Hank200005

Hi everyone, this is my first post so here goes. I built this e-trike was built to be ridden on the Playa (dry lake bed) at Burning Man, where the speed limit is 5 mph. The trike was constructed from a workman industrial trike, a Trek and a Giant mountain bike. I needed a wide track and long wheel base for stability, so I built a new frame section and reinforcement that resulted in a 4 foot wide, 8 foot long footprint. The seats are 4 feet above the ground, which puts the riders eye level about 7 feet above ground.
The rear wheels ride on 7/8” axles inside pillow blocks mounted to the 3” frame section. A coaster brake freewheel, transfers pedal power to one rear wheel. A caliper style brake is attached to the front. A 48 volt 750 watt BLDC hub motor provides power at the front forks. Two torque arms, one commercial, one I fabricated from Ό” steel plate, hold the front wheel in place and prevent the axle from spinning in the drop outs. The batteries are 4, 18ah SLA’s in a bag with the controller at mid-frame.

The trike was built to carry two riders, a Honda EU1000 generator, a Bimini top, a luggage rack on the back, and about a thousand LEDS to light it up at night. The fully loaded capacity of the vehicle is about 900 pounds. The lower frame was fabricated from 1”x3” 18ga Rectangular steel tube; the superstructure uses 1”x2” 18ga Rectangular steel tube with additional frame reinforcement using 1” round steel tube. The seat was made with 3” thick dense foam from a boat upholstery shop. This is not a light weight; total empty weight without generator or riders is 230 pounds.

Stability given the height is very good, although it is obvious that it was not built to take fast turns or corner quickly. Testing it in our hilly neighborhood gave uphill speeds of about 10 mph with 18mph on flats. But bear in mind this trike will only see speeds no greater than 10 mph with 5 mph the general rule.

I took it to Burning Man this year and was very happy with it's performance. Using a Honda EU 1000 generator and a 4 amp 48 volt charger gave me a range that was only limited by the gas in the generator. I start the generator and go, not having to worry about depleting the batteries. At one point at the end of the event I took it out on the deep playa and reached speeds of about 28 MPH. Now that we are back I'm looking forward to riding it around town.

WNCGoater

Wait, you ride that thing with a generator running?

I don't even know what to say.

Cyclist0108

How was it?

Wileyrat

Even though I've never been, it seems to me the goal at Burning Man is to be noticed.

I'm sure you'll accomplish that goal riding that trike.

jon c. 

The lighting on the tubes is cool, but you should run that around the top as well.

Sort of looks like it wouldn't handle all that well, but I suppose you don't need to make many sharp turns on the playa.

Hank200005

Yes I did ride it with the generator running. It worked as I expected, kept the batteries topped off. How was Burning Man? Best vacation ever. The trike was noticed, but I built it for transportation, routinely carried two sometimes three people.

Hank200005

More lights were added after these pictures. As far as the handling, no high speed sharp turns, otherwise it handles pretty well.

canklecat

Burning Man peaked with Gram Parsons' funeral. The first one. The not-quite-complete one.

SquidPuppet

friday1970

I've been wanting to go to Burning Man for the past few years, just the logistics and getting others to go with me is the issue.

I hate hijack this thread, but a few questions if you don't mind:
Did you use/stay in an RV? And for those of use with sedans, would a tent setup be OK?
How does one stay hydrated and keep food/water cool if you only brought a sedan/cooler/tent/bike?
Do most people bring their own food?
How loud are the campgrounds, or are some loud and others zoned to be quiet?

I've been fascinated by the pictures of Burning Man. Seems like a great place to stay for a week.

Lazyass

Always heard about this event. Did a quick check on what it's about. Let's just say Id rather be in Afghanistan.

SquidPuppet

Hank200005

Regarding Burning Man, I have a toy hauler that I camp in. It allows me to bring everything I need for a comfortable stay. Others that I camp with stay in tents. Everyone brings what they need food, water, clothing, transportation (bicycle) to make it through their stay. Once you arrive, you have to park your vehicle, it remains parked until you leave. The only exceptions are for disabled persons who may get a license to use their vehicle during the event, and invited mutant vehicles which are radically mutated and no longer resemble the base vehicle. The only items sold at the event are ice and at center camp you can buy coffee and tea drinks. Everything else you must bring. Also, anything you bring in you must bring out, there is a leave no trace rule. There are numerous shows, acts, concerts, discos, bars and large scale art at the event, if you camp close to a sound camp you are in for a rough time. About 70,000 people attend each year.

WNCGoater

^This^

Flip Flop Rider

sounds like an attempt to recapture woodstock

people, I guess, are looking for meaningful experiences they can look back on. to belong to something greater than themselves

don't know if this is it, but it looks like a huge party. so long as no one gets hurt (which I doubt, I know one guy ran into a fire and was burned alive), have at it