The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike

[BarelyAWake]

re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

Yeppers, defo need the lights n'stuff given how short the build is & the nighttime wanderins ... tho I s'pose strobes might be a bit much

Thing is, in this as well I seem to have almost too many choices - I've a complete harness from the donor four-wheeler (keyed ign., tail/brake & headlight, ripcord & thumb kill switches) and interestingly, my electric hub motor's switches & controls are wired for: horn, tail/brake & headlight, blinkers & cruise control - it came with both thumb throttle & twist throttle controls, switched brake levers & all the assorted doodads, then add in this lil box for;
Programmable Cruise Controller v2.0, GMCanada

Cruise Speed Control
Programmable via PC to setup motor control parameters
Motor hall sensor failure redundancy (Automatically switch to sensorless control)
Anti-theft alarm and wheel-locking by detection of vibration
True regenerative braking (only effective when you squeeze the hand brake)
Other failures redundancy (Work with failed throttle and power breaker)
Forced function with lower voltages (e.g 48V to 36V, 36V to 24V)
Report failure components by beeps
Motor phase self detection and calibration
Support Forward and Reverse Control
Excessive Current Protection
Low Voltage Protection

So... I've not quite figured what I'm gonna do with alla that lol @.@... prolly gonna run with the four-wheeler harness for ICE ignition, key switch & it's charging sys and the hub controller for the rest.

The ICE doesn't actually have an integrated fan, despite that I don't think I should have any cooling problems, the motor is actually slightly less obscured than it is on a four-wheeler with it's plastic cowling, even on the wee 49cc like mine. It's a concern though & I'll likely get a small CHT/EGT combo gauge jus' for the lols if nothing else: FALCON GAUGE 2 INCH ROUND CHT/EGT GAUGE 100-700°F / 700-1700°F from Aircraft Spruce

If cooling is an issue, it shouldn't be much of a challenge to add an induction scoop or two

 

[Dan]

re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

Wow, some high tech stuff!
That gauge is awesome. Gonna get one. Thanks for posting it.

 

[BarelyAWake]

re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

NP Dan, a heads up tho - yer delving into aviation toys and as a result the prices need to be watched carefully for shenanigans, it's go from a lil pricey to OMGWHUT stupid expensive w/o warning lol - tho as ultralight aviation is unregulated (as in, don't need FAA certified parts/service) there are often really neat & affordable gizmos buried in alla waaaay overpriced stuff.

One of the nifty things about those EGT/CHT units is they use clamp-on probes w/o a power supply, which ofc means w/a lil ingenuity you can make it easily transferable from engine to engine for road testing - very handy for diagnostics & tune ups & a heck of a lot easier than tryin' to shoot yer motor w/a laser thermometer at speed lol

Here's a bullet mounting pod (bar clamp) for the 2" gauge from LEAF, another aircraft supply I've done business with Leading Edge Air Foils - Bullet Case Mounting Pod For 2" Instruments they've also got one in chrome if ya want the shiny

Another interesting offer is the "bargain bag 4130 tubing" containing a random selection of offcuts: BARGAIN BAG 4130 TUBING from Aircraft Spruce - which may be jus' the ticket for startin' a tubing "junk drawer" for projects... while it may be cheaper to order tubing from elsewhere, one nice thing about these aviation companies is they don't mess around w/questionable quality building supplies... for some reason heh

 

[Cogswelln]

re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

you definitely need a hula doll for that thing, just a thought.....

 

[gstrope]

re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

What kind of brakes are you using. I looked into it for my build and the hydraulic brakes are around $150 each. The mechanical seem much more reasonable.

Also have you looked at Fleet Trikes site. They have a lot of information on trikes

 

[corgi1]

re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

I love going through that site

 

[BarelyAWake]

re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

I ended up with three Avid BB5 calipers & rotors - I was initially going to use BB7s, but as it turned out I lack the clearance between the inboard adjustment knob on the caliper and the electric hub motor so I went with the slightly smaller BB5 all around (so replacement pads/parts are all the same)...

...'cept I got black calipers ofc

Yea - $150 each for hydraulic is a bit much & TBH for this application I'm a little more comfy with simple mechanicals, easy field repair & adjustment and alla that lol, tho like with many things I figure should I need/want to it'd be easy enough to upgrade, I'm thinkin' maybe larger disks *shrug* but dunno yet heh

 

[BarelyAWake]

re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

Well... it's been long enough I've kinda lost my place heh, but lemme see - I'm sure I got some stuff done lol

I went through three different spindle setups before I decided to take a chance and go with aluminum & no kingpin inclination correction, I'd hafta shorten the two top A arms and reposition the ball joint tabs for that, given the effort involved for a "marginal" performance increase - that'll get shelved for now, I wanna get to the "rolling chassis" stage and these will do (incomplete, missing brake mounts & backing plate)



...but the big push came from finally getting the last of my suspension components, three 200 x 50mm 'Rock Shox' Monarch 2.1 air shocks - really couldn't finalize much of the front or rear suspensions without them as there's quite a bit of diversity in available sizes.



I decided to go without coil-overs & "just" air shocks simply because I haven't the slightest idea what my loading will be, air allowing for finer adjustment & there's the adjustable dampener - rebuild kits (seals etc) are also commonplace and inexpensive.

Chopped out the old shock mounts & roughed up some of my own, then trimmed & fit - jus' need to fab up a top plate for the A arm box & it's ready to weld;

 

[BarelyAWake]

re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

I've gotta tack weld the chassis together today & make a coupla brackets, until I do I can't really finalize the rear suspension's location... cause the pesky thing keeps moving heh, but I did get the basics sorted, the lower mount cut and the shock location - good thing my fuel tank has such a large space in the middle, the shock fits perfect in there;



...and the Schwinn earnin' it's keep, haulin' frame bits in so I can weld them - outa be interesting to try and get the frame back home again when it's all one piece heh;

 

[silverbear]

Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

Barely,
Good to see things coming together so nicely. It must be a great satisfaction seeing it come alive. Spring is coming, bud! Wish I could be on hand to see that first ride. We'll all be with you in spirit.
Interesting work horse, your Schwinn. I've come to the conclusion that if you live in snow, ice and salt country it is good to have a winter bike to take the beating. I brought a bike with me to Maryland that I had built this past fall back in Minnesota. It was a white cantilever framed 51 Schwinn Hornet with a 79CC Greyhound and EZ transmission. I brought that one since it is a good hill climber and was also good looking. Anyway when I left Minnesota I had it strapped on to a motorcycle type carrier on the back of my Cherokee and knew it would get some road dirt and maybe snow, but figured it would clean up OK 1300 miles later when I got here. It turned out that I went through snow storms in Wisconsin and Michigan and was on the heals of one in Ohio, so the roads were loaded with salt... which I have discovered almost instantly ate through the clear coat, some of the base coat, now have light rust on the rims, goose neck and handlebars (all old stuff that had looked pretty good before) and instantly turned my exhaust pipe into old and grungy looking. Further riding here through slush puddles, snow and road grime has not helped any. I've decided the only sensible thing is to either put the bikes away for fair weather or have one designated to take the abuse of winter and sacrifice looks over practicality. Looked sharp for a little while anyway, and now everybody thinks its old and came this way through attrition to time. Anyway, I'm guessing your faithful Schwinn is your "abuse" bike.
SB

 

[Cogswelln]

Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

if it will roll i can tow it for ya with my trike lol. looking awesome definitely one of the coolest builds i have ever seen

 

[The_Aleman]

Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

What I have missed from 10-10 to 2-11....Love, love this build. I've wanted a tadpole since I saw a typically elitist spandex warrior on one in Los Gatos CA back in the '90's, let alone a motored something of this magnitude.

Much props Barely. Been eyeing Zombie's stuff for awhile now and you are an inspiration to us who might undertake his base plans and make em even more awesomely twisted muhahaha /obvious diabolical laughter

 

[BarelyAWake]

Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

Defo Silver, that poor Schwinn is gettin' crusty with a quickness - tho it's got the advantage of being an aluminum frame, everythin' else is not pleased with my abuses lol Still, much as I like it, it was never more than a prototype/experiment as at the time I jus' wanted ta see if these weird lil China Girls were worth the bother... somethin' like eight thousand miles later, I figure it's proved it's worth heh

Thanks Cog & Aleman, it's mebbe true I've strayed far and away from the 'Zombie' part of the build, but it was defo worth every penny of the $16 plans - they're a great resource that inspired & saved me tons of time and frustration!


Well, I lugged the frame halves into work, cleaned up some of the cut off tabs & whatnot, cut out the old steering plate & welded 'er up... the forward down tubes were a bit of a problem, as this was a chop & rake, they didn't quite line up anymore - but they were close enough I jus' gap filled. It's not the prettiest perhaps... but I'll dremel it up a bit & there's the pedal boom receiver supports that'll go there as well so I think I'll prolly be the only one who would ever notice it heh

I was stunned to find that the center part of the frame (suspension & pedal boom/receiver not included) turned out to be just under 12lbs! Talk about a pleasant surprise lol, I thought for sure it was gonna be far more than that *shrug* Still, the front boom & suspension is defo gonna add some weight... but I'm doin' what I can to lighten it up a bit, wherever I can - like cutting out the center box's side plates;

At this point the whole front end is tack welded together & it looks like it jus' might work out. I was hoping to get things together enough to weld up all of the frame & suspension components by this weekend... but as Saturday draws nearer I've decided to hold off until next weekend for that particular milestone - much as I'd love to get it to the "rolling chassis" stage, I realized I'd hafta cut some corners a bit to be ready... better to tend to the little stuff now while it's still all easy to work with I figure heh

 

[2door]

Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

I'm loving that front suspension. It looks like something that should either be airborn or on a sports car track. It just has the intriguing, mechanical 'look' about it. You know what I mean.
Carry on
Tom

 

[BarelyAWake]

Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

Thanks Tom - good to hear, TBH I'm havin' a tough time "seeing" it at this point... ya know, so obsessed with details I can't really tell what it really looks like anymore lol While it may see a track from time to time, hopefully we'll keep "airborne" to a minimum

Boxed in the spindles w/the backing plates & they've come out so well that I've decided to take a chance at least initially & I'm not gonna weld the axles in. They're both a press fit & the threaded endcaps secure both the wheel and the axle snugly... I'm hoping it'll work out that way as it makes it a cinch to work on and everythin' is easily replaceable - should the axles prove not strong enough I can ofc use them as "sleeves" w/a grade 8 bolt inside them, or their replacements as the case may be.

With the spindles finished save gusset welds and brake mounts, I was able to actually assemble the front end for the first time... tho I did use twist ties instead of the C clips as those things are a bear & I haven't the proper ring clip pliers to deal w/them yet lol - and found to my pleasant surprise that both front wheels have exactly 5° of negative camber, perfect for slightly enhanced handling and more uniform tire wear (side wall flex) without increasing rolling resistance noticeably... whether or not I'll still have both of them at that 5° after I weld everything else up is anyone's guess *crosses fingers*



So, after hours spent lining everything up, I knocked it all back down again & packed it up in, on & around the poor Schwinn again. If all goes well I'll tack weld the front suspension box to the pedal boom receiver, the receiver to the chassis, the upper rear shock mount & lower stay pivot to the frame...

Then I jus' gotta figure out how in heck I'll get it home again

 

[BarelyAWake]

Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

MIG, dental floss, bubble levels & a dremel for do-overs and I've managed to get the chassis completely tacked together whoohoo! While the front end is completely true w/the frame, sadly the rear stays managed to be about 3° off... not a huge deal and easy to fix, I'm pretty happy that's the only problem at this point.

While no featherweight - I keep being surprised by what it's actually turning into, the "completed" frame with rear stays is jus' a hair over 25lbs at this point (minus A arms)... I really expected it to be more than that, but hey - I'll weigh it down with assorted motors and batteries lol

While there's still a looooong way to go but it's a good milestone to pass, there's not a cawfee can in sight and the blasted taddy even tried to roll away FTW

 

[killercanuck]

Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

"The Devil's in the details", but you have it down to a modern science. Bring that beast to as many shows as you can. Beautiful!

 

[LS614]

Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

I got in on this thread WAY late but it is SO cool! The center engine is my favorite part! That's the way they build and balance some of the fastest cars in the world! Next on my list is the frame and suspension! amazing job! I love it! Keep going

 

[Dave31]

Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

Geoff That is looking real good I love it!!...wish I could ride it lol.

 

[Goat Herder]

Re: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase)

Nice work!!! That thing looks perfect