Another Newbie from Canada (Ottawa)

[RecumbentCountry]

Hey All,

I am a married 44 year old guy from Osgoode, just south of Ottawa, Ontario, and a friend of mine has gotten me into recumbents and such. I used to live on my bikes until I turned 25, got my licence and then got chunky and lazy.

My hobbies are kit cars, hot rods, bikes, and programming.

I own a 1986 Dutton Clone called a Beva, which is in a semi permanent holding pattern at the moment.

I am working on converting a 2005 Giant Stiletto Chopper into a Chopped Tadpole Trike.

From this

To This

The wing will be the cross bar for the trike for the front wheels to attach to.

I will post more on the build this weekend.

Doug

 

[CCR]

sweet !!! i love the red baron idea (the pizzas too) welcome !!!!

 

[Hugo]

You could steer with a stick conected to the wheels via exposed steel cable, just like on a WWI biplane. That would be cool. Looking forward to some pics!

Hugo

 

[RatFink]

Fat and Lazy rules!

Welcome!

I'm having a hard time picturing that...keep us posted!

 

[RecumbentCountry]

In the following pictures that I am using 99% of the stiletto for the trike.

Rear Portion of Trike with original seat bolted in place, and a bracket from a computer chair to mount the back rest on.

Working out the layout for the front crossbar. The bar is just to mock up the front wheels.

The rear aluminum flat stock was just to mock up a front cross bar at the 15 degree angles for the kingpins.

I will be making maltese cross backets out of 1/2" aliminum plate for the front wheels and the steering to attach to.

I need to fabricate some kind of bracing out of plate steel that can be
welded from the main tube at the back, to the rear triangle over the tube
between the jackshaft where the kickstand was.

Seat Area 1

Seat Area 2

As for the cross tubes I know that it as to be angle upwards at around 15
degrees at the ends where the kingpins and the hubs mount.

It will be a cross like any other trike, but I need to figure a way to get
the crossbar to be attched so it looks good, an look proper to the lines of
the chopper.....

I was thinking of modifying the original forks and braces two run the two
fork tubs in parallel across the main beam, kinda like the forks laying flat
on the ground, if you know what I mean.

Cross Bar 1

Cross Bar 2

Rob Horn told me that he thought of that it would look like a bi-plane and this spawned the wings.

I will be making upper and lower cross bars that will be 24" wide, 1" high
and 8" deep and the will look like bi-plane wings and will be painted red.

The chopper will be come a Red Barron Trike

I am debating on making it a bi-plane or a mono-plane.

The wings will be offset 15 degrees for the proper trail and the steering
linkage will be hidden in the wings.

Here is a link to a motorcycle chopper called the same:
Red Baron Chopper.

I will be building a wing that will look like this

The beam will be a 1 3/4" muffler pipe 24" wide and will be covered with
sheet metal to look like a wing, and the steering linkage will be under the
skin behind the tube.

The skin will have scallop edges, and a couple of black maltese crosses?

I am also looking for two rear fenders that i can put on the front wheels to
match the back.

Doug

 

[RatFink]

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

:shock:

What....happened.........to...........the.................beautiful..................new..........................Stiletto???

(Joking)

Hey...you gotta do it right, make it a Tri-plane :!:

 

[RecumbentCountry]

Re: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

:shock:

What....happened.........to...........the.................beautiful..................new..........................Stiletto???

(Joking)

Hey...you gotta do it right, make it a Tri-plane :!:

The shop I bought it from could not believe that I cut it up.

I am thinking for the wings that all I need is one like on the bottom for the wheels, and maybe I can make some fake ones out of foam and spandex and resin for the top two.

I like the idea of using a stick for the steering, and that is what I will be doing but instead of using wire I will be use rods tuck under the wing.

Doug

 

[Hugo]

Two wings are ok

From Wikipedia:

"Despite the popular link between von Richthofen and the Fokker Dr. I, just 20 of his 80 kills were made in this now-famous triplane. In fact, it was his Albatros D.III [biplane] that was first painted bright red and in which he first earned his name and reputation."

Hugo

 

[RatFink]

Re: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

The shop I bought it from could not believe that I cut it up.

Well...I am still feeling a slight bit faint when I look at the pictures. :wink:

 

[RecumbentCountry]

Re: Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

The shop I bought it from could not believe that I cut it up.

Well...I am still feeling a slight bit faint when I look at the pictures. :wink:

Sorry about that, but as my daughter says to her son

Suck it up buttercup :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:

Doug

 

[xddorox]

As a fellow recumbent builder, I must agree with you 100%. Can't wait to see this thing done. This is one of my "must do before I die" projects. Welcome to the board

 

[tartosuc]

it's the kind of project that i like...do something completely different with a bike that no-one would change... :lol:

keep us posted with your build! I want to see that going

 

[Clothespin n]

wow!

what an Intro..
Looks VERY COOL!

peace,
Kev.