Home Built Subaru Trike

[Speed Demon]

Hello everybody. I introduced myself in the new members forum and now I need some advice. I rode this trike last Sunday and I must say it wasn't exactly fun. This was my first experience on a trike and of course I am not used to the handling characteristics.

First of all it needs BRAKES BRAKES BRAKES. It has only rear disc single piston calipers with a 4 port dune buggy master cylinder. I have to STAND on the pedal to get it to stop. I extended the pedal arm to help but it did not do much. So I have ordered a dual master cylinder setup with 1" bore cylinders. I plan to run 1 cylinder to each wheel in the rear with the hopes that if a caliper or hose or cylinder fails I will still have a working brake on 1 wheel.

I know it will probably pull to the side that is working but my thinking is 1 is better than none !! What do you all think ?? Also I have found and ordered the complete front dual disc setup to add for straight stopping. ?????? Secondly What the heck is the best way to keep the front end on the ground ?? If I come off the clutch too quick or throttle just a bit hard the front end comes up.

If I am in a curve like pulling out of a road, when I shift to 2nd even throttling easy the front wheel looses contact with road and when it comes down naturally I don't have the front wheel in the exact position it was in when losing contact so it swerves a bit when it comes down.

Steering damper ????? Weight on front ???? Wheelie bars ???? I am more interested in safety than looking cool. So please chime in and help me figure out the best way forward. There are other issues but these 2 are the main ones for now. Thanks in advance for any advice given !!!

[ol' school]

I am thinking wheelie bars...

[1dn5up]

I see front rotors but no calipers? So I would start there.

If that motor is a transverse, it’s heavier than a VW , so load up the front with some lead and see how it does . Personaly, mid engine would ballance it out.

Not responsible for my insane information

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Welcome to the Gang from Western Colorado. Sharp ride.

[LarryA]

I would think, with single caliper rears....that a smaller bore master cyl, maybe 3/4 bore or less, would make for less braking effort. I am not liking the idea of the dual m/c set up like that. With light a front end , braking at high speeds, with possible uneven pressure things could get dicey real fast. I think with the increased pressure of the smaller bore your brakes will work much better.

yes, move weight forward, add weight forward, do what you have to do, That's a very nice trike you got there, just needs some fine tuning! my .02 Larry

[LarryA]

One thing I would try before getting into master cylinders, is to try brake pads of different materials.....sometime the more long wearing pads ( metalic etc.) need more pressure to grab. I would try a stock or cheaper pad, might make a difference! Might be worth a try???? Perforated discs may grab better also????

Larry

[Papa Zook]

Hi Greg and welcome to the forum. I like the looks of your trike. What is under the front cowling? Is there room for some lead ballast under there?

[Speed Demon]

Hi Greg and welcome to the forum. I like the looks of your trike. What is under the front cowling? Is there room for some lead ballast under there?

Hi Papa Zook. Yes there is room for some ballast. I have access to some 100# rectangular lead plates. The master cylinder is under the very front and hangs down below the framing so I either have to relocate it or remove it. I have ordered a floor mount m/cyl setup so I can remove it. Also I was thinking I have enough room under the front to hang a donut spare tire and make a cover out of some 14ga metal. The trike sits off the ground a little more than I like so it worries me about air flowing underneath and lifting the front up @ highway speeds. I think making the tire cover around 6" with the same curvature as the front has may actually help keep the front down. Does that make sense ???

[Speed Demon]

I see front rotors but no calipers? So I would start there.

If that motor is a transverse, it’s heavier than a VW , so load up the front with some lead and see how it does . Personaly, mid engine would ballance it out.

Not responsible for my insane information

Hi 1dn5up. The Subaru is adapted to the VW tranny so no transverse. I have found and ordered the complete front brake setup which will hopefully make straight braking much much better, but in a turn ?????? Probably won't use the front much in a turn, might get scary.

[1dn5up]

Hi 1dn5up. The Subaru is adapted to the VW tranny so no transverse. I have found and ordered the complete front brake setup which will hopefully make straight braking much much better, but in a turn ?????? Probably won't use the front much in a turn, might get scary.

You can call me Frank ,

Most of your stopping power is on the front wheel, so if you can keep it on the ground ya got it made. Never brake in a turn, slowdown before. Also another thing to consider is the front rake issue, Zook is very knowledgeable on that. That motor has lots more guts than the VW, be carefull !

[stacebg]

You can call me Frank ,

Most of your stopping power is on the front wheel, so if you can keep it on the ground ya got it made. Never brake in a turn, slowdown before. Also another thing to consider is the front rake issue, Zook is very knowledgeable on that. That motor has lots more guts than the VW, be carefull !

generally speaking front has more stopping power but you need a good part of weigh in the front seems a lot of the rear engine trike dont have enough weight for good stopping power in the front

[stacebg]

Hello everybody. I introduced myself in the new members forum and now I need some advice. I rode this trike last Sunday and I must say it wasn't exactly fun. This was my first experience on a trike and of course I am not used to the handling characteristics.

First of all it needs BRAKES BRAKES BRAKES. It has only rear disc single piston calipers with a 4 port dune buggy master cylinder. I have to STAND on the pedal to get it to stop. I extended the pedal arm to help but it did not do much. So I have ordered a dual master cylinder setup with 1" bore cylinders. I plan to run 1 cylinder to each wheel in the rear with the hopes that if a caliper or hose or cylinder fails I will still have a working brake on 1 wheel.

I know it will probably pull to the side that is working but my thinking is 1 is better than none !! What do you all think ?? Also I have found and ordered the complete front dual disc setup to add for straight stopping. ?????? Secondly What the heck is the best way to keep the front end on the ground ?? If I come off the clutch too quick or throttle just a bit hard the front end comes up.

If I am in a curve like pulling out of a road, when I shift to 2nd even throttling easy the front wheel looses contact with road and when it comes down naturally I don't have the front wheel in the exact position it was in when losing contact so it swerves a bit when it comes down.

Steering damper ????? Weight on front ???? Wheelie bars ???? I am more interested in safety than looking cool. So please chime in and help me figure out the best way forward. There are other issues but these 2 are the main ones for now. Thanks in advance for any advice given !!!

as for the brakes the 1st thing comes to mind is the size of the tire... guessing the diameter is quite a bit more than the stock tires for the original set up... been there before.... the bigger the tire the more "leverage " they have on the axle / brakes... dont know how to explain it better... ask any one who put monster tires on a truck

maybe you put some bigger disks on...i had a subie rear in one of mine had drum brake and to get the gear ration right had to put huge tires on... tried different mc an long pedal... to no avail...adapted some disk better ... not good then went to a bigger disk an it was fine..

you might find a smaller diameter mc will help but i doubt it will be enough

as for a dual m/c i would advise against it dont think it would stop straight, if you are worried about breaking a line or something an e brake would be safer

as for the front end coming up imho wheelie bars are only a bandaid.. they help taking off but pretty useless in a corner you need a lot of weight to off set all the weight that is behind the axle...

stace

[Speed Demon]

Hi guys. Well I have read some of the advice given on my braking situation and have decided to change course accordingly. My dual master cylinder setup is due in any day now. As soon as it gets here , its going on ebay to sell. I found a 3/4" single master cylinder that has the larger reservoir and a floor mount pedal. I am mounting it on the running board so I can scrap the m/cyl that is underneath. Then I can add some lead to the very front. The current cylinder is a empi style 22mm bore 4 port for a dune buggy. I couldn't find a 5/8 bore with the larger reservoir. They all had tiny ones like for a clutch. I am going to start with a 100# weight all the way to the very front. If that is not enough the I will double it up and see what happens. My front end brakes came in today so I can install them between now and this weekend. I am also considering changing to larger calipers and vented rotors as was suggested. I didn't mention earlier that the rear rotors were non-vented. I don't have a clue what the current disc brake system came off of, but with some good buddies at the wrecking yard, I can come with a workable scenario. Also I bought a backrest for the driver so my back won't hurt after riding for 3 or 4 days straight !!! Will be back in a week or so with new pics and info on how the upgrades work. Thanks for the advice, I knew I came to the right place !!

[neal]

Even if you have issues doing wheelies now..what`s gonna happen when you get past low speeds and the large wing spoiler starts making down-force ?

[Speed Demon]

Even if you have issues doing wheelies now..what`s gonna happen when you get past low speeds and the large wing spoiler starts making down-force ?

Hi Neal. I have already encountered issues with the spoiler. After loading on the trailer and hitting the interstate I noticed very quickly the trailer was swaying side to side. It was so bad I had to pull over to re-evaluate the load. So I changed the load and moved the hitch (adjustable) and it was just as bad as before. I finally figured out that the center part of the spoiler was the issue. It was removable so I took it out. Then I could run highway speeds 55 to 60. I have driven the trike at around 50 mph so far without the center section and have noticed no issues. But a windy day may offer different results.

[neal]

Speedy, Maybe the removal of the spoiler is the next step. Put it on Craigslist..(just in time for Xmas)..some kid with a Honda Civic needs a gigantic whale-tail to go with his 8" fart-can excuse for a muffler.

[1dn5up]

Even if you have issues doing wheelies now..what`s gonna happen when you get past low speeds and the large wing spoiler starts making down-force ?

Cut that closeline in 1/2 , mount it on the front forks , and load it up with lead.

[Speed Demon]

Well I finally got some parts in that would work so I put them on today. I had wrong bracket issues but finally found some. I put a different wheel with a new tire on today also. Here are a few pics of the brake upgrade (no front brakes to having front brakes). New master cylinder is on the way for the front. Also I received the brake pedal mount and 3/4 bore master cylinder and will start on it right after I find out how much the braking is improvedby adding front brakes. I want to check each step and log the results. Once again thanks for the suggestions.

[Speed Demon]

Cut that closeline in 1/2 , mount it on the front forks , and load it up with lead.

Hey Frank. For now I'm gonna leave the closeline on just in case my dryer breaks !!

[stacebg]

guessing those back tires are wayyyyyy bigger than the stock subie wheels

that hurts the mechanical advantage a lot