making a bike decision

deacon

deacon

minor bike philosopher
I know i need something safe to ride. There is nothing like a couple of days in the hospital on morphine to make you decide that safety is really issue one. Against all advice, I have been experimenting with stability. I have what I think is the best possible compromise at the moment. In my heart of hearts, I know that this is not going to be be the one.

So what's it going to be. I am sure we all ask ourselves that when we start out. Step one should be the planning based on some experimentation. I think if this bike I have heavily modified doesn't fly then it will be adult trike for me. I am going to keep an eye out on craigs list. Since I hate to buy a new bike, then chop it up.

I think (and I need input here) That the stability of the rear trike mechanism will allow me to put the ilfan on the front wheel and not have it fall all over the place. Since I have to test the stabilizer I made first, and then try to find a trike I can chop up, this might be a long slow thread. or not.

Anyway CB and Lowrider how does the ilfan behave on the front wheel and will it ride on a trike there do ya think?
 
Its fine on the front. The overall weight up there is about the same as a Solex engine. The Solex has the advantage of being lower as it is "split" down the middle so to speak. Keep the Lifan as low as possible and the mount as light as possible. You might consider using bolted aluminum angle. The cost might be a little more, but the weight savings would be good. Lowracer just finished a build using this method. An advantage is the cooling heat and exhaust are blown away from you on the front. For parking at least on 2wheels the engine will try to flop to the left. A simple solution was to drill a small hole through the head tube and steerer and insert a small phillips scerw driver the keep it straight. It rode on a rare earth magnet next to the hole so it was always handy(read not lost). This was not a problem with the later centerstand. Might not be a problem on a stabilized bike. The weight on the front is not real noticible except when pushing the bike around(2 wheels). Once underway goes like a normal bike. I would not recommend it for you given your balance situation unless it is on a trike or a well stabilized bike.
 
yeah I'm thinking trike for sure... I promised everyone I would sell the ilfan, but I probably will build it onto a trike. I hate to sell anything, I always regret it a month later. I"m not sure how the mount would do on the front, I might lose the front brake just to get a spot to mount the engine securely. I would really hate that. On the other side of the coin, the ilfan has enough compression to be the front drag brake.
 
Last edited:
If you could find a good used Worksman Trike that would be great. If you go the trike route. The trike I had worked real well. I was just worried about emergency swerves and it then tipping over. But it was a stock height, read way high! The center of gravity was really up there. If I would have kept it I would have lowered it a bunch.

Good luck which ever way you go!

Terry
 
It should be able to clear the front brakes especially the old side pull. I would use the Lifan if your domestic situation allows. Should be a power house for years to come, versus wearing out weedeaters. Just take your time and engineer a well designed bike for "everyday" use, then experiment til your hearts content on WE bikes.
 
Thats kinda what I had in mind. One solid trike when I am up to working on it. Something I can get on and ride across town if I need to. Then the stabilized two wheeler with weed eater to ride everyday for pure fun..

Since the lifan has the guts to climb hills with minimum loss of power and since the trike would require more muscle the lifan makes more sense.
 
The tadpole trikes are more stable, but more expensive and difficult to get in and out of. Maybe you can find one of those worksman trikes with a drum brake on the front.
 
I expect that the doctor's visit tomorrow will put a halt on my building for a while so I can look around for a trike. I hate to buy one just to chop up, but if I do walmart has a folding 20" model that is only 30 inches wide at it's most and my shop door is 36" it would be a tight fit but I could make it work. I expect that I could also get it into my storage building.

I just dont think I am recombinant kind of guy.
 
I understand, considering what happened, why you are leaning towards a trike. It makes sense. But for safeties sake, I would be obsessive and spare no expense to put the best possible brakes you can on a trike. That's a lot of weight to stop. That stability won't do you any good, when grandma pulls right into your path with the Country Squire, if you can't stop.
 
Good point, I am forcing myself to stay with a one inch drive wheel for that very reason. I could go with a 1.5 drive wheel and jack the speed up a couple of notches.but I'm just not in that big of a hurry. I have also begun to plan my routes and times for the very minimum amount of traffic. People in cars are dangerous as the devil. The trike is going to be wider on the side of the road and they think nothing of passing me with oncoming traffic now, I'm sure it will be the same with the trike.
 
some good news for a change. I put some gas in the ilfan and at first it started but wouldn't take the throttle. i had to restart it each time it died while trying to accelerate. After several attempts it started and began to take the throttle just fine. It must have run completely dry and air got into the carb is all I can figure. Once it got run in a little it seems just fine.

I am easing my wife into the idea that if I compromise on the trike, I am going to need a more powerful engine. I still plan to run the smaller slower drive wheel. but I like the idea that it can pull those hills even if I don't feel like pedaling.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top