After my warm welcomes and friendly advice on the tech page about wheelbase, I’ve decided to start a build thread on my Honda CX500 trike, Tinkerbell. I’m warning you now, I’m no expert and certainly don’t claim to know much. I’ve had bikes all my life but now due to a spinal condition, can’t ride 2 wheels anymore. I’m handy with spanner’s and a mig welder and have a small ish wooden workshop in the back garden with a lathe, milling machine etc etc, but I’m not a professional engineer. I’m a tough old bird and can take a bit of stick, but please be kind as it’s my first trike build.
I recently acquired my trike from my brother Pete, a 1978 CX that’s already registered as a trike with the DVLA. She was obviously registered quite a few years back as there are no weights on the V5, just the word tricycle. She will be tax exempt but I wouldn’t be able to claim MOT exemption as the structure has been significantly altered within the last 30 yrs, or at least will have once I’ve finished (please correct me if I’m wrong)
Anyhoo, Tinks literally had the rear half chassis of a Robin Reliant welded to the CX bike frame, leaf springs and all
there was a huge boot but let water in and the frame was rotting, so it had to go. I’m building my own swingarm from scratch using the full width Reliant axle. This is because my balance and core strength have been badly compromised and I need a wider set of stabilisers lol. I’ve already got a full set of 1987 Goldwing Inerstate panniers, top box and fairing complete with racks and crash bars which I’m going to fit so I’ve got somewhere to put my handbag, shopping and tools
plus it will look cool !I’ve thought long and hard about how to post pics. I think rather than using a host site I’m going to use my Google Photos account. I always take loads of pics of my builds and projects and turn them in to albums stored on Google Photos. What I’m going to do is make up a new album for Tinkerbell and share the link to everyone reading my build thread. Once you have the link you will see the latest pics as I add them and if you join the album on Google you will get automatic updates as I add new pics. I understand most of the pics might bore you as there are quite a few reference pics for putting some things back together, but it’s easier than me downloading each pic and posting them separately.
Now that’s out the way, get yourselves a brew, a comfy seat and here’s the story so far :
I’ve removed the rear Robin chassis half and cleaned up the CX frame. The original swingarm pivot points had been preserved on the frame so I decided to utilise them. I knocked out the large bearing carrier on one side and then the threaded bush on the other. I then machined up a pivot bush out of steel bar stock for each side to press in to frame and then welded them up. I also machined up 2 pivot bolts out of silver steel 5/8” bar stock for the bushes that bearings will fit on to. The bearings are pressed in to 2 bearing carriers that I machined out of slices of stole pipe (heavy steel tube)
I then set up the trike at stock seat height in my workshop (need a bigger workshop lol) and played around a bit with wheelbase. In the end I went with what I thought looked the best proportioned with the full width axle and started making up the start of the swingarm out of 50x25x3mm box section. I cut out the holes for the bearing carriers and then welded them in. Then I bolted in the arms and mocked up the axle. I ordered 2 sets of these heavy duty axle brackets I found on the Bay
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234356121396 ... media=COPY
I’ve now welded one half of each bracket to the swingarms and the other halves will be welded to the axle once I get the bolts tomorrow and get everything squared up.
Next step will be a diff brace and stiffener up and over across the arms and another brace welded underneath the 2 arms as close as possible to the pivoting point. After that I will add braces from the outer edge of the axle support part of each arm back to the side of each arm, in a triangle, to add strength and reduce twist. Hopefully that should keep everything tight and straight
Anyhoo, here’s the all important link to the build album :
https://photos.app.goo.gl/eNGEsYdr4VvmjXiJ6
There’s over 100 pics so far, so hopefully enough to keep you entertained. Any advice or criticism gratefully received…………..
Enjoy, Steph
