Are you handicapped? Are you passionate about machines? You cannot ride motorcycles? Do you want to ride cruiser motorcycles? Well yes, it is now possible. Till now we have seen some vehicles with side cars, vehicles which have supports on the left and right sides. But, all these modifications are basically just for support, without being able to give a pleasurable ride. In the USA & Europe people who have physical problems, or who can’t ride due to some reason, or people who are not handicapped but very healthy, who just want to ride for pleasure, prefer to use a Trike. Even long distance tourers use Trike for its suitability and convenience.
What’s a Trike: Trike means a vehicle which runs on three wheels; one wheel in front and two at the rear. In India I have seen Kinetic scooters with four wheels; one for front and three at the rear. Well it has worked well, but with huge riding, handling & suspension problems. So the best option is to convert the machine into a properly designed three wheeler. By getting special permission from the RTO, a two wheeler can modified and made very sexy. Nowadays, sex appeal of the machine is important but quality and reliability are also governing factors. Though the aesthetics may be done in a very perfect way, if the system is not reliable on the road, then, it won’t give much pleasure.
Types of Trikes: There is another type of trike on the road, engineered in a very complex way. This trike has two wheels in front and one at rear. For us, the best design is a single wheel at front and two rear wheels with independent spring loaded suspension. Earlier people use to make trikes either with a side car or with four wheels but though it used to serve the purpose, it lacked ride quality. But now, designers have come up with solutions to the problem but in a different way.
Features of a Trike: Trikes have their own charm. Sexy colors, beautiful looking body structures, disc brake system up front and as well as for the rear, attractive graphics, beautiful looking alloy wheels, curvaceous seat structure are some of its alluring attractions.
Building one: Making any trike means a hell of a lot of complex engineering. But nowadays, in India, there are many people who are capable of building one.
The trike requires a differential box or universal joint or chain based transmission just like an auto rickshaw. It requires small chassis changes at the rear. After this you can put “N” number of things in your trike, such as a DVD player, LCD, or make it a convertible, etc.
The best part would be the REVERSE gear. Since the machine is very huge and bulky, it definitely requires a reverse gear. My dream is to build one trike so I can help a physically challenged person complete his or her dream to ride a beautiful machine…
Suitable bikes for conversion: The vehicle best suitable for a trike is any cruiser like the ThunderBird from Royal Enfield, Bajaj Avenger/Eliminator, Yamaha Enticer. Besides these bikes, it is possible to convert other bikes also, but the front would have to be modified also. Since the seating arrangement is different for a trike, the best bikes are cruiser bikes which are already available in India.
