Recumbent - Raptor Trike - Ally construction

http://www.raptortrikes.com/

Has anyone seen these?

I don't know whether i'd pay the asking price for one as it doesn't look too pretty, but using the same method to homebuild a frame looks nice & light without th hassle of trying to weld Ally.

I've never seen that but it looks overbuilt IMHO. I think the builders could benefit more by selling the plans or learning to weld AL and using tubing that is, well...more round.

I've built fairing frames out of that stuff, but I'd be afraid to ride a trike built out of it.

Fair enough heheh!

That was an April 1st post that showed up a few days late; right?

Reminds me of an Erector set, actually. May be a fine product, but I would think it would be kind of hard to sell.

I have a raptor trike and have ridden about 2000 miles on it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Always thought I would build more based on the design but never got around it. Interested in buying mine? - I am looking for a two-wheel recombent instead.

Got about 2000 miles on mine - no problems. It would be easy to copy and make another. Interested in buying a used one? I am looking to switch to a two-wheeld recumbent instead.

Crikey - 2000 miles. Can't be too bad an idea then!

The designer has a couple of movieclips on youtube -

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=W5CIY9lPIsg

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=LzW9CpLRTL4&feature=related

The 2nd one is battery powered whilst the 1st ones frame differs at the back - looks simpler.

I built my own (http://s7.photobucket.com/albums/y254/Merrillg/Trike%20details/) and have made a number of improvements on the original design including a better seat, angled kingpins, under seat indirect steering (http://picasaweb.google.com/nbtriker/UnderseatTrikeSteeringVersion2#) and shorter cranks. In my most recent build for a friend we dispensed with the odd rear fork design in favor of a suspension rear fork off an old mountain bike. More pictures (http://picasaweb.google.com/nbtriker/DavidSTrike02#)

Thanks for sharing your trike pic's, nbtriker. I looked for the suspension rear fork off a mountain bike, but didn't see it. Is that your own design, or somebody else's ? Is that 2"x2"square Al tubing? How much does a foot of that stuff weigh? How much does the trike weigh? Do you like how it turned out? Is there any kind of spring-suspension between the front axle and the main frame beam?

nbtriker, I'm guessing you used 20inch front wheels an a 24inch rear wheel on David's trike?

Don't under estimate rivets. Many airplanes are held together by rivets.

Back in '94, I built a trike with full-suspension using square aluminum tubes that were riveted together with gusset plates, much like that raptor trike. The trick is not to use only gussets and rivets, but to use them in combination with a good epoxy. The rivets provide the clamping power while the epoxy cures. Once cured, most of the stress is handled by the epoxy.

:)ensen.

Raptor has been around over 10 years. Guy who designed it was an Oregorian, I think. Sold the company due to illness, engineer or something. To continue with the same unchanged plan makes it seem pretty good for longevity; or people would remember a lousy trike very well. I am surprised no one recognised it!

Recumbent trikes>Out of production>Raptor trikes - new owners must have revived it; I guess.

My trike is made out of 1.5" square tube with 1/8" thick walls. That is overkill. I've since built a couple with thinner tube. The naked trike (without the fairing) is 48lbs. I used 16" front wheels and a 24" rear. On David's trike I used 20" front wheels and a 26" mountain bike wheel in the rear. Unfortunately I never got a weight on it before he took it back to MD. The next project is a tandem trike with 20" wheels all around and rear suspension.

Merrill
www.nbtriker.org