Motorcycle Trike Conversion Information

Question:

Larry, how’s it going?  Can you get me more information about doing a motorcycle trike conversion ?

I am building a Trike out of my Yamaha XV1100 Virago. {Bryan, NJ  Yamaha Virago 1100}

 

Answer:

There are an awful lot of sites dedicated to three wheeled motorcycles or trikes.  Most want to sell you the entire pre-fab conversion kit or just cool LED lights, custom looking fenders, etc. There is not much out there in the way of help for the do-it-yourselfer.

When you do find a site, most describe adding the front of a motorcycle to a rear engine car.  Like this VW Trikes page.

From what you said when I saw you in DA’s I think you want to remove the rear tire and axle from your Virago and add a car axle & tires.  Your problem lies in the drive shaft rotation.

The shaft drive on your bike turns in the opposite direction of the drive shaft in a car.  This means you will have to flip the drive shaft housing (aka pumpkin).  How is this accomplished?  Trial and error.

Here are the few resources I have found for you.

D & G Trikes

    • – Located in Tremont, IL (USA) they claim to have 50+ years of experience in the bike biz. In addition to building trikes from Hannigan Kits they also sell parts & accessories.

 

Frankenstein Trikes – they sell rear ends to convert chain and belt drive bikes to trikes.  Click the Tike Rear Ends button on the left.  They have photos of each model and a video of one being assembled.

Even if you still want to do the modifications yourself, these photos may help.

Information:

Pretty meager pickings, I know.  I assume that most people who have done a motorcycle trike conversion have have done so just for themselves and don’t want to be sued if you duplicate their work and have an accident.  Or they do custom modifications as a business and are not into giving away their info.

Since you know you want to use a car for the back of your trike, here are a few photos of converted motorcycle trikes I found.

Fiero Trike
It’s interesting, but probably not what you are going for.

Fiero Motorcycle Trike

Camaro – Virago Trike

This bike sold on ebay in April, 2009.  It was described as a 1989 Virago XV1100 with a Chevy Camaro rear end and a fiberglass fender.

Camaro - Yamaha Virago Trike
VW Trike

These seem to be becoming more popular. The first photo is from Texas.

VW Trike US

Here is a 1300cc trike from New Zealand.
New Zealand VW Trike

New Zealand VW Trike 1300cc



Below are some other sites that you may find useful

Motorcycle Trikes For Sale – tons of photos and information.
Virago Tech Forum – ask other Virago owners about their own custom motorcycle trike conversion.  Check out the posts, maybe you can learn from others experiences.

Hannigan Motorsports – The Three Wheel Motorcycle Specialists!


If you decide to go with a pre-fab kit keep reading.

There are quite a few companies that make conversion kits to turn your motorcycle into a trike.  The prices and components vary.

You can get everything including fenders,
suspension, seat with backrest and lights or just a bare bones kit that in composed of a bracket, axle, sprocket (or final drive) and brake system.

Here are a few links to companies that provide kits to do the
conversion at home without the hassle of fabricating parts yourself.

And last, for the mechanically challenged, MTCVoyager.com – this is a bolt on accessory that gives you the look of a trike without modification of your bike.


Have you created your own Custom Motorcycle Trike Conversion?

We would love it if you could share it with the visitors of Weeks Motorcycle.

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See What Others Have Contributed!

Click below to see story and photo contributions from other visitors to this page.

Trike Conversions  
A couple conversions over the yrs starting in 79 with a Suzuki T500 2cyl 2 stroke with a toyota crown rear.. chain drive… because i wanted to drive in …

in progress virago trike 
1981 Yamaha virago. Imported from Canada, i believe 920 cc. Its an ongoing project i do in my spare time ,I bought it off a friend who is no longer with …

Bobs Kwakka 82 750 twin. 
Hi, I built this trike from left overs of mini Suzuki and Honda 1500 and of course my old faithful kwakka 750 twin. My wife loves the ride. I am now doing …

Trike 2 
Ed’s trike #2.
{Thanks for the second photo Ed. While your custom built motorcycle trike may be a little rough around the edges for some riders, …

The Desert Rat trike now !!! 
The desert rat evolves…

Desert Rat 
Built in 2002.. Built by my 77 year old father ,( who is building another as we speak !!) and my self..
Build time 1 year, Ride time : Every day..

John’s Trike Not rated yet 2009 Harley Davidson XL 883C Sportster.

If you want to see more pictures go to avravalleytrikes.com, john@avravalleytrikes.com


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