Hi, all!
I go by Rodekyll, which is also the name of the 1976 Moto Guzzi Convert that I've had since 1978. I've lurked this site on and off over the past few years as I've been building my concept of a trike, but have waited until now to join the group.
I'm in Sitka, Alaska, right now, a tiny town on a huge island off the Canada coast. We have 17 miles of road, two grocery stores and (recently) two stop lights. I'm in the process of packing my stuff into a big truck and moving it way south, into the woods on Whidbey Island. Then I rejoin my trike in St. Paul, MN, to continue my homeless wander about the country.
Up until my business folded this year, I was the town's computer tech/hippie/biker. I did tech support by day and tinkered with my Moto Guzzis at night (when I wasn't doing the normal Alaska stuff). I also shoot northern lights as a night job. I've been living a subsistence lifestyle for the past 25 years.
Every year I have tried to launch off the rock and take a trip. To make it count, since it takes five days to get to America from here, I need to run at least one set of tires off the rims per ride. Much of my riding is done on the Alcan, Klondike, Yellowhead, and other northern roads, but I'm liable to pop up in any time zone or state/provence if the rally looks interesting. Over the miles I've had a lot of time to think about what sort of vehicle I'd most like to take on these treks, and my trike has been built with long distance, poor roads, and scarce gas in mind.
A few years back my mobility began to deteriorate and I was having trouble keeping my bikes up when stopped. It seemed a third wheel was in order. But I couldn't see myself on most of the trike designs I saw, so I tinkered with a few concepts on paper. Then someone bet me a dollar I couldn't make my concept happen -- "just coloring too far outside the lines", he said. Well, them's fightin' words for me, so when a body shop/A&P owner offered me a bay and power, I started laying in materials.
It took three years, several sawzall blades, and money I didn't keep track of, but I built what I call a "motorcycle trike" using the balled-up rear of a totaled Motor trike GL1800 ADV, the EFI engine from a Moto Guzzi California EV, and an occasional hit on a pipe. I'll be participating here to share my experience, offer suggestions that could keep folks from spending silly money like I did on things, ask for the expertise of others, and of course, show off the 3V'L TWIN.
I don't know the protocols here yet, so I'm going to start in the general section. If my stuff belongs elsewhere, please let me know.
Nice to be here
-- Rk
I go by Rodekyll, which is also the name of the 1976 Moto Guzzi Convert that I've had since 1978. I've lurked this site on and off over the past few years as I've been building my concept of a trike, but have waited until now to join the group.
I'm in Sitka, Alaska, right now, a tiny town on a huge island off the Canada coast. We have 17 miles of road, two grocery stores and (recently) two stop lights. I'm in the process of packing my stuff into a big truck and moving it way south, into the woods on Whidbey Island. Then I rejoin my trike in St. Paul, MN, to continue my homeless wander about the country.
Up until my business folded this year, I was the town's computer tech/hippie/biker. I did tech support by day and tinkered with my Moto Guzzis at night (when I wasn't doing the normal Alaska stuff). I also shoot northern lights as a night job. I've been living a subsistence lifestyle for the past 25 years.
Every year I have tried to launch off the rock and take a trip. To make it count, since it takes five days to get to America from here, I need to run at least one set of tires off the rims per ride. Much of my riding is done on the Alcan, Klondike, Yellowhead, and other northern roads, but I'm liable to pop up in any time zone or state/provence if the rally looks interesting. Over the miles I've had a lot of time to think about what sort of vehicle I'd most like to take on these treks, and my trike has been built with long distance, poor roads, and scarce gas in mind.
A few years back my mobility began to deteriorate and I was having trouble keeping my bikes up when stopped. It seemed a third wheel was in order. But I couldn't see myself on most of the trike designs I saw, so I tinkered with a few concepts on paper. Then someone bet me a dollar I couldn't make my concept happen -- "just coloring too far outside the lines", he said. Well, them's fightin' words for me, so when a body shop/A&P owner offered me a bay and power, I started laying in materials.
It took three years, several sawzall blades, and money I didn't keep track of, but I built what I call a "motorcycle trike" using the balled-up rear of a totaled Motor trike GL1800 ADV, the EFI engine from a Moto Guzzi California EV, and an occasional hit on a pipe. I'll be participating here to share my experience, offer suggestions that could keep folks from spending silly money like I did on things, ask for the expertise of others, and of course, show off the 3V'L TWIN.
I don't know the protocols here yet, so I'm going to start in the general section. If my stuff belongs elsewhere, please let me know.
Nice to be here
-- Rk
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