Why Not A Motor Trike?

[rcm]

this comes to my mind...

True , Motorbike with sidecars need to have some weight shifting....when you see them Racing you see the Guy in the sidecare moving left and right depends on the turn ...but interesting to watch these races...

[bino]

Old Croc's picture of the Carver reminded me of something I saw at a car show when I was a teenager, and I thought it was the coolest thing.

Called a TriHawk. 1.3 liter 4 cylinder engine, front wheel drive, capable of generating 0.9 G's in a turn, so stability is not a problem!

A three wheeled vehicle laid out like this- ie 2 wheels in front - seems incredibly sensible to me!

More info can be found on these sites-

http://www.3wheelers.com/trihawk.html

http://designmassif.com/trihawk/brochure/index.htm

While looking for TriHawk pictures, I ran across this....

Roadstercycle! Looks awfully cool!

From this website with more cool 3 wheelers....

http://www.ccpc.net/~jaho/on3wheel.html

Obviously- not practical solutions for the OP in Vietnam, but fun to look at and imagine!

[jdinasia]

yes .... and the tadpole layout is better... far more prone to flipping in a turn than a car.

but those are three-wheeled cars ... with a lower center of gravity than a motorcycle.

There are a few great enclosed 3 wheel vehicles out there! hybrids or linears (like a motorcycle) but they have a hanging carraigethat pivots and swings to get around the simple physics that make trikes dangerous

[meowchawpnom]

Well...what about modifying a motorbike to have the two wheels in the front instead of the back? Is that possible and would it be better? I've never seen one like that.

[jdinasia]

no ..... really this is a no go for you.

[rcm]

Well...what about modifying a motorbike to have the two wheels in the front instead of the back? Is that possible and would it be better? I've never seen one like that.

I posted a picture of a motorbike with 2 wheels in front on the first page of this thread ....

[Thaiboxer]

I used to race ATC's (three wheeled dirtbikes) and although I've never flipped one over myself, I have seen some accidents with these things at the race track. Two wheels would actually be safer. Quads are popular in the States but I haven't seen too many here. Can't beat a car for safety/stability though.

[higgy88]

Meow, from reading this thread it sounds a little bit like you are trying to fool yourself into thinking that if you get something with three wheels that won't fall down by itself, then you can ride it without a helmet and some sort of protective clothing. Don't fool yourself. You just should not do that. If you are riding a vehicle where you are "exposed" rather than one where you are "enclosed", then you really need to take measures to protect your body such as a good motocycle helmet and protective clothing such as heavy denim jeans and jacket. It may be hot, but either get used to it or go for an enclosed vehicle. In Arizona, at least in Tucson, they have a law that states that all bicycles riders, even kids, must wear the appropiate bicycle helmet or risk getting a ticket.

[Japhrodisiac]

Meow, from reading this thread it sounds a little bit like you are trying to fool yourself into thinking that if you get something with three wheels that won't fall down by itself, then you can ride it without a helmet and some sort of protective clothing. Don't fool yourself. You just should not do that. If you are riding a vehicle where you are "exposed" rather than one where you are "enclosed", then you really need to take measures to protect your body such as a good motocycle helmet and protective clothing such as heavy denim jeans and jacket. It may be hot, but either get used to it or go for an enclosed vehicle. In Arizona, at least in Tucson, they have a law that states that all bicycles riders, even kids, must wear the appropiate bicycle helmet or risk getting a ticket.

Agreed. Meow, you are focused on the layout of the vehicle without any knowledge of the physics at play. The assumption that a three wheel vehicle of any layout or configuration is inherently "safer" than a two wheeled vehicle is simply false. I have driven many configurations of 2, 3 and 4 wheeled vehicles

and many 3 wheel vehicles are dangerous and frightening to ride, and I roadraced motorcycles for a decade and do not frighten easily. A motorcycle steers, and gets stability from a principle of physics called gyroscopic precession. Three wheelers have neither the inherent roll axis stability of a car nor the ability to recieve the full benefits from gyroscopic precession. The worst of all worlds. There are some configurations of three wheelers that have excellent handling characteristics, but they are they product of much research and engineering and would be impossible to duplicate yourself. See the Campagna T-Rex here http://www.go-t-rex.com/trex.asp?nav=en-ca for an example of a well engineered three wheel vehicle

[rcm]

Meow, from reading this thread it sounds a little bit like you are trying to fool yourself into thinking that if you get something with three wheels that won't fall down by itself, then you can ride it without a helmet and some sort of protective clothing. Don't fool yourself. You just should not do that. If you are riding a vehicle where you are "exposed" rather than one where you are "enclosed", then you really need to take measures to protect your body such as a good motocycle helmet and protective clothing such as heavy denim jeans and jacket. It may be hot, but either get used to it or go for an enclosed vehicle. In Arizona, at least in Tucson, they have a law that states that all bicycles riders, even kids, must wear the appropiate bicycle helmet or risk getting a ticket.

Agreed. Meow, you are focused on the layout of the vehicle without any knowledge of the physics at play. The assumption that a three wheel vehicle of any layout or configuration is inherently "safer" than a two wheeled vehicle is simply false. I have driven many configurations of 2, 3 and 4 wheeled vehicles

and many 3 wheel vehicles are dangerous and frightening to ride, and I roadraced motorcycles for a decade and do not frighten easily. A motorcycle steers, and gets stability from a principle of physics called gyroscopic precession. Three wheelers have neither the inherent roll axis stability of a car nor the ability to recieve the full benefits from gyroscopic precession. The worst of all worlds. There are some configurations of three wheelers that have excellent handling characteristics, but they are they product of much research and engineering and would be impossible to duplicate yourself. See the Campagna T-Rex here http://www.go-t-rex.com/trex.asp?nav=en-ca for an example of a well engineered three wheel vehicle

Nice link...great looking vehicles too...

[jdinasia]

nice posts guys!

I've seen a good number of quads in Thailand ... but they cannot be licensed for the street to the best of my knowledge.

<no telling what is legal in Vietnam!>

[meowchawpnom]

Well, thanks for your thoughts. In answer to one suggestion:

It is impossible for me to wear a helmet and protective clothes like jeans in this climate. I am going to use the bike to date girls, for one thing. Wearing the helmet would mat down my thin hair with sweat and oil and I would look very unsexy. (please, wiseguys, don't post "you'll look even more unsexy with your brains oozing from your fractured skull"...these are my realities) My hair needs to fluff up to look good; when it's matted down I look bald.

And wearing the jeans and denim jacket would mean I would sweat like a pig, and create a big daily laundry problem.

You'll notice that 95% of SEAsians don't wear a helmet, nor protective clothes...yes, they may die, but they realize that it's just not practical for day to day living.

I realize my proposal isn't perfect, but I am trying to do the best I can with a solution that will have to be a compromise, as a car, the perfect solution, is just out of the question.

Now if a trike would be unstable on turns, I would just have to be more careful and go more slowly. I'm willing to do that.

Nobody has answered my question about what kind of motorbike accidents are most common -- getting hit by another motorist or just falling off the bike due to slippery pavement, gravel, getting the tires caught in streetcar rails or failure to turn properly, or whatever. If the latter are the most common accidents, as I suspect, then a trike seems to make sense, unless some of you are right and it's MORE likely to fall down, which defies common sense to me.

I saw a trike today made from a motorbike. It really looked awful. The two full size wheels in the back made it look like a wheelchair. Even I, who doesn't care about appearances, don't want that (is that grammar correct???).

So I wonder if it would also look better, and less noticeable, if the trike were made from a scooter, with the smaller wheels.

I also am very intrigued with the idea of doing the tadpole design for the motorbike conversion. I was looking at a lot of front wheels today, and it seems like it would be easier to convert the front to two wheels than the back. There's less stuff in the way.

Here in Nam the cyclo drivers drive tadpoles, which they don't do in Thailand. It has always looked funny to me, but if it is more stable, why not do it?

It IS more stable, isn't it? On turns, I mean?

I wonder why nobody seems to make tadpole motortrike conversions? (Okay, RCM, you did post one, but that was a delivery trike or something, which is different)

I wonder if the conversion guys would know how to do that?

[jdinasia]

again you are being unrealistic. You are missing the PHYSICS of the situation. The higher the center of gravity on a bike that cannot lean creates an unstable vehicle in corners. Going up hills... more dangerous in the standard version. Weight in corners .. big trouble!

Accidents ... obviously minor ones are more common <and usually not reported> but ONE fall without a helmet at ANY speed can end all your joys.!>

My one time I went down in Thailand was in a parkinglot. slight incline dirt/gravel Put it in 2nd to start due to the gravel ... wasn't fully in gear dropped to first .. got away from me and wham! torn jeans scraped knee scraped hand ,,,, if it would have been a trike it would have flipped on top of me! The one time I went down in the states? not going fast! cornering in a sub-division hit gravel and slip .... had it been a trike the slide would have happened too but it would have flipped rolling over me ....

As for your vanity? Don't wear a helmet ... think .. how fun would it be to be brain damaged in Vietnam? You don't care if you look uncool riding a trike .... but you do care if you have helmet head?

[rcm]

Well, thanks for your thoughts. In answer to one suggestion:

It is impossible for me to wear a helmet and protective clothes like jeans in this climate. I am going to use the bike to date girls, for one thing. Wearing the helmet would mat down my thin hair with sweat and oil and I would look very unsexy. (please, wiseguys, don't post "you'll look even more unsexy with your brains oozing from your fractured skull"...these are my realities) My hair needs to fluff up to look good; when it's matted down I look bald.

And wearing the jeans and denim jacket would mean I would sweat like a pig, and create a big daily laundry problem.

You'll notice that 95% of SEAsians don't wear a helmet, nor protective clothes...yes, they may die, but they realize that it's just not practical for day to day living.

I realize my proposal isn't perfect, but I am trying to do the best I can with a solution that will have to be a compromise, as a car, the perfect solution, is just out of the question.

Now if a trike would be unstable on turns, I would just have to be more careful and go more slowly. I'm willing to do that.

Nobody has answered my question about what kind of motorbike accidents are most common -- getting hit by another motorist or just falling off the bike due to slippery pavement , gravel, getting the tires caught in streetcar rails or failure to turn properly, or whatever. If the latter are the most common accidents, as I suspect, then a trike seems to make sense, unless some of you are right and it's MORE likely to fall down, which defies common sense to me.

I saw a trike today made from a motorbike. It really looked awful. The two full size wheels in the back made it look like a wheelchair. Even I, who doesn't care about appearances, don't want that (is that grammar correct???).

So I wonder if it would also look better, and less noticeable, if the trike were made from a scooter, with the smaller wheels.

I also am very intrigued with the idea of doing the tadpole design for the motorbike conversion. I was looking at a lot of front wheels today, and it seems like it would be easier to convert the front to two wheels than the back. There's less stuff in the way.

Here in Nam the cyclo drivers drive tadpoles, which they don't do in Thailand. It has always looked funny to me, but if it is more stable, why not do it?

It IS more stable, isn't it? On turns, I mean?

I wonder why nobody seems to make tadpole motortrike conversions? (Okay, RCM, you did post one, but that was a delivery trike or something, which is different)

I wonder if the conversion guys would know how to do that?

You're kidding right? Cause i have never heard anything like this before ....not wearing helmet because it doesn't look nice!!! but want to ride a Trike because it looks so " cool".

A Helmet is the minimum protection you should consider.Where did you get the 95 % from who don't wear Helmets in Asia (altough it is true that it is many)? Is it just guessing perhaps?

Jeans and Jacket is a Laundry Problem??? Maybe get a second or third set of it, problem solved .

Since you only know how to ride a Bicycle it is difficult to explain a "Bicycle with Engine support" to you and the Physics of it. But jdinasia and others gave you enough reasons why a Trike is less stable.

You saw a Trike with big wheels today that you didn't like as it looked like a Wheelchair ? If you drive around without helmet or protection you should reconsider...you might end up in a Wheelchair ....

I am not so sure if you should drive anything at all . Bkk has a good Coverage of Mass Transportation, honestly your priorities are wrong and you are a danger to yourself and others on the Road.

Rcm

[jdinasia]

He's in Vietnam .... not Thailand.

[rcm]

He's in Vietnam .... not Thailand.

Ok ..forgot about that one ..... anyhow,regardless of the Mass Transportation Coverage ,which is not so good in Vietnam, he still shouldn't drive, With not even have the basic understanding of a Motorbike,how would he manage to keep his eyes "everywhere" and that is what you need to avoid accidents too . Detect and react accordingly . Reacting with a trike is slow and you're underpowered on top of it....

[jdinasia]

I am an EXPERIENCED and cautious rider and I have gone down twice ! Without the aid of a car hitting me! (read this as SLOW is BAD!) Once in high school ... 1980 ... and once in Thailand 2003

I agree this guy needs a car or nothing .... but then again I have no idea what his liabilities would be if he hit and killed or seriously injured someone there! (much less himself!)

Edited August 30, 2006 by jdinasia

[higgy88]

Meow, you've asked for our advice and you got it, even though it may not have been what you wanted to hear. I would venture to say that we are all experienced and cautious motorcycle riders here, because those who are not cannot advice you because they are probably no longer with us. Don't be a fool.

[Japhrodisiac]

Meow, some ideas for you to ponder;

1. A fall from 9km/hr without a helmet is enough to inflict serious head injuries or death whether you ride a bicycle,motorcycle or trike. 9 km/hr

2. Laundry is not an adequate justification for a basic misinterpretation of Physics

3. Jeans, despite "common sense" are not great at preventing road rash. Cycle magazine in the States did an article on this in the 80's, where jeans essentially self-ignited when contacting pavement at speeds above 30 km/hr. Drive a safe vehicle in a safe manner, cover your noggin and you are statistically ahead (sorry) of the game.

4. Your hair only looks good when fluffy? Your dating pool must broaden to include specimens other than Shitzu....

5. Girls are more impressed with a guy who picks them up in a car driven by...anyone than on a homemade soapbox derby moped/trike hybrid that will look like you stole it from the local edible insect vendor

I've always thought that an underrated vehicle choice was the three wheeled sidecar/motorbike chicken soup cart. By far, gas stops aside you have more real world driving range with a 110 cc Honda Wave with 26 litres of soup aboard. Sen mee luan anyone? Just a thought.

[meowchawpnom]

again you are being unrealistic. You are missing the PHYSICS of the situation. The higher the center of gravity on a bike that cannot lean creates an unstable vehicle in corners. Going up hills... more dangerous in the standard version. Weight in corners .. big trouble!

Accidents ... obviously minor ones are more common <and usually not reported> but ONE fall without a helmet at ANY speed can end all your joys.!>

My one time I went down in Thailand was in a parkinglot. slight incline dirt/gravel Put it in 2nd to start due to the gravel ... wasn't fully in gear dropped to first .. got away from me and wham! torn jeans scraped knee scraped hand ,,,, if it would have been a trike it would have flipped on top of me! The one time I went down in the states? not going fast! cornering in a sub-division hit gravel and slip .... had it been a trike the slide would have happened too but it would have flipped rolling over me ....

As for your vanity? Don't wear a helmet ... think .. how fun would it be to be brain damaged in Vietnam? You don't care if you look uncool riding a trike .... but you do care if you have helmet head?

JDinasia, I think you are making a few unwarranted assumptions here.

"if it would have been a trike it would have flipped on top of me!" How do you know that? Maybe it wouldn't have flipped at all. Now if it did flip, I can picture how it MIGHT flip on top of you if there was enough force. But the whole idea is that it won't flip. Especially if you're a slow driver like I would be.

Anyway, I can see you guys all think it's more dangerous. So I will heed your advice, and seek more on some other forum, until I can sift through the conflicting advice and figure it out for myself.

As for the contradictions between what I said about not caring what the bike looked like, and caring about what my hair looks like, I must admit you got me there. My only defense is that I'm within my rights as an eccentric to contradict myself.

I won't try to get you to agree with me anymore, but I do ask one last bit of advice. If I DID do a trike conversion, do you agree that the tadpole design is more stable for road driving than the wheels-at-the-back design?

[jdinasia]

No unwarranted assumptions were made. Physics say that when I went into that slide a 2 wheeler gets laid down and a trike flips ... and it was at low speed.

but I am through with this topic .... as you are off to other fields to finally find someone that agrees with you. Simple fact ... you shouldn't be riding at all ... and your couple of trips on the back of someone else's bike don't give you the experience to work from.

[nikster]

See the Campagna T-Rex here http://www.go-t-rex.com/trex.asp?nav=en-ca for an example of a well engineered three wheel vehicle

Wow - cool stuff. Thanks for that link!!

As for meow - you want a Trike, go for it! Don't let reason stand in the way. The trike is the perfect bike for eccentrics, and as long as you don't race it or go fast, you won't even flip over in turns

Don't be so serious, y'all...

Safety is subjective. A trike is a bit like a bicycle in terms of speeds reached... or slower, actually. It's a slow mode of transportation and I would think not any more unsafe than a scooter in Thailand, the main danger is getting hit by other traffic.

In my years of bicycling to work in San Francisco (think HILLS. STEEP hills), I never wore a helmet. I felt safer without. The helmet impedes my senses and so I can't jump out of the way if some crazy guy comes racing around the corner. I can be fully alert without, and I go slow enough that I am able to stop or maneuver out of the way or jump off the bike at any time. Weaving inbetween traffic on 5 lane roads increases alertness enormously, but then, this is the U.S. where people drive slowly and lanes are wide. And people do stop for bicycles or pedestrians.

Mountainbiking is completely different - I go really fast, sometimes too fast, there are trees, and there can be unforeseen obstacles, so I wear the helmet. I once put that to good use, too.

I would not dream of going on a real motorbike without proper helmet. In fact I dont have a proper motorcycle since almost everyone I know who has one has had at least one really bad accident.

[higgy88]

Actually nikster I also think a trike would probably be just right for him, just as long as he understands that 3 wheelers are not inherently safer than 2 wheelers even though his common sense tells him otherwise. All he has to do is drive it slower to compensate for its poorer handling characterists, and keep away from the faster moving traffic, and he should be allright. I am just very disturbed by his unwillingness to wear a helmet. The bottom line is that road rash, with a little antibiotics to avoid infection, will eventually heal. The same goes for broken bones as long as they are set properly. But brain damage is forever. It's all up to him.

[jdinasia]

ok ... i am already imgining this guy ... riding around HCMC at 20k/ph or slower with a date .... no helmet ... b ut ... looking cool!

[meowchawpnom]

Thanks Nikster, for bringing some perspective to this. It's not that I want a trike. I am trying to solve my transportation problem, in the best way to meet my individual needs.

If, after looking at all the evidence and listening to all the opinions, I become convinced that a trike is not the answer, I won't get one.

I really am just seeking people's ideas. Maybe a trike is more dangerous because of the three wheels. As someone on another forum commented, if you have to swerve suddenly to avoid a crash, a trike might be more likely to flip over than a motorbike.

But maybe this problem can be solved. Maybe building the trike from a scooter, with its lower wheels, lowers the center of gravity and makes it less likely to flip over than one made from bigger motorcycle wheels. And maybe if one just avoids situations of heavy traffic, stays to the right and goes slow, especially on turns, one can deal with the trike's liabilities while enjoying its assets.

Personally, I'm aiming to live in a rural area eventually, where there won't be the kind of traffic you see in HCMC or Bkk. So it might work for me.

If helmets ruin your hair, silly as that sounds, maybe someone should make one that just covers the sides of your head, not the top. I mean, maybe it's the sides that get hit the most when you fall over, not the top. I don't know, I'm just speculating. That might make it more acceptable for more people to wear helmets. It's obvious people don't want to wear helmets, that's why most people in Thailand and VN don't wear them. And I mean well over 90 percent in Thailand (from my observations) and over 99% in Vietnam.

Maybe a motorbike with four wheels is the answer? Wonder how that would be, stabilitywise. The whole reason people ride motorbikes in SE Asia is because they can't afford cars. Why shouldn't we try to make them more stable, and hence make traffic more civilized in these crazy streets?

From what people are telling me, the cheapest car you can buy in Vietnam is a tiny Daewoo, for USD 20,000, which is about twice what it costs in the US. These high import duties is very bad policy by the govt, making it impossible for people to afford cars.

Anyway, I admire people who build their own crazy vehicles in their backyards, whether recumbent bikes, trikes, or whatever. It's clear enough to me that the mass manufacturers of vehicles haven't done very much to solve the problems of affordability and safety for people in SE Asia.

If it were up to me, everyone would be riding bicycles, and manufacturers would put some imagination into making them better, more comfortable, able to easily carry two people, and other stuff. I can't even ride bikes with these tiny "wedgie" seats, and you can't find a big ergonomic seat in SEA. The fact that I can't ride a standard bicycle seat (without doing violence to my crotch) and can't pick up a girl on a bicycle, is what got me reluctantly thinking about motorbikes.

[meowchawpnom]

The T-Rex trike looks nice, but it also looks very expensive. How much do they cost?

Maybe make a trike with those wide front wheels, like the T-Rex, would make it more stable?

[HDRIDER]

Hi

This is what you want,,, well i would like to have one.

[Japhrodisiac]

Thanks Nikster, for bringing some perspective to this. It's not that I want a trike. I am trying to solve my transportation problem, in the best way to meet my individual needs.

If, after looking at all the evidence and listening to all the opinions, I become convinced that a trike is not the answer, I won't get one.

I really am just seeking people's ideas. Maybe a trike is more dangerous because of the three wheels. As someone on another forum commented, if you have to swerve suddenly to avoid a crash, a trike might be more likely to flip over than a motorbike.

But maybe this problem can be solved. Maybe building the trike from a scooter, with its lower wheels, lowers the center of gravity and makes it less likely to flip over than one made from bigger motorcycle wheels. And maybe if one just avoids situations of heavy traffic, stays to the right and goes slow, especially on turns, one can deal with the trike's liabilities while enjoying its assets.

Personally, I'm aiming to live in a rural area eventually, where there won't be the kind of traffic you see in HCMC or Bkk. So it might work for me.

If helmets ruin your hair, silly as that sounds, maybe someone should make one that just covers the sides of your head, not the top. I mean, maybe it's the sides that get hit the most when you fall over, not the top. I don't know, I'm just speculating. That might make it more acceptable for more people to wear helmets. It's obvious people don't want to wear helmets, that's why most people in Thailand and VN don't wear them. And I mean well over 90 percent in Thailand (from my observations) and over 99% in Vietnam.

Maybe a motorbike with four wheels is the answer? Wonder how that would be, stabilitywise. The whole reason people ride motorbikes in SE Asia is because they can't afford cars. Why shouldn't we try to make them more stable, and hence make traffic more civilized in these crazy streets?

From what people are telling me, the cheapest car you can buy in Vietnam is a tiny Daewoo, for USD 20,000, which is about twice what it costs in the US. These high import duties is very bad policy by the govt, making it impossible for people to afford cars.

Anyway, I admire people who build their own crazy vehicles in their backyards, whether recumbent bikes, trikes, or whatever. It's clear enough to me that the mass manufacturers of vehicles haven't done very much to solve the problems of affordability and safety for people in SE Asia.

If it were up to me, everyone would be riding bicycles, and manufacturers would put some imagination into making them better, more comfortable, able to easily carry two people, and other stuff. I can't even ride bikes with these tiny "wedgie" seats, and you can't find a big ergonomic seat in SEA. The fact that I can't ride a standard bicycle seat (without doing violence to my crotch) and can't pick up a girl on a bicycle, is what got me reluctantly thinking about motorbikes.

Hmmmm.....

Part of the problem here is that you know that you want something different, but actually have some very conventional needs. The eccentric in you enjoys tadpole recumbent trike style bicycles, alternative vehicles and such and i do understnd that. I myself appreciate interesting homespun engineering, especially when it meets a purpose and is well carried off. The world would be far less interesting if we all drove the same gray 4 door sedan. Having said that, vehicles, despite our passions for style/form etc are tools to do a job. The job that you want of your vehicle is to go from a to b, maybe with a passenger and you definitely do not want to wear a helmet. You seem to think that a motorcycle is unsafe, and if you are not an experienced rider and ride in mad SE asian city traffic, given these circumstances I would tend to agree with you. Therefore, what compromise can be safely reached that would make you feel safe (you may not actually be more safe, but perception is important) be cost effective and perform its function well? Note that this compromise must be either readily available, or easy to adapt/manufacture as you apparently have no engineering experience or instincts.

I think your options then are limited to something like a Tuk Tuk, or a Motorbike based 3 wheeler in either sidecar configuration (as seen all over SE asia) or 2 wheels in front or back. The 2 wheel in front type is used mostly as an agricultural vehicle, with a pickup style box of flatbed in front, steering via a bar where the normal handlebar would go. I recomment a sidecar type of rig for you. You could concievably make a nice sidecar with a very comfy seat for your date to ride in luxury, the vehicle would be stable in a straight line and easy to park, very simple to construct etc. You could have a removable lazy-boy type chair in the bed of the sidecar, so that you could use the unit for carrying cargo one day, and a hot date the next...lol. Best of luck, and do consider some form of helmet.

[jdinasia]

As of May this year the Vietnamese gov't started allowing import of used cars <duty free i believe ....>

There just is no way to look cool with a date going slow on a trike with no hlmet and your girl on the back.

[tigerbeer]

The T-Rex trike looks nice, but it also looks very expensive. How much do they cost?

Maybe make a trike with those wide front wheels, like the T-Rex, would make it more stable?

i googled on images and found this. just needs an axle and a couple new fresh tyres to the back and you got one of the most stable trike. you won't be going more than 10km/h, would you?