Tax day--today i decided to build a vw trike

[vwbuild]

Need lots of input for my VW trike build. I have no experience at all. Have owned Harleys and dirt bikes but nothing with three wheels. I want a long build--120" wheelbase for stability. I have a 1970 VW Beetle for a donor rear axle subframe that works well. Looking to purchase a 1600 engine. Already have the transmission. Need advice on frame build, front wheel diameter, front fork length and style, individual seating for one driver and one or two passengers. Decided on 205X15R tires. Not sure of using round tube or rectangle steel for frame. No problem titling trike here in Colorado. Lots of questions regarding attachment of frame build to subframe. I want to mount shifter on top somehow--not on side of frame. Any designs available besides Big Yella out there. Thanks for your input.

[slick rick]

Get on you tube and watch onetonmagoo videos , his name is Conrad Lawerance he has a great collection of videos and a talented builder . If you go to wild man trikes he sells unwelded tubing , welded tubing , or complete frames it's up to you . Hope this helps ,,,Rick

[vw driver]

There are as many kinds of trikes as people who build them. Google VW trike on the internet. There are a lot of pictures and you should find some that look good to you. The 1600 is a good engine to use. I have three of them in different vehicles. I put 30" diameter tires on my trike which are larger than stock but it works great with the gearing because the trike is lighter than a bug. Any questions just ask.

[vwbuild]

Slick Rick--Thanks for the info. I went and check out onetonmagoo's video's. Think I need a larger screen on my computer. He made a lot of videos and did like the one about head placement. I also stumbled upon a build called Big Yella. Has anyone purchased this video/manual and is it any good? I might be interested in buying this to determine height of head and best angles etc if they explain this stuff in the manual.

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VW Driver--Thanks for your input. I was thinking 28" to 30" rear tires would be a good size. Another question is front rim/tire size? I can't build a front fork myself so will probably need to purchase this also. With a 43 degree rake someone mentioned, how do you determine rim size and fork length? This is getting difficult.

[slick rick]

I have a friend that purchased the plans you're talking about and according to him "I've never seen them " were not that detailed ,,just saying . The front tire I'm running now is a 16 when I purchased the scooter there was a 21 on it . The reason for me was the lower , fatter tire that I liked over the slim tall look of the 21 , again to each his own .


I'm really not the one to help you with your build but I can tell you what I've learned with mine . A lot of things I would do different if I had built it , that will be the pleasure of having one you did yourself .

[vwbuild]

I've read where people would say what they would do different after they build a trike. Hell of it is that gets expensive. Trying to get it right the first time. I was hoping the Big Yella manual would be more explanatory. I haven't found any frame builders that build longer frames--nore care to do so. I did a search on craigslist for a pipe bender and then see that the Harbor Freight bender is pretty inferior and leaves flat spots and stretched bends that look kinda crappy. I called a bender locally and they have minimum charges for bending services. Does anyone know what the the height of the bottom of the neck should be if the frame were to be sitting on the ground? Seems to me a guy would need to build a mock-up frame with seats to figure this out. Any ideas here?

[rrunner]

You're on the right track by thinking of a mockup. Make it out of wood and take careful measurements. I know I had to redo mine after the first build. I ended making it longer. Now it is long with a homebuilt leading link front end. Good luck on the build and post photos. We all like pictures.

[vwbuild]

You're on the right track by thinking of a mockup. Make it out of wood and take careful measurements. I know I had to redo mine after the first build. I ended making it longer. Now it is long with a homebuilt leading link front end. Good luck on the build and post photos. We all like pictures.

I'm working on building a trike with a 120" wheelbase. Should be stable. I'm thinking about having the front drivers seat more toward the front than other pics I've seen where the seat sits back toward the torsion bar. Hoping this will prevent wheelies. Been looking for 1-3/4" dom or chromoly that has a .188 wall but haven't found any. I have never seen chromoly so no idea if it will be strong enough in thinner wall. Maybe this is overkill but worried about the seat placement and bending the frame.

[vw driver]

Look in the phone book and maybe you can find some places that build race cars and they can get some tubing for you that they use to build roll cages, maybe they will even bend it for you, heck, maybe they will even weld it for you. How much do you want to spend?

[stinger608]

Something I did that helped a ton! My "upright" tube; the one that comes up to the triple tree neck is a 2" x 3" rectangular tube. What was done with that before welding the neck on for the bearings is it was filled with cement!

Talk about adding some front end weight.

Granted, I am running a 1935cc with dual 44 Webers, and it will still pick the front end off the ground, but it is a boat load more stable than just having a hollow tube. It actually seems to get more stable the faster the scooter goes. LOL. It seems better at 80 than at 40.

I will get some pictures of the trike in the next few days and post one that shows the front "upright" tube.

And as you mentioned, I have the front seat pretty far forward to also help in keeping the front end down.

[vwbuild]

Look in the phone book and maybe you can find some places that build race cars and they can get some tubing for you that they use to build roll cages, maybe they will even bend it for you, heck, maybe they will even weld it for you. How much do you want to spend?

I found a forum that says where to find tube in Denver and will check with these companies in the morning. I stopped at a car builder place today and he sent me to a muffler shop--nothing there eather. Tomorrow I guess. Thanks for the information.

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Something I did that helped a ton! My "upright" tube; the one that comes up to the triple tree neck is a 2" x 3" rectangular tube. What was done with that before welding the neck on for the bearings is it was filled with cement!

Talk about adding some front end weight.

Granted, I am running a 1935cc with dual 44 Webers, and it will still pick the front end off the ground, but it is a boat load more stable than just having a hollow tube. It actually seems to get more stable the faster the scooter goes. LOL. It seems better at 80 than at 40.

I will get some pictures of the trike in the next few days and post one that shows the front "upright" tube.

And as you mentioned, I have the front seat pretty far forward to also help in keeping the front end down.

Pics would be nice. Good idea for ballast on your trike. I don't want an up front fuel cell or tank eather so there is more forward weight to find. Maybe my fat ass (250 lbs.) will be enough if I move the seat forward enough. I looked at another guys thread on here and he only likes short trikes. They look pretty sharp but lots of curves here in the mountains. Thanks for the info.