Now that the CPSC agreement is finished.....

[OZQUAD44]

Theoretically a manufacturer could release a 2005 three wheeler could they not.

I understand that now the ATV sport revolves around quads, and I'm not suggesting that a whole range of three wheelers hit the market again. I'm just thinking along the lines of a "sand bike"

Anyone who has ridden quads, bikes and threewheelers knows that the sand is the spiritual home of a three wheeler. They're in their element. The sanddune market is filled with buggies, rails, and 4x4's etc . Why not a modern three wheeler.

I'm thinking, Low seat height, wide axle, modern motor, modern plastics, electric start, light weight, and spare parts for everyone.

Woo Hoo!

[raptor]

Could we not start some online petition? i bet we could get thousands to sign

but for which company? if we could start one company off the other company might start re-producing also and so forth on.

[trikezilla]

I WILL SIGN IT!!!!! man..i would cry for a NEW trike! HERES A QUESTION...... WOULD YOU TRADE AN OLDER TRIKE FOR A NEW ONE..? ASSUMING THE OLD ONE IS NOT A PILE OF CRAP, AND IS NICER THAN THE AVERAGE TRIKE, AND THE NEW ONE IS RELIABLE??

i DONT KNOW IF I COULD PART WITH AN ORGINAL....BUT IT WOULD CROSS MY MIND!

[trikerider2oo7]

you can sign all you want but i GUARANTEE that no company is going to make trikes again. they will claim that they are too dangerous. and they will probably think they will get into a bunch of lawsuits again

[LonesomeTriZ]

Theoretically a manufacturer could release a 2005 three wheeler could they not.

I understand that now the ATV sport revolves around quads, and I'm not suggesting that a whole range of three wheelers hit the market again. I'm just thinking along the lines of a "sand bike"

Anyone who has ridden quads, bikes and threewheelers knows that the sand is the spiritual home of a three wheeler. They're in their element. The sanddune market is filled with buggies, rails, and 4x4's etc . Why not a modern three wheeler.

I'm thinking, Low seat height, wide axle, modern motor, modern plastics, electric start, light weight, and spare parts for everyone.

Woo Hoo!

Your heart is in the right place. However, how are you going to convince a big corporation that building trikes is profitable? All they care about is their bottom line. What I would suggest is build a prototype of what you described. Use parts that are easy to get. Use a popular engine and make it some what simple. Make sure it is unique and can easily be upgraded for an individual’s needs and wants. Then sell them. You do that; maybe the big shot will take notice.

[Dammit!]

you can sign all you want but i GUARANTEE that no company is going to make trikes again. they will claim that they are too dangerous. and they will probably think they will get into a bunch of lawsuits again

And rightly so. They've already lost several huge lawsuits (unjustly, but that doesn't change anything). Thank our wonderful court system that awards judgements to idiots that blatantly disregard all the saftey warnings all over the bikes and manuals. They're the real reason why you'll never see another mass produced trike again.

[Orangecnty250r]

I would love to know the rate of injuries per 1000 bikes for three wheeler, quads, and motocross. I'm a therapist working in physical rehab and I have treated my share of spinal cord injuries from 4 wheelers. The bottom line is they are all dangerous. big corps are lawsuit shy of the three wheeler. To bad waivers didn't work for big corps. And I think the bottom line would work for them. They would sell. I know though we'll probably never see them. I must say I rode a suzuki 400 the other day and the whole time I was thinking wow electric start and this thing has some serious balls. One of us has to make a newer version of something from new available parts (big bucks though) Like tiger did in the eighties. Any takers?????

[LonesomeTriZ]

I agree. That is what I have said every time some raises this question. Build a damn prototype. Then talk about bringing them back. I have tried a few times. But I just do not have the financial means to pull it off. The new parts cost more and are more complicated. If a few of us got together and pooled money and recourses then maybe we can pull it off.

[Orangecnty250r]

I just went to ebay and checked out the honda 450R. 5000 for a bike,500-700 custom builder to modify that frame into a three wheeler frame, a little creativity /risk taking to make that headlight look work somehow plus triple clamps forks and a wheel. Sell the 4 wheeler front end on ebay to recoup some cost. This may be more doable/ realistic than I thought. I may scrap my 500 project and search for a tiger for a while. I'm going to give this some thought. Walking out to my garage hitting the electric start on a brand new 450R three wheeler I like it!!!!!

[LonesomeTriZ]

There is a little more to it than that. I was going to converts a wrecked YFZ 450. But after careful examination of the frame and how it all goes together, a new frame custom biult would have worked a lot better. Once again, that is where funding comes in. I am all for converting a new quad into a new trike, but who can spend that kind of money on a quad just to hack it up? If for some reason the plan fails, you have a $5000 nothing.

[Orangecnty250r]

I know it would be tough I'm just trying to be a liitle enthusiastic. A while back a friend of mine had a new quad on the back of his trailer and the ties downs let loose. It did several endos down the highway and the insurance company totalled it but it wasn't that bad. He got some money and bought it back. When my stolen banshee was recovered in pieces (about 70% of the machine They said make them an offer and I offered them two hundred bucks sold the parts for 1700 on ebay. Maybe contacting insurance companies for buy back from damaged or theft recoveries would be the way to go to save costs to get a project started.

[LonesomeTriZ]

I have tried that and police auctions. I do not know where all the deals come from I hear about. But I have found you can buy them for the same price on Ebay or from private owners. If you know a way to get them cheaper let us know.

[willcamach]

why use a brand new quad why not just get a quality used one there are tons of 400ex, z400's, predators and so on on ebay that regularly go for 3k-4k and usally with a few upgrades... sounds like a better idea than hacking up a brand new quad....or what about a nice dirtbike wouldnt that be easier to convert than a quad?

[LonesomeTriZ]

A dirt bike is the way to go. If you notice there is not a lot of difference in a dirt bike frame and a trike frame in most cases. Once again though, dirt bikes hold their value. To get a newer one will be costly. I think the idea here is to make a trike as modern as possible. That means taking a something new and using it as the foundation or inspiration.

[honda200]

problem with a dirt bike is the extremely skinny front tire, you would have to swap forks, then you would have to modd for a trike swinger, and it would be a neat project, but your going to spend the same amount of money on a used dirt bike as a used quad

IMO, build the frame and put in a 350X or 250R motor, get plastics off a new 400EX or something, and this way, you can have a new frame design (of course, i dont recomend riding it, unless you are a pro welder and all) and then buy some nice handlebars, have a custom seat on it, a wider axle, and whatever else

Curtis