Monday, May 9, 2011

Motorcycles in Tainan - Three Wheelers

I am really partial to these three wheeled motorcycles. They are out and out for practical uses, there is no pretension than they are for anything but getting the work done. Period. That's a damn big propane tank, don't hit this guy!

 These traversally mounted motorcycle engines have the finning pointed in the wrong direction. A big clue that it wasn't intended for use in this way. Everything exposed for easy access and repair! The big Kawasaki 2-stroke adapted to a drive shaft mounted transmission. Gerryrigged par excellance! Double bicycle locks on the front wheel, the owner doesn't want to lose this baby.

 Stripped down version of what the frame looked like. Straight long chain connected to the rear axle.

Side mounted gas tank for easy access.
 If you're not interested in speed there's no reason to even have the engine mounted in the center. This machine brings welding equipment around the campus, no need for speed just capacity. Long chain to the rear axle, off center.
I saw this engine on a garbage collecting machine in Taipei and asked the driver what engine it was. He said he didn't know. Me neither.
 I wrote about these guys before, I guess it is a fixation.

http://tainanchineseclass.blogspot.com/2010/02/motorcycles3-wheelers.html
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2 comments:

  1. PaulaMay 9, 2011 at 5:26 PM

    Mike, you sure seem to be having fun with you blogs on motorcycles! Have you ridden on yet in Tainan?

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  2. UnknownMay 10, 2011 at 11:27 PM

    When Florence was here last year, we rented a scooter for a couple days in Kending. That was fun and convenient and the traffic wasn't too bad. In KaoHsiung, when visiting relatives, I'm the passenger on one of the bigger, older 2 stroke machines.

    In Tainan, the traffic is substantial, I'm a little afraid of renting one, but maybe before I leave, I'll give it a try.

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