Well, after running into
even more complications with my
Project Quick Change/Schwinn Dixie muscle bike build, I decided to revisit my
Poison Apple trike. As much as I'd rather save this project for when I can afford to do it the way I really want, I want to at least finish
something for my first Muscle Bike Build Off. So, I decided to mock up parts I had on hand and see what looked good enough. I also made a new cardboard template for the tank, which I'll make out of wood like last time, except this time I based my design off a tank design @The Renaissance Man came up with. (Did he ever make those? I can't say I've seen a finished version of those tanks, just this render.)
To avoid having to modify or fabricate anything metal, I'm just going to use the original 24" version of the trike rear. I also decided to use a regular seat instead of a banana seat, for reasons I'll explain in a bit. The big question mark for what makes this trike look "good enough" for me, is the fork and front wheel combo. I started with the stock 20" fork and a 20" wheel and tire. I thought it looked okay, but I had more options to experiment with.
I don't have any 24" forks since I sold the ones I had already, so I just stuck another 24" wheel and tire on the 26" springer fork with the extensions. Can't say I was crazy about the proportions.
Another idea I had: I have this set of 26" deep dish... I want to say they're Shelby fenders that got ruined by a guy I took some bike stuff to during the 2020 RRBBO. I still want to use them on my Spitfire, but I'm thinking these could look good sitting over the trike frame, with a little modification. There are a few problems with that though. First, these fenders are in pretty rough shape, and I'd want to take them to someone
who actually knows how to fix old metal before I try to use them. Second, between the required bodywork and further modifications needed to make the fenders fit over the trike frame, I'd imagine I'd be out the rest of my bike-building budget. Finally, this isn't going to be the final version of this trike, so I probably don't need to mess with these fenders right now.
Next wheel option: the 700c wheel and tire that came from the same bike as the springer fork and trike conversion assembly. I instantly said "no" as soon as I saw it on the Fair Lady. It was just too big, especially with those smaller 24" rubbers in the rear.
After going big, I went small with the 20" wheel again. The stance is... okay, but I wasn't as crazy about it as I was before. The dimensions still looked wrong.
I tried taking the fork extensions off, just to see how that'd look. After seeing how the 20" looked with the fork like that, I felt the wheel was facing backwards. I still wasn't happy, but I wasn't done yet.
I put the 24" back up front one more time. Once I did that, I felt I found the stance I was looking for. Yeah, the front tire is too wide, the seat's too small, and the frame looks a little funny angled up like that, but I think this looks good enough. It doesn't look like a chopper like I originally wanted; instead, it looks like a bobber, which is still pretty cool.
Just for a lark, and to prove a point I had already figured out back when all these trike parts were on
The Trashliner Trike, I mocked up my Rally banana seat and a sissy bar. I have to admit, the banana seat and sissy bar don't look as bad as I thought they would on this trike, but there's one major problem that I just don't like. Look where the sissy bar is.
The sissy bar cuts right through the area where a basket, crate, or other container could go over the rear axle. I want to use that area to put something there, and the sissy bar cuts right through it. That's not good. Plus, it'd be kind of pointless to have the banana seat and sissy bar on this set up, since there's no real way to wheelie this trike. The rear wheels are too far behind the seat for me to lean this puppy back enough to get the front wheel off the ground, and I'd honestly be too scared to even try.
So yeah, I'm back to working on
Poison Apple. I still need to buy a few things to get this trike to "good enough," mainly one more 24" front wheel to match the blue one I have mocked up (it's part of a set that I'd much rather use than the two spray-bombed wheels on the rear currently,) 3 new tires and tubes, some new bearings for the trike axle, and a seat, if I can't find one in my stash that'll work. I might even look at some layback seat posts so I move the seat lower without sacrificing ride comfort. I think if I play my cards right, I can keep to a $100 budget on top of what I've already spent, and still have a decent-looking muscle trike in the end.
I'll be doing some more mockups tomorrow, but until then, that's all for now!