Everyone knows that for good support you need only three points, but for some reason three-wheeled vehicles are not as common on our roads as four-wheeled cars. Although the first tricycles appeared in the 18th century. It is on such steam engines it was proposed to transport cannons and heavy weapons for the army.
A homemade tricycle is the transport of many generations.
At one time, tricycles were much more common than their own, but today we don’t often see three-wheeled vehicles on the roads. Photos of trikes - this is the second name for tricycles can be seen on the websites of bikers or car enthusiasts. It is worth noting that a tricycle can be both a type of motorcycle and a type of car, so if you are planning to make a tricycle with your own hands, immediately decide what kind of tricycle you imagine.
Of course, before building a trike with your own hands, you should study in detail the operating principle of such a vehicle and have drawings. You can make drawings yourself if you have the necessary education and good knowledge of the operation of all components. But if you don’t have such skills, and you really want to create a homemade trike, you can find ready-made drawings of homemade trikes that other craftsmen have designed.
By the way, you can watch videos of tricycles that you made with your own hands as garage Kulibins on remodeling sites or YouToube, where videos of testing garage inventions are posted.
DIY trikes: where to start
Donors for a tricycle can be any kind of vehicle, but the most often collected is a tricycle from the Ural or a tricycle from IZH.
In this option, you have to do the least amount of modifications, because the motorcycle base is most suitable for trikes.
Many people make Ural and ZAZ trikes with their own hands, putting these two vehicles together.
The first stage of work on the trike is the creation of the frame and rear axle. The axle can be attached to the frame using rods, according to the principle of VAZ cars, or placed on springs, as is done in Moskvich. Naturally, the frame will have to be extended, but this is easy to do with the help of pipes and profiles. If you are planning to make a homemade trike from the Ural with your own hands, almost everything will remain original - the fork, brake discs, hydraulics, fender, etc. By the way, such homemade tricycles look good in the chopper style with elongated forks and a low seat. On the Internet you can see photos of tricycles -
This is for real spectacular view sports, drifting videos gain hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube.
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As a rule, drifting on a bicycle is done while rolling down a hill; a car is most often used to climb back. This bike resembles a children's tricycle, but its main difference is the lowered seat. The following signs also stand out:
- Small front wheel and 6 times smaller rear wheels;
- There are no rubber tires on the rear wheels;
- There is a drift trike with an engine.
The pedals of such a bike are practically not used, since with their help you will accelerate to a maximum of 25 km/h, and to perform tricks you need to go at least 60 km/h. You don't need to turn around or back up.
A drift trike with a motor is an expensive pleasure, its price reaches up to 2 thousand dollars. In this case, the engine, as a rule, has a power of 6.5 hp. You won't be able to save money; it will affect the quality of the model. The only way out is to assemble the bike yourself.
At the same time, register the trike as vehicle The law doesn’t require it, because it’s still a bicycle.
In order to assemble a drift trike with your own hands, you will need an old tricycle that you won’t mind disassembling. The first thing to do is prepare the drawings. Be careful, they determine how safe drifting on a bicycle will be for you.
Drawings
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On the drawings it is necessary to draw all the parts and calculate their exact size. You can do this yourself or find a ready-made diagram on the Internet. Don't avoid looking at dozens of drawings. Focus on the spare parts you have.
After you have made the drawing, you can start assembling the trike with your own hands.
Take old bike. Get rid of the pipe under the seat and the upper fenders over the rear wheels. Be careful: if you do it wrong, you will have to look for new material for your vehicle. Attach a fairly thick board to the lower wings. For the frame, select strong pipes with a diameter of 3 centimeters. Bend them in the shape of arcs and fasten them together. To assemble the frame, you will need special tools, such as a pipe bender and welding.
Rear wheels make them out of wood or take them off a cart of some kind.
The seat can be made from a tire or part of a plastic garden chair. The main thing is that you feel comfortable.
You can also assemble a trike with a motor yourself; to do this, use a go-kart motor.
There is no need to buy new spare parts; use used ones; this will have virtually no effect on quality, but will help reduce costs.
And remember, when riding in crowded places and on the roadway, you are putting not only yourself, but also those around you at risk. Choose your drift locations with extreme caution.
Drift trike is extreme view sport on a tricycle. It's more of a passion than a direction. However, drifting is very dangerous, and it is not always possible to find tricycle for him. And high-quality and branded models are very expensive.
But not everything is so bad, you can make this product yourself. Before you start, you need to familiarize yourself in detail with all the features of a drift bike.
Bikes for drifting and their differences
The design of drift bikes consists of three wheels and a low seat. Although it is similar to the design of a bicycle, which everyone is familiar with from childhood, riding such a bicycle is very dangerous and requires a lot of experience.
The main differences between these bicycles can be identified:
- Unusual design;
- The presence of three wheels;
- Low seat position;
- Use only for drifting - controlled skidding.
Design Features
The main feature of this vehicle is its uniqueness. It is very often invented and made by amateurs themselves.
Features of drift bikes:
- The front wheel is small. Unlike regular bicycles, this product has a medium front wheel. Its diameter is approximately 20 inches. It is the same as on BMX trial models;
- The rear wheels are six times smaller than the front. The size of their width can exceed the diameter at most twice. The important thing is that they are made of hard and smooth material. It is worth considering that the rear rollers do not have rubber tires;
- Low seat. These bikes have a very low seat position. The rider can adjust and set the most comfortable position for the seat. IN homemade bicycle You can use a regular car tire as a seat;
- As a support for the legs, you can use a special support, which is installed on the front fork near the axis of the front wheel. This support can also be used to control the bicycle while moving.
No pedals needed
Few people have seen a tricycle on the road, so many have no idea what it looks like, much less how it moves. It is worth noting that pedals on this vehicle are absolutely unnecessary and are an unnecessary design element. The whole point of drifting is to go down hills.
And for lifting, it is best to use the assistance of a car. To do this, you simply need to hook the bike using a cable to the back of the car. If you pedal on a drift trike, you can accelerate to a maximum of 25 km/h. This is a very low speed.
To perform exciting stunts on three-wheeled trike you need to accelerate to 60 km/h. Many cyclists on a special drift track on this bike make peculiar movements in the form of snakes, or fall on their side. It's certainly dangerous, but it's worth it.
Drift cars with engine
Of course, drifting bikes are expensive and not everyone can afford them. Therefore, there are very few of them, since they try to make them themselves.
A drifting machine called the Big Wheel Drift Trike is manufactured by an American company called SFD Industries. This company mainly specializes in the production of spare parts for bicycles.
Design features of the drift machine:
- Engine. Compact gasoline engine. Its power is 6.5 hp;
- Front wheel. The front wheel size is 26 inches;
- Rear wheels. They are very small. The diameter of each wheel is 3.5 inches. In addition, they are dressed in special replaceable plastic tubes. This is necessary so that the rollers do not wear out when sliding.
It is also worth noting that the cost is very high. Average price A trike with engine can cost up to $2,000. If you pay an additional $200, you can purchase a trike with a more powerful motor. And with an additional payment of another $200, the entire throttle system will be replaced.
The relation of law to whim
In Russian legislation, a trike for drifting refers to ordinary bicycles. In the rules traffic no distinction is made between tricycles and two-wheelers. Therefore, this vehicle does not need to be registered. As for driving licenses, they are also not needed.
However, this is a very dangerous activity and can often lead to serious problems. Many extreme sports enthusiasts, riding these bicycles, very often ride onto the roadway, thereby creating problems for traffic. Sometimes these races can lead to serious traffic accidents. While professional athletes For drifting on these bikes, they choose closed asphalt tracks.
Homemade drift trike
It is best to make a tricycle yourself. Of course, this will take time and not much expense, but it is worth it. Most importantly, this bike will be strong and durable. A homemade trike can be made from a bicycle that you don’t mind putting under a saw.
They mostly use regular children's tricycles or BMX cross-country bikes. Before production begins, drawings of the future model should be developed.
Drift trike - drawings
In order to correctly and accurately assemble the entire structure, it is necessary to make a drawing. On the drawing you need to accurately outline the entire structure of the bicycle and indicate the approximate dimensions. The pictures below show sample drawings. Of course, you can make it yourself and specify your dimensions.
How to make a drift bike - detailed instructions
After making the drawings, you can start making a drift bike.
Step-by-step manufacturing instructions:
- First you need to prepare the basis of the entire structure. Any old tricycle or beat-up BMX with 20-inch wheels will work just fine. You only need the front part along with the wheel, fork, handlebars and a piece of the frame with the down tube of the front triangle. The seat tube and upper rear seatstays need to be sawed off to the very base. But the lower feathers must be left in place;
- A board or ordinary plywood is installed on the chainstays. It is best to install the material stronger so that it can withstand heavy loads;
- Making the frame. Strong pipes with a diameter of 16 and 30 mm are suitable for this;
- After the frame is ready, the rear wheels should be made. For these elements, you can use ready-made small wheels from carts, or make them yourself, for example, cut them out of wood. The rear wheels must have the following parameters: the width and diameter must be 2.5 inches each. It is advisable to put a piece of PVC pipe on the rear wheels. With the help of this material, the rollers will glide better and their movements will be smooth and fast;
- To create a foot rest, you can weld two pieces of pipe to the fork legs;
- At the end, you should make a comfortable seat. You can use a plastic chair or a car tire for it.
You will also need the following tools to assemble the entire structure:
- Hammer;
- Hacksaw or grinder;
- Pipe bender It is needed during frame assembly. Using this tool, you can bend the pipes in the corners in the form of arcs to secure the entire structure well;
- Welding machine. This tool is useful for welding pipes and fork legs.
Where is the best place to buy spare parts?
In principle, to assemble this bicycle yourself, you will not need any supernatural and expensive spare parts. Many people have everything they need at home.
Parts such as pedals or wheels can be purchased at bicycle parts stores. But boards and pipes are best purchased at construction stores.
Reviews from cyclists – is it worth it?
“I’ve been doing professional work for a long time. cycling. I'm rocking on different bikes, I recently started getting into drifting, not great. Yes, this is a really exciting activity. I made the drifting bike myself. At first I thought that it wouldn’t be possible to do it, but when I sat down to do this, I realized there was nothing complicated about it. True, I first studied the entire process of creating this transport on the Internet. The main thing is to make the right drawings, and the rest will work out quickly! And the costs are not very high. Better than buying a branded and expensive drift trike!”
Grade:
Oleg, 40 years old
“Drifting is my hobby. I have been working in this direction for a long time. I made the bicycle myself. I believe that it is better to make it yourself than to purchase a branded one for a lot of money. Especially when self-production You can ride the bike to suit yourself and it’s very convenient. And it’s a pleasure to ride on it!”
Grade:
Alexander, 32 years old
“No matter what they say, drifting on a bicycle is a thing! I think it's too big for it, it's best to make it yourself! Moreover, now there are a whole bunch of instructions on the Internet on how to make it yourself. Every home has everything needed to make it. And the price is much cheaper than buying a branded bike for track drifting. So, it’s better to work hard and make a comfortable drift bike with your own hands.”
Grade:
Maxim, 28 years old
Repair and maintenance
A self-made bicycle will not require any special repairs. If, suddenly, something breaks, you can always do it yourself. For example, change the wheels or change the protection on the tires. If the bike is for drifting, a branded one, then in this case everything will be more complicated. If any breakdowns or malfunctions occur on this bicycle, it is best to contact a specialized bicycle repair center.
Buying a trike and accessories
If you don’t have the desire or ability to make a trike, you can buy one. You can purchase this product in bicycle supply stores or order it through websites on the Internet. Very often, stores sell branded and high-quality trike models.
Review of the best models
- Big Wheel Drift Trike. These models are popular in drifting. This is probably the best invention in the field of drifting. The entire structure is made of the most modern elements. The frame is made of light alloy steel. In addition, an engine with a power of 6.5 hp is installed at the front. The rear wheels have a PVC coating, which ensures perfect gliding during skidding. In addition, the front fork has a comfortable footrest. However, there is one drawback, which is the cost - it is very high. But it is really worth it, with such qualities and functions;
- Verrado is a tricycle for drifting. This is an electric tricycle from Local Motors. The model appeared not so long ago, but is gaining great popularity among branded tricycles. The construction of this tricycle is very durable and high quality. Thanks to front wheel from a BMX bike, a skid-resistant tricycle. At the rear there are two 5-inch wheels, with a special protective coating made of PVC material. An electric motor is installed behind the seat, which ensures precise and smooth movement. The motor power is 500 watts. The battery has a long service life, one charge lasts for 12 kilometers;
- Triad drift bike. This model is made of high quality material. The entire structure is very strong and durable. The frame is made of steel and is designed for heights from 160 to 180. The rear wheels have special protection, which ensures ideal gliding on the road during a skid. The whole structure has enough large mass about 10 kilograms, so skidding on it is very easy and convenient.
Rating: 4.9 20 votes
Re> due to the design, it is impossible to place the motor in the middle of the wheel (the axis is in the middle of the motor)
As always, the main dilemma of trike construction is that the motor behind the axle causes “swinging,” while the motor in front of the axle (and especially in front of the pilot) causes a poorly predictable (and often progressive) lean to one side in a turn.
The motor is across - understandably, a refusal for aesthetic reasons.
And there is an axis in the middle of the motor. Look, for example, at the all-wheel drive BMW Xs. Axle shafts from the middle of the engine sump and a gearbox as part of the sump are good food for thought.
As an example.
But here is the second option (here in relation to a mid-engine car - the drive principle)
In your version (as I understand, you are going to make wheel gearboxes to coordinate the direction of rotation and, possibly, speed for the use of large wheels), perhaps it makes sense to have such a design (transmitting torque by a chain or toothed belt).
This design is much simpler to manufacture (less precision is required, adjustment is always possible) than a conventional custom-made gear reducer and will allow you to move the axis to any convenient place, and at the same time lower the motor down as much as possible. A chain here will be better than a belt; a multi-row chain with a small pitch will be better than a single-row chain with a large pitch - reducing the dimensions of the diameters of the stars/pulleys, but it is advisable to confirm all decisions with calculations). And the engine on a trike “back to front” looks the most beautiful.
If it's not a secret, post a sketch with your solution for gearboxes.
Re> For a trike, placing the engine in front of the rider is almost unrealistic
However, this doesn’t bother the Americans - they don’t care about handling, safety, etc. - show-off above all!
Yes, there is little that bothers them at all.
Very interesting idea with chains! In the first version (motor in front of the rear axle), my reduction was done precisely due to the chains, they calculated, drew, began to sharpen and then the concept changed (I received advice from a well-known DIYer)
In this version, I abandoned the chain due to the fact that I needed to change the rotation of the wheels to the reverse with a decrease. Your option is very tricky! To be honest, if you had given me such an idea earlier, I probably would have brought it to life. It’s just that I’ve been looking for a designer for gearboxes for a month, developed a concept, then drawings, now I’ll sew that the gearbox already exists (although the manufacturers are actually twisting their arms!) But the fact that chains will be many times cheaper than gearboxes is a fact. I considered the issue with the X-5 3-liter engine with a 245 hp gearbox (I had one, bought it broken, changed the spar, I know the engine.) But I refused because of its initial high cost (7-10 t.e. assembled with box) and it is very large and heavy + it is all electronic. And the Audi engine is 198 hp. + box + everything to start it including tank, tidy, wiring, electronics - 2 t.e. and no immobilizers!
The chain has a couple of disadvantages: 1-two-row is definitely weak and 2-it is not sealed, which will require the manufacture of a bulky case, which will entail an expansion of the base. (with 24 wheels I barely pass the standards and I still have to go through classification) But if you use an in-line engine and a different suspension (I settled on the front one from the T-4 assembly), then it may well work out, but with chains from motorcycles in 2-3 rows or timing belt.