My thanks go to John Stockton
in Wichita, Kansas, USA for these photos. John writes: Here are some pictures of my homebuilt 3-wheeler. It may or may not be of interest. It is powered by a 1200 cc Kaw and I have had to speeds over a 100 mph (160 kph). This three wheeler is straight forward in that it is a welded steel frame adapted to a 1200 cc Kawasaki
with a hand make fiberglass body set on top of it all. I enclosed a picture of the bare frame and motorcycle without the body. Other than removing the fairings and front fork of the motorcycle the only modification to the bike was to mount the radiator on the front of the frame. I tap off the water lines going forward to the radiator for a normal car type cabin heater. The reverse is a electrically driven
wheel that retracts up into the body when not in use. The electric motor to drive the reverse is a starter motor off a Briggs & Straton 11 hp engine. The spindles, front brakes, and rack and pinion steering are off a Ford Mustang. The front suspension is as unique as it is simple and it removes body roll in corners while allowing full suspension travel vertically. It is this suspension that provides stability at high speeds. Other than the fact that the machine begins to feel light at
speeds over 100 mph the trike is as stable as a sports car. It took me about a year in my off time to build it. I started with the wind screen (Dodge Omni) and basically built the body to the wind screen. The body is all foam and fiberglass sandwich construction so it is basically built with a kitchen knife and a paint brush. I could go on but I don't want to bore you. |