My next project - Tadpole Trike

It is indeed. I lived my first 42 years in Portland OR. I had good jobs, etc. And was, to all appearances succesful. But I was never comfortable there (unless I was so drunk or stoned that I was numb). Here, life is so interesting, intimate, and immediate, that I find I have little interest in drinking, etc. For instance: I just spent the last hour trying to walk down to the river that borders the property. I decided that the forest is close to impenetrable, and I will have to build a path. But I did see a lot of Moose tracks, and a couple of piles of Black Bear scat (not fresh). And on the way back to the house, I cut over by the pond and discovered that in addition to some pretty cool looking ducks, there are Beavers there. One was swimming around slapping it's tail on the water trying to scare me off. Who needs drugs?

Alaskavan is the "man".

Alaskavan said:

I don't. Sometimes I even leave the trike running when I go into the store. I only lock the bikes up sometimes when I'm not going to be home. And then I use a small Master Lock, and a chain from a hanging lamp. Crime is a side effect of the unnatural condition of having too many people crammed into a small area and/or having so many laws and rules about trivial matters, that people grow up with a "who cares" attitude. Just my opinion.

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very well put Van

Where I'm from in Ireland there are gangs of kids who do nothing but steal mopeds and other motored 2 wheeled conveyances, and drive them back and forth across a field by the harbor until they wreck them and then they dump them in the harbor. It's really sad that these kids have nothing better to do.

Just thought I'd add a note here. It took me a while to settle on a rear sprocket that matched up well with my engine and riding conditions. Andrew at King's was very helpful. We tried a few combinations, and worked through a few snags. I finally settled on a 28t. I have no problem cruising at 30 mph for the entire 32 mile commute. Thanks Andy.

I like the idea of a motorized recumbant. It was a tadbit overkill but I like it. Dont forget you can always change the engine sproket to a bigger size.

On my last tank of gas, I figure I got about 140 mpg. Pretty good, but the goal is 150. I'm thinking the easiest place to gain is by using human power more in the downhill sections of my route. Right now, I pedal-out at about 25, even with the 62t front sprocket. My idea is: Since I'm already running the chain over several idlers, why not use one of them as a jack shaft? I think that I have room to mount a 14t and a couple of 28t's on one of the idler mounts, all fastened together (with spacers). If one of the 28t's is dedicated to the chain run to the rear gears, and I set it up to be able to shift between a 28t and a 14t on the chain to the chainrings, I should have an overdrive that will make my 62t large chainring effectively 124t (unless my math is off). I'll have to think about chain tension, etc.
Anybody got any opinions or suggestions?

Alaska, I still envy the place you live. The original Honda engine that Lufan cloned would get 200 plus MPG, I have a pile of them. I wonder why you are not getting the same mileage. With your low drag, light weight bike I would think you would get better. There were mileage contests that used the Honda 50 engines that were sealed up to keep the heat in, the exhaust was taped up and a special oil was used. I think they were getting close to 1,000 mi, and the bike looked like what you are using. Do you think maybe the engine in your bike could be running too cold? I wonder how the engine you have works with out gears! just a clutch! I love your Videos, Thanks. Have fun, Dave

Part of my problem may be carburation. I put a Mikuni on there, and with it set about as lean as it will go, I think it's still running a bit rich. I don't feel like getting into trying new jets right now. The engine has an internal CVT, so it does have some variation in the gear ratio.

Got a new camera today. I thought I'd show you a few new shots of the trike. I've made some minor changes. I took the solid sheets off the sides and put on expanded metal. I think it will keep the engine a little cooler. And I added the emblem on the back. The second seat can stay in my side bag unless I need it.