Local HOG member just got killed on a Frankenstien trike as a result of the poor engineering. Facts are from a party riding with the pack. Guy was traveling down the highway at highway speeds when a car stopped with out warning in front of him. He hit the brakes locked up tires, and spun into a oncoming semi. Marks on road show tire skid marks left side, and no marks right side. Open rear end with single disc center instead of dually out board brake results in fling a bike in one direction or another. I remember when Jeff did his dyna with that kit, and other guys said to him about the brake system. I remember Jeff telling people Frankstien does not put dual brakes on, and the engineers say it is not needed. Well now to save a few dollars frank just killed a trusting man.
Sure hate to hear this Nate. Our condolences to the riders family and friends.
Lee
MB5+TW200+CRF250L+GTV300+INT650
XL883R w/Texas Ranger Sidecar
Zuma 50F + Burgman w/Texas Sidecar<Mrs. SwampFox
Sad to hear about the accident.. I ddi see where they offer dual out board brakes as an upgrade. I dont know if htey always have
Q: Do I need dual outboard brakes?
A: Frankenstein Trike Kits come standard with one caliper and rotor. This single brake provides plenty of stopping power. We offer outboard brakes if you anticipate towing a trailer with a considerable load.
This is from there web page. Leads to what Jeff told everyone Frank at frankenstien said. But Frank poor engineering skills, and planning fail to account for the single center disc with a open rear design lock one wheel up while the other wheel rolls. This resulted in Jeff being flung into oncoming traffic to be murdered.
Well with that statement I probably would.nt have thought about the single disc being a problem either. But now I understand they should have done a little testing and research
I am sorry to hear about any one getting killed but I would like to see or here from the accident investigators before I can honestly blame anyone. All ATVs have one brake on the back even the 600cc and bigger. If the brake system is big enough I would think it would be fine and all so if the drivers use both front and rear brakes. Whey you use only one or the other you only get 1/3 of the baking power as when using both. Yes I agree they should have two.
Sorry to hear this.
I can see where one brake would possibly cause only one wheel to lock while the other might continue to free wheel due to the differential action in the rear drive. That would cause the machine to veer on a hard stop, which apparently is what happened.
I've seen a number of home-built trikes. Some of them are above-average in quality with three brakes and others are very poorly built.
It's sad that he got killed.
