Trilean - Tilting Gold Wing Enclosed Trike
May 18th, 2007 by Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider"
The idea of a tilting trike with a fixed rear drive section has been getting a bit more press with the Carver and Clever and the VentureOne, but I saw this one, called the Trilean, for sale on eBay based on a Honda Gold Wing and according to the description, it was built in 1998, so it precedes the others by a number of years. Before you criticize it on aesthetic grounds, remember, this looks like a homebuilt creation by someone who thought it would be a cool idea and then actually built it.
Power is from a 1520cc Honda Gold Wing flat six, the differential is from a BMW 320i, steel tube frame with a custom designed fiberglass body. The tilt is computer controlled, but he says it needs “further development work” with some type of programmable logic controller. Not surprising, since I think that would be the most difficult part of getting something like this to work right. Of course, now that those other trikes are doing it, there might be a better possibility of making it work.
Interesting idea and just needs a bit of tinkering (or maybe a lot) to make it work right but for a garage project, it’s pretty neat.
Link: Trilean
Posted in Motorcycle Builders, Motorcycle Design, Three Wheel Motor Vehicles, Workshop & Tools
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7 Responses to “Trilean - Tilting Gold Wing Enclosed Trike”
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May 18th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
let’s not forget the Honda Gyro…
-todd
May 18th, 2007 at 3:43 pm
why does it need a computer program to make it work? i thought this setup was a natural leaning, self stabilizing design. i know BMW’s has got a hydraulic system, but i was under the impression that was for stabilization, not the actual tilt. and the Gyro todd references IS natural leaning. i’m confused. can anyone out there help me?
May 18th, 2007 at 5:41 pm
It would work if they made it look more like a rocketship.
May 18th, 2007 at 10:53 pm
Maybe if the canards were linked to the steering…
That might help (at speed, anyway).
May 19th, 2007 at 1:45 am
Maybe the reason it needs computer-controlled lean is simply because it’s so heavy. I can’t even imagine using my weight to tilt what is easily a 1000+ lb machine while sitting inside of it.
It seems to me like the control law that determines the tilt angle would be relatively simple. All you need to do is make some sort of plumb-bob sensor and feed back its angle through a PD controller. That way, the bike automatically leans to align its vertical axis with the combination of gravity and cornering forces. Maybe you could find an appropriate sensor and controller already built for you inside a Segway.
May 20th, 2007 at 8:26 am
It’s ugly as sin!
June 5th, 2008 at 6:50 pm
The general motors “Lean Machine” did it better almost 30 years ago.