LF's Trike powered by TITAN Front Wheel Drive!

My son had my card reader this weekend and I JUST got it today so I was able to upload that Duane video from last friday. Here's Duane on the Buggy Bike!
YouTube - Duane on the buggy bike!

I'll make another video to show you just how fast this thing is. The way tall gearing although kicks some serious a#$ is giving me a workout getting it up to speed. I have an idea though on how to fix this.
Stay tuned!

I do have this one video hauling my goggies doing about 25 mph at 1/4 throttle. Yes,this gearing is quite high.

YouTube - Criusing on the Buggy Bike with goggies!

I fixed my gearing!! Yea I just found out not too long ago that the Grainger site that's been around here actually has a local store close by to me! So I picked up a 12 tooth axle sprocket. It's designed for a #40 chain which is just wider than the 415 chain so I had to get 10 feet of that at Lowes it was cheaper than Grainger and only needed a few links! But that 12 on the jackshaft absolutely FIXED my gearing. I'm figuring the extra 2 teeth with the wheel sprocket being a 28 tooth is equivalent of having a 34 tooth (takes 3 revolutions of the engine sprocket for one revolution of the wheel,2 times 3 is 6 add that to 28 you get 34) Then when you figure this is a 20 inch wheel not a 26 inch a 44 tooth on a 24 inch wheel is equivalent to a 48 tooth on a 26 inch wheel so with that thinking from 26 to 20 is 2 teeth per inch adds to 12 teeth means my gearing right now is equivalent to having a 46 tooth sprocket on a 26 inch wheel sometimes my thinking even scares me.
Took it to Ace Hardware just now new store got a free bucket these are the things that give me joy and picked up two allen bolts that get a better bite on the axle to that new sprocket and it now has the pulling power I need and a speed that's not detrimental to my life I can still go 25 though rather easily so my calculations may be off.
All I need now is to give this bad boy a better paint job.
To install the sprocket I have the original sprocket welded to the shaft. The new ones have it where the sprocket is bolted to the shaft. I just flipped the jack shaft around now the welded sprocket just spins on the other side.

Grainger has those sprockets in other sizes. It goes all the way up to 25 tooth! So it's rather possible to use even a 26 inch 5 speed hub wheel to a 26 inch trike up front link the 28 tooth over and use maybe an 18 tooth jack shaft axle and you have a freewheel.
Or if you have a 24 inch trike I'm guessing a 16 tooth would work for a 28 tooth wheel sprocket.
I'm also thinking in theory you can mount two fixed spoke sprockets side by side same number of teeth up front and have two axle sprockets driving two chains for visual coolness!
Getting the chain adjusted to the right tension is a no brainer too. A washer here a washer there and presto!

I'm thinking a 25 tooth may work for something like a 3 speed hub with a 20 tooth sprocket?
GEARS for little cost,yo.

It wouldn't even have to be a trike. Any bicycle where you need the back to haul your kid or whatever should work as well.

This engine has seen by now close to 4,000 miles I just ride my bike every day. I made a small video to show you the freewheel and the coolness of it all.

YouTube - Buggy Bike on a stand

I did my math and right now my engine sprocket turns a bit more than 3 times for every one turn of the wheel. I did my math wrong earlier. With the 10 tooth originally on there it turned 2.8 times for every one turn of the wheel (28 teeth,10 tooth jackshaft 10,10) With the 12 tooth in theory it should turn 3.4 times bit it actually turns at about 3.2 times.
So I did some math and if I was to obtain a 20 inch 3 speed wheel (easier to put on a fork that would accept a brake or somehow use the coaster setup and keep the original fork who knows) with a 20 tooth sprocket and get a 20 tooth jackshaft gear on the end I would get exactly 4 revolutions on the engine sprocket for every one turn of the wheel. That would be too low. A 15 tooth sprocket would get me right at 3 which is about where I am now but I want to keep the sprocket count even so I don't play havock with half links on the chain so I think a 16 tooth would work out fine.
This sprocket if I pick it up at my local Graingers incredibly close to my house without shipping charges would put me at about 16 dollars. Then it's off to the thrift stores in search for that 3 speed 20 inch wheel. I already have 10 feet of #40 chain.
That would be all I need to get a freewheeling 3 speed wheel adapted to my trike. If I remember right,2nd gear is the "fixed" gear(the gear if it's just a single speed),1st gear is a step down and 3rd gear a step up. Pulling power,cruising and top speed I'm dizzy excuse me....

Were all crazy here TD!!!!

Took the Buggy Bike to Cherry Creek today. That's my 26 mile one way ride to my agency. Made it there and back without a hitch. People on the trail were stopping me not to harass how strange but to check out my trike!
It was pretty cool. On that one pic below you see a piece of metal on my pull starter. I expoxy'd that on there to fix a crack that was starting to develop by where the pull starter bolt goes. It keeps it from developing into a break. You can also see on that pic the welded sprocket that just spins there now cause I flipped the jackshaft over to accept the 12 tooth.
This engine and carrier 4,000 miles today.
I found a 3 speed hub in my pile of junk! Rim is taco'ed though. 36 holes and I have a 36 hole rim. Spokes may not work for the coaster hub diameter on the rim and spokes I want to salvage is smaller than the 3 speed hub. Bike shop says 65 dollars with new spokes.
Maybe I may luck out at the thrift stores.
I dunno though. It would have to be rather vintage.
It's frustrating for when I was a kid these hubs were EVERYWHERE!
A 3 speed would be so fly. But on hills on my current setup some pedaling and it's rather okay.
You can tell though this trike has some weight.
But it's good weight.

The original configuration on my trike before the engine was 36/20,way too low. I had to up it to the current 48(from a 10 speed bike) front with 20 rear gearing just to keep up with the engine. And even this gearing is a bit short. I want to change the rear sprocket to less teeth but it seems this coaster hub won't accept the sprockets I have laying around common to all coasters. The one on my bike is a bit bigger.
Sometimes it's a bit scary around turns though especially left turns. If you have to make a sudden left turn your right back wheel if it lifts off that's the wheel that drives my pedals. If it lifts off I suddenly have no brakes!!
I really need to get a front brake on this puppy. A different fork is inevitable for the fork on there now has no provision for a brake for the original brake is a drum.

I called in for a 14 tooth sprocket and a 5 pack of locking links whatever you call it for the #40 chain at the Grainger then drove over and picked it up within a few hours! This is their express store and they get their deliveries three times a day. What's really cool is that there's no shipping charges!
Here's the sprocket after a trip to Ace hardware for better holding screws.
Then Grainger gave me their catalogue!
It was fun.
The 14 is for better pulling up the hills. It does rather better than the 12 but it compromised in speed. But for a heavy trike like this I rather like the lower gearing. What's really cool is that I kept the same chain that the 12 tooth used. I just removed some washers on the engine studs and it fit right up!

When I can figure out...I'll just save up I think the 65 bucks the bike shop will charge me to lace up my 3 speed hub to a 20 inch rim. When I get that done I'm gonna go for a 20 tooth. That should be the ticket for a 20 tooth sprocket.

Right now with my 14 tooth and the 28 tooth wheel sprocket my gearbox gear turns almost 4 times for every one revolution of my wheel. With the 20 tooth on the jackshaft and the 20 tooth sprocket on the 3 speed wheel it should turn exactly 4 times for every one revolution of the wheel. That should be a good 2nd gear. First gear would pull the steepest of hills and 3rd gear should get me up to speed. And if the gearing overall is too low then just change the wheel sprocket to a 19 or 18.
But for now,this is good.
That 3 speed is down the road.

In search of a 3 speed 20 inch wheel,I actually have a good working 3 speed hub with coaster collecting dust in my garage. Years ago something told me to hold on to that. Glad I did because last week I went to a real live bonified bicycle salvage yard on Morrison road in Denver and found just ONE 3 speed 20 inch wheel. And the hub was damaged and the wheel wasn't true at all.
So I went here:

Bicycle Repair - Building Bicycle Wheels

And pulled my coaster brake wheel from thrift store bike and proceeded to lacing her up.

I gotta thank whoever did that tutorial for without them I would be lost.

So now all I need is a 20 tooth wheel sprocket( The one on the hub is an 18) a 20 tooth jack shaft sprocket,and a 3 speed shifter. E Bay has an old schwinn style frame shifter MMMMmmmmmm..

Gears very very SOON!!!

What ya think of my wheel truing stand?


YouTube - First real attempt at lacing a wheel

First mishap on the Buggy Bike. Pedal chain decided to fail while traveling along at a steady pace.
I only have coaster brakes.

IT WAS FUN!!!!

So I have all this #40 chain laying around.

The decision was obvious.

Yes. It's smooth. And it's insurance.

But I need a front brake.

Look at the condition of that pedal chain.

I risked my life on that puppy.

Winter ride!
YouTube - Winter riding my Buggy Bike

UPDATE:
I think I have everything now it will take to make my Buggy Bike a 3 speed!
Pic below shows the one slow up I had taken at the local Graingers. I thought a 20 tooth sprocket that's for a #35 chain is just thinner. That's the one on the left. The one on the right is what I need. That's for a #40 chain. Big difference. And then they don't make a sprocket that large for a 1/2 inch bore so I needed a reducer. That's that silver thing up above on that pic. It just slides in there and sandwiches together.

So. I have a 3 speed twist shifter salvaged from MOOP ONE when it did duty shifting the front derailier... Or I think it can go 3 speeds. It should be okay for now. If not I'll use the one meant for the rear. What's nice is I can see what gear I'm in by looking at the cable end because everything is up front. I have my 3 speed laced by muah then I e-bay'ed the 3 speed cable and screw assembly. I just need a cable holder that holds the cable at the fork. I think I can rig up a simple cable screw then tightened down by a hose clamp. As long as it clamps down to just the cable bolt I should be golden.
I did find a 19 tooth wheel sprocket. I really wanted a 20 but it should do okay.
Tomorrow will be snowing. I've been riding every day. I'll have to ride up to Ace Hardware for some grade 8 or better (they make a grade 10. Go figure) bolts to replace the allen set screws on that sprocket. Then it's retire it and get busy.
I think I may need to reposition the carrier away from the axle. That 3 speed hub LOOKS like it would make it but the 3 speed side I would rather have that shifter screw seat all the way down so it shifts right. Then tire changes would be easier.
I will take lots of pics.
It's gonna rule.
I would do it now but it's getting cold.

I'll take pics in the morning. I have just my camera phone at the moment. No flash so the pics came out cruddy.
So. All I have left to do is cut a chain to go around that massive 20 tooth jack-shaft sprocket.
I installed a front brake! It's surprisingly sturdy.
The carrier is a little higher up for I used the supports. It's no longer tied to the axle.
I spent 3 hours just adjusting everything out with engine off the carrier taking my time. Turning the wheel,watching the chain roll on the sprockets,feeling for the slightest miniscule chain bind that warrants a turn of the adjusting nut. When the sprocket tooth touches the right side wall of the chain ever so slightly,then turn the nuts a half a turn on the right to raise it,test,turn,test,turn. I eyeball the carrier to see that it's level. I need a leveler.
It's smooth now.
So the way I had it before this conversion,the 5 to 1 sprocket turned 4 times for every one revolution of the wheel. Now with the 3 speed,1st gear it turns 5 times. 2nd gear it turns 4 times like it did before. And third gear it turns 3 times.
In other words as far as engine revolutions go,1st gear is 25 revolutions for one turn of the wheel,2nd gear is 20 revolutions and 3rd gear is 15 revolutions.
I should get decent speeds not crazy 30 mph is too fast mostly I can keep my engine idle down. And 1st gear I should be able to climb those steep hills without pedaling much.
Can't wait for tomorrow! Let's see. I greased up that hub,just cut that chain,adjust the engine.
I'll try to make a video. It's gonna be a bit tricky changing my phone between my hands so I can shift.
I am happy right now!