Lifan 50 tribrid suspended tadpole trike

[BarelyAWake]

Hey all, joined the forum for all the great engine tech info as these horizontals aren't all that commonplace in this application. While I'm not quite ready to start building up the Lifan any more than stock, I've been lurking and checkin' out what's possible & I had the thought that some of you might get a lol out of my madness



Still a project in progress w/a long way to go, overall this build is mostly for the sheer experimentation, an excuse to tinker w/both a four stroke 49cc Lifan and a 48v 1000w electric drive and a recumbent tadpole configuration. My "best case scenario" is something that is snappy off the line yet uses little fuel for my commute & offering comfort & reliability for the long hauls (daydreamin' of cross country trips & camping adventures ofc) - but really more than anything else, just the fun & education of tryin' ta make all the pieces fit


Photo album: tad pictures - Photobucket

 

[hugemoth]

Well done! Very cool project.

Q

 

[The_GDFP]

I freaking LOVE it! Well done. My interpretation would likely sacrifice that weighty driver-urged nonsense, and add a cup holder and some more Power Engines operate most efficient a bit warm, but do you think it's getting enough air? Longer intake and exhaust tract experiments?

I just got distracted for an hour of re-reading old articles from the Vetter runs.

 

[wogtaz ryder]

That is pretty cool!

 

[SnItChY]

Have you test rode it yet .. i would think your back will get warm that close to the head
very cool .. would be great fun

 

[BarelyAWake]

Thanks guys, it's gettin' there

My interpretation would likely sacrifice that weighty driver-urged nonsense, and add a cup holder and some more Power

lol, not quite sure what ya mean by "weighty driver-urged nonsense" - but a cup holder/bottle cage I do have, it's just not been on the thing since the "pile of random" stage



& as for "more power" - that is ofc one of the reasons I joined here... but TBH I suspect even stock it's gonna take me awhile to get used to flyin' along feet first w/my seat 12" off the ground... actually, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be terrifying

Engines operate most efficient a bit warm, but do you think it's getting enough air? Longer intake and exhaust tract experiments?

Have you test rode it yet .. i would think your back will get warm that close to the head

It's still a ways off from any test runs unfortunately (other'n settin' on it & makin' vroomie noises to meself ofc), ATM I've about a zillion little thing to complete, like makin' & final welding a couple few more mounts & whatnot, paint, cargo solutions, etc. etc. - the biggest thing left is it's relatively complex wiring harness (full lighting & "marrying" the two motor's charging systems)... so I'm figurin' it'll be ready for test runs come late winter/spring here.

As for the heat issues, they are a concern - my back should be fine as there'll be a heat shield & as for gettin' enough air the Lifan is actually less obscured on this thing than on some of the kiddie-sized four wheelers I've seen so I'm hoping it'll be OK, I do have a Vapor digital dash w/a CHT gauge to keep an eye on it, if it proves toasty I've some back up plans - such as a small air scoop/dam under the build & possibly one of the aftermarket oil coolers.



...pretty sure I'm gonna redo the dash/headlight mount a bit more (narrowing) - ofc, I'm pretty sure I'm gonna redo just about everythin' "a bit more" before it's done heh

Thanks again all

 

[The_GDFP]

Sorry, my quoted line translates to "I'm too fat & lazy for pedals"

The only interface the petrol sipper should need is to grab the yellow and/or white output and run them to the battery, through a regulator. The whole 12-48v step-up is probably some thing you have researched. Lots of neat pics

 

[BarelyAWake]

oic, no worries lol

Well, fortunately the pedals & whatnot don't weigh all that much at all, if I actually managed to shed a coupla pounds off my areobelly (recumbent speak for beergut) it'd more than make up the difference

There's more than one very real advantage to keepin' them tho, even other'n a place to put mine feet - most importantly they keep it legal for on-road use. Aside from the electric assist, which is simply an experiment & easily removable the taddy is compliant as a motorized bicycle in this state, I could even register it as a moped if I wished.

The other main advantage is ofc what they're meant for - in the quest for power & speed, every lil bit counts & having a fully functional 21sp pedal drive (unlike mopeds lol) will defo help with takeoff & hills.

The wiring is unfortunately... a touch complicated;


...even the Lifan isn't quite as straightforward as most of these horizontals it seems;

 

[The_GDFP]

Egad! That IS a heap of wire.

The entire plug pictured is merely for a gear position indicator, and can be disregarded if that function is not required.

Yellow+pink=12v output
Green=ground
rest=to CDI

I was joking about the pedals I'm spherical enough to make them a good idea, myself.

Might make that backrest hinged, so you aren't beheaded while sneaking under a moose?

That thing is so cool. Got me thinking...

 

[BarelyAWake]

Yea - most of that harness pile is a combo of stuff for the electric hub & lighting, I decided to go with full lighting as recumbents are not easily seen... the moose concern may be valid, but the thing is only three feet tall lol, so I'm a touch more worried about the Ford F350 sneakin' up behind me

Here's a few shots of the taillight & headlights & the lil front blinkers I just made (for the fenders) if yer curious;


& thanks for the Lifan wiring tips - interestingly that info isn't easy to come by & there's some conflicting schematics, many don't even include the pink wire at all & none have the gear indicators... ya wouldn't happen to know them offhand would you GDFP? The Lifan's drive is jack shafted to use the trike's drivetrain, so I'm planning on only using the autoclutched 3sp as a "low med high" range (trail/urban/highway), so it'd be nice to have gear position indicator lights...

No big deal if they're a mystery tho, I figure that's what my multimeter is prolly for heh

 

[The_GDFP]

Green/red is neutral, otherwise I dunno...

 

[BarelyAWake]

Good 'nuff GDFP & thanks, "neutral" is the one I really need in any case as (for now anyway) it's all I've an indicator light for lol & speakin' of which;

Although it cleared the pedals & my feet easily... there was something I jus' didn't like about the width of the Vapor display w/it's indicator dash and it was buggin' me every time I saw it lol *shrug*

So although I kinda wanted to save the space above the Vapor for if I got a 'Cycle Analyst' (digital dash & battery monitor for ebikes), I figured what the heck, if I get one I can always remake a new dash mount or jus' mount it where my GPS now sits & put the GPS elsewhere... but ATM I'm thinkin' I might just take the "low/medium/high" battery state indicator LEDs out of the ethrottle (now conveniently hidden under the seat) & insert them across the top of the dash mount, above the keyed ignition switch...

...and that keyed ignition switch was another reason I decided "what the heck" as it fits so nicely there - the keys are removable in the "on" position so they won't chatter against the Vapor dash & the back of the ignition switch fits perfectly down into the old seat post tube so although the taddy could ofc still be pedaled/carried away - yer gonna hafta work at it a bit to "hot wire" anything lol

TBH, it's really not theft I'm concerned with, as mentioned a key switch alone isn't gonna stop anyone from stealing the thing - it's the "touchy feely" gawkers flipping switches & squeezing levers that gets me every time. While you'd actually hafta start the ICE for it to be a hazard, there's nothin' stopping them from hittin' the starter button & with the electric hub all ya'd hafta do is squeeze the throttle a bit and there'd be a problem, as there is with any number of lights & doodads draining the battery when folks can't resist the "ooh shineh, push teh button!" temptations heh

As the keyed switch is just a single switch with a key & not actually the ignition & accessory switch normally found on mopeds/motorcycles/whatever - there's only the two posts on the back with "off" interrupting the single circuit. As I would like it to control the power supply to two different engines, as well as all lighting & accessories, I figure I'll run it to a relay bank instead... guess it's a good thing I got that five pack of relays lol

 

[MiniFighter]

Coming along great mate! and props for the great pics, does the thread so much more justice being able to look at pics.

I have this visual image in my head...

Front brakes locked on, full lock in the steering, lifan singing at the top of its lungs blowing out some nasty circle work..

 

[BarelyAWake]

Thanks man Yea pics, they say they're worth a thousand words n'all that... as I'm a bit long winded even with 'em - can ya imagine w/o 'em? >.< Thankee digital cams lol

I do have this sneaking suspicion there might be somewhat of an undue wear rate on this thing's rear tire... for some reason... mebbe

 

[BarelyAWake]

Ahh, I love the smell of melting plastic in the morni...

No... wait I really don't, but it's all I've been up to lately. Still huntin' down some of the widgets I need, scratchin' my head trying to figure schematics & cutting, stripping, crimping, soldering, shrink wrapping & doin' it some more...

gaw... there's a lotta wiring in this project lol and I ain't near done yet - jus' figured I'd post up some of what's been goin' on



Album: tad pictures - Photobucket

 

[kniever]

just had a read through and awesome work man, putting alot of effort into it

 

[BarelyAWake]

First off I need to apologize, got a new 'puter & lost this forum and for the life of me couldn't remember my login - so sorry for the long absence and lack of updates lol, if you'd like to read about what happened to the project whilst I was lost in the interwebs, laid out in excruciating, numbing detail you can check it here: The Bent Zombie Tribrid Tadpole Trike (build phase) or simply skip ahead to the fun stuff (recommended unless you're a masochist heh);

electric drive vid
relay panel & keyed switch vid
jackshaft & freewheel vid
lighting & controls vid
Lifan (CRF50 clone) first start & run vid
gear indexing & shifting vid
walk around vid

...and that's about it for awhile, the 'T3' is pretty much "finished" aside from a billion minor adjustments, some fine tuning & dialing in - just about all of which is dependent on test runs, of which I can't do at the moment as ofc it's still winter in Maine lol



Sure, there's still some little things like weld my rear disc brake's caliper mount, but as I "need" to ride it to work to use the welder, we're back to waiting another month or two for the weather to clear, more importantly for the roads to be clean as it's not even mud season yet & still snowing, the muck, salt & calcium chloride isn't something the newborn taddy should be subject to... which poor Mongo can illustrate;



So while ofc I'll still be tinkerin' away and more than happy to answer any questions, there won't be much in the way of updates in this thread until spring, actual for real spring that is heh, not the silly calendar & it's lies - at which point the really fun stuff begins lol, the much anticipated "testing phase" where I get to find out just how mad this madness has truly been.

To all that offered their interest & assistance, suggestions & comments... to be completely honest this project would have been tedious without them so I thank you, thanks all so very much for lendin' that helpin' hand

 

[my67xr]

nice build....

what headlight are you using, seems pretty bright, especially on high.

in my Atomik thread (link below) i have the gear indicator wiring colours, if it is any help for you later on in your build.
and also found an ebay seller that has lcd gear displays , too, they go up to 5th, no neutral though.
i added some lighting to my bike too, a 27w led floodlight, 2150 lumen, it only draws 1A when turned on.

cheers, craig

 

[BarelyAWake]

Thank you my67xr, I'll defo keep your gear indicator wiring link handy as I've not been able to find much info on it elsewhere - I'm only using the neutral indicator (drilled dash for LED & lens that came w/the Vapor), but who knows? I might add the 1st, 2nd & 3rd position indicators at some point, when I'm not quite so burned out on wiring lol

I'd gotten a set of 'Blazer' driving lights from ol' wallyworld, chrome & halogen they were too shiny for my eyes & too hungry for the amps (hybrid), so I converted them to a pair of 'Torchstar' LED MR16 Halogen replacement spotlights (12V 4W/440 Lumen), one with a 30° beam angle (high beam & cool white) and one with a 60° for the low/daytime driving (in a warm yellow). Just 4w instead of 50w & jus' four bucks each FTW, I then painted some of the shiny away as I'm not the biggest fan of chrome... particularly right where it'd reflect the sun's glare right into my eyes, headlights being to help ya see not hinder it right?

Not a big deal at all 'cept ofc the LED bulbs were almost 1/4" taller (longer?) so I had to gut the housing & make different plugins, easy e'nuff;




Once a I've a few test rides in & check the Lifan's charging system's actual output, I'll prolly upgrade the current high beam to something brighter, using it as the low beam/daytime driving light. While it's defo bright enough for your typical bicycle speed (my ebike for example), this will average a bit faster'n that & a high beam can't be "too bright" I figure... I jus' gotta figure how many watts I've to spare after powering all the doodads & whatnot, including ofc trickle charging the LiFePO4 packs...

 

[my67xr]

aah, ok, the MR16's,
yep, i know the exact ones, i used the same ones in my sons dune buggy too, but both in cool white 30 degree.