Vulcan 900 Trike Build

[burkbuilds]

WW, I've had a few projects going at work that took a lot of my time and I somehow managed to get the fenders on but I just couldn't seem to find an hour or so to download everything and post updates, sorry.

When I realized the fiberglass body kit was not going to work, I opted for fenders and saddle bags to fill the space between the fenders and the bike. I wanted to make a support bracket that would be welded onto something solid, but I also did not want to weld near the bearings in the axle housing because the heat can really distort the shape of the steel and cause problems. I decided that the 1/2" plate steel that holds the brake calipers in place would provide an good place to weld to, and it bolts onto the axle housing, so I was able to remove it and do all my welding away from the bike and then just bolt it back in place.



I drew out a rough sketch of the brackets and then cut my pieces out with a porta band saw I borrowed from a neighbor. (It's nice to have neighbors like that.)
Each bracket was unique since I was having to deal with that wheel offset situation. One had to move out away from the caliper plate and the other needed to move in from it.


Once I got them welded I used a grinder to smooth up all the welds and then sanded and cleaned everything and degreased it. I then sprayed them with a self etching primer I've decided I like to use more than the standard grey primer. It just seems to bond better and it lays down nicely.


I then used a Rust-O-leum auto paint and painted everything black before mounting it to the bike.




I ordered fenders from a trailer supply and welded pre-cut backing plates to the back of each fender. Once I got everything welded up and ground down smooth I primed them with the same self etching primer and then used truck bed liner to coat the underneath side so they wouldn't get dinged up easily and start rusting on me.







I pre-drilled mounting holes in the brackets so I could use those holes as a guide to mark the fenders for drilling. Then I bolted them on using Stainless steel bolts and acorn nuts on the inside towards the bike. These are definitely just some "plain jane" fenders but they should do the job. One of my neighbors builds custom bikes and after he saw this sitting in my driveway today he offered some great ideas on making those fenders really cool. He showed me how I could have cut the back side flange and bent the radius in so it would have "hugged" the tires better and he also suggested ways to make them dressy by cutting a pattern shape in the front and back of each fender. Great suggestions, and if he'd made them before I got this far along I would have done that, but at this point I'm not willing to undo all that work, so these will just stay plain.






I got my wife to snap a shot of me sitting on the bike after I got the fenders on.


I think I may change the exhaust system later, but for now I bought some 12" "Mufflers" and welded them on and then put the OEM Chrome shields back in place. Kinda loud but the mufflers were cheap ($58 Pair) and I am chomping at the bit to get riding again.




I took some time this morning and put about 20 miles on her riding around the area. I ran it up to 70 mph on Highway 27, and toured through part of the Chickamauga Battlefield, spotted about 30 dear grazing around the road. Three of them came on across the street right in front of me, but I spotted the buck and slowed way down while the doe and fawn followed him across. The rest of them just turned and stared me down as I went on past them. I'll have to put some major hours on this thing before I feel as comfortable on it as I did on two wheels. It will take some getting used to turning the handlebars to go around curves and it shakes me a lot more going over bumpy roads than the bike did, but overall it was great to be back out riding with the wind in my face and the bike underneath me. :2tup:

[Water Warrior 2]

Oh yeah, you have been busy. Lots of progress. Nice looking wheels and the plain Jane fenders should look nice after the painting. Question, how was the braking with the 2 rear discs on your test ride? I would think it would be pretty affective with the added weight and car tires. In the future will you be changing the rear signals to a wider position on the rear? A fender mounted tail light/signal might be nice on each side. Question, have you had any ideas about using the open space under the center rear fender. Maybe a storage box/area for emergency stuff while on tour/longer rides. Thought I'd ask but I think you have that covered in your plans.
Great pics of course. Best one is the guy sitting astride the trike. You look good on it.

Now go back to your studies and leave me hanging. lol. :lol: :lol:

[northsidegz]

That looks nice! Enjoy!

[burkbuilds]

Thanks guys. The braking really didn't feel a lot different to me. I was expecting it to be significantly better with two rear disks but since they are physically smaller than the single OEM rear disk I guess it all evens out. I am planning to add LED rear brake/running/signal lights to the rear fenders. I already have them and I need to drill some holes for the wiring and mounting today before I take it to the paint shop on Monday. I also plan to add yellow reflectors to the front of the fenders so oncoming traffic will be able to see how "wide" I am at night.

I had not thought about using the area under the center rear fender for storage. I like that idea, especially for tools or something like that. I'll have to give that some thought.

I originally had the OEM saddle bags mounted but they rubbed the inside of the fenders so I pulled them off and ordered some that are about 2" less in width. They should be in by the time the bike comes back from the paint shop.

When it gets all painted up I'll post some final pics.

[alantf]

Originally Posted by burkbuilds

I already have them and I need to drill some holes for the wiring and mounting

Have you given any thought as to how you're going to run the wiring back to the bike? It'd really spoil the look if the wiring was showing. Chrome tube perhaps? Or have you got another route?

[Water Warrior 2]

BB, a word of caution about the LED rear lights. Test them for brightness before doing and fender cutting/drilling. I have seen some that are more show than actual functional lights for a road worthy machine. Test them outside in sunlight where they will be used to determine if the lights are adequate. Really good LED front/rear lights are not cheap. The best solution in my world would be to use DOT trailer lights from an auto parts store. I actually have a 3.25 in round DOT LED trailer tail/brake light as an extra on the Vstrom. The aftermarket has a zillion really good looking lights but most lack any real visibility content.

Whelan is the company that produces LED lights for police cruisers and they really work.

[burkbuilds]

Thanks guys good advice. Although I do not plan on removing the OEM tail lights so anything will be an improvement over nothing. I'll definitely run them before installation. They should be pretty bright, I think they have 15 LED's in each assembly and they were not cheap. But I haven't actually tested them yet.

As for running the wiring, I have some 3/8" round tubing that I plan to thread and mount between the OEM fender and the new fenders to run my wiring inside. No visible wires and protection as well. I'll paint them black and they should just blend into the saddle bags and framework visually.

I was planning to get this all finished tonight, but I just now got all my homework done and turned in electronically and I'm bushed, so the holes may have to wait until after the paint job. Not what I intended but probably what is actually going to happen now.

[Maggie]

You look awesome on the trike BB! I imagine the feeling is similar to getting used to riding with a sidecar.

[burkbuilds]

Maggie, do you have a sidecar? I've never ridden with one, but a good friend of mine had a BMW with a side car for many years. He always said it took a lot of getting used to. I'm still waiting on the paint shop to finish up. Hopefully they will get done sometime next week.

[Water Warrior 2]

With a sidecar the biggest difference is the steering input as far as I know. A friend has a Ural rig and loves it. After a lifetime of 2 wheels he was caught out with his natural memory muscles and 2 wheeled experience. It only took 15 minutes to crash and go over the bars. He zigged when he should have zagged.
Many sidecars do not have a brake so the bike will try to swing left when braking and turn right when accelerating due to the weight. The Ural does have a sidecar brake that is adjustable to compensate for any added weight. The sidecar must also be properly aligned with the bike or it will not track properly and be a real handfull to ride safely.
My friend Don now has his second Ural(2 years) and is more than happy compared to the 1st(3 years) one due to alignment and quality control issues. He quite often just loads up the sidecar and disappears for weeks on end.