UltraTrike Kit SN 001 is on the ground

Those of you that have been missing Dennis, I just sent him back to you this morning. He should be home by 2:30 pm his time. So you can get busy and order some of his fine products. Goodness he does good work.

My trike kit is installed and rolling. I still like a few little farkles to finish like the lights for the top box, mounting the fenders and the lights for them, bleeding the brakes better. A few other minor things that I can do myself. I have kept Dennis busy, drilling, grinding, screwing, soldering (sp) and eating for about 5 days. The quality of Trinity added to the quality of Dennis makes this a very special Silverwing. We had a few things that we had to contact Trinity about which resulted in us waiting for overnight delivery for a few parts. No biggy except for the time lost in waiting. Gave us time to do other things.

I do have some pictures, but they are way too big for me to put on the forum and I don't have time right now for editing them. Today (Thursday) is the day that I clean our church and tomorrow my dearest wife has an outpatient procedure scheduled that I will be with her for. Then after I get her home and comfortable, I have a Red Cross fund raiser that will occupy the rest of my Friday. Saturday will give me a chance to do some of the finishing touches. Then I promise to post some nice pictures.

I am so proud of my Trinity UltraWing. It IS a true trike with three wheels and does feel and handle differently than what I am use to with the two wheels. It is every thing I have wanted and for me well worth the wait. I have a safety course I am going to attend in a couple of weeks after I have a few miles under my belt.

Dennis and I did have some issues that Trinity could have done things a little better, (seems like I remember thinking the same thing about Debbie right after we first got married) but remember this is the FIRST unit actually shipped to the field for installation. I found out earlier this morning that this is the ONLY unit with ABS which was one of the complicating issues we ran into early on.

THANK YOU DENNIS... I couldn't have done it without you.

Wife loves it and is constantly looking at Atlas to schedule places to go.

I have got to go clean some toilets and wipe some tables. More later.

Here is an online album I will use to post the pics and movies. Jeff if there is a better way than this, let me know. As for Dennis' activities while he was here... there is an old saying that another city stole from us... what goes on in Rison, stays in Rison...

https://picasaweb.google.com/103059996902834582977/UltraWing#

Hi Gary, I had a GREAT time! It's always fun to work on stuff like this. Only 338 miles to Glenpool going through Muskogee, OK. Shaved off 12 miles going that way.

Congratulations. From your post, I can see why you are so happy. Happiness is probably a result of all the good you do for others. Waiting for the pictures will be like waiting for Christmas. Just don't let anything get in the way of your riding. The weather is beginning to be right.

Congratulations Gary you are a true trailblazer! Thanks for all the good you do for others also! I must mention that you were wise to have Dennis there, his attention to detail is extrodinary. Hopefully there will be more Trinity Ultrawings folded into these forum pages in the future. Well done both of you! Patiently waiting for pictures and stories.

Gary,



Need I say more. So happy for you, can't wait to see the pictures.


Dennis,

I now know the answers to the pm I sent you before I read this post.


Cathy

Gary wrote:

"A few other minor things that I can do myself. I have kept Dennis busy, drilling, grinding, screwing, soldering (sp) and eating for about 5 days."

Congrats on your new Trike Gary and hope it is all you want it to be. But I have to ask you a question about the above quote. You say you kept Dennis busy drilling, grinding and what was that next word? It sounds like Dennis had a great time.

We are going to need a 28 page review typed in triplicate by early tomorrow morning too. It will be nice to see the pics and later reviews of how you and Debbie like it.

Dennis,

Glad you're home safe and it's great you were able to help Gary with this. At least he knows it was installed right since you were there.

Looking Good, I sold my GW Trike last year and sure do miss it. I am trying to talk the Wife into trikeing The SW.

Some pics and short videos in this album. More to be added later.

https://picasaweb.google.com/103059996902834582977/UltraWing#

You’ll notice my uneasiness at the helm of this scooter. The last time I rode a trike, I almost went into a good size pond. It takes some getting used to too master a bike on three wheels. By the end of the day I had it on the highway at 60 MPH. It ran real smooth going down the road.

Congrat's Gary, what a neat looking trike. Dennis is the best...God Bless and stay safe. Dick

Congrat's Gary. I have been thinking about, and looking at this unit all winter. Please keep us informed about any issues and how it is working out for you. I would really like to try one. Thanks!

I am still in the process of getting the scoot back together. Putting panels, admore lights, bleeding brakes, fenders and a few other left over items that I am working with Trinity to help make the complete kit better.

As I have said earlier, I did have some issues with the kit. I am not going to go over them again here, because Trinity has been very responsive to them and have and are working with me still. Bottom line, I am very happy with what I have and will be glad to discuss any of the issues with anyone that is seriously looking into buying one in the future. There were none that would cause me to not get another if I live long enough.

When I get the final screw in today or tomorrow (please don't think I am lying if it takes a little longer that two days), I plan on creating a photo shoot to show this lady off. I love her and want everyone to see how beautiful she is. I am thinking of naming her "Bettie".

One thing I have noticed in the last few days, things don't go back together as quickly for me as they do for Dennis. I miss him. THANKS DENNIS....

Looks good Gary,

It's nice to see pictures and live video of the both of you. Got out yesterday for a little bit myself. Take as long as you need to finish it up right.

Cathy

One attaboy for Gary and two, no make that three, for DennisB

I am inpressed with it only taking 5 days fitting up a prototype.

GOOD JOB GUYS!!!

For those of you who have never put together a prototype, it is quite involved. Lots of reading instructions, phone calls, waiting for replies.
Wrenching, wiring, alligning, etc.
Not to forget coffee breaks, donut runs, smoke breaks, going to get that special tool, finding where you laid the right tool, etc. Does this go on the left side or right side? OOPS take that back off so you can put this on first.

Been there done that. While translating from german and french.

MaxB

Thanks Max... I don't feel so much like a nim kum poop (sp That is what my mama used to call me) after your kind words.

ESPECIALLY this part " finding where you laid the right tool, etc. Does this go on the left side or right side? OOPS take that back off so you can put this on first" a lot of that ate up our day.

Thanks again.

Dang Gary....The new lights look GREAT!!!

https://picasaweb.google.com/103059996902834582977/UltraWing#

I looked at the fenders on the kit and giggled.
My first thought is that I wanted to put a vertical bat fin on each one like the bat-cycle in the early batman series and cartoons.

But it looks like a very robust kit. Good luck with it.

Dan

Actually Dan, I get the same sensation that I think Bruce Wayne got every time he cranked up the Bat-Cycle. It is a neat experience. I will look into the vertical fins.

The Trinity kit is no piece of junk. Very robust... had a few kinks in the early going, but those are worked out. Now it is just a matter of me finishing up the little tweaks I want and get some experience riding.

INTRODUCING "BETTIE" ....

Just put some new pics up taken just today. Still have the Passanger armrest and flag mount to put on....

Some nimkumpoop ... locked the trunk before checking to see if it would reopen with the key... so here I go getting that problem worked on instead of riding this gorgeous day.

Check out pics at :
https://picasaweb.google.com/103059996902834582977/UltraWing#

Ah Bettie, you took your own sweet time getting ready, but like any beautiful lady, it was well worth the wait. She was just waiting for the springtime. I really like the wheels you chose Gary and that picture of Bettie and the flag tells it all. Good job guys! :flower: :flower:

Gary,

Loved the pictures and the video. Looks great. You and Debbie should have a ball. I was able to ride to work today. Have yet to go on a longer ride. Bob had to replace his starter, shocks and give his beemer a tune up. But, he's done now. We have alot of things going on this month. Can't wait to get out of the city and on a two lane highway.

Later,

Cathy

P.S. You better care a extra key with you. I do.

Gary,
I applaud your (and Dennis') efforts. It looks like a quality product. I appreciate the photos is the picsaweb place. I have only one question, and this is not meant as a criticism at all, merely a question.

How did you manage to get the ABS to work with only one brake disk for two wheels?

Jon

Thanks Jon... Dennis gets most of the credit... he worked his tail off. Mostly I cleaned up after him and chased tools. I am still tweaking stuff. Brakes are still a problem to bleed. Front is great. Linked are working, but , a little mushy. Dennis, Wife and two friends have all helped me a dozen or more times... not much improvement. I will probably take it to a shop next week to get it done professionally. I have just got to take some time to ride to get use to the trike effect. It seems to be a lot more work to steer since you are always pulling and pushing.

Someone asking me to explain ABS is someone that is very desperate. I know what they do, but I don't understand How they do it. You obviously know a lot more about them than I do. All I know is that the one brake disk is for both wheels. Pulser ring is on the hub. It use to be on the brake rotor. I Some one a lot more mechanical than me will surely answer that question for us.

Debbie and I hopped on the scooter this afternoon when she got home from work. We took a short ride through the country. Scoot rode smooth. The thing I did notice right off is how much effort it takes to go through the curves. Whole new ball game. Where as it used to be all leaning, now, it is push and pull. Doesn't take much pull to change direction, but it pretty well constant. I think my top speed was 60 MPH. Mostly 45 - 50. The roads here are pretty curvy. Experience should help. I will register for the safety course in a couple of weeks.

I am kinda having withdrawal pains. I have been waiting all this time for the kit. Now all I have to do is ride. That will be the easiest thing to adjust to. Riding feels good. Debbie is ready to go somewhere. Looks like sometime in May will be our big trip. And we have the STO in September.

I am on the flashing bar of my gas gaugef, so I can fill up tomorrow and check mileage. I am anxious to see how much difference in the trike from the original 2 wheel.

Hi Gary, Have Deb hold the GPS and tell you how fast your going now that you have larger whells and tires on the back.

Well I have an excellent professional GPS mount that I picked up on the internet somewhere. I will use that instead of having Debbie take her eyes off of my road in front of me. I had considered having to recalibrate my speedo now.

Gary,
My experience with speedo calibration on the wing is that you can have your speedometer accurate, or your odometer accurate. Not both.

Just an FYI.

Dan

ABS - this article explains it relatively simply but it does need concentration:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-lock_braking_system

The bottom line is that the system senses when the wheels are turning faster or slower than each other and releases the appropriate brake until they're the same again and then reapplies the appropriate brake.
This happens repeatedly very, very quickly so the rider or driver isn't usually aware of it although sometimes it's possible to feel the pulses.
This prevents one wheel from locking and skidding since that wheel's brake releases because the system senses it's turning more slowly than the other.
This is overly simplistic - read the article!

Morning Dan... I did a little experiment almost 3 years ago and found that my speedometer was the typical 10% off and the odometer was as well. I used the word calibrate above only to mean to use the GPS to compare actual to speedometer. I am taking Bettie with me to the Dr in Pine Bluff early this morning and will check out the results. Might have time to take her to get her brakes bled in the same trip. May need an appointment for that too.

Thanks you Mike... that article included the following information:

Brake types

One-channel, one-sensor ABS
This system is commonly found on pickup trucks with rear-wheel ABS. It has one valve, which controls both rear wheels, and one speed sensor, located in the rear axle. This system operates the same as the rear end of a three-channel system. The rear wheels are monitored together and they both have to start to lock up before the ABS kicks in. In this system it is also possible that one of the rear wheels will lock, reducing brake effectiveness. This system is easy to identify. Usually there will be one brake line going through a T-fitting to both rear wheels.

Jon, seems the trike has the one-channel system. Although the sensor is not on the axle, it is on the hub which is connected to the axle with the chain. Not sure if the ratio is 1:1, but it seems so. Both wheels are going to be controlled with the single rotor. I am satisfied now that everything is as it is suppose to be. Thanks for leading me into learning this much about ABS. Now if I can just remember it long enough to get it typed in here.

Thanks Gary. I had always been under the impression that the only advantage of ABS was to not brake the sliding, rather than turning, wheel. If the automobile world thinks that a single sensor for both wheels on an axle is enough, who am I to argue.

I know exactly how you feel about "driving" rather than "riding" the trike. I have learned, in the almost a year of driving one, that I don't miss a single thing from the two wheel, single track, experience. Of course, I have never been a knee dragger.

I think that my experience has shown about a 10% to 15% penalty at the gas pump. It is to be expected with a 60% or so increase in frontal area with no corresponding aerodynamic changes.

You owe it to yourself to become a regular contributor on the trike forum http://www.triketalk.com/forum/
Trinity has their own sub-forum.

All the best,

Jon

That's interesting - so did I.
However, thinking about it, if the system worked by detecting the 'locked' wheel rather than the 'faster' wheel', it would release the brake once and then have to wait until the wheel locked again.
As it is it keeps applying and releasing the brake on the wheel while it's still rotating more slowly than the other.......I think!

All right.... MORE pictures of Bettie in the early Rison sunrise hours. I am starting to feel a little guilty. I didn't take this many pictures of my first born.

https://picasaweb.google.com/103059996902834582977/UltraWing#

Made the first out of town drive this morning. Drove about 65 or 70 miles. Have a great time showing off the only UltraWing in Rison, OOPPS I mean in almost the whole world. I know there were two others before mine, but they don't count. They were non ABS... Cool morning air kept me from busting with excitement. Drove at 55 mph for most of trip. Did get up to 65 for a very short burst while on a strip of I530. Not that I couldn't go faster, just no need. If I had been in a hurry, I would have taken the car. Getting to know my trike is a time for casual conversation and inter-reacting with controls. No surprises. Handling becoming more familiar with each mile and curve I drive. I got 41.6 miles on the first marker. That is about what I expected. I can live with that. The wind was pretty brisk. Not sure how much wind was tail and head winds. Will have to get off this thing for a day or two to do a little work. Not happy about that, but it is necessary.

Did compare GPS to indicated... GPS was about 1 or 2 mph faster than indicated in the 40 to 60 mph range. I am not sure, but I believe that is the opposite of what it was with the two wheels. The indicated was higher than the GPS. Anyone else have experience with this.

Gary, she looks great! Of course, once you mentioned Dennis was coming to assist with the conversion, I never had another doubt. I admire your patience and perseverence, and I'm thrilled you are so happy with the results. If I were you, I would consider a couple of future mods. First, I would try to find a "darkside" front tire to abate the potential for understeer if you came up on a corner a little too fast. And second, from the pictures it looks like the large, drilled brackets are pretty low to the ground -- have you considered screwing on some sacrificial strips to the underside? Perhaps Dennis or someone else on the forum could help you source some hard polyurethane for some added protection. Sure would be a shame to bottom out and scar things up... or maybe the clearance is better than it looks?

And to joncallihan -- I'm glad you decided to stick around. The forum is better with you participating. Gary has more patience than either you or I, that's certain...

Jon,

What Bill just said... we are glad you decided to come back. The site isn't the same without you.

Thanks to all of you. Bill said it right -- maybe I just lost my patience (which all, who know me well, says is my best feature) ! JeffR, (and everyone else, for that matter) my daughter gave me a t-shirt many years ago that all who saw it said it described me very well:

"I'm not opinionated, I'm just always right"

Bill, I think that ground clearance will not be a problem as long as Gary doesn't go trail riding on it. The stock spring/shock units just don't have that much travel.

If I could find one, I would have already fitted a dark side tire to the front. Maybe one of us can.

There is a lot of chatter on the Trike Talk forum about using motorcycle REAR tires, running backwards. The only problem seems to be the tires are just not up to the side loads placed on them.

:flower:

Hey Jon, Someone gave me a T-shirt that said "Everyone is entitled to my own opinion". I'd given my dad a cup with the same motto. Maybe my grandson will break the chain, but that's just my opinion. :lol!: .

Gary,
There is one more farkle that could help the Ultra look like a REAL BAD A$$ trike --

http://www.burgmantrikes.com/Gallery/tabid/55/Default.aspx

then click on Wayne Langlille Seatec button (lower right)

of course, that's only my humble opinion.

Jon

ps. If I remember right, Bob already said good things about this product.

Yeah that is more than a farkle. That is a FARKLE !!!! I will have to save my nickels for that one. Does look sharp. I am having to train myself to be careful not to bang up the finders I have now. I would need a lot of duct tape if I bought the Seatec.

Ya know, there's enough room in that for a volkswagen/porche engine in the back instead of that center wheel setup...pull out the original engine, move the engine weight to directly over the back wheels, use a front wheel drive car axle.... turn the old engine area into a giant gas tank...

Just thinking out loud....

Dan,
You been readin' my mind out loud.

Jon

Gary,
Just make sure that you act like a cat. Imagine a couple of really long whiskers on the front -- if they won't go unbent where you want to go, then don't go there. It works for me, anyway.
:flower:

Dave... yes it is a true conversion kit that removes your present rear wheel and replaces it with two axles and a differential giving you two drive wheels on the rear and the original front. There are many trike companies that will trike out just about anything from a VW to a Ferrari. There are other companies that manufacture kits that add two extra wheels to the rear that are non powered wheels and give you an actual four wheeler. Many riders prefer that arrangement. Trinity is the only company that manufactures a kit specifically for the Silverwing. The kit allows you to do the conversion yourself or get help. It has been a long time getting here and still has a few tweaks to get to the perfection point. BUT it is a reality and I have been getting used to mine for the past few weeks. I love it more each time I turn the key and give it the gas. I just finished wiring the admore lights for the top box, adjusting the parking brake and bleeding the linked brakes. My wife and I went on a short half day trip today to practice for our scheduled trip next month. Todays trip was only 200 miles, next month will be over 2K. Good practice. Trike performed perfectly.

I added a few more pictures of todays trip. I have a hard time remembering to take the pictures when I am enjoying the riding so much.

Opalsboy wrote:

I added a few more pictures of todays trip.

Nice pictures

Hey Gary, The Scooter looks GREAT!! Looks like you both had a fun time that day. Just wish that Bucks would have been open for ya. YUM-YUM GOOD FOOD!

Hey Gary,

Great pictures. Debbie has the same color helmet as I do. Cab Yellow. I also have a hi-viz yellow jacket. We must think alike. We want to be seen.

Nice pics. It looks like you are having no problems enjoying yourself.