Two axis Shape Shifting response during cornering
Inventors have experimented with three wheel vehicles for more than 150 years. The internet is full of stories and designs. A stable and autonomously leaning gas or electric three wheel vehicle design for everyday driving has been elusive. Just maybe, a focus on cornering has opened a new door.
A Note From the Founder
This is my story and how it led to creating the Tampa Trike.
8 hp Briggs and Stratton, left rear wheel drive, truck seat and bicycle front end and lots of fun.
My First Trike
Things began when my oldest brother came home one day from a welding class and this was in his red pickup. I do not remember any conversation about it, I just confiscated it. Right turns were great, lefties were not good. Never had brakes and a nylon string was the throttle. The trike was a blast to drive. Guess it scared me once because I had a vision. A three wheel vehicle that drives like a car and leans like a sport bike.
I built the trikes simply because I wanted to drive them. When you drive something you built, your craftsmanship needs to be appropriate. My approach has always been to work backwards from the final goal. I have a lot of patience with the process of to and fro. This project devoured patience. Sometimes it seems surreal writing about the trike. Without the prototypes for proof of concept, most people would never believe it will corner with speed.
– Eric Rea
Building a Trike That Feels Like Nothing Else
Tampa Trike has experienced airplane cornering many times. “Once you feel it, you cannot forget it”, Eric. The first two or three corners will feel completely new to most people. Test drivers tend to throttle up and turn in late for corners, just to see how far it leans. It is a bad habit, but part of testing. The company’s goal is simple. Build a vehicle that makes you look forward to your daily drive because the ride home is just as enjoyable.
There have been plenty of questionable attempts in the three wheel world over the years. Because of that, Tampa Trike has been extremely open with documentation, patents, and their full development process. If someone finds a better way to achieve what they are doing, document the improvements in an email. Also, anyone can apply for an Improvement Patent.
Manufacturing Innovation at Tampa Trike
Tampa Trike has many years of experience building precision manufacturing equipment. Their production method has been selected that will keep costs reasonable without sacrificing quality or strength.
The biggest savings comes from heavy use of aluminum castings. Each component will have a dedicated small machining center. You load a casting, run the cycle, remove the finished part, and load the next one.
They spent some time studying the casting processes and defects. Eventually they found a video from CASTcon 2018 featuring Professor John Campbell OBE. Dr Campbell’s presentation gave Tampa Trike the roadmap for their process. A full press release is coming soon that will cover the production and a new melt furnace. This furnace is a Half Crucible Dry Hearth Melter protected under United States Patent 12,480,711.
Sand Mold Assembly Workstation
This workstation setup represents their current best guess for assembling sand molds. Running the actual production steps will make adjustments clear. The woodworking that was completed here was preparation for larger wooden refractory molds. These non aluminum castings will be used inside the melt furnace.
Why Tampa Trike Delivers an Uncompromised Driving Experience
Key features include:
• Autonomous lean control that requires no driver input
• Worm gear lean actuator that is smooth and self locking
• True point and go steering
• Neutralized bump steer for improved stability
• Correct Ackerman steering geometry
• Real time automatic toe in adjustment during hard braking
• Adjustable handling balance for understeer and oversteer
• Triketron style chassis response during cornering
• Minimalist design focused on reliability and performance
• Sequential manual transmission
• Front panels for wind and debris protection
• Adjustable shock absorbers
• Extensive use of durable aluminum castings
• Heavy hardware throughout the vehicle
• Standard open cockpit with optional canopy
• Frame shape variations allowed within existing patents
• Single copy patent licenses for builders
• Subassemblies available on the website
• Merchandise available for community support
• Storyboard 5 animated video available on the website
The Tampa Trike design is protected under United States Patents 11279430, 11753105, 12162560, 12397871 with additional United States, European, and Hong Kong patents pending.
Explore Tampa Trike and Learn More
Visit TampaTrike.com to explore details, updates, and technical information.
Search Tampa Trike in Google AI for more insights. View the intellectual property documentation on the USPTO site. More announcements are planned soon.
G’day Mate
