"DualSport" Trike suspension

[Ox_clauson]

So ive been kicking the idea of making a dual purpose Xl trike. Fire roads, select trails etc... Paugcho swingarm kit, heavy duty upgrade to wide glide forks, chain conversion.... Question is what would you all suggest for my rear suspension.... progressive 413s be sufficient? 15"??
Let me hear what you think
Cheers
Ox

[Toejam503]

Rear suspension should be independent for better off-road control. There was a reason the cycle manufacturers quit making ATCs and went to ATVs. What ever you come up with it'll be a he11 of a lot of fun!

[Ox_clauson]

I hear you, but this is a budget garage build....lol

[Toejam503]

Well, I think a dual sport trike is a cool idea, you may even start a trend! Don't forget to post pics!

[farmall]

Should work fine if you ride slow. Trikes are an opportunity to hit EVERY bump because they have three wheel tracks. If you're doing it for looks or ride at Ural-with-sidecar speeds then rock on. WWII military motorcycles weren't fast either nor did they need to be. German machines were geared to keep pace with marching infantry.

Wide Glide forks aren't an upgrade, they're just heavy. If you want it to use a fat front tire you can check out how others did theirs with stock trees and mid-glide kits.

I'd run what you have for starters then after learning what you really need you can install that and not waste money.

Determine what rear axle you can afford then begin from there. Here's a homebuilt solid axle setup but I've no idea how that runs off-road on a trike vs. an open differential. Welded diffs are common in budget off-roading but trucks aren't motorcycles. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DQ-0OBbeEB8

http://frankensteintrikes.com/freque...questions.html use some Dana 30 guts so you could use one of the abundant Dana 30 lockers or limited slip differential aftermarket options if an open diff doesn't suit your desires.

[handirifle]

Why not just make it a quad? Sportster power quad, wow!

[farmall]

A quad would be cool but couldn't be tagged for the street so would require a vehicle to haul it. A trike falls under motorcycle rules.

[SLW210]

Some states and countries may allow quads on the street. Belgian (I think) company Q-tec engineering (something like that) makes Trike and Quad kits for EU, etc.

I think using the front 2 wheel style would be better off road IMHO with a wider rear tire.

[farmall]

Four wheels always beats three (off road trikes were built with motorcycle front ends because it was cheap) because it places them at the corners instead of leaving one in the crown of the road or trail, so if you can make it legal then go for it. Quads won't get a lot of airflow to the cylinders unless the engine is left open and fans are fitted so other than doing it just to say ya used a Sportster engine I'd source something Japanese or Polaris, liquid cooled and with a drive shaft then use a quad axle with a differential. Quads are so highly evolved today that while throwing one together out of leftovers would be fun if one is bored it makes more sense to use an existing platform. You get a reverse gear and some come with 100hp stock. Air cooled engines limit design choices and engine longevity while carrying far less cargo.

You can copy the small dune buggy designs and weld your own four wheel frame or find a buggy frame and mod that. VW buggy frame kits are cheap. You could connect your choice of small car CV shafts to the differential of your choice to have IRS or machine a chain drive spool to suit. You can change overall gearing with a jack shaft. My bro did that back in the 1980s with a dirt track car (I forget the class since it wasn't a motorcycle I didn't care) and it supposedly worked well but dirt tracks are flat and there's no need for reverse gear.

If I wanted a quad and had spare Sportster parts about I'd build a bike, sell the bike, then buy a quad. Sometimes knowing how to build a machine educates one on not doing it the hard way for an inferior product that may not get much use.