Vulcan 900 Trike Build

[burkbuilds]

Well, I finally got started with my conversion of my 2012 Vulcan 900 to a trike this weekend. I'm still hobbling around a bit so I'm kinda slow and it will probably take me a couple of months to finish but as they say, "every journey starts with one step". I'll try hard to continually update as I make progress with both pictures and some text.

The Fiberglass body and the axle came in by freight. They were strapped down to a large wood pallet and the axle was extremely well protected in a welded steel cage of 1 x 1 angle and then wrapped in cardboard. The fiberglass body was just strapped to the pallet and received a few scrapes from the shipping company, but nothing seemed to be cracked or hit hard. It would have been nice if they had at least put some cardboard around it.







Here is a pic of the steel support structure that holds up the Fiberglass section.




The Trike Axle is from DNA Specialties, they make axles for a lot of different companies. They did an amazing job of protecting the axle with a steel cage for shipping.





The Axle has dual disk brakes:





The swingarm was made by Treasure Coast Trikes. It is very heavy duty and hopefully it will fit just as well as it looks.





I'm going to quit now and post this much before something happens and I loose all this. I'll add some more pics in a few minutes.

[burkbuilds]

The chrome wheels came from Summit Racing:


The Tires are Goodyear Viva II's 215/60/R15




The kit came with the studs (12mm x 1.5) but no lug nuts, so I bought these at Advance Auto Parts.



I installed the studs with red lock tite, I don't want them coming out.



I let the loc tite sit overnight and then put the tires and lug nuts on the next day.


Once I had the tires on the axle I used a lift to pick up the swingarm assembly and line it up with the attachment blocks on the axle. There's a big hex bolt on each end of the axle where the swingarm locks in to allow you to adjust the tension on the belt.


I may have to do a 3rd post here this seems to be about all the pics I can load.

[burkbuilds]

I can't seem to add any more pictures right now, not sure why. Maybe I've uploaded my limit tonight.

[burkbuilds]

Here is the bike sitting in front of the assembled axle/swingarm.

I also ordered a "touring trunk with wrap around passenger backrest" to add to the fiberglass body.



It was not assembled and there are zero instructions, but it wasn't very difficult to puzzle out how to put it together.






I realized I needed hinges for the main body fiberglass lid, it came with a nice handle and lock, but no hinges, so I've ordered those.

I also had to order tail/stop/brake lights to go on the fiberglass body. I found some oval ones on ebay that were filled with 10 LED's and had a plug in pigtail already wired onto it, I hope that will plug into my wiring harness, but if not I can do some soldering.

Next weekend I guess I will start taking the stuff off the rear of the Vulcan. The bags, sissybar, fender and swingarm all have to come off and probably a few things I haven't even thought of yet. I'll update as I go.

[Water Warrior 2]

Woohoo, you're gettin at er. Excellant pics and descriptions. The axle looks like a fine piece of work with the 2 disks and 5 bolt pattern. Gotta ask though, is there an actual differential or is it a solid axle straight across?

Like the trunk for storage etc. You will have a nice touring rig once it is all together with the rack in place. Looking at the pics I doubt there will be a noticeable weight difference for the engine to pull. Yeah, maybe some but it is a 900cc torque machine you'll be riding.
Looking forward to the next installment. Do be careful and not strain the body parts too much. No pain no gain is a load of crap.
Stupid question time before I forget. Have you ridden the 900 yet? It's gotta be a sweet ride.

[PimpS]

well done burkbuilds! Looks like a well planned and fast make over! Can't wait for more pics and progression!

[jonathan180iq]

Holy shit, those are some pretty pieces.
....There is nothing like new hardware to get the old juices flowing.

[Rookie Rider]

Looking good.

[bpdchief]

Looks like a fun project. Save that metal crate - make a small pull behind for the bike :roll:
Can't wait to see the finished bike with you on it :2tup:

[burkbuilds]

Thanks everyone.
WW, yes the axle has a limited slip differential not just straight through axle. I have ridden the 900 twice for a total of less than 20 miles. It is a really smooth machine and the torque at almost any speed is strong and smooth. The center of gravity is low and it was easy to handle. I really enjoyed my little trip through the Chickamauga battlefield. The added weight of the kit with all the stuff is about 250 lbs net. (You loose some weight from removing the OE swingarm and rear tire assembly. So, basically it should be the equivalent of having a large second rider on board but I thin this bike can handle it with no problem. The 900 is rated at about 45 mpg normally, so I'm hoping to get about 40 mpg when it is converted to the trike.
My painter recommended that I put it all together, drill all the holes, and try everything out to make sure it was how I wanted it and then take the body off and bring it to him to paint, so that is my plan. It's a little more work that way but I think he's given me good advice, especially since I haven't done this before.
This may look like a lot so far, but I really didn't do a lot other than unpack stuff at this point. I realize that I am still recovering from my wreck and although I can now stand and walk slowly without a cane I am by no means fast, nor can I pick up anything heavy and walk with it. So, this may take a while, but that's okay. I'm just happy that I am able to do it at all.

I have been back at work for less than 2 weeks and I'm required to be in the wheelchair at work for another 3 weeks, then 4 weeks walking but no lifting. Nice to be earning a paycheck once again.

Hey, I finally finished all the classes I was taking in the Spring when I had my wreck and ended with 3 A's and 1 C, Yea! I have one final left to take for the one class I took this Summer and then 2 classes this Fall and I should graduate in December. I will be so glad to be finished with school.