Alright, let me tell you about this three-wheeler thing I got myself into. It wasn’t like I woke up one day and just decided, ‘Gonna build a trike!’ Nah, it kinda simmered for a while. Saw a few custom jobs online, thought they looked neat, way cooler than the factory stuff. Plus, I had this old motorcycle engine just sitting in the corner of the garage, collecting dust after the bike itself kinda… well, met an unfortunate end against a stubborn fence post. Don’t ask.
Getting Started – The Scavenging Phase
First thing was figuring out what I actually needed. Obviously the engine was sorted. But the rest? That was a treasure hunt. Needed a frame concept. Spent ages sketching, crumpling paper, sketching again. Nothing fancy, just basic lines to get the idea down. Then, the hunt for parts began.
- Rear axle: This was a pain. Looked at ATV parts, golf cart bits. Ended up finding a beat-up differential from some small utility vehicle at a scrapyard. Had to haggle hard for that one.
- Front end: Started thinking I’d use motorcycle forks, but getting the steering geometry right for three wheels instead of two… tricky stuff. Eventually settled on adapting some car suspension parts I found cheap.
- Metal: Lots of steel tubing. Visited a local metal supplier, loaded up the truck. Felt like I was preparing for some kind of industrial project, not just tinkering in the garage.
The Actual Build – Sweat and Swearing
Okay, so I got my pile of parts and metal. Now the fun part, right? Welding. Lots and lots of welding. Cut the tubes, tacked them together, checked the angles, welded properly. The frame slowly started to take shape. It looked kinda wonky at first, like some metal skeleton. Getting the engine mounted was the next big hurdle. Had to build custom mounts, make sure everything lined up with where the chain or driveshaft would go. Took me like three tries to get it positioned right so it wouldn’t vibrate itself to pieces.
Steering was another headache. Connecting the handlebars to the car-style front hubs? That required some creative linkage. Lots of measuring, cutting, welding small brackets, then realizing it binded up, cutting them off, and trying again. My garage floor was littered with metal shavings and failed bracket attempts. Honestly, there were days I just wanted to push the whole mess out into the driveway and call it scrap.
Wiring… ugh. Don’t get me started. Making the old motorcycle harness talk to the necessary lights and ignition? It wasn’t plug-and-play, let me tell you. Spent hours with diagrams that barely made sense, testing circuits with a multimeter, blowing a few fuses along the way. It felt more like detective work than mechanics sometimes.
First Ride – More Jitters Than Joy
Finally, after what felt like forever, it looked… sort of like a vehicle. Wheels on, engine wired, basic seat bolted on (literally just a piece of plywood initially). Time to see if this thing would actually move. Rolled it out, checked the fuel, took a deep breath. Turned the key, hit the starter… and it fired up! Loud, rough, but running.
Easing out the clutch… it moved! Didn’t immediately fall apart or explode. That was a plus. But man, it was squirrelly. The steering felt super sensitive, every little bump in the road felt huge. Took it around the block, slowly. Felt like everyone was staring at this weird contraption. It wasn’t exactly a comfortable ride, more like riding a barely controlled earthquake. But it worked. It actually worked.
End Result – My Weird Machine
So yeah, that’s the story. It’s still in the garage. I’ve tweaked it a bit since that first ride, made the steering less terrifying, put a slightly better seat on it. It’s not winning any beauty contests, and it’s definitely got its quirks. But I built it. From a pile of junk and an old engine, I made this thing move. Every time I fire it up, even just to move it around the yard, I remember all those frustrating hours, the busted knuckles, the small victories. It’s rough, it’s loud, it’s totally impractical, but it’s mine. And that feels pretty good.
