Building a Suzuki VS1400 Trike

[HCDawg]

I bought this bike for $800 from an 80yr old that dropped it at the stop light and shattered his leg, it sat for a number of years under a tarp in his front yard. When I brought it home I changed all the fluids, plugs, lube the cables…Blah blah blah and started it…Carbs were too far gone but it would idle and sounded nice. I had a rock’n VS750 and an old 86’ Yamaha FJ1200 on the road so I haven’t been in a rush to get it on the road.

Russell Mitchell built a trike on the biker build off and I fell in love with it way back in 2004 I think, I eventually forgot about it. I went to Vegas last year and Affliction Clothing had a Trike in the show room and the need for a trike came back like gangbusters.

I want this trike to be ridable, overstated, minimal and unforgettable. The rear tires are Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/R 29 x 18 x 20 and the required rims are 20 x 15.

I have the differential out of a 1994 fox body mustang. 8.8 with 2.66:1 ratio, also has posi trac which will have to go if I plan on turning. I’m going to try no fenders and see if I can get away with it. The frame, tank and differential will be painted/powder coated in blue chrome, the tank will be custom and larger than stock and be part of the body work. The differential will be stripped and shortened, new 5 bolt axles with disk brakes.

The front end will be raked by 6 degrees and lengthened by 6”. I’m going to take the controls off the steering and set them up like a car, gas, brake and hand shifter on the right and the clutch on the left. No suspension on the rear, a spring mounted seat is all for better handling.

So that is as far as I have planned, I’m not sure about the final gear ratio with the 2.66:1 and the 29" tires or how I’m hooking the drive shaft up or the steering in relation to the tank etc.. I’m hoping there is a lot of smart people here to keep me on track.

I’ll post pictures as we go

[Lee H. Mann]

I bought this bike for $800 from an 80yr old that dropped it at the stop light and shattered his leg, it sat for a number of years under a tarp in his front yard. When I brought it home I changed all the fluids, plugs, lube the cables…Blah blah blah and started it…Carbs were too far gone but it would idle and sounded nice. I had a rock’n VS750 and an old 86’ Yamaha FJ1200 on the road so I haven’t been in a rush to get it on the road.

Russell Mitchell built a trike on the biker build off and I fell in love with it way back in 2004 I think, I eventually forgot about it. I went to Vegas last year and Affliction Clothing had a Trike in the show room and the need for a trike came back like gangbusters.

I want this trike to be ridable, overstated, minimal and unforgettable. The rear tires are Mickey Thompson Sportsman S/R 29 x 18 x 20 and the required rims are 20 x 15.

I have the differential out of a 1994 fox body mustang. 8.8 with 2.66:1 ratio, also has posi trac which will have to go if I plan on turning. I’m going to try no fenders and see if I can get away with it. The frame, tank and differential will be painted/powder coated in blue chrome, the tank will be custom and larger than stock and be part of the body work. The differential will be stripped and shortened, new 5 bolt axles with disk brakes.

The front end will be raked by 6 degrees and lengthened by 6”. I’m going to take the controls off the steering and set them up like a car, gas, brake and hand shifter on the right and the clutch on the left. No suspension on the rear, a spring mounted seat is all for better handling.

So that is as far as I have planned, I’m not sure about the final gear ratio with the 2.66:1 and the 29" tires or how I’m hooking the drive shaft up or the steering in relation to the tank etc.. I’m hoping there is a lot of smart people here to keep me on track.

I’ll post pictures as we go

Without rear suspension, there is nothing to keep the wheel and tire on the ground when going around a turn. No suspension, no road holding traction. You are designing a Servicar just so that you know. Good Luck.

[HCDawg]

Servicar...Had to look that up. From everything I've read the trike without suspension is the safest way to go, they don't lean outside on a corner and the lower centre of gravity keeps them planted on the road during corning.

[vw driver]

I owned a Servicar based trike back in the '80s. It was a hard tail and it handled great. That is all that I can add to the discussion.