goldwing Motor Trike, I just changed oil, 4 filters, and ran 1 wire from the Electrical Connection power plate and that job took almost 5 hours, most of it removing and installing the plastic .

If you haven't got one yet, one of the best things you can buy for any VW project is a book called "How To Keep Your Volkswagen Alive: A Manual Of Step By Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot." by John Muir. It will mostly be applied to the drivetrain and some of the electrical stuff on your trike, but it was invaluable to me when we had The Blue Trike. John Muir was an engineer-cum-hippie when he wrote the book in the '60s, and the writing is kind of that funky 60's style, great fun to read, and with amazing illustrations. Here is a link to it on Amazon for less than I paid for it in a bookstore in 1994. You can even check out the table of contents and read and excerpt.

Amazon.com: How to Keep Your Volkswagen Alive 19 Ed: A Manual of Step-by-Step Procedures for the Compleat Idiot: John Muir,Tosh Gregg,Peter Aschwanden: Books


Keep us appraised on how your projedt is going, don't be shy about asking questions! There are a few VW folk on this board.

[stray catalyst]

Thank you for the advice. I've had a few copies of John Muir's book over the eyars, I've rebuilt a couple of VW engines with nothing more than that manual, a good supply of tools, and a lot of homebrew beer. I'll look into B3W, it'd be nice to find locals. I know of one type-3 trike in the area, but I don't think the owner built it, so he might not be able to give me the advice I'll probably need. I'll post pictures once the snow goes away - until then, all I can show is a snowbank with some small bits of tarpaulin showing around the edges.
I shouldn't need to do much to the engine on this, aside from the tuneup and carb rebuilds - it's a brand new rebuild with zero miles on it. I looked over the paperwork that came with the trike, and this project has been ongoing... since 1971! It's been trailered across the country. It is DEFINITELY time to make this change from lawn ornament to vehicle.

Stray Catalyst

[Trikerjim]

hi Stray, Welcome to the "wild bunch" Really neat project you,ve got there. You said it is a Big Daddy Roth trike and it's been ongoing since '71. Is it a "real" Roth or a copy of one? If you got the real one...WOW!!! I'm a big fan of Big Daddy Ed and as an aspiring pinstriper, I love his and some of the other masters artwork. Keep us informed and maybe a few photos of your work on the project (start your own project manual)..Good luck and glad to have you with us.

[stray catalyst]

It's not a copy, it's the real thing... complete with the strange gas-tank looking bulge in the front. I'll post pictures when I can. I've seen a very few pictures of similar ones, but mine still has the original paint/gelcoat - I may end up painting it, as I'm not that fond of big-metal-flake-gold. I was thinking of pinstriping, but I have no experience with it, and having read some of the forums, it doesn't look like the kind of thing I want to learn the hard way.

Stray Catalyst

[stray catalyst]

(Assuming this works) Here's a side view of it, just after I bought it.






Here's the front end...




I'll have more pictures in a few weeks - it's 20 feet from me right now but the only reason I know it's there is the higher spot on the snowbank.
That thing in the front, that looks almost like a bike's gas tank - I've never seen anything quite like that on other trikes. Does anyone recognize anything more about this trike based on that odd feature?
The fenders aren't actually original - I'm pretty sure the previous owner got them off a trailer. I'll probably use them until I can afford to buy something more attractive. The chrome bar that looks like it's sticking out of the engine is the exhaust, which is about ten feet off to one side - it's one of the shiny new parts (like the engine cage, the other stainless steel rims, etc) that were included with it when I bought it.


Stray Catalyst

[Tri-3]

Hello Stray Catalyst
I just noticed your post. I'm new to the site and hope to be riding my trike soon. Still waiting to pick it up, the snow to melt and the road to thaw.
I'm in Goffstown near Manchester in case your not familar with it. We should plan a ride someday this summer.

[stray catalyst]

I'll definitely look for you when the snow clears - it'll be fun to have another triker to ride with. Tell me about your trike?

This is all you can see of mine, at this point. The weather's supposed to be above freezing for the week - I'm planning to work on it this weekend, even if I have to shovel it out to reach it...


Stray Catalyst

[Tri-3]

I purchased an 08GW and a Trike Shop Kit. That was back in Oct and I'm still waiting for the kit to arrive and be installed. Should be any time now but I've been hearing that since Jan. I was in no rush before but now things are warming up and the bikes are starting to come out.
We are suppose to get 4"-8" inches tonight. Might slow down the melt a little and add some shoveling to your weekend trike extraction.
I'll send a note and pic when the new toy arrives.

[Papa Zook]

It's not a copy, it's the real thing... complete with the strange gas-tank looking bulge in the front. I'll post pictures when I can. I've seen a very few pictures of similar ones, but mine still has the original paint/gelcoat - I may end up painting it, as I'm not that fond of big-metal-flake-gold. I was thinking of pinstriping, but I have no experience with it, and having read some of the forums, it doesn't look like the kind of thing I want to learn the hard way.

Stray Catalyst

Stray,
I grew up on all things Roth. Those original Roth body designs look a lot like the Trike Shop (VW) trikes to me. Is that where that design came from?

[John Luciano]

Very kool trike. Maybe I will see you on the road. We are in Northern CT. not that far away . Have friends in Westminster , VT . We travel the area. Driving a 1997 Custom Goldwing. You did better than I did . I can't fig how to post a picture of my pride and joy. It always comes out SMALL. a ride to Americade around June 6th, 7th would be a good idea to see a lot of homemade trikes .

[stray catalyst]

I dug out the snowbank and started on the brakework this weekend. The master cylinder appears to work - the reason I couldn't depress the pedal seems to be rusted-solid brake cylinders. How do I measure brake cylinders to see which kind I need? 17mm, 19mm, 22mm all seem to be available, but it's not clear where I should measure mine to see which ones I need to buy as replacements... Anyone know how I should measure these?

Stray Catalyst

[stray catalyst]

Stray,
I grew up on all things Roth. Those original Roth body designs look a lot like the Trike Shop (VW) trikes to me. Is that where that design came from?

I'm not quite sure - let me check the papers.

Well, I have a receipt from Ed "Big Daddy" Roth, dated November 5th, 1971, for the front end and a variety of other parts. It has his famous monster-rat logo. As far as I know, this one isn't a copy.

Stray Catalyst

[Papa Zook]

Im sure Roth built that design first, I wondered if the Trike Shop guys copied the design after Roth quit making them.

[John Luciano]

We are in Conn.
Can't believe you still have that much snow..
Looking forward to riding in a few weeks.

[stray catalyst]

Well, it was a productive weekend.
I replaced the brake cylinders, installed the exhaust, installed the engine cage, and started working on the wiring system - and that's where progress ground to a halt. The person who built this trike... ye gods, I ran out of obscenities LONG before I ran out of electrical problems. Wires that were spliced four times along their length, with tape, butt-crimps, or just bare solder, changing colors at each join... wires that were twisted together and hanging loose near the metal (which might explain all the blown fuses tucked away in the frame)... WOOD panels exposed to the weather, with electrical components bolted or zip-tied to the weather-exposed side... relays and SWITCHES floating around loose behind the dash (including the headlight switch! Guess he didn't ever plan to use this at night) with no way to reach them without removing the body... what a nightmare.
So, I've now removed the body so I can completely rewire the trike. This is likely to make my plan to ride this on the 2nd of May impossible as opposed to merely impractical, but I'll keep trying. I have the wire and connectors for the job - now all I need is the time, the ambition, and a bit of luck. And perhaps a new supply of rude names to call the previous owner - I've already used up all my English, French, Spanish, Russian, Gernam, and Klingon ones, I guess I should learn some other languages so I'm prepared for this job.

Stray Catalyst

[Tri-3]

Hello Stray,
Well my snow is almost gone and I hope to be picking up the new ride next Saturday. How has your progress been on your trike?