Last Update 12/21/2012
My thoughts on some marketable Reverse Trike designs:
The fact is, if you really wanted a vehicle that would appeal to the masses; a vehicle that a majority of people would actually consider driving to work in on a daily basis; I figure it needs to have a few basic things to attract buyers in substantial numbers.
#1) It needs to be reasonably priced. The V8 Roadstercycle which sold at $20,000 when it was available, was $22,000 less than the T-Rex. The T-Rex may very well out-handle it, but is the T-Rex worth two Roadstercycle's plus another $2000? Considering that you can buy a new Pontiac Solstice or a Saturn Sky for a little over $20,000, I think the T-Rex and Roadstercycle are both too high priced for mass production, but they are really good looking designs even if they're not practical enough to draw more buyers. Judging by what you can get in a Cobra kit car, or from some of the other kit manufacturers, these trikes should sell and could sell for considerably less. But we need volume production, meaning the general public needs to be more aware of their options when it comes to buying transportation.
#2) You need to be able to drive it in the rain without getting wet. I haven't seen many reverse trike designs that you could do that with, and if it is enclosed that well, then you need some sort of climate control system. Either you're going to get too hot inside, or all the windows are going to get fogged up. Getting frozen on a trike during the winter is not everyone's idea of a practical vehicle either. So A/C and heat tend to eliminate using a motorcycle engine design, though I am well aware of thermoelectric heating/cooling units that may offer a practical solution for climate control. Alternatively, if it had a soft top, T-Top, or Targa top that could be added in inclement weather, maybe with add on side windows like they have on some of the Jeep Wranglers these days; an arrangement like this could get you through the bad weather. Then you could pull these back off, and store the pieces behind the seat or in the trunk. Either way you still have the issues of needing windshield wipers and some way of keeping the windows from fogging up.
#3) Even if you had good solutions for #1 and #2, there's still a lot of people especially in the US I'm guessing, that just don't want to buy a vehicle with manual shift. They want an automatic transmission, or a CVT, and they want one for their own reasons. Most people just don't want to shift, especially driving around town if that's their typical driving. Yamaha now has a new FJR1300 model that has an electric shift mechanism with a 'paddle' shifter on the handlebars, that allows you to upshift or downshift at the touch of a button. But most of the other air shifters or solenoid shifters on the market only allow you to upshift as far as I have seen, and they're deigned primarily for racing. I have seen one aftermarket system that can be adapted to a motorcycle engine and it allows upshifts or downshifts at the touch of a button, but it's only made to fit the Yamaha 1300. I see Pingel is making an electric shifter now that allows upshifts or downshifts at the touch of a button, and they say it can be adapted to most any engine. So, maybe there's some options here with this new technology.
I have a design though, that I think will meet all these criteria. Initially it will come as an un-assembled kit without the motor and automatic trans for around $10,000 - $12,000 where the buyer installs their own engine, trans and ignition computer. The idea is we can recycle the front wheel drive-train out of salvage vehicles like a 4-cylinder Honda, Toyota, Nissan, VW or what have you into a reverse trike frame that will accept a variety of such combinations. The mounting brackets and various parts to complete the conversion will be included in the kit, so each kit will be ordered to accommodate a specific engine/trans swap with its corresponding wiring harness. For example, look at the Ale concept on my site as they use a Honda Civic FWD drivetrain.
If you currently have a wrecked donor vehicle you can quickly recycle those parts, and have a reverse trike. As more orders come in and the trike has built a reputation, donor cars can be sought out and purchased from salvage yards according to the customers desires. If he wants a VR6 with a standard trans out of a VW for example, then we simply hunt down the year make and model drive-train the customer wants installed in their reverse trike frame.
I don't imagine the finished product will handle as good as the T-Rex, but it will still handle better than a new Corvette. It won't be quite as fast as a T-Rex or Roadstercycle, but with the expected power to weight ratio, it still should outrun a Corvette. It will be as waterproof and air tight as possible, and will have a basic A/C and heat system installed using parts from the donor vehicle. It will be heavier than the T-Rex, but under the established 1500lb weight limit. Gas mileage I estimate should be around 45-55 MPG considering that the engine is powering a vehicle with much less weight. MPG will be hard to guess until designs are tested, and it will vary depending on the drive-train chosen. You'll definitely have a real alternative you can drive to work, get excellent gas mileage, and still get a kick in the pants if you want to drive it to its limits.
What's expected demand? Even if I offered a fully assembled kit with a body and drive-train from a salvaged Honda Civic, it should go out the door for no more than $12,000. It's a pretty cozy vehicle, and there might not be any extra space in it except for two people and a briefcase, but what's gas selling for these days? What does it cost to draw that kind of attention with a 4 wheel vehicle or even a custom motorcycle? There's always an option of pulling a motorcycle trailer behind if you need the space to carry items along.
These Reverse Trike designs all appear to be extremely good handling machines. They put pretty much all cars on the road to shame when it comes to going around corners. All the cars that most people can afford at least! Some can easily out handle motorcycles in the corners too! They draw lots of attention, which can be a good thing or bad; just depends on how fast you're going! But what if you could have a turn key vehicle for say $12,000 or less that gets really good gas mileage, out handles anything you've ever dreamed of test driving, you don't have to dodge the rain or wear a rain suit and by the way, did I mention it has A/C, heat AND an automatic transmission? The only question I expect to hear is - 'Who do I make the check out to?', 'When can I take delivery?' and - 'Can I have it with a custom paint job?' !!!
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