The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike

[BarelyAWake]

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

Yea that's the thing about holiday shopping fer yerself lol, no need to worry about if they'll like it

Good to hear that's a decent set of fenders Ale, buying them sight unseen I was just kinda hoping for the best... ofc I've no idea what I'm gonna do with the unneeded front fender, but it seems ya can't buy jus' one heh


I was in a bit of a hurry when I posted this from work yesterday, thus the lack of any explanations... not that the items are particularly mysterious, it's mostly pretty obvious I s'pose.

Still, the messenger bags are for my panniers ofc, @ 18"w x 13.5"t they'll fit just about perfectly under the tank, the trick is to make them both "quick release" & heat shielded, an additional benefit other than being able to haul useless crap around is they should serve to help quiet things down a bit more too. A concern would be retaining engine heat - but as the entire jug will still be exposed & I've a temp gauge in any case, I think it'll be ok.

Speakin' of heat and noise - naturally that's what the header wrap is for, with a good fifty feet I should be able to double wrap the manifold too. The high temp silicone coating does really help the wrap last longer but I didn't bother getting their stainless zipties as I've a ton of stainless hose clamps *shrug* I'll still need some heat mat for under the panniers' shields - but that I'll prolly get from a buddy who just pulled it all outa his BMW, recycling yakno heh

I guess the fuse panel & relays do need a lil explaining - ya really don't need to spend fifty bucks jus' for a terminal block & fuse box (DIY is about $15 or so) & in fact I coulda "recycled" stuff for free, but as I was diggin' around the 'net lookin' for goodies I spotted the Centech AP-2 and it was just so small, clean & tidy I figured why not, it's my toy & I can waste me pennies if I want to (or at least that's what the lil voices had to say)...

Once I figure out the exact wiring & what fuses will be needed, I'll be replacing them with breakers as I find fuses kinda irritating & no, I really don't need five relays heh - but I do need two of them, one for the keyed fuse panel power supply & one for my high beam as it's amp draw would happily incinerate the wee lil clickie button I'm using. The five pack of relays & plug harnesses was cheap enough that I figured might as well get a few extra - relays are kinda handy after all...

The itty LEDs are to replace the rather disappointing ones that came in my front blinkers, I got two different types both to see which fits better (or doesn't) as well as which ones are the brightest as the ads made no mention of actual lumens - just "zomg these be super bright" or whatever lol and ofc having a few extras of those can't hurt either

As for the rear rack I've been designing... or trying to design... I'm pretty sure I'm gonna scratch that idea, mounting the taillight to the back of the seat instead. As useful as they really are I just can't seem to come up with something that doesn't irritate me by being just in the way and/or lookin' really gommy - mostly both. Aesthetics may be secondary, form follows function and all that, but there's a limit to what I can tolerate & the thing just flat out ruins the taddy's lines no matter where I put it. I'll prolly cob together a quickie clamp on rack at some point, using it only as needed instead of a permanent addition. Guess I'm jus' a fashion slave after all lol

 

[fasteddy]

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

You have the little voices too do you. Notice that when your on ebay and Amazon they get annoyingly loud and demanding.

Taking my down to the bank monday and have the manager give then a good talking to but it didn't help last time.

Steve.

 

[The_Aleman]

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

<snip>
Good to hear that's a decent set of fenders Ale, buying them sight unseen I was just kinda hoping for the best... ofc I've no idea what I'm gonna do with the unneeded front fender, but it seems ya can't buy jus' one heh </snip>

You'll quickly find out that the rear fender only has one support. While that's fine for normal bicycles, yours aint "normal" or a bicycle lol. That front fender has a support that you can easily adapt to the rear fender to make it stronger.

At least, that's what I'm doing with my extra front fender from the 2nd fender set I had to buy

 

[BarelyAWake]

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

I just might do that ale, thanks for the heads up!


Been a bit insane around here lately, but I did manage to get the front blinkers rebuilt w/proper lil LEDs... and they are little lol but fortunately they're also really bright.

Little tho they may be, they did hafta be removed frm their bases and their boards cut back a bit, after soldering & heat shrinking I put a lil dab of 5min epoxy behind 'em although they fit in the housings so well I couldn't get 'em out... I figure what with vibration & use it's better safe than sorry, don't wanna have one all wiggly & crazy-eyed heh

 

[BarelyAWake]

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

Although it cleared the pedals & my feet easily... there was something I jus' didn't like about the width of the Vapor display w/it's indicator dash and it was buggin' me every time I saw it lol *shrug*

So although I kinda wanted to save the space above the Vapor for if I got a 'Cycle Analyst' (digital dash & battery monitor for ebikes), I figured what the heck, if I get one I can always remake a new dash mount or jus' mount it where my GPS now sits & put the GPS elsewhere... but ATM I'm thinkin' I might just take the "low/medium/high" battery state indicator LEDs out of the ethrottle (now conveniently hidden under the seat) & insert them across the top of the dash mount, above the keyed ignition switch...

...and that keyed ignition switch was another reason I decided "what the heck" as it fits so nicely there - the keys are removable in the "on" position so they won't chatter against the Vapor dash & the back of the ignition switch fits perfectly down into the old seat post tube so although the taddy could ofc still be pedaled/carried away - yer gonna hafta work at it a bit to "hot wire" anything lol

TBH, it's really not theft I'm concerned with, as mentioned a key switch alone isn't gonna stop anyone from stealing the thing - it's the "touchy feely" gawkers flipping switches & squeezing levers that gets me every time. While you'd actually hafta start the ICE for it to be a hazard, there's nothin' stopping them from hittin' the starter button & with the electric hub all ya'd hafta do is squeeze the throttle a bit and there'd be a problem, as there is with any number of lights & doodads draining the battery when folks can't resist the "ooh shineh, push teh button!" temptations heh

As the keyed switch is just a single switch with a key & not actually the ignition & accessory switch normally found on mopeds/motorcycles/whatever - there's only the two posts on the back with "off" interrupting the single circuit. As I would like it to control the power supply to two different engines, as well as all lighting & accessories, I figure I'll run it to a relay bank instead... guess it's a good thing I got that five pack of relays lol

 

[silverbear]

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

This here motorbike's gittin kinda complakated. Where's the wings fit on?
SB

 

[Goat Herder]

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

This here motorbike's gittin kinda complakated. Where's the wings fit on?
SB

Gonna need a super hero cape too. The Batmobile won't have a thing on this

 

[BarelyAWake]

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



No capes b'dangit - we've talked about that

For a tadpole trike, yea - it's a bit busy... for a fully suspended dual motorized tadpole w/lighting - it's s simple as I can make it lol

Most of the complexity can be divided inta three aspects, suspension, electrical system & combining an ebike w/an ICE... and addressed individually none are all that complicated really with the electrical system being the only thing that's a bit overwhelming & that's only if I join the two charging systems. *shrug* It's an experiment it's true, but what's the point of experimenting if the limits aren't pushed? Bear in mind the ebike aspect may not last through the testing phase, take that away & it's just a suspended 49cc taddy

The oil slick, caltrops, JATO booster, limpet mines, laser range finder & other assorted doodads are jus...

SECRUTS! I may have said too much o.o

 

[BarelyAWake]

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

Speakin' of which, designing & building a wiring harness for this thing that's simple to use & repair is a bit complicated lol - mostly 'cause I'm being picky about hardware & connectors and trying to sort routing options for a clean & tidy installation... I could prolly jus' hard wire the thing w/tape and have it running in no time at this point - but instead I'm huntin' and scrounging for the "just right" bits, and that includes trying to find stuff on the 'net as well as "recycling" male & female connectors & boots from scrap vehicle's harnesses.

So, there's not much to show regarding that particular battle, I've just been buying lil things like a butane torch/soldering/hot air blower, shrink wrap in all sizes, harness wrap in assorted sizes, cable ties, liquid tape, assorted wire gauges, terminals & fittings as well as a coupla components & sorting through crap to find what I can't or don't wanna buy...

...and here's jus' some of that particular "to do" pile, which ofc doesn't even include things that are already mounted on the taddy (dash, bar switches, etc.) or tools I previously purchased (multimeter, soldering gun, etc.);

As wiring is my least favorite aspect of a fabrication project & seemingly the one most prone to ...odd problems later - I do wanna do it "right" the first time and be done w/it, happily forgetting the nest thereafter FTW


I did manage summor fun stuff though, borrowed the lil 110 MIG from work & zotted up my exhaust system & mounts, painted it with hightemp & got the header wrap sorted & painted with silicon coat, other'n a metal heat shield that's finally finished for good... I might double wrap the pipe depending on temp/noise - but that waits till the testing stage ofc;

 

[BarelyAWake]

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

Well, they say "the devil is in the details" & with wiring, I gotta agree lol

I managed to get the pedal boom harness done, it may not seem like much from the pics... but believe it or not yer lookin' at a lil over five hours of work @.@ I kno right? There's more to it than it seems heh, I hadta add a 3' 6" extension to every wire & as that lil dash has blinker, high beam & temp indicator lights, high & low beam headlights, ignition switch as well as all the crazy crap the Vapor dash does - there's about twenty wires in that one harness extension alone.

Ofc there was also tidying up the dash's lil harness too, heat shrink tubing the wire bundles and adding lil rubber boots to help protect the connectors from the elements, drilling out the pedal boom & adding a grommet then putting heat shrink tubing over the harness extension itself to protect from chafe inside the pedal boom...

...and all that ofc doesn't include adding all the connectors to the far (near? under the seat b'dangit) end, but those will hafta wait till all the rest of the wiring is also extended to reach where the fuse box & relays will be *shrug*



Jus as a BTW/FYI, if yer lookin' for long lengths of heat shrink tubing 'cause it's handy: 48" Heat Shrink Tubing - but you'll defo want a lil butane/propane torch for the stuff ofc - a lighter ain't gonna last for long lol

 

[Blakenstein]

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

Wow!!! now that is a project!!! quite extensive work. It's good to see that you've got it all together!!
So this is what u do when you're not building heliocopters.
Thanks for the slide show..great trike and great pictures

 

[2door]

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

Geoff,
Please, please tell me you're making a wiring diagram as you go along. Wire colors, numbered wires/plugs etc. are essential, or will be some day if an electrical issue comes up. Some people think they can rely on memory but it just ain't so. Ladder diagrams are easy to make and follow. Good luck.

Oh, and have you weighed the trike yet? I'm curious just what it might tip the scales at. It's surprising how fast the pounds can build up.
Tom

 

[BarelyAWake]

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

Thank you Blakenstein, glad ya like it It's defo not quite "all together" yet, but it's gettin' there lol If yer curious, this album has every pic taken from concept to current, but w/o all my babbling and ramblin' on: tad pictures - Photobucket


Defo Tom, I've learned that lesson the hardest ways possible - trying to figure out someone else's tangled nightmares w/o any diagrams or even color coded wiring lol - never again. I am... or rather more accurately "will be" drawing up a wiring schematic as the harness progresses, ATM though it's just a pile of scribbled notations & what diagrams came included with the various switches & whatnot. I know for a fact my memory can't be trusted at all heh

TBH, tho bordering on insanity for a motorized bicycle harness (full lighting/twin motors) - it's not as complicated as it would seem at this stage, when everythin' is jus' a pile of tangled wires. This too can be separated into three aspects, electric drive systems, ICE, lighting & accessories - of the three the electric drive is prolly the most complicated, but that harness came complete & with it's own schematic so it's just a matter of trimming to fit & plugging it in. The ICE harness is simplicity itself (once the wire colors were decoded), with only four wires it's just 12v out, ground & CDI. The "lighting & accessories" is where I'm gettin' creative, that's the one that will most desperately need very careful record keeping & is the most likely where I'll get into trouble - but fortunately they're not "critical" systems.

The last coupla times I scratch built electrical harnesses, I carefully drew the schematic & made a coupla copies - one of which got laminated and stuck near the fuse/breaker box as my memory can't even be trusted to remember where I put such things last


As for the taddy's weight, yer right again - the sneaky pounds do add up quick. I've not weighed it in a while so I'm a lil curious myself, but the only additions I've made/will make since then are the electrical harness, gauges, fenders (plastic), & lighting - there's been marginal weight reductions as well, the aftermarket silencer weighs about half of the stock muffler & I've trimmed a bit here and there off the chassis for example... so I unno really, it shouldn't be too far from what it was last I weighed it;

Tadpole (minus motors & batteries): 49lbs
LiFePO4 battery packs: 16lbs
Electric hub & wheel: 16.5lbs
49cc four stroke w/gearbox & (stock) exhaust: 46lbs

Total: 127.5lbs
Minus electric drive & batteries: 95lbs

Heavy for a HPV recumbent tadpole? Yea... but then again as two stroke mopeds usually weigh from 100-130lbs, I figure I'm doin' pretty good

 

[BarelyAWake]

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

Got a lil more done... well, did a lot but only a little to show for it? *shrug*

The next step was going to be attending to the handlebar control harnesses, cutting them to uniform lengths & adding connectors - so I can remove each bar easily when repair or adjustment may be needed... that was the plan anyway, but when I got into it I discovered I'd made an error again - a small one this time fortunately heh

Turns out what I'd ordered for a blinker switch (on/off/on) is in actuality a headlight control switch (on/on/off), which while still handy isn't what's needed ofc. It wasn't a case of false advertising - I just failed to read the fine print. It may not seem like much of an issue, but as that switch is a really nice, tough lil unit and I need a high/low/off headlight switch anyway, I've decided to reevaluate all of the handlebar switches... I'm not particularly fond of the ones that came with the electric hub, they work... but they're really light duty and I can't help but wonder at their longevity.

So - turns out I couldn't do diddly squat with the handlebar harnesses as I hafta do some more research & shopping around, then ofc comes the waiting for the blasted brown truck again.

Ah well - moving along I decided I'd work on the main harness instead, where everything meets @ the fuse/breaker box (they're fuses ATM but will be breakers when I order those too lol). This is a lil bit tricky as I want it easily accessible, removable & ofc neat & tidy. There's very little room for such anywhere on this build - so I opted for to the back of the seat, keeping the engine itself also easily accessible for maintenance. As is typical, what worked in my brain didn't quite work out in reality lol, so I ended up testing & retesting a couple few variations...

Using a scrap of cardboard w/components taped to it in various combinations & arrangements (about six, only two pictured - you're welcome lol) I eventually decided that the 48/12v & 12/48v converters just weren't going to fit well there. As they're also only to marry the ICE & hub charging systems & thus "part" of the experimental electric hybrid design - they'd be better off mounted to the back of the lifepo4 battery trays as if I decide to bail on the electric drive, I won't need them anyway.

This is what I eventually ended up with & in fact it may change a bit as the harness progresses - but at least this way I've it's main components together & wired for testing. The black boxes on the left are all relays - the square ones are power relays that will be connected to the key switch, one for supplying 12v to the fuse box & ICE, the other for enabling the electric hub's 48v throttle - this way one keyed switch w/only two poles can disable everything (cept pedal power ofc heh). The round one in the middle is the 12v LED flasher relay for the blinkers/hazard lights.

There needs to be a heat shield between it and the ICE ofc & I'm going to round the edges of the backing plate & pretty it up a bit, but that too must wait till I get the rest of the harness to it, which brings me right back to needing the handle bar switches lol >.<

 

[killercanuck]

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

ahh the circle of circuitry...

Just noticed your seat/handlebars on the wall, looks just like a skull w/horns xD If you ever come across a pair of those plastic "googly eyes", ...eh?

 

[BarelyAWake]

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

lol killercanuck, that's my juju to keep the gremlins at bay ofc & speakin' of the "circle of circuitry"...

Well... The hunt for connectors & switches is proving a bit frustrating, I jus' haven't been able to find quite what I'd like & honestly? I've gotten a lil sick of looking, which never bodes well for the budget *shrug* So... I decided with the connectors at least my best bet wasn't going to be diggin' around used harnesses and hopin' I'd not only miraculously find all the ones I needed, clean & in good shape - but also not some weird proprietary widget that only Nissan makes or whatever... So I splurged and got a whole pile of Delphi weatherproof connectors to jus' get it over with;


Delphi Weatherpack Kit 757 Pcs

Which outa sort out the connector problems lol - unfortunately, the button & switch problem wasn't so easy. Unsurprisingly, there is no ideal combination switches made for my particular needs, so I relented a bit & I'm gonna keep some of the controls the electric hub came with & jus' sort out the blinker switch issue... but even that's a bit tricky given the orientation of my handlebars, so I got a coupla different ones to play with. This one might work depending on space constraints, tho I'm not a huge fan of chrome I can always paint it;


Universal Turn Signal Kit

...not 100% confident that'll work out or even if I like it, I decided I'd experiment with another switch mount possibility with entirety different problems w/space constraints - however if this mount works it'll give me some more options fer tinkerin' around w/other switch combos & I got two different weatherproof toggle switches 'cause they very unhelpfully neglected to mention what size the switch housing was, but toggle switches are handy - I'm sure I'll find a use for the "extra" one lol;


Handlebar Mount Switch Housing
Waterproof Miniature OFF-ON-OFF Toggle Switch with Silicone Boot
Weatherproof Switch Boot
Heavy Duty On/Off/On Marine Toggle Switch

...and last is the lil horn I'd forgotten to buy so many times heh;


12 Volt Mini Black Disc Horn

 

[Cogswelln]

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

this build gets more and more cool and indepth. I am far beyond impressed. Cant wait to see the thing in action

 

[BarelyAWake]

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

Thanks Cog, no doubt I'll take some vids - but I'll defo give ya a shout out when I'm doin' some test runs down at the lot, always good ta have a chase bike if/when there's a problem lol

That ain't me BTW (I've the prerequisite recumbent beard ofc)

I'm really not a fan of sewing and I won't even tell ya how long these took me as it's more than a lil embarrassing - but as I was waitin' on summore shiny bits to show up in the mail I figured I'd bite the bullet & get 'em done - "'em" being my battery case covers ofc.

Picked up a yard of waterproof nylon (matching the material for my panniers) at ol' wallyworld for like five bucks & hacked it up. I made a proof of concept cover first, naturally that one didn't work out but it did teach me what I needed to know - namely rounding the corners & adding a bottom flap. I still need to pick up some velcro for the edges & make the tie down straps, but the tough stuff is done at least;

 

[corgi1]

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

where did you get pics of me before my morning coffee???

 

[BarelyAWake]

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

mmm cawfee - it ain't jus' for breakfast heh



Picked up a 3/4"x10' roll of sticky back velcro & I gotta say - the 3M brand stuff is quite impressive, ya better stick it right the first time as the adhesive isn't messing around lol & the hook and loop is defo gonna hold, in fact I felt it needful to reinforce the corner stitching jus' to make sure I didn't rip the covers apart trying to remove them.

...so now all that remains with the battery trays is to drill a coupla drain holes & one in each w/a grommet for the wiring to pass through. I do need to make/find some tie down straps to keep the batteries in the trays - I suspect the velcro & covers are tough enough for that, but it wouldn't prevent them from wiggling around in there & chafing & as good as this velcro may be, I don't trust it enough to do that job alone. Not quite sure what I'm gonna use for straps but I'm sure I'll find something lol