Indian Tadpole

Hi Rick,

The electric tri car is legal in Canada if it's no more than 500w and doesn't go faster than 32k/20mph. Gas power bicycles aren't legal but that seems to have died down as far as the police go. Haven't seen anything in the news about anyone being pulled over in a long time.

I'll have to out to the garage and look at the power rating on the Currey mid motor and see what the rating is at 72V. I'm waffling between 48v and 72v but I'll probably go with 72v for the added power in case I should be able to entice an unwitting victim to sit in the front seat.

Of course I do have the ability to show any interested uniform wearing parties my handicapped card and explain that it is a personal conveyance for the physically infirm and the morally decrepit. I haven't found any limits for the handicapped carts other than a safe sidewalk speed.
Of course I'll be on the road. The old types around here don't out of the way quickly no matter how loud the horn and they all seem to take it personally when you do offer a warning.


The really bright side of it is I can impress the Hippy Chicks down at the senior center with the new ride but riding double is not allowed.

When I saw Pat's bike with the electric motor disguised in the slick faux motor my mind started racing as well. The usual Sportscar Pat perfection and attention to detail. Not having the skills to do what he does I started to work on how It would be possible to get that type of look.
I flirted with an electric Indian Twin and sidecar set up using a made up motor with the electric motor inside. Round the engine fins if needed to get the early look.

When I have both of my tri cars done as well as Silverbears finished up this summer I have to see if I have the steam to get parts from Pat and do the Indian sidecar build.

All the bike parts that I'll never use will be going to my son this summer. Reality is that my brother will just put them on the side of the road in front of the house with "Free" on them once I'm gone.
Maybe they will become the bike I always wanted to build or another racing bar stool or mobile sofa.

Steve.

"Handy" cap vehicle rings a more positive note around the ladies, while still playing the "old guy" card during the Po Po encounters. Im'a likin' your style Steve! Can you imagine a 72 volt 10,000 watt terra gator all terrain handicap "chair" with roll cage? I just thinking projects for when we get old.

The past few weeks almost all my riding has been on the electric & it's been a positive experience for me. I can definitely see the possibility of electric bike projects in my future, beyond the fat bike & sidecar project. I've already a half dozen gas bikes & three pedal rigs to trip over!

Rick C.

Steve,
"The usual Sportscar Pat perfection and attention to detail."
Pat has an advantage. Design Software, specifically.
https://www.solidworks.com/
I have modeled and machined metal parts with SurfCam,
Solidworks is full 3D at all levels. Pat designs parts the software develops a flat blank cut by lasers and formed by
NC brake presses. All his machines are built to tolerances that rack of eye will never replicate. If you go electric, you may want to consult with Pat.
By the way, I checked pricing Standard Solidworks.
$3995 US
Tom

I have pictured a tracked conveyance with the large fella in it. Electric would be perfect so as to cut down the public's desire to remove me from it to display their anger at the noise as I cruise up our beaches.

It would be certain that the uniformed crowd would remove me from it and the end would be no less stressful.

Steve.

I had figured that the parts for Pat's electric motor had been most likely laser cut Tom. It is the only way to do it today. I envy people with the skills to design it and set it up.

I figured what it would cost to buy the Standard Solidworks in Canadian dollars. A mere $5,288. Then you add taxes, shipping and duty on top of that.

Steve.

Since I sold my machine shop & welding/fab shops I've acclimated well to doing things with hand tools and buying off the shelf from Pat and others. I see no reason to reinvent the wheel on every part yet I often modify to suit my purpose. The resulting builds are all different as I never use the same frame style, fork, tank etc. One off builds look hand built and are unique in part because of it. The larger percentage of new bike (motorized or not) purchasers want perfect and shiny creations & anyone trying to make a living from building bikes for this majority group responds to this. When I buy a new product I also expect a new fit and finish as a part of the quality guarantee.

There is a smaller market for one off customs, these buyers want bikes that are unique and good fabricators cater to these individuals as well, but building to spec, one off builds is a slower & thus more expensive process than the repetitive basic platform used to produce multiple models with differing paint and applique schemes. Vendors that build in higher quantities would be quite foolish to ignore automated design and production techniques to achieve their required yearly outputs, while holding production costs to a minimum. There is a place for both types of vendors and I'm not knocking either. What I am on about is that most of us are not either of these types. We instead build one offs to suit ourselves, as a hobby, and I'd say all should be quite proud and content with the efforts I've seen displayed on this forum & most of these are created with hand tools and after market items purchase or repurposed parts that are then modified to suit the purpose. Good on all for using what we can find to built what we want, while keeping our design and tool costs to a minimum!

Rick C,

The garage is slowly taking shape. Shelves are full and there are still boxes that need a home. Worst part is there is no more room for more shelves. Better weather in a week and a half and I want to be ready for it.

Odd how arthritis reacts to the cold. Cold as in the mid 30's in the garage.
Without gloves it feels like my hands are burning as if they were in a fire. Interesting but not a lot of fun.
Trying to get everything cleaned up and back to normal by the weekend.

Silver Bear and Sue are getting ready for their move from Wisconsin to Ely MN. Silverbear moved to Wisconsin to live with Sue and now they have decided to move to Ely since it was Silverbears long time home and Sue's family have a cottage nearby.
Looks like Bike Camp won't be in the woods anymore and will be working out of a garage.

Who would have thought that would happen.

Steve.

Worst part is there is no more room for more shelves. same problem here. Trying to do cleaning, just seems to go from one spot to another. LOL So now scrap trailer or trash can.

Glad you are able to do something, and bike camp will happen. Hope it is not in the city, you will have to be quiet LOL

Corner lot in town. We may be back at the lake.

Steve.

That be Kool, then you could holler Wha-Hoo any time ya want............Curt

Good news on the Silver bear coming home Steve. I'm letting weather & health issues win for now, but still ride daily to spite 'em….

Rick C.

We have some veiled threats from the weather people of better weather coming our way towards the end of the week. Still snow where the sun can't get at it and it's be replenished a couple of time since the first snow fall weeks ago. We live in the Banana Belt of Canada. Two blocks from the Pacific Ocean and twenty minutes from the U.S. border.

Coldest February on record in our corner of British Columbia. Still doing much better than my friend who lives in North Moose Tickle, B.C. Six foot snow banks and they haven't seen it warm up to 0F in weeks. It was down to -45F at one point. It's the same in Celsius.

With apologies to those that are locked in a real winter but I spent most of my 75 years living in the Eastern part of North America in both the U.S. and Canada. I understand all to well what winter is.

Garage clean up will continue and the finish of the tri car build will be starting tomorrow.

Steve.

Sounds good, getting better here also, after a 8" dump of snow last night sun is shining, and a couple days will get rain and warmer.......Curt

Garage clean up will continue and the finish of the tri car build will be starting tomorrow.
Hurray Steve ! We are all getting tired of Winter.
The 50ft approach to my shop is an inclined skating ring. I won't let my 72 yr old wife near it.
Tom from Rubicon

Tom from Rubicon said:

Garage clean up will continue and the finish of the tri car build will be starting tomorrow.
Hurray Steve ! We are all getting tired of Winter.
The 50ft approach to my shop is an inclined skating ring. I won't let my 72 yr old wife near it.
Tom from Rubicon

Click to expand...

We used to go to the city tennis courts that they removed net and poles and filled with a couple inches of water to go ice-skating in the winter, admission 50 cents. When I saw that the hills in the park were encrusted with snow and a sheen of ice, I skated up and down hill there for free. Now they have trails and I think Olympic sport made to ice-skate for competition. Maybe need crampons to go for a walk?

Funny you should mention crampons Steve. In my youth I fancied Ice Climbing after reading " Ice Climbing " by Yvon Chouinard. Ice hammers and crampons hanging in the shed. Crampons are over kill on our conditions. The local ice fishing solution is Yak Tracks. Dicey on linoleum.
Tom from Rubicon

I hope its OK post this, I know this is a Motor Bike / Car thread.... but anyway Canadian ice-skating, practicing hockey on a trail.

That was a hoot! Thanks MT, post it the Tavern for wider distribution.
Tom from Rubicon

Weather has broken here it seems. Low 50's the past few days and sun for the most part. Got sidetracked for camper repairs but the work bench is nearly bare and most of the tri car parts have been found.

There were the usual, what's in this box finds. Always interesting. Started a bin for the bits and pieces going to my son. That made room for the piles on the floor to go onto the shelves which of course made room for more piles on the floor. Felt like a dog chasing it's tail without the pleasure of catching it.

Started a bike camp box and a have to take with me, tool list. This has yet to do us out of our first yearly trip to Harbour Freight. Always something forgotten. It's a 200 mile round trip to Duluth, Minnesota with side trips to the farm supply ect.

The Harbour Freight list for home is growing as well. The nearest store is 25 miles away in Bellingham, Washington but usually the time it takes to go down, do the buying and get back is less than getting through the two border crossings.

Then since I haven't been out of Canada for 24 hours there is the necessary trip into customs for taxes and duty. It's $200 duty free after 24 hours and $800 after 48 hour. That's Canadian dollars. I can't spend more than $150 U.S.D. or $600 U.S.D.

Cost us $1.28 Canadian to buy $1 U.S.D.

After being out of the country for the correct amount of time we just have to show what we bought and the sales receipts for it and we're good to go without going inside. If you get caught trying to slide something in undeclared and you'll be sent inside every time you go through and they are not always kind when they search your vehicle. Yes, you get to put every thing back together and no, they won't loan you tools.

Hopefully in the next few days I'll have some photos.

Steve.

Hi, M.T.

I enjoyed that. I've done that myself when the chance presented it's self. Road ways, sidewalks, where ever ice could be found.

Steve.