Tilting Trikes Part 1 - Velomobile and Motorcycle Trike Tilting Mechanism Design

[@frankie8762]

Your a champion to share all these principles, all in all your card cut out concept is the best, one actually gets it

[@MetalMachineShop]

Thanks, I'm pleased you liked it!

[@davidvogl5447]

Really informative for a person who wants to build a tilting recumbent. You’ve given me a far greater understanding towards this endeavour👍

[@zapplespoon8917]

Thank you for sharing this information. I have been trying to make a working Velomobile design. It's very hard to find people willing to share their concepts.

[@lewisbrodnax2682]

Try to find a blueprint for the original tilting sidecar on 20s-30' s Harley- Davidson rigs. I can't recall any more if that was a Harley or tilt- car patent. But talk to your local librarian, that's what they do... Find obscure source's of data in places you and I will never think of. Good luck + I'll catch you later.

[@CraigLandsberg-lk1ep]

Have you seen the F300 Life-Jet German prototype from the late '90's? Worth a look 😅

[@INKonoclast]

Absolutely brilliant! As far as the differential issue is concerned, I have wondered if a solid shaft between 2 freehub wheels could serve the same purpose. This would allow the outer wheel to freely accelerate on corners while applying pedal force to the inner. As a bonus, it would function like a dif lock on slippery surfaces. There would, however, still be a lot of drivetrain design issues with the tilting

[@MetalMachineShop]

@@INKonoclast thanks - I’m sure that would work but as you say, mechanical complexity (and weight) would be an issue for probably very little practical benefit.

[@chaosofpeace5150]

Please keep making videos sir. This was very educational for my own project.

[@Witsenburg]

Hi, I'm doing a similar exercise so thanks for posting this. What I am looking into is different tilt on the wheels, less on the outside of the turn and more on the inside, making the imaginary lines through the wheel axles meet in the centre of the turn.

[@IvanQuaglia]

For ages I been "planning" to make a EV trike 1+1 in tandem with motorcycle parts, but, since i didnt have the time space or money im seriulsy thinkin a electrically assisted trike bike to start with, this exercise was really very informative. thanks

[@MetalMachineShop]

Go for it!

[@douglasgallardojr4759]

This is a beautiful video. The communication works perfectly.

[@chrissmith7669]

Very interesting. I was looking at how to make an IRS trick tilt and this gave me food for thought

[@skraman69]

Superb and systematic approach to arrive various solutions for tilting wheels

[@Gherking]

An excellent video. Thank you for sharing your knowledge

[@fonwoolridge]

Very interesting.... I will be back again for more inspiration on my project! Bravo!

[@projectastra8350]

Thank you for all your efforts, I have been thinking of building an electric trike and have been stumped for a long time on this issue.

[@lewisbrodnax2682]

Few people today recall that the first Harley- Davidson side hacks we re of a tilting design. H- D didn't make them, that was a contract with a private co. During WW 11, the company made bus replacement parts. Afterwards that company was still in business, Nowadays they make the tilting platform buses in Los Angeles California.

[@maxsainty9816]

I found this video to very interesting as I'm considering building my own velomobile

[@sandiandlee]

That was excellent, Bravo!!! I build gravity racing vehicles and I have always thought a tilting suspension would be amazing, thank you for sharing such a vast amount of time and work!

[@Plasmo20]

@14:15. Could the straight vertical strut that the wheel mounts to be dished inwards? That might be easier than dishing the wheel? And if you placed the vertical strut behind the axle connection then you can add in some castor and potentially tuck the wheel in even further. Looking at my GoKart chassis as an example the offset and castor are adjustable according to the grip required on the day.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Yes I think that would all be possible. The important thing is the relative location of the pivots and the steering geometry. Once this is all decided, the parts themselves can be designed accordingly.

[@AuroraCypher]

This is by far the most details built of the Tilting Trike ! I know im like 2 years late to this video but instant sub and love your build series

[@kodicogburn935]

This was very helpful. I did find success with slight separation with of the arms from the center point and using the t model but the t shape is just about 1/3rd the height of the space between the upper and lower arms. The points where the shocks connect to the t is the same as the inner pivot points of the arm. Then using the distance for the shock to measure out where it would attach to the lower arm. For body wise you may have to make a slight deviation in the body to allow room for the shocks which aerodynamically shouldn’t effect it to much. You can also prevent a lot of aerodynamic loss by using fine bristles on the slits which will allow it to essentially close the slit.

[@Mad.Man.Marine]

Pretty cool. When ever I’m designing new machines. I always do cardboard and push pins. Works a treat and makes for real easy adjustments. Can’t wait to see what you build.

[@cliffordharley4322]

Very interesting! Tilting seems to be the future of trike design!

[@randominternetguy]

It is, but even pros don't have the solution... maybe sk18 whatever with his wierd ass channel name and sick af asl.

[@truthseek1790]

@Metal Machine Shop This appears to be the most comprehensive coverage on the subject on this platform. Congrats for that. No doubt many hope that this project comes to fruition and viewers get more information helpful to constructing the proposed vehicle. It is very curious that little is now heard of the much praised "Velotilt" trike with two rear wheels, first heard of about 2012. It looked so promising, while it's apparent absence from the market place suggests that it is still overcoming problems. Any light you could shed on this matter would be much appreciated. I look forward keenly to follow ups on this project. I am surprised that the topic of a leaning velo is not far more popular.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Thanks for the comment! I'm not sure what happenend to the Velotilt, I haven't found any up-to-date news on the internet. Nice looking machine though. It uses a different sort of tilting mechanism that I didn't cover in my video.

[@truthseek1790]

@@MetalMachineShop Remain keen to know if this velomobile is being built and hope you will advise along the way. Thanks for the velomobile upload.

[@MetalMachineShop]

I'm still working on the design so I'm not sure whether I will ever build it. Once the design is finished maybe I will share it with the velomobile community to see whether it's good enough to build! I'll try to upload another video in due course.

[@MrSaemichlaus]

Man this video is fantastic!! I'm working on something similar and this is a gold mine!

[@johnmoncrieff3034]

This is a very interesting video with a range of possible designs. The only thing I would say is you are having the single wheel on the same plane as the other two. As the single wheel is at least three/ four feet behind or in front of the other two the amount of scrub or lift can be ignored due to this change in the plane!

[@realnutteruk1]

Fantastic piece of analysis! I've done most of this thinking before but without the pretty cardboard aided design. I don't have an aversion to FWD, so the image you showed of the tilting delta trike was right up my street.

[@MetalMachineShop]

I am moving from cardboard to computer aided design for the next phase!

[@daszieher]

The velotilt project was for sale not too long ago. It has plugs and molds for the body and some design work

[@joelrebelo7292]

beautiful explaination and amazing idea of testing different ideas. this is how i would do it.

[@Gallardo6669]

Best way to create prototypes in smale scale is Lego technik!!!!! Thx for the great video.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Ha! I actually did that. Ran out of bits though!

[@daszieher]

My experience is the same. 3D CAD takes the design to a next level. From my purely digital work I learned that a powered or at least partially powered vehicle is necessary to achieve gains from the heavy tilting mechanism.

[@MrSaemichlaus]

Have you considered pushing the ideal geometry mechanism to the front or back of the wheel instead of on top? The horizontal bars would require quite some torsional rigidity but it would help with keeping it out of sight of the rider, keeping the body mounting points low and keeping the wheel size unconstrained.

[@MetalMachineShop]

I haven’t put much thought into that option, but would certainly be worth considering! Simplicity and minimising weight would be a good test of success.

[@CrusaderSports250]

Fourteen minutes very well spent, been considering this and the problems that arise for some time now, out of interest how big a problem is tyre scrub and if you mounted the lower arm where it met the tyre slightly higher and angled the wheej outwards, (positive camber), would that be of benefit,

[@MetalMachineShop]

it might help, you’d have to make a model of some sort to prove it!

[@robertlyndon2892]

Nicely done and the cut out graphic made it crystal clear. Cheers.

[@thechumpsbeendumped.7797]

Very interesting, I’d love to see follow up vids on this project.

[@MetalMachineShop]

More planned...!

[@thechumpsbeendumped.7797]

Excellent.

[@ASCENDU]

Hi, you would also consider to follow up our tilting trike ASCENDU, we have a youtube channel, kzbin.info/door/u869xo02p4utwZpVxmCCaw

[@BrianPalmerEDU]

Thank you so much for this talk through of so many aspects that come to play in a suspension design like this. Much appreciated!

[@MetalMachineShop]

Thank you!

[@jankrix]

This is really informative! One question though, how to make the vehicle stand upright on stop without any support?

[@MetalMachineShop]

Thanks - the normal way to do this is a tilt lock consisting of a modified brake disc and caliper.

[@veridical22]

The minds and technology of Lithuanian engineering are rough diamonds.

[@mikek7153]

Thank you MMC, very very interesting, you saved me a lot of work. One mechanism you didn't try was two pivot points in the center on the lower arms and one on the top, the same they use on the Quadro, do post another video if you try this geometry please. Thanks again for going to all this trouble.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Thanks! I think the Quadro design as you describe it would make the wheels angle outwards slightly relative to each other as the machine tilts or suspension compresses. The effect would be greater the further apart the bottom pivots are. I’m not sure what the advantage of this would be, but the Quadro seems to work pretty well!

[@mikek7153]

MMS, I solved the above problem I discussed in my previous post (Quadro) simply by using your number 4b and turning it upside down, it would have the same result, I'm just wondering how Quadro solved this or didn't they ???? Correct me if I'm wrong but to have the correct geometry the top and bottom pivot points would have to have be aligned in the center such as in figure 2a.

[@mikek7153]

Do let us know how you solved the steering, for your project. I would imagine it would be direct steering as in a push bike but with scooters and motorbikes the preferred method seams to be a tie rod arrangement, I'm exploring some sort of direct method of steering for motorbikes to keep the whole thing as light as possible.

[@stevedelaire6258]

Some insight from having built a bunch of human powered streamliners including 3 wheeled leaners. Weight and complexity are always a hindrance to efficiency when powered by fractional horsepower engines (humans). Lighter, simpler yields the best results. A 2 wheeler with side openings so either a foot or hand can touch the ground at a stop worked out the best ... for me. The speeds that can be attained with a good light weight human powered streamliner it truly amazing. Your results may vary.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Hi, thanks for your comment! I totally agree that light weight and simplicity is the right way to go for out and out speed. I am prepared to sacrifice a bit (but not too much) of speed for practicality. I am pitching my design at reasonably practical year round (in UK) commuting type use, and and intending to use electrical assistance. I also have in mind a faster two-wheeled design. Anyway, it’s all still on the drawing board at this point!

[@stevedelaire6258]

Lightweight and simplicity is a nice advantage for all weather, everyday practicality. Even when adding the weight of motors and batteries. This statement is based on years of complex testing and personal experience. All the best with your build. Your results may vary.

[@pep2tize]

very interesting, perhaps you could use the buddy it self (a shell like) to transfer horizontal forces across. Could not see very clear the relationship to the driver's geometry.

[@uberdenwolken4564]

If you place the joints from the lower arms more to each side, the inner wheel will tilt more while the outer wheel tilts less. And if you add the steering you must have a straight line between the wheel ground contact point, the outer joint of the lower arm and the outer joint of the upper arm. With this turning axis you can steer easily without having the wheels to move or rub on the ground when steering. (I hope this made sense as I‘m no native speaker)

[@stevenmitchell6347]

Incorporating torsion bars as the inner pivot shafts eliminates interference from shocks or springs as you depict them as well as maintains upright stance when stationary with a small amount of preload. Simple, lightweight and effective for a human powered vehicle.

[@flannel2699]

Steven Mitchell - he's designing a free leaning trike. The suspension and tilting are decoupled.

[@stevenmitchell6347]

@@flannel2699 That's why I suggested small torsion bars. Depending on the number of pivot points he uses, he could get away with just one or two. By coupling the suspension and tilting systems, the design is simplified. Fewer parts, less interference, less weight. Even damping could be incorporated using friction discs at select pivots instead of hydraulics. Human power vehicle performance is seriously degraded as weight increases. Less weight=less power required/better performance. It's easy to copy someone else's design/idea but designing and building your own working solution is much more satisfying.

[@flannel2699]

Steven Mitchell - I thought you were suggesting using torsion bars as actual pivots (like a 50's Riley or E-Type) but if you mean torsion bars mounted coaxially within the pivots that would definitely be neat and compact. Apologies if I misunderstood. Many seasoned engineers have made similar mistakes regarding tilting vehicle linkage setups. Even the eminent Tony Foale got it completely wrong in his book on the subject.. ( so you would have been in pretty good company..!)

[@johanventer5730]

Great stuff now I need to learn english.😄 Greate job...

[@MetalMachineShop]

You have made a good start! Thanks 🤓

[@Jacopo.]

Super interesting analysis, thank you for your work.

[@albertpelletier9415]

Interesting video with a lot of thought in it. However, I suspect the problem is even more complex than it appears in this video. I think the problem also needs to be considered 3 dimensionally, and not just 2 dimensionally as presented here. Notice in particular the camber angles of the wheels relative to each other while in a lean as would be experienced in a turn. Each wheel is in a slightly different turn radius and should require a different camber than the other wheel. The inside wheel in a turn should have less camber than the outside wheel.

[@MetalMachineShop]

I think you are right. I'm working on a 3D CAD model at the moment which should help flush out some issues.

[@jon-williammurphy9780]

Does camber directly relate to local turning radius? Or are you recommending a camber angle/ turning radius relationship for wear characteristics or handling?

[@irsyansani6866]

nice information sir. thankyou so much. its can help me to finish my final project. please keep this video sir :)

[@hermandurieux3247]

Great Presentation, I’m working on an idea for a tilting trike recumbent myself. Challenging I must say, your approach is inspiring!

[@MetalMachineShop]

Thanks! I hope your project is successful.

[@f18a]

Very interesting. Have you thought about running the tilt mechanism on the rear and using FWD? This would ease packaging and obviate the need for a differential.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Definitely an option but I think tadpole configuration is easier to make with greater use of standard bike components.

[@andrewmclean1239]

Awesome! Question. If you can engineer some body lift into it. Wouldn’t it more likely stay upright at slow speeds?

[@MetalMachineShop]

in theory it might!

[@gemitalico1]

me gusto mucho la excelente explicación y los diferentes modelos y problemas que presentan, han sido de una gran ayuda para mi, quería sugerir en cuanto a la suspensión, porque no colocas un pequeño sistema de suspensión en cada rueda, igual que la que usas en la central y que cada rueda suspenda por individual, te voy a enviar un modelo de suspensión sencillo que usa una trike bike, buscare el link del vídeo y te lo comparto en otro msj

[@osalbuos]

Muchas gracias por todas sus explicaciones. Me encanta este diseño, pero en suramérica son muy poco empleados y las rutas para bicicletas no son muy seguras.

[@ecoplantagebohemien.]

Eerst moet je jezelf afvragen, waar wil ik rijden met mijn velomobiel? in een drukke stad, en op smalle fietspaden ? of op buitenwegen in bos en natuur, en in de bergen? in het laatste geval, hebben al deze ontwerpen weinig zin, maar ik vond het een zeer informatieve video, dank je

[@MetalMachineShop]

(Thanks to google translate!) Good comment, this sort of machine would be best suited to cities with good cycle lanes, other flattish cycle lanes and quieter rural roads. For hilly areas or off road, I’d take a different sort of bike!

[@LeesChannel]

When it comes to driving 2 rear wheels I think driving the rear axel with one-way clutches on either wheel would be a more elegant solution than a differential. Basically, all of the power would go into whichever wheel is moving slowest, and the vehicle would be self-righting (it would want to go straight) and it would never spin out unless BOTH wheels had no traction. Basically it would function opposite of a differential. The Quattrovelo has a system like this. I know you aren't intending on making a delta configuration, but I thought I might mention it since it was discussed in the video.

[@hafeexius]

Thank you for the educational video. Much appreciated!

[@MetalMachineShop]

hafeexius Thanks, glad you found it interesting!

[@thecontrarian9933]

You should look at tilting mechanisms for motorcycle cars. I'm not sure if it would work with independent suspension but something like the Flxi Flyer might simplify things. I think once you start to look at how much turning the wheels starts to change and complicate load and geometry you might forget about some of your concerns.

[@AngelAndTheWolf]

Do the two front wheels have to be beside the front of the body? If you moved them forward of the nose, they could be closer, and stay within the frontal area of the body. They could be two feet apart, providing stand-still stability, and faired individually for aerodynamic flow onto the nose. In addition, the nose would not restrict the vertical turning of the two wheels. You could employ a tilt mechanism to your handle bars, along with a standard rotating system for tighter corners. With the wheels close together, you could suspend them with a central shock.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Hi, they don’t have to be beside the body. In moving them forwards you would be trading length overall for reduced width but you are right, the steering wheels could be closer together which would be good. You would need to allow clearance for the frame/chassis.

[@rogergarcia3021]

really like your evaluation, trail and error. where the center joints come together , please consider sliders that cross before connecting to shocks? thanks

[@flannel2699]

This is uncannily like a project I shelved a decade or so ago. Even the sketches and model are pretty much identical. Great minds..! Have you considered a delta layout with a Calleja type twin trailing swing arm setup. Calleja used a diff on his motorised test bed but with a narrow enough track you could possibly do without - or even drive a single rear wheel ( unless it would cause some unwanted yaw effects..?) Anyway it was fun to watch you talk through the same work, the same way.. Thanks for sharing.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Ha! I don’t claim any of my work is original - interesting to hear that other people have come to similar conclusions! I think the tadpole configuration has advantages in terms of mechanical simplicity but the deltas probably look better.

[@robinj6997]

About the suspension and sideways tire-scrub; hossack suspension would solve this issue wouldn't it? The complexity and mass would increase though

[@한효진-z4g]

이제까지본 강연중에 최고입니다.이해하는데 많은도움이되었네요. 만들떼 참고할게요

[@MetalMachineShop]

감사합니다

[@DrXupetin]

Excelente trabajo. Estoy definiendo como hacer el basculante de mi futuro triciclo invertido. Gracias !!!

[@JulianMakes]

Amazing, I’d love To make a trike and this is so interesting, what happens if you have the passenger body volume tilt more than the wheels? Eg at 45deg the wheels are at 30 deg. Is that rideable? Really cool channel and presentation, subbed thanks!

[@MetalMachineShop]

I’m not sure what would happen but I tried to keep everything in line to keep it as close to a bike as possible.

[@necdetsaltek6790]

That was excellent, Bravo!!! I

[@2pi628]

Best Explanation video on KZbin!! Thanks!

[@creativecityis]

in my tilting trike design i decided that i wanted to control the lean with my arms, ok ok i havent built it yet, however in my design both wheels are individually suspended and i have a rod that allows me to drop each wheel individually. this video did point out to me how im going to run into heaps of wheel scrub. bugger, but his is prototype #8 there is always #9. thanks for this video as its dificult to find any info on how to build a tilting teck into a trike. i recon when this is solved it has the potential to compete with cars. who wouldnt want vehicles to be a third the size and heaps more power eficent probably dreaming, but hey, dreams are free :-)

[@danielgotz1027]

A tricky bit with the spring. Perhaps a torsion bar. Like an old pickuptruck.

[@sbq7]

Hi. Love your project Just a suggestion use shock absorber on top instead of use in bottom..

[@MetalMachineShop]

Yes I think you are right about that

[@RomanTechnician]

I'm not sure but it seems that body clearance should increase as the tilt angle increases for vertical state stabilization. But not much, probably it causes risk of overturn at speed. Thank you for shared analysis.

[@duncancairncross]

I was thinking about using forwards facing swinging arms - pivoting at about the same place as my bum fore and aft - I must get my scissors and cardboard out.

[@MetalMachineShop]

that should work as long as the tilting and steering geometry and preserved.

[@sigfx]

What if two rigid arms connected the two wheels and each wheel was on a linear guide, like a strut? Or two semi rigid arms that could bend like snowboards, and that would be the suspension?

[@MetalMachineShop]

This might both be suitable options depending on what you are trying to achieve. Worth experimenting!

[@serkanatila3141]

Kral , çok güzel olmuş eline sağlık

[@amardeepberad3586]

Great Explanation Technique...

[@Secret4us]

Can you try to lean the body while keeping the camber of the wheels steady?

[@MetalMachineShop]

I suppose it is possible but I’m not sure it would be a very satisfactory solution.

[@mikebull6]

What a great video with so much detailed information, Just a thought, would you use any caster angle with these setups for a tadpole trike configuration.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Mike Bull hi, thanks for your comment. The video just shows the tilting geometry, the steering geometry will require a castor angle and king pin angle to prevent bump steer. I’ve been working on these aspects of the design and am hoping to upload another video one these aspects in due course

[@Boslandschap1]

Would it be possible to have a design with the front wheels at a slight angle instead of them being orthogonal to the ground? At 5:18 you mention that one of the problems is that the lower pivot points of the parallellogram are offset relative to the contact point of the tires on the ground, creating a triangle that lowers the outer pivot and raising the inner pivot. If the wheels were angled inward at the bottom, it should be possible (geometrically) to lessen or completely eliminate this triangle. Disclamer: I'm not an engineer and neither did I play around with pivoting models, so I suppose there are very likely some indesirable consequences that I forgot about. Indesirable consequences I can think of myself is that the angle will cause the velomobile to broaden at the top of the wheels and the velomobile riding continuously on the side of the tires and/or wheels, which they were not designed for.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Yes I guess you could do that but adding camber to the wheels could add a slight sideways force to the tyre rather than keeping the weight directly down through the centre of the wheel and tyre.

[@rnelbelg4441]

Is the ATV front end suitable for tilting reverse trike conversion?

[@dickensrivers9862]

what are your thoughts on using driveshaft instead of chain? like the focus on efficient performance. solid work. good luck. if i sacrificed any efficiency it would be to (pun alert) lean toward larger wheels for smoother ride.

[@MetalMachineShop]

It can be done. I’ve seen a hire bike with a drive shaft. You would need hub gearing rather than normal bike gears. On my recumbent velomobile design, you would need a couple of universal joints to route the shaft around the rider, plus extra supporting bearings. Shaft drive would be a bit less efficient than chain, but could be enclosed more easily. I also found on my velomobile design that smaller wheels were needed to give steering clearance and to keep the overall length within reasonable limits. I talk about this in one of my other videos. Enjoyed the pun lol!

[@WagonLoads]

I like your very detailed analysis, but I am still confused by what controls the tilt to happen. Is tilt controlled by the rider's balance or is tilt controlled by the steering mechanism. I would imagine if tilt was a summed result of (steering and speed) or (centripetal force) then tilt stability would be constant of (center of gravity). Could a pendulum pivoting on a disk (where the disk acts like the horn of a servo) and push rods from that disk control the tilt help? (The rider could be the weight of the pendulum) What about housing the wheels in a shroud like airplane landing gear? That way, you can have a pivot point in the center of the wheel.. Maybe something as simple as a bike fork that is horizontal instead of vertical, sort of like a gimbal in a gyroscope. (Where tilt and steer are the 2nd and 3rd axises) I think there is a gimbal in the rotor of a helicopter blades.. That is kind of what I am imagining.

[@WagonLoads]

I forgot to add..(I'm not sure if this was what you were talking about.) The turn radius of the wheels for inside and outside of the turning curve are different. The inside curve wheel turns to a sharper angle.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Hi, the theory is that the tilting is completely passive. The trike balances in the same way as a bike, the mechanism described just allows the tilting to happen, only on three wheels not two.

[@MetalMachineShop]

@@WagonLoads Yes - I did another video on the steering geometry - video 3 in my tilting trike series. Vid 4 touches on it too if memory serves.

[@WagonLoads]

My thoughts were how to make it so that the center of gravity is controlled by the centripetal force of the turn, so that the bike auto-tilts to the right angle for the speed and turn radius you are doing. Thus making the bike self balancing.

[@Retrofordguy]

Been thinking of a motorcycle along these lines and having same issues finding a decent suspension setup without drawbacks whilst ensuring suspension and tilting work in harmony

[@captarmour]

what about having forward pivoting swing arms with shocks mounted to a pivoting arm that remains parallel with the ground? as the arms swing through their arcs, the variations will be in wheelbase instead of track. with limited wheel travel the variations in rake may be minimized by the length of the swing arms. for long travel suspension 4 arms may be required to keep rake more constant

[@flannel2699]

captarmour - it may seem counter intuitive but if you model your idea, you'll find that at the road surface, there would indeed be a dramatic increase of track width with lean. All else being equal, the parallelogram maintains track width with lean.

[@captarmour]

@@flannel2699 oh yes you are so right! I was more concerned about scrub than track. I'll need to wrap my head around that.

[@flannel2699]

captarmour - don't worry, it caught me out as well :)

[@tigerseye73]

Found your video very interesting and informative. Really like your method of paper and pin analysis. Wonder if you experimented with unequal length parallel arms and/or a mono-shock for the upper. Also, a more bulbous front may not be so terrible for aerodynamics. It would be the classical teardrop shape, although not as appealing to the eye. As with all things mechanical, there is no one perfect solution. It's always a compromise. Keep going and the best of luck.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Hi, I think you are right that a more bulbous design would not harm aerodynamics (and would probably be better) but it would reduce wheel clearance and would look a bit pants too!

[@ruisilva6816]

Hello good morning, excellent work do you think you can sell me the plans to build this piece.? Thank you very much.

[@greenarmy4705]

That's good illustration bro!

[@AngelAndTheWolf]

I'm just thinking Ackerman should be applied to your tilting action, as that is how you'll be steering at higher speeds. I assume higher speed correct tracking is more important to you than low speed start and end of ride tracking. The turning mechanism is only needed for slow speed small radius maneuvering. Maybe the tilting mechanism can be a sub-assembly mounted on a pivot, which would be the pitch axis for turning the whole tilting assemble in the left/right horizontal plane for tight turns.I'm Thinking of a handle bar that can be pushed left and right for tilt, and twisted in the usual bicycle manner for turning the tilt mechanism on the horizontal plane for tight turns. I'm saying this several different ways, because I can't put a picture of it on KZbin.

[@AngelAndTheWolf]

A wide track may keep your trike from tipping on corners, but a fast enough turn could break the bead on your tires. You need tilting to keep the forces in line with your axle.

[@johanventer5730]

Greate job. What will work to get the bicycle self supported?

[@MetalMachineShop]

It should balance in the same way as a normal bike or like a reverse-trike scooter.

[@matty8920]

Have you ever seen or followed the development of the velotilt? They also did great research on a tilt mechanism. It is now in development in the USA. Edit: I see it is in the video.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Yes I love that design. Mike Lekka in the US bought it and is taking it forward. His YT channel is called Pushyhog.

[@matty8920]

@@MetalMachineShop very interesting project and engineering tour de force. It looks easier to go with a fwd delta trike design. More space in the back and shorter chain for the drivetrain. I will follow your great project! Amazing addition to the Velomobile world!

[@blackarmored]

tnx for the load of info , I would try to take the whole or at least most of the mechanism in front or rear of the body that should be possible with 2 foil shaped carbon arms . that would take the wheels completely to the front or rear of the vm . if you make the same on the other side you can suspend the drivers pod in between them with a lot of space inside . the hub-less wheel idea of nelson would complement it nicely :)

[@tubemcw]

This is brilliant seeing your thought process. I've also been playing around with this concept in my head. I do have a serious question though. Wouldn't the 2 front wheels tilt at different angles in a turn (actually all 3 would be at different tilt angles) due to the different paths each one is taking? The angles would be dependent on speed and radius of turn I think.

[@MetalMachineShop]

In theory maybe the tilt angles should be different, but I doubt it would have much impact in practice, especially with thin tyres.

[@psycholocke4090]

what a nice demonstration and explanation. did you consider to use a expansion shock instead of a compression shock? this way you could "invert" the shock and place it under the upper arms where you might have more room.

[@MetalMachineShop]

Yes that would definitely be an option!

[@Saintsinner727]

I’m going to convert my trike into a quad using your idea I’ll be able to add a 7 hp motor to my trike and I’ll go ahead add those springs I mentioned and I’ll have a stable motorized quad. Thank you

[@MetalMachineShop]

Sounds fun!

[@shadriclarryholler8280]

As soon as you begin leaning any vehicle you start scrubbing so I would shake off some worry there... instead worry about weight transfer like motorcyclists racing hard... their bodies lean more than the bike does... and having the wheels running parallel is only good in the upright position because even though its a three wheeler it would still act like fixed four wheels with the inner tire not carving harder than the outer since the two are on two different arcs ( I’ve been thinking this one through for a few years wanting to do it myself in a motorized version... also... consider a hubless wheel so you could geometrically place the spring inside the rim and get the shock both hidden and aerodynamic... mountain bike rim size would give plenty of extra working space to hide things and get a bit more of a patch on the road to hold harsh angles

[@MetalMachineShop]

Hi, thanks for your thoughts, appreciated. I am building a prototype so will soon see if the theory works in practice!

[@mehmetcanaz2152]

good job bro,please keep create like these videos

[@archdentadit8893]

Hi ... Thanks for this video, i'd love, i'm the new followers.😊

[@activedrive8310]

Thanks! I thought about it, but did not think to make simple models!)

[@quebuenavaina]

Wow excellent video

[@MetalMachineShop]

Thanks!

[@eskanderx1027]

Great stuff! Thank you mate!

[@AttemptMade]

I was actually thinking about a similar velomobile design, but for mine the body would be slightly higher and flatter on the bottom, and the fairing would be T shaped looking roulghly like cannards but capable of flexing. I was wanting to do a jet plane canopy like teardrop shaped glass dome on the top as well. I would love to work with you on the design and implementation.

[@GoldenSim27]

your suspension arms pivots are offset of the wheel , then put the pivots on the body offset also . left wheel arms mounted ofset to the right on the body and right wheel pivots offset to the left on the body and they cross them self

[@shadowbaby]

hi i dont know if this is a dead end but a old f1 car from cooper would use a leaf spring as the upper arms i would imagine a composite mono spring wouldn't create much drag out in the air and could save you space

[@MetalMachineShop]

I think a leaf spring would be a good solution provided it wasn’t too bendy.

[@RichardHauser]

How about hubless wheels? And since I see others thought of it, also in hub suspension.

[@beaconofwierd1883]

Would angling the wheels so that the contact point of the wheel with the ground is in-line with the arms help? Sort of like how some wheel chairs have tilted wheels to achieve better stability.

[@krisgriffiths7939]

Hi. I enjoyed your video and approach! Tilting trikes have been on my mind for years. Would it help if the two vertical arms supporting each wheel were angled out at the bottom so they aim at the tyre contact patch? I've done that on a gravity racer and it really helped. Obviously the inboard suspension pivots would no longer be in line vertically if the top and bottom arms were to be of equal length. Kris

[@MetalMachineShop]

Hi, thanks for the comment. I agree that the steering pivots/kingpin should be angled as you describe in order to reduce/eliminate bump steer. I’m planning to upload another video of my emerging design that includes this feature, just as soon as I get time.