My economical gas powered personal commuter trike

It's been a few years since creating my life long dream. I've made some changes since then. I want to thank Kirsten Dirksen of Fair Companies for letting me use some of her footage for this video.

[@dandavis5464]

I see a lot of critics. I've followed Paul for a long time. Paul put forth the effort to show a concept, build it, and record it. He shared it with us. Please show him the courtesy and appreciate the efforts. Maybe his idea won't work in someone's city requiring cement trucks for safe driving, but they are still relevant AND usable in this world where subcompact cars with hatchbacks, bicycles with panniers, and simply people walking home with their groceries still live and breathe. Thanks, Paul!!!

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

Thank you Dan! Very much appreciate your comment.

[@braxtonperry1981]

Paul Keep Living the Dream

[@TakeTheRide]

I love your ingenuity. I'd be painting it fluorescent orange with regenerative electrical lights all over it so that people would see me. They run over each other in trucks. People are staring down at their phones.

[@Cowboy684]

for future reference, autozone offers a free rental tool for spring compression. I wouldn't recommend compressing suspension struts with ratchet strats to my worst enemy.

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

Indeed. It's like cocking back a bow and releasing the arrow. Not the best solution, but thanks for that advise. Didn't know.

[@grunwode]

@@paulwelkinsdiy HF has them for $35, as well. Cheaper than an urgent care copay.

[@charlesknight3204]

Paul … You are simply amazing!!! I thoroughly enjoy each and every one of your videos!!! Hope all is great and good with you and your family!!! God bless!!! Chuck Knight formerly from Buffalo, Texas and now from Atascocita, Texas. 😵‍💫👨‍🌾😉

[@m.gardner6173]

I grew up on camano! Lol

[@douglundy5755]

I know, I nearly lost an eye compressing a valve spring with tools.

[@glike2]

DIY excellence 👍, "Flintstones reverse" 😅😅😅 I love it. Aptera's 400-600 MPGe is hard to beat but costs 25K, and is compatible with Openpilot, and solar charging.

[@ButterflyMatt]

I like a man who appreciates the difference between squashed and squarshed.

[@elDoober]

I always love Kirsten Dirksen's coverage of you and others.

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

She is the one person that I follow on KZbin. I've gotten to know her and Niko and family. They've sacrificed a lot to bring us amazing content.

[@mikebruhn4482]

Paul , This is Mike brruhn my brother steve was in the Vetter milage competition, it's great to see you still working with your project, brings back a special time in my life listening to his storys . Thank for sharing. Have fun keep up the good work

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

Thank you Mike. That was a great venue for the average JOE or JANE to compete in something that was way more than just speed.

[@MerwinARTist]

I really think this idea is the way to go .. possibly with a small "pickup-truck" bed in the back for carrying some groceries or something that doesn't just fit in a small space. Very important to be ahead of the wave!

[@Pyromancers]

Aptera is doing this at the mass produced consumer level. Sweet to see this build!

[@douglundy5755]

I stopped hoping Aptera Is would ever build a car years ago.

[@Pyromancers]

@douglundy5755 now that the founders took back the company they look like they got it. The tooling is done for the body molds. They have alpha, beta, and gamma prototypes. A really solid design and a lot of world renoun auto designers on their team.

[@murraymadness4674]

@@Pyromancers Naw. The body design has massive blind spots in the A pillars. And now they are going with direct drive (no gears) wheel motors inside covered wheels...can you say overheated motors. They are trying to Musk their way to success by huge over-promising and so far under-water delivery. 100% solar powered? Full Self Driving...right?

[@murraymadness4674]

Not even close! Did you notice this is powered by a motor cycle engine? This one has all the disadvantges of a motorcycle with all the disadvantages of a car. If all you do is commute around the island at 40mph, a motorcycle is great, aero is not a big issue, get a fairing. And it fairly heavy frame. I mean its cool, but it isn't like the FUV, of course, it isn't $20k either.

[@Pyromancers]

@@murraymadness4674 I think you should look into it more. The entire vehicle’s drag is the equivalent of the mirrors on a Ford f150. It gets 700 watts of power in good sunlight and it’s structurally built like an f1 car. Average daily commute for people is under 40 miles so in a sunny region it wouldn’t need charging. The hub motors massively reduce weight as they remove the entire transmission system, so strain on the motors is low. The motors have liquid cooling. Pretty sure if you can cool an engine burning gas in an enclosed chamber, wheel motor heat is a much easier cooling problem to solve. Heat is dissipated from motors in the belly of car. Aptera has never claimed bullshit like full self driving or even self driving at any real level.

[@evelcustom9864]

Wonderful work sir!! I have a motto : “never miss an opportunity to reinvent the wheel”. You sir are the absolute master. I do hope that you keep developing!

[@wisdomthroughaworldofwords1412]

You built your own Elio...and didn't have to wait an eternity for one that you could drive.

[@solosailorsv8065]

ELIO is a great design. They should release it as a KitCar and let the competent people build them!!

[@dieterjosef]

I would love to see a modern Honda Cub engine used in this. Injection, a katalysator and hugh fuel efficiency. And a better muffler I guess.

[@cezaryantonczyk1181]

Tylko dzięki tak szalonym ludziom nasz świat jecze istnieje

[@vernontaylor568]

Aerodynamics is a strange beast and like tuning engines for power, what seems logical doesn't always produce the expected results - I recall way back when the average drag factor of the average car was in the region of 0.7, the UK company BMC produced an economy family car styled by Farina and designated the A40 - A denoted Austin and 40 was the approximate power output of the engine. The performance was surprisingly good to say the least, in spite of being vaguely brick shaped. In an effort to economise on build costs and minimise the sale price the designer had eliminated most of the traditional chrome trim and reduced the size of the gutters and by doing so had accidentally produced a car with a drag factor of 0.47. That perhaps influenced Ford because in 1965 or thereabouts, their concept car, the Probe 3, was remarkable for having a drag factor of only 0.27, a reduction achieved in no small part by fitting the glass almost flush with the surrounding metalwork. Ford claimed the car gave a typical 1600cc performance from only a 1300cc power unit, though it wasn't until 1981 the concept car innovations appeared on their production cars. I expect those side protection bars and maybe a few other things are really upsetting the aerodynamics...

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

There's lots of improvements that can be made on this second version, but for a low cost project I'm pleased with the outcome. To do it again I'd spend more money and get the good stuff, IE carbon fiber, chrome moly frame and re-design the suspension and....

[@vernontaylor568]

@@paulwelkinsdiy I agree the low cost necessity is very hampering when it comes to one-off design and construction - if you had to do it again and chase the ultimate fuel economy, I think a different power unit would be advisable along with some work on different gear ratios. These days even some ordinary family saloon cars can return up to 60+ mpg (Imperial) even cruising at 70mph...

[@lynnef3297]

👋😄👍 Nice‼️ Be careful and do not get squashed like a bug!

[@ziggarillo]

Unfortunately, cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians suffer that fate daily

[@gabydewilde]

Thanks for showing some of the process. Until now I've only seen finished things (well kinda) from you. To keep the weight down I was pondering inflatable structures wrapped together with steel cables. Zeppelin people got a lot of interesting ideas. Good luck!

[@LeesChannel]

I'm glad to see this project again! Now that you've extended the wheelbase, you can also extend the tail to improve the aerodynamics and give yourself more cargo area!

[@perhapsasongortwo4812]

I've been building this in my mind for the past 30 years. It's all most people need.

[@thesausage351]

There was a 3 wheel car, I think an Elio, that was close to launch a while ago. I live in Australia and we are 10 years behind but I seriously would consider buying one if it was below $10k in my money new. My wife has a 5 door Focus which can hold all of us, I have 2 vehicles I use for work and I thought I would buy one of those for when I make small trips around town, to go to a friends house, or my mums, the doctors, etc. but unfortunately our economy cars are either Chinese rubbish, or too expensive, and to build my own car, even though I’m capable, it would never be allowed on the road without expensive certificates etc. but I really would like one of those Elio’s

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

@@thesausage351 Me too. Too bad they were a sham.

[@thesausage351]

@@paulwelkinsdiy oh were they? I saw a bit of press for them but then they disappeared and I wondered what happened! That would explain it. Damn.

[@johnchristensen7785]

​@@thesausage351Elio Motors collected 28 million in deposits, were gifted production facilities from the state of Louisiana worth tens of millions of dollars, and never produced a single vehicle. Would love a documentary about the Elio scam...

[@thesausage351]

@@johnchristensen7785 wow! Basically a repeat of that other economy car from the 70’s, was it Dan or Dave or something? I think the inventor had a sex change and everything.

[@jasonnealey8325]

Hey Paul , I'm super impressed you rock . I just bought a vintage velomobile and I live in Seattle. I'm rebuilding slowly but don't have anywhere near your skill level . Your gas Trike is the most slick cool vehicle I've ever seen from a home builder . Bravo 👏

[@vladimirhrebenyk6111]

Yes!

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

Are you talking about my old PAVO that I made about 15 years ago? That was my favorite to ride around in, getting about 25 mph with a 2hp briggs motor and 6 gears.

[@fosterkennel649]

Wonderful seeing you again, paul. I am the original owner of a fully enclosed motorcycle called a Pulse auto cycle built in Michigan in 1990. Blessings

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

You are one of a few hundred who purchased a Pulse, Very cool. I was very impressed with the body shape. The builder I believe was an aero engineer who made these in a small production run. I give him credit for using the two balancing wheels approach. My question is how did the small balancing tires hold up to the constant scrubbing when contacting the road? It would seem the wheels would wear out fairly quickly.

[@fosterkennel649]

@@paulwelkinsdiy The pulse and prior to that The light star( Bede) mine 1200 Honda goldwing. outrigger wheels do ware.

[@stephencurry8552]

You built a truly nice vehicle. Impressive.

[@Kognito72]

Any island that doesn't have stupid US trucks should look at these kind of cars.

[@mikemaki7192]

When I was a kid even full size trucks were smaller than the overpriced behemoths they make now, and Japanese small trucks became very popular. The reason we can't even get such trucks now is entirely due to govt meddling in the car industry, big government is always harmful.

[@murraymadness4674]

If he lives in Hawaii, why they have not banned gas powered vehicles is beyond my understanding. They have more wind and solar and huge elevation change to use gravity storage. If he lives in Bermuda...I'd say the same thing too.

[@knowone6214]

keep a going Paul ......great build

[@misters2837]

I have personally thought about this same thing, and have followed your build... I am a little heavier than you, so everything would need to be a little bigger built.... I would use a different engine, something out of a quad, as it has 5 gears Forward and 1 Reverse and is Semi-Automatic....Auto Clutch but you still shift it like a Motorcycle...... much more efficient than a CVT or something like that (The Biggest mistake of the HMV Freeway)....Even my short trip to work on my very inefficient ATV gets 57MPG (at 45MPH) so with some aerodynamics...and one less tire, and a LOT less rolling resistance = 60MPG at 60MPH doesn't seem out of question...Sure beats my pickup truck!

[@1chumley1]

I think you just reinvented the Velorex.

[@nagjrcjasonbower]

This never ceases to be amazing! Your creativity is awesome. Keep it up!!!

[@johnchristensen7785]

Thank you for another great video Paul! I always love seeing what you are up to and what's been percolating in that head of yours!!🥰

[@212caboose]

I love this build. I've always wanted to do a "big boy Velomobile"...

[@namenotshown9277]

Very cool indeed, I like how you've made curves from flat sheets, excellent work. If you started a bit later you might have gone electric only. I appreciate how much time and effort has gone into it.

[@joeclark7888]

This is a nifty project,great work! Thanks for showing us.🌞 Be careful,Sir!

[@cayminlast]

I've always enjoyed watching your projects, fascinating and educational. The various shelters, watercraft and even the tree stump gnome home, thank you for sharing with us.

[@littlehills739]

wish our laws in oz down under let us have a homemade class of single seaters

[@ziggarillo]

If you check, you'll find that Home build trike conversions are perfectly legal in Oz.

[@honeydavis5568]

This is a beautiful job. Simple and beautiful.

[@Fixitall-ib6nc]

Thanks for the inspiration !! You’re doing great things

[@KiranDigavalli]

Looks great Paul! I've long since had to shelve my own reverse trike, as I'm away at grad school and don't have access to my workshop any more, but I always enjoy seeing your creations on youtube!

[@stan5513]

Thanks for sharing your fascination with your fellow earthlings. I had a memorable dalliance with wind-powered trikes and a saucy mig welder. Subscribed indeed!

[@aerobaticdancing]

Nice design. I'd paint it in high vis dayglo alternating striped colors and add reflective tape. Make the grocery compartment more accessible from the outside because you'll be using it a lot. Every trip I made I bring groceries home. Maybe make the cockpit canopy able to slide forward, backwards, or on a hinge, but not a big priority. The biggest problem with out of the ordinary designs like these are they are cop magnets. I like to tilt when I go through a turn, so I stick to motorcycles. But if I went electric I'd consider a three wheel design to support more batteries.

[@gohachi5313]

Very cool little machine you built. I'd love to own something like this. Aptera is as close as I'll get as I'm not really a builder. Great build though!

[@FeverDreamRemix]

I love all of your creations.

[@GOBEF3]

I salute you sir from the bottom of my heart ! And wholeheartedly recommend you convert it into Electric power. To catch up with the zeitgeist + tap into the huge markets thirsting for it. If you need help, I'm a US expat living in China, and would lend a hand 👍

[@Justmekpc]

I love piddling around and you’ve created a really cool ride

[@christopherbrand5360]

I'm sure you know Aptera, and Elio, and now Aptera again are trying to bring something in this vein to the market. There are probably more I don't know about. I hope someone eventually figures out how to sell efficiency to the general populace. I love this Paul!

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

Thank you! The Lean Machine was a GM high mileage leaning enclosed teardrop trike prototype that hit the Worlds Fair in BC back in the 80's. It was the answer, but corp. leaders probably voted it down for a production run. It was way ahead of the curve.

[@drubru1969]

I thought the Elio was a great idea. Basically a Honda Civic cut in half lengthwise with 3 cylinder engine and open wheel front end. The promise was to build it with all off the shelf components to bring it in at about $7000. Too bad the leader completely turned it into a scam.

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

@@drubru1969 Is that what happened? I always told my wife I'd buy a trike that met my expectations, and the Elio came real close. I too was waiting for production, but when an outfit asks for money up front from customers, nefarious dicks usually come out of the wood work, Eh?

[@tomellis4750]

Surely you need a vehicle weighing at least two tons to get one person to work.

[@stevenboelke6661]

With at least four empty seats, just in case.

[@funkysod]

It's called a bicycle 😊 Seriously I think most commutes made by people, alone in a two ton monster, are done in bike distances. But Pauls alternative is a cool thing!

[@bobbyduke777]

They have suspensions now that lean into turns, that would be the cherry on top of this.

[@moosehand8721]

You are an inspiration Paul...keep bringing your dreams to life.❤

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

Thank you Moose

[@jackoneil3933]

Very much enjoyed the update, and thanks for the inspiration. Since you started this project I've been designing some designs in Solidworks for an electric reverse trike. I've done some designs using Aluminum, Mild steel and a hybrid monocoque plywood-steel design, and surprisingly plywood comes out a lot stronger and lighter less costly than either Aluminum or steel using Solidworks stress analysis and modeling. If you might like to take a look at the concept and chat or work up some Solidworks designs I'd be up for that.

[@redbearrc6706]

You are a re-trendsetter. This will be a hit, like your bicycle bike trailer. Perfecto!

[@rocpile]

Brilliant work on the wheelbase!

[@instantchow]

Aptera is making its come back!

[@robertfrank886]

I would like to believe this, but when? They haven’t released an actual production model yet, just the prototypes. It looks good, but I fear interest will fade and so will the company if they don’t get these on the road very soon.

[@rexluminus9867]

👍 👌 Great job & hobby,sir.Ride safe & healthy. Thank you. 🇨🇦 😊

[@MadRat70]

Thats awesome you are still evolving your designs.

[@alvydasurbonas8913]

when you cut rear fork my first thought spring wont work anymore. also adding electric hybrid to power front wheels or just one wheel would give you reverse :)

[@GatorLife57]

Looking good Paul !

[@Ryutai7]

awesome video for an awesome project. I hope someday to bring my dreams to life like this

[@kevinmurtagh3434]

Fantastic, loved all the history

[@princeoftheblues]

What a lovely execution! I have one that is bigger, electric, and shaded by solar panels. I will make a video soon. Yours is simply beautiful!

[@peterpiper487]

Would like to see yours but I absolutely LOVE the gas-powered vehicles. Hope you will consider make a gas-powered vehicle as well.

[@bobdebouwer7835]

There is one teardrop car, the Aptera. And the Frikar Podbike is a nice concept. Problem is, the world doesn't care. Fuel is still affordable and voters favour the automobile so much that rules, laws and space is dedicated to it.

[@IstasPumaNevada]

The Aptera isn't in production yet, and so far isn't showing signs it will be, so I wouldn't say "there is one teardrop car". They already went bankrupt once, and right now they keep saying they're a year away from production, all they need is investors to give them several hundred million dollars or whatever the exact figure was. But yeah, I want it to be a thing. It's not just voters and affordable fuel at work, it's a feedback loop between drivers, advertisements, culture, and giant auto manufacturers. We need both an attitude adjustment _and_ legislation. Preferably shifting us away from a car-centric culture and into more public/mass transit.

[@bobdebouwer7835]

@@IstasPumaNevada true. A true teardrop car isnt available now. But we can already see consumers choices on things that are close. Likd the VW Lupo 3L edition that was made for mileage. People want space and power. So it failed a bit

[@ptonpc]

Great to see the updates.

[@davidemantovi6678]

It would be nice if aptera could make it in production. Everyone that understand will be very happy. The SUV will stay the biggest market, but at least it would be something to fight the common stupidity

[@noyopacific]

I think this type of vehicle could be a promising project for an existing motorcycle manufacturer. Maybe Polaris would consider a lighter, more efficient trike. It seems like Aptera and other startups haven't been able to come up with adequate resources to bring a mass produced product to reality. I've even wondered about Harley Davidson giving it a try since the market for their cruisers seems to be sputtering. Unfortunately I think Harley is too deep in debt to attempt a project like this.

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

@@noyopacific Judging from my recent experience with the general public who come over and ask questions about my trike, all comments are positive and thumbs up. I would think there'd be a niche market for a similar rig, especially with the oil companies continued increase in gas prices and the current inflation issue. And this rig is a thumbs up for SUV lanes. They are after all classified as a motorcycle.

[@noyopacific]

@@paulwelkinsdiy I have wanted to build a California Commuter too after reading about it years ago. I even got a set of plans from Doug Malewicki but believed that it was beyond my ability. Thanks for the update video Paul. It looks great !!!

[@paulhelman3654]

The Morgan setup greatly benefitted by wider front stance and independent front suspension.

[@DeadCat-42]

The problem is everyone driving a cement Truck on their commute from their tax write-off alpaca farm to their city job.

[@PonkyKong]

The only problem is people pretending there's a problem.

[@zigabizjak9682]

Problem is giants want it you pay for gas cause they don't care stupid really

[@robinbrowne5419]

This would only make sense if everyone else was driving them. Otherwise it is a hazard to both its own driver and the other traffic. This is only practical for people who don't live in the real world. Who don't need to give anybody a lift, or who don't need carry groceries home. Back to the drawing board. 👍

[@zigabizjak9682]

@robinbrowne5419 sure sure but they also drive electric small scooter on roads and do you wana spend money on driving unnecessary heavy metals around all the time There is plenty of space on that tricar How much money you got for groceries

[@zigabizjak9682]

@robinbrowne5419 give a lift to bad people sure you I'll enjoy it😘 .got any money to spare or I'll I have to force it from you? Gone of a bit shit

[@TreDeuce-qw3kv]

I'm building a similar model with a monocoque carbon fiber body powered by an electric motor. The front suspension, steering and brakes are from a Quad in an IFS beam type configuration so I saved a lot of time on that issue. Rear suspension is single arm motorcycle from a dirt bike, so a few time saving shortcuts, though, the body has been a big involved project. Kudos on your more involved build. Engineering front suspensions is a science all by itself something I got involved in with several Sevenesqe(Lotus 7) type builds years ago. Just use Miata parts for those projects and benefit from the millions spent by Mazda on that engineering. Haven't been to Stanwood since I had an engineering project in Seattle back in 2010 and was looking for a building lot there. Wonderful area.

[@AtimatikArmy]

Paul, what about vacuum forming the body with one continuous sheets of clear Lexan? You could make form out of wood in your garage taking care to give all the complex curvatures a true tear drop shape deserves. You could even heat the Lexan yourself and suck it down onto the form using a couple of shop vacs with a little common sense and ingenuity. Right up your alley I bet. You could have the beautiful showroom floor shape that I am sure you have been dreaming about. By the way, RC car bodies are made the same way and are incredibly durable.

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

I've seen this done before when investigating blown windscreens, and remember the basics when working in a sign shop. Not sure I'll get around to it. I'm into simplicity and fluted plastic really helps speeds up my simple prototype builds.

[@AtimatikArmy]

@@paulwelkinsdiy Yes, that makes sense. This may make more sense if you were going into production and/or really wanted to reduce the aerodynamic drag forces as much as possible. For one off, prototyping & proof of concept, the coroplass is pretty awesome.

[@_Manfat]

12 months later, looks like your carrying a little extra ballist now Paul.... 😉 Jokes. Machine still looks great. Good work.

[@Tregrense]

Amazing work.

[@emaglott]

Fascinating as usual!

[@gplustree]

very cool project!

[@cratecruncher4974]

Cool project. Quality channel. Subscribed.

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

Thank you!

[@madeinfoxtrap5539]

Very nice ! Great job !

[@gjclark2478]

This reminds me of the elf ( electric tricycle) and I love your ingenuity and creativeness. I think this would work in Europe under the quadricycle law as a hybrid, electric front hubs for town driving, and a small petrol engine for open road driving. Here in England you can build any vehicle for the road under " Single Vehicle Type Approval " which all kitcars and replicas have to go through...............

[@bobdebouwer7835]

England is great for that. I know Dutch people shipped their projects to England to get it approved and then ship it back and have it legal.

[@jarikinnunen1718]

The BMW Bubble type shape is best. It`s short and less wind affect. Lot of room. Small wheels are in body and cause less drag than open wheels.

[@brncrvr]

Saw that exhaust pipe and had to click,knew it was a Yamaha sr185 engine!! Cool build! I’ve grafted the same engine into one of my old bikes, selected because it was the cheapest complete engine I could find online, think I got it for $200 shipped few years back.

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

It is a great little motor. Plenty of pep and sounds good. I wish it had a 5th gear or a lower range 4th gear.

[@brncrvr]

@@paulwelkinsdiy 5th gear would be nice

[@tauncfester3022]

@@paulwelkinsdiy The little Lifan OHV 200 cc engines are now coming with fuel injection, they have a wide ratio transmission with 5 speeds, you can also get ones with 4 speeds and a reverse gear for quads. They also have a very potent alternator which can source up to 200 watts of 12 volt combined battery charging and AC headlight illumination power. I have to wonder though, and it's been asked a few times.. How do you cool this engine? It's going to overheat without a steady cooling air source. Is it something we're not seeing?

[@MHLivestreams]

Good fun, and definitely worthwhile experimenting.

[@SooperToober]

Simply brilliant

[@jozefbubez6116]

Really I think we should have more cars like this rather than the 'tanks' we see today which are vastly bigger than the cars of the 60s, 70s and 80s with which I grew up!

[@IstasPumaNevada]

We need to pivot away from a car-centric society overall. And also, before/during/after that pivot, severely limit the size and mass of personal vehicles.

[@jozefbubez6116]

@@IstasPumaNevada Absolutely! Back in the day there were people looking at motorised roller skates and the like. Not one of us seriously needs to be driving an automobile with engine output equal to half a dozen WW1 planes!

[@bren42069]

you need a leaning/tilting front suspension so that it leans into turns like a motorcycle. it would increase stability greatly. do that and it would be the perfect three wheel vehicle check out the Wesll awd leaning quad

[@skipwalker3269]

Nice upgrades Paul.

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

Thanks. I still want to add a windshield wiper and re-configure the body panels for better weather protection.

[@kellylynn3211]

Great Job. I think your onto something.

[@cheepwings]

I'll bet your a fan of the aptera.

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

Indeed I am. The only engineers who've taken aerodynamics seriously in their design from the start.

[@davej3487]

Hello neighbor, from 'Little Detroit of the West" Auburn WA. Always love your designs Paul.

[@davej3487]

I helped build a California Commuter trike back in 1984. We used a Honda 160 twin and rode it from Auburn WA to LA CA and got 85 MPG but we did more than 55 MPH with a few runs up to 90 MPH. If you keep the front nose light then the twin rudder steering works very well. 1984's Glass over Foam worked OK but modern technics are much better. 3D printing and Carbon Fiber is now something a home hobbist can do.

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

@@davej3487 Dave.You are the FIRST person I've found who actually built a California Commuter from Doug Malewiki's plans! Would love to chat with you more about that experience if you don't mind.

[@davej3487]

@@paulwelkinsdiy Paul, I live down in Auburn so it would not be a problem of riding my Suzuki Burgman up to the Seattle/Everett areas for a coffee chat.

[@davej3487]

But I do not have any pictures of the build, all were given to the owner and I lost touch. I do have a set of plans that I bought 3 years ago so I am licensed to build 1 CC.

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

​@@davej3487 I too purchased his plans years ago.It took me several decades to pay the price he wanted. I'm on Camano Island. I use to commute to Algona Boeing facility from Stanwood. Glad that didn't last long. Give me an Email if you'd like to get together some time. paulwelkins@yahoo dot com

[@user-lx8nc6is7m]

Excellent effort , viewing from 313 motor city Detroit Michigan USA 🇺🇸

[@MilesCobbett]

Looks like lots of fun

[@Njf4192]

I love it when Paul makes a video on his genius project

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

Thank you!

[@standardannonymousguy]

Awesome build. Very logistical and smart. Its about time someone made a rational commuter vehicle. Now 345 lbs? Id like to think we could get that down to less than 259lbs... Carbon fiber anyone? Aluminum maybe? Thank you for sharing your journey with us!

[@mikethespike7579]

Cool. The only advantage this has to my motorcycle is that you don't get wet in the rain. But I also say that for cars and trucks.

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

I have to disagree. From my experience driving this little guy, you stand out more than a motorcyclist. I think the peripheral vision of an eye is naturally curious, so when it see's something unusual you tune in quickly. It's called rubber necking.

[@mikethespike7579]

@@paulwelkinsdiy Oh, yeah. It sticks out for sure.

[@rp6782]

Paul is literally the coolest guy ever!

[@americanboathead5390]

Such a great video!

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

Hey Brian! Ready to go boating soon?

[@americanboathead5390]

Yes! Well almost lol

[@rongarrett1366]

Very snazzy ride.

[@ryanchen8978]

There's a company called Aptera that's following a similar idea that Paul has. The tear drop car design by Aptera. But, it's electric with solar panel on the roof to recharge the battery since it's so efficient it requires minimal electrical to charge. Can't wait to see the cars be delivered late 2024 or in 2025.

[@kennickel878]

It's classified as a motorcycle. The panels get you about 40 miles per day. It's still intended to plug in but, only needs a 120 outlet due to the relatively small battery it requires.

[@SilvaDreams]

Ah yes Aptera... They have been claiming to make deliveries for years now. Too bad they can't make a functional vehicle that is roadworthy.

[@kennickel878]

@@SilvaDreams Uncle Sam hasn't seen fit to shoot over $452,000,000 like another electric vehicle manufacturer of note. Matter of fact I think Aptera has secured a total of something like $33,000,000 in funding primarily from small investors.

[@xzqzq]

Wonderful vehicle. Would love to try it, on closed course, w/o traffic.

[@Bob_Sacamano]

great video!

[@Ron-yj4rh]

Useful information. I draw a lot of things like this on Sketchup and put them on my channel. Subbed.

[@tomarmstrong1281]

There has to be a minimum with regard to personal safety. Cyclists know the risks of mixing with regular traffic. A first step would be dedicated cycle lanes.

[@rfiskillingussoftly6568]

In the 1950s shell put out a call to the people to build a car that could get 1000 mpg..the car that won it, got 1300 mpg! With a vaporizer!

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

Was that the one that had the engine insulated along with a stripped down body?

[@rfiskillingussoftly6568]

@@paulwelkinsdiy I don't think so,it was a medium size car" I think it's on yt! I'm going to check!

[@SergeiNiclevich]

This felt like a really good though short documentary.

[@gavinwatson344]

I did nearly the same thing in the early 1980's I used a snowmobile frame and used a 60CC Yamaha motorcycle as the back end. I drove it around a bit but never tried to register it. I was motivated by the oil embargo in the 70's and some articles I read about cyclists and that 80% of the energy at 60 MPH that a cyclist generated went to overcome air resistance. I figured that if you could make something more aerodynamic that even with a very small engine it would work just fine and would burn hardly any fuel. I have since owned a Corbin Sparrow and I am a reservation holder for an Aptera so I am still hoping this idea comes to pass.

[@joshmo675]

Almost every car I see only has 1 person in it anyway

[@jackdernorsek7986]

I would love to build a project like this. I know you don't do plans (I understand ) but if you could put some form of details into a list... such as tire size, type of suspension parts used, type of motor, wheel base (now), etc. it would really flatten the curve for my project. Thanks

[@joshpit2003]

Glad to see you are still tweaking it. I think a double A-Arm front suspension will get you where you want it.

[@paulwelkinsdiy]

Indeed. That, and a steering wheel are my next consideration, but due to the extreme narrow width I chose the wheel would have to be removable to get in and out. Rendition 3???

[@joshpit2003]

@@paulwelkinsdiy I dig the look of the current recumbent-like steering, but I can see how that would be tricky to get used-to / perfect for speed. Maybe you can tweak in stages and see if you can keep it, otherwise: Yeah, removable steering wheel is a good option, especially since it would be easy to fine-tune with various gearing (rack and pinion). As much as I hate yokes, that might also be a viable option. Best of luck.