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PostPosted: July 27, 2013, 1:49 pm 
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Joined: May 26, 2008, 9:02 pm
Posts: 128
Ok, so i drove down to the local dmv to talk to someone yesterday about registering a R-Trike and they all looked at me in confused way and asked me what a reverse trike was.. I told them its a type of motorcycle and they just kept telling me to bring in the proof of insurance and title and its not an issue. I tried to explain to them i was going to create it from scratch and out of the 8 people i spoke to, they told me they had clue and i have to look in the regulation on there website and come back... Was very pissed on there lack of knowledge..

So i looked up a bike shop that makes custom choppers local and they said when they build custom choppers they run them as a replica of an antique Harley and never had an issue..

They told me from what i showed them in the pictures of the MEV Tr1ke that the original frame is never modified structurally.... Just added to it.. and told me that since the original frame is used i could register the bike before the build and run registration and insurance on it as the original R1 bike and call it as that.. He said when they do conversions on bikes to switch the rearend from single wheel to 2 wheels to make a trike of it. There is no requirement to change the title.... also same goes when they add a side cart to any bike... registration and insurance isnt an issue.. because the original frame with vin is used.. and all other parts.. are considered an ADDON to the original frame..

What do you guys think about all of this??
If anyone has any experience on the state of Florida.. could you help me out some..


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PostPosted: July 27, 2013, 4:15 pm 
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Joined: April 12, 2012, 11:56 am
Posts: 662
Location: Pemberton, BC
storx,
I have no idea what the rules are in your state.
I did some research on the same subject a while back, and had very similar conversations with trike builders, who stated pretty much what you have been told. It sounded like an easier inspection/registration process than a car build. However, there is one big caveat in the regulations, which made everything mute. Here in British Columbia, Canada, for a trike or any other motorcycle registration to be valid, the seat has to be a minimum 650 mm off the ground (about 25 in), otherwise it is a car. That's how the CanAm spyders, chopper trikes etc. get passed, but not the MEV. Check the rules carefully.
So I went with a more conventional build.
Hope this helps.

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PostPosted: July 27, 2013, 4:30 pm 
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Joined: May 26, 2008, 9:02 pm
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mgkluft wrote:
storx,
I have no idea what the rules are in your state.
I did some research on the same subject a while back, and had very similar conversations with trike builders, who stated pretty much what you have been told. It sounded like an easier inspection/registration process than a car build. However, there is one big caveat in the regulations, which made everything mute. Here in British Columbia, Canada, for a trike or any other motorcycle registration to be valid, the seat has to be a minimum 650 mm off the ground (about 25 in), otherwise it is a car. That's how the CanAm spyders, chopper trikes etc. get passed, but not the MEV. Check the rules carefully.
So I went with a more conventional build.
Hope this helps.


hmm, i not sat down and read the whole regulation to see what parts apply to mine but i will make sure that isnt an issue as i was leaning more toward the MEV Tr1ke style build, i have done a lot of studying and found people with T-Rex's swapping out the rear wheel to an actual car rim in the 10-13 inch wide range and this fixed all the traction issues for the power the stock motor makes.. the key to a 3 wheel layout isnt the amount of power you make but the power to weight ratio within the traction limits.. I am not trying to make 400hp monster but build something that can grip the road and accelerate like the best of the builds out there.. I have rode in a friends miata based locost and even with the 4 wheels he can spin the tires easily.. so obviously he has more power than his traction can hold.. and his build weighs in around 1700lbs.. so rougly the weight of a lotus elise on a diet....

so my reasons for going the bike engine MEV style is because they can be built in the 500-600lb range.. and still make the power of a stock miata build..


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PostPosted: July 29, 2013, 7:57 pm 
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Joined: June 15, 2009, 10:52 pm
Posts: 142
Location: RTP, NC
mgkluft wrote:
storx,
I have no idea what the rules are in your state.
I did some research on the same subject a while back, and had very similar conversations with trike builders, who stated pretty much what you have been told. It sounded like an easier inspection/registration process than a car build. However, there is one big caveat in the regulations, which made everything mute. Here in British Columbia, Canada, for a trike or any other motorcycle registration to be valid, the seat has to be a minimum 650 mm off the ground (about 25 in), otherwise it is a car. That's how the CanAm spyders, chopper trikes etc. get passed, but not the MEV. Check the rules carefully.
So I went with a more conventional build.
Hope this helps.


Does the law state that the seat located ~25" above ground has to be occupied? IF it doesn't specify this, then mount a bicycle seat at 25" height between the 1-2 seats for driver/passenger... :lol:

bnc


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PostPosted: July 30, 2013, 2:51 pm 
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Joined: April 26, 2008, 6:06 pm
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Location: Under the weather. (Seattle)
From what I've seen, the MEV appears to only use the rear swing arm and running gear from the donor bike, not the actual motorcycle frame. Trying to build the same car with an unmodified motorcycle frame for registration purposes seems it would add complication as well as likely compromises that could reduce some of the performance potential of the vehicle.

storx wrote:
so my reasons for going the bike engine MEV style is because they can be built in the 500-600lb range.. and still make the power of a stock miata build..
Four wheeled BEC's can be built well under 1k lbs as well.

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"Orville Wright did not have a pilots license." - Gordon MacKenzie


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