I've seen some bike wheels that I think would go well on the front-end of my trike.
Like most from a single-sided bike swingarm, they are centre-lock peg-drive, so would require an engineered solution rather than an off-the-shelf
one!
Would making use of the stub-axles from the bike in question be a good starter-for-ten, or better to just scratch-engineer a pair instead?
Don't like doing things the easy way do you 
Where's the fun in that!? 
Looking at that, you could almost see it being grafted into a Sierra front upright with the hub and bearings removed. If you can work with rear
steering (i.e. rack behind the front axle line) then the same would apply to most FWD uprights as well.
Failing that, I'd imagine it would be cheaper to start with the stub axle shown and engineer a fabricated upright around it. To have something
machined like that would be £££ for 2-3 pieces. Also if the upright is fabricated around it you'll get design freedom in terms of geometry; KPI
etc.
Never liked the idea of bike wheels used like this, I'd suspect they aren't designed to take any significant lateral forces because they don't need to on a bike.
quote:
Originally posted by MikeRJ
Never liked the idea of bike wheels used like this, I'd suspect they aren't designed to take any significant lateral forces because they don't need to on a bike.
For my money, that stub looks stronger than a lot of car axles so I don't think it would be a major issue.
Just on another note... I see that the bike wheels are stamped with the JWL and Dot-E marks (both of which relate to cars). There is no further
distinguishing between car / bike wheels, so I guess (note the italics ) that this means the bike wheels meet the minimal 'car'
standards???
ive been looking into some lightweight uprights , that come from a road legal buggy , that weighs approx the same as yours that seem quite good value
.
even better is that all the balljoints, steering etc are available .
the brakes etc are all bolt on , i think the main problem is wheel selection.........
Is the shaft hollow? You'd need some meat to machine but it looks like it would be pretty simple to machine the shaft to fit a FWD hub.
What kind of hub are you hoping to use?
Davie
Are the bike wheels from a chain drive with sprocket and cush drive ? The one you have there would work with an upright designed for it and you could fit car tyres to the rim which would work better than bike tyres. You would have a spindle which stays still more like a rear stub axle on a front wheel drive car as opposed to one which rotates like a Sierra or front wheel drive.
The stub-axle pictured is the actual one for the bike wheel that I might be using. Remember that it's peg-drive, so the stub-axle itself would
have to rotate in the upright.
[Edited on 16/11/11 by scootz]
Is the shaft hollow? If so how much metal is there to work with for turning to fit a hub?
Davie
I don't have one to hand just now Davie. I'll do my usual and buy one... expect to see it in the For Sale section soon after we discover
it's a non-starter!
Is the picture of a triumph spindle? It looks almost identical to the spindle on my Sprint ST (which is hollow).
Davie
I love this website (and especially you Davie!).
Yes, it's an ST 1050 spindle!
If you need any measurements let me know.
That's not what I wanted to hear Davie... I wanted you to say, "yes Scootz it will work beautifully and I would consider it an honour to
make you two such uprights for your fabulous three-wheeled chariot"!
Seriously though... do you think the idea has potential, or am I looking at a load of expensive complications?
Cheers!!! 
My bikes not here but I'll have look at it tosee how easy it would be to machine it to fit, if it's not too thin I think it will be a
dooddle to make a front hub to suit. My only concern would be that it might be quite bulky as the minimum bearing size will be dictated by the size of
the shaft, which is relatively large.
What type of brake disc/caliper are thinking of using?
You got any pictures of what you would like the front hub to look like?
Davie
edited to remove absolute nonsense the wife typed
[Edited on 16/11/11 by daviep]
Its probably easier to make a stub axle to fit an existing upright (or hub for a fixed stub axle) a fairly simple turning job. The difficulty might be with offset. For that reason a custom upright might be the only way to go.
OK scootz
After a bit of googling I think it may work beautifully and I may considermaking you two such uprights for your fabulous three-wheeled chariot"!
What suspension is going on the front?
Davie
Bugger... I wanted to see what Mrs P wrote! 
I've picked up a set of Brembo M4 Monoblocks and would like to try and use them. They normally run on bikes with 320mm discs, but I'd want
to try and reduce that diameter as much as possible. I also like the 17" wheel from the back of the ST 1050 bike, so may go down that route
(added bonus that it fits right onto the Triumph hub!).
So...
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+
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quote:
Originally posted by daviep
What suspension is going on the front?
quote:
Originally posted by scootz
quote:
Originally posted by daviep
What suspension is going on the front?
Double wishbone with a design of your choosing!
The tub was designed to take the VW beam, but everything I've read about the handling characteristics of a front-end trailing-arm set-up screams
'DITCH-FINDER'!
The forward wishbone clevis mounting points are straightforward enough as these bolt straight onto the hard-surface of the footwell bulkhead.
I've spoken with the guy who made the tub and he's suggested bonding a box-section frame into the inside of the cockpit to take the loads of
the rear wishbone clevis mounting points. He just needs me to decide where the mounting points should be and then drop the tub and a suitable
box-section frame off with him to do the CF work.
Thing is... I haven't the slightest idea about what constitutes good front suspension geometry, so will need someone to give me a guide!
The front end is essentially a blank canvas!
You're more than welcome to come over to Haddington and have a look to see what you think. I'll cover your fuel and supply lunch / tea!
I'd love to take you up on that offer but it won't be for a couple of weeks, I'm off to Norway tomorrow.
I can't really help with the blank canvas, I'm not that clued up on suspension but I'd love a look because I'm nosey. Sorry
Cheers
Davie
No worries Davie. Let me know when you're back and have a few hours free! I'll hopefully have a better idea of where it's all heading
by the time you come across.
Honda vfr rear wheels are bolted on, just like a car.......just my 2pennyworth
Thanks scootz , cheque on the way to you.
Denis.
No worries Denis... just when you get a chance.
PS - the post before yours disappeared cos I hit the 'delete' button instead of 'edit'... DOH!!!
It's copied below...
The Beemer ones are bolt-on too. Unfortunately both the Honda and BMW rears have a 'directional' design. The Triumph and certain
Ducati's are symmetrical.
http://www.stormbuggies.com/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=319&category_id=78&option=com_virtuemar
t&Itemid=174
what i was looking at.
loks like the hub mounting onto the axle is conventional and easy to make something new for .....
this is a picture of the upright tho ...