Here's my Trike build

[zoood]

The Cargo Area

This is a challenging area.

The trailer's body was just a shell and a water tight compartment is now in the process of being built within the trunk area. This would also yield an access panel to the horn's components.

I had formed a splash pan to mate
to the base of the passenger's back rest. When the body's lid is closed. The bottom edge of this pan will set down in a formed pan that is mounted between the passenger's seat underside and the fender's surface. This seat bed pan (sounds like the right name for it), will direct water down towards the pavement.

Splash Pan Front

Splash Pan Rear

The Build Continues

 

[zoood]

Boy did I ever under estimate my build's completion time. Building the inside of that cargo area. Making it water tight and making it so. That when I open or close the trike body lid. That it closes securely, allowing everything in there to close just right. I am making head way on it. I'm just now making it so there will be a upper section that will hold smaller items in their respectful places and if needed. this entire tray can be removed for access to the larger compartment below. Tho it's not "set in stone" as of yet. I may try and attach a scissor hinge set-up like one would find on a fisherman's tackle box. To keep it up, open and out of the way while I look in the bottom of the cargo area. I'm one of those builders. That through my years. Will not just throw anything away. ( better known as a Pack Rat) I have here the electric set up for a Cadillac. That allows one to lock or pop open the trunk. I may hook this up to my trunk lid.
Won't need a key lock showing on the lid. It's also a real eye catcher for a judge at a trike show too.

RJ

Finally making head-way.
Here's some more progress pictures of my build. This interior is very tedious and time consuming. The entire lip of the body has to be lined with angle aluminum for strength and to maintain a constant 5/16 thickness that will eventually be capped by a vinyl "U" channel. This angle will allow for an upper tray for storage. When the exterior lid is opened. The proposed tray will lift up and out of the way with the use of scissor hinges. This will prevent having to lift tray out of the way. Each time I need to get into the lower half of the cargo area.

Inside view below shows the construction of the cargo area.

Below shows the curved Rain Panel that will be placed on both sides of the passenger's seating area. Whether caught in the rain or when washing the trike. These panels will aid in directing the water down towards the pavement.

Forward Rain Panel View

Below shows a view of looking downwards and inside.

When all the aluminum has been set. All places will be sealed with silicon and then the entire inside will be carpeted. The very base of the cargo floor will be raised a 1/2" on stand-offs to allow for wiring and just incase there's any condensation. Holes have been drilled in the floor to drain any chance of moisture.

RJ

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

Zoood, like to see you using those office clips, simple and effective. Bare knuckles design is way cool.

Man, some of the technology coming out of the office...where would we be without those yellow stickies, paper clips, velcro or rubberbands etc. we use as standard faire...

 

[glider]

Really starting to take shape now. Looking good.

 

[STEVE07]

It's really starting to take shape Zood !

 

[zoood]

Still at the tedious internal enclosure that will take care of rain or washing that enters the passenger's seating area.

More updates to follow,...

zoood

Well,... I'm still at it when I can. I just placed an order for the exact same style body as my trike. For the trailer, that the body originally came off of.

This way, when I pull the trailer. It will match the trike and not look like I'm being followed by a large egg mc muffin container. lol I'm proposing a 6 week ride in the late summer.

On the Trailer body. I will be modifying the lid with a removable/ or slide away insert. That allows the lid to prevail a constant opening while tooling down the road. Bout 6 years ago. My black lab always rode with me. Now that He's full size. He couldnt no more. He bout rips full grown oak trees out of the ground, wanting to ride with me. Sooooo, besides the carrying of extra gear in the trailer. He also has a place to ride as well.

I have to take my front end apart again. I purchased the chubby blacked out bars, as well as new grips, a custom made arcrylic smoked windshield. Blacked out long reach HD mirrors. ( 29.00 each) New extended front brake lines, clutch cable and throttle cables. I will also be lengthening the handle bar wiring to accomodate the longer bars as well. My front shocks are air shocks. So during this build I had replaced the existing front engine guard with one from the 80's with one that has the air resevoir in the engine guard. The chubby handle bar replacement had no resevoir in it.

The trikes body lid is now at the stage where I've placed 2 leak proof flush locking handle/ latches to keep it locked and closed. Even the hinges have no visible bolts or screws holding it in place from the outside. I added a third brake light from a late 90's chevy suburban to the top rear section on the trike's body lid. Just about all the carpeting is almost finished within the cargo area too.

Will I ever do a build like this again? NO!

But it has been an on going experience.

If I'm not flooded with too much work with my business. I'm hoping to have this build finished in 2 weeks. yeah right.

But I am trying. RJ

 

[glider]

Sounds like you've been plugging along RJ. I can't wait to see the finished product.

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

Zoood..."Will I ever do a build like this again? NO!" In a way, understandable...it is unique and certainly a well thought out custom trike that anyone would be proud to own. Realistically, it is hard to beat the "Standard" off the rack HD Tri-Glide for the $38K asking price after seeing the work involved...! In your business, you probably have reviewed the HD one and have some aftermarket designs in mind that will fill this unique niche I am sure! Most all the guys here are rootin' for you...with much anticipation upon the completion of your huge project. :s

 

[zoood]

Getting closer! Actually, 2 steps back. I have to redo the front end. I picked up the Chubbys handle bars. I got the black ones. I've been pluggin away at the cargo/ box area. Even made a license plate houseing with internal lighting that will mount to my rear bumper without drilling any holes in it.

I just started routing the wiring. I plan on putting an electrical block under the raised cargo area floor board. If I have any electrical problems. I'll be able to trouble shoot it at this point.

I had also ordered another body. that matches my trike body perfectly. This will be for my trailer that I plan on pulling behind the trike. Its important to me that the whole set-up blends and compliments the entire build. Some trailer's I've seen. Makes the rider look like their being followed by a reallly large egg mc Muffin container! lol

RJ

Still Pluggin away.

Allot of trike kits I've seen. Where the trike body meets the motorcycle's side cover. Wasn't addressed correctly. Some had large, uneven spaces at these places. The 1st photo below shows the gaps between the trike's body and the side cover. In the 2nd photo. I had addressed this problem. Making panels out of aluminum and covering them with black vinyl. I have attached them with velcro and I had edged the panels with rubber "U" channel.

I'm hoping on riding this build next weekend. The flat black is a temporary fix. Next winter I will paint the Trike and most likely air brush some murals on it as well.

RJ

 

[zoood]

Well,... I got it together! Been doing allot of riding as well. The rear in this thing is the most comfortable one I ever experienced.

I get more pictures together. I just happened to think this picture taken was the right place to do so.

zoood