Tom17 wrote:
Just an opinion though so basically useless lol. Sorry
It's still appreciated.
dhempy wrote:
Hey, Nate. First time I've looked at this thread. Great stuff!
One thing that you haven't shared with us is your goal for the trike. We can assume certain things, but better to have you state them. Is this an econobox? Cool toy? Daily commuter? Masters thesis? Seed of your future fortunes?
What do you want to DO with this bike?
Thanks! This trike is intended to just scoot around town, most of the trips being only 4 miles per day or so, but I'd also like it to be fun. I want to be able to go 35 mph, and a bit of quick acceleration and sharp handling would be a definite plus. However it is mainly a learning project. I want to build a full size car someday, but I have absolutely no automotive experience coming into this and very little fabricating experience, so this is where I am learning all the basics.
dhempy wrote:
Google for "Nacho Libre motorcycle" or similar. I got on a kick to replicate Nacho Libre's trike for a while and found 2-3 builders online who shared their insight. A lot of focus on the front wheels. That bike (apparently a common cargo bicycle in less fuel-addicted countries, such as Mexico) has outboard axle support, which HUGELY reduces load on the axle.
Why such a big back tire? Seems like gross overkill. I'm no engineer, but I don't see your current rear suspension keeping that wheel true, even with the square profile.
The problem I see with the Nacho Libre trike is the lack of Ackermann. It seems like at speeds higher than 5 mph or so, it would be very tippy in corners. As for the back tire, it is holding up much more weight than the front, and it is having to take all of the torque of the electric motor. If I go through with putting the batteries on either side of this wheel, I even think it may not be strong enough. My suspension may need to be rethought though
dhempy wrote:
At this point, if you're still with it, you can buy the expensive bits and have a reasonable level of confidence to move forward with it. You might add those to your evolutionary prototype, or it might be worth building the next frame anew, carrying over certain components from the frankentrike.
BTW, if you do this, you'll die, and you can't sue me for talking you into doing dumb stuff. So there.
-dave
I feel like this is has not been stated clearly, but the bullet has already been bitten- I do have the "expensive bits" already, and they are quite heavy. My drive system has a total weight of about 275 lbs. Before your recoil in indignation, this is not the 12Ah 36v system commonly found on electric bikes. I have 48v and 115Ah at my disposal. At max acceleration, I can draw 12kW, once my controller is reprogrammed that is, and can roll at 20mph for over 150 miles, if my calculations are correct. While I now realize that this is overkill, I think it will definitely be interesting to see the results.