LocostUSA.com

So Stephan you've got me thinking more about the front engine layout. I'm curious what you might think of using a BMW K series (K75, K100, etc) as a donor? 1) Fuel injection, 2) shaft drive, 3) seem to be relatively plentiful and not too expensive since they are getting older.

_________________
-Keith

Rooster,

I used 1.5x.095 DOM.......... It's not too heavy, but could be made lighter by doing a chassis like the original Morgan Chassis and a light body.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jeffspiccies/4662086167/

But, a chassis done like the CX500 Velorex......with a VW front suspension,could be done as an off road vehicle. I live in the country where 90% of the roads are dirt and it would be nice to have a more offroad compliant cyclecar.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/7965618@N0 ... 186996789/

And, it could look like this............
http://motorcycle-74.blogspot.com/2011/ ... ed-20.html

_________________
Ahh; gitty up!

Keith
i personally would not consider anything under 1000 cc ... even in a very lightweight R-T
back in ~1990 my bro used to have a K100 for a while (in between boxer R`s)
imho they sounded weird (kinda like a sewing machine having sex with a blender ?!? )
was not a very exiting Bike at iirc ~ 90 hp... and my FJ 1200 had a lot more "grunt" over the entire powerband
however, he toured lots of miles (or kilometers ... this was back in europa) with very minimal trouble

i guess the old (longitude/laying on its side) K would be nice for low CofG
but i think one of the newer generation K1200/1300 (forward tilted transverse l-4 @ iirc between 140-175 hp) would be a hell of a lot more fun
(if you can find a wrecked one at a reasonable price )



i do like Yamaha`s ... but i guess any reasonably "new" (wrecked) shaft driven +1000 cc bike would do

_________________
- Stephan -

No doubt those newer models are dead sexy.

_________________
-Keith

now that i most likely change my plan to a curved tube all aluminum chassis (with the body as a structural part) i`m back to thinkering how to actually build the body
(preferably "all metal" ... without any fiberglass parts )

(as i mentioned already) to save fab time (and ease of replacement/repeat-ability) i`m planing on using a "hotrod" `26 Ford grille shell like this :


(unlike the stock model A shell this aftermarket one is slightly chopped, flattened on the bottom and has all holes filled)

forming the sides and all the large radius bends is fairly easy, but i`m still kinda struggling with how to finish the rear end ....



i want something with nicely rounded corners (so that the rear does not look like its sawed off)
custom forming/fab`ing that shape is a lot of hassle ... so while i was cleaning some pots and pans i had a sudden inspiration;
how about cutting the tail out of a professional kitchen roasting pan like this;



fairly cheap (~$30 for 16 gauge aluminum) and ready available in many different sizes ....
may need to make a dimple die to french the tail lights into it
the (bottom) edge radius is a little sharper then what i had in mind, but oh well

with the curved tube frame i can not do the "rolled under" side panels anyway.
i think i simply do "sharp" bottom corners with a small L-angle "rub-rails" for some extra protection against dents
something similar like on this Morgan replica ; http://www.spitfireart.com/BLATTING%20AT%20BLYTON2.jpg

_________________
- Stephan -

yeah... i was also planing on 1.5 x.095 at first ... and then considered .083 main & .065 braces
but after thinkering with it for a couple days i`m positive that i can build the trike just as ridgid, strong and safe in all aluminum ...
but overall considerably lighter then a .095 space frame.

i guess i`m now infected by the "light is right" bug

after some searching and also reading "Rad`s ecotec" build thread ( http://www.locostusa.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=35&t=6783&hilit=Rad%27s+Ecotec ),
i decided to ditch the (waaaaay overkill for my application) forged steel IMCA (mustangII/pinto) spindles.

the aluminum "Legends" racing spec spindles seem to be perfect for a R-T ;




i especially like the "modular" steering arm (for experimenting with ackerman and steering ratio)

my R-T should be 1/2 the weight of Ron`s Locost ... and probably also 10-20% lighter then a Legends race car
legends run 205/60R13 (~22.6" tall) ... compared to that a 195/55R16 (~24.4" tall) is not grossly bigger or heavier
so the strength should be more then adequate ... and the price is also not too bad.

combine the aluminum spindle with the lighter ball joints, a-arms, hubs, ...etc and i probably shed at least 40 lbs off of the front axle (and most of it un-suspended mass)

i just wish i could find any exact dimensions/drawings of the spindle to start designing the a-arm layout

_________________
- Stephan -