Frankenstein Rear End Trike
Dave and Heidi love to get out on the road together, going for trips around Perth.
BEFORE COMING to Australia, Heidi was in a tree lopping accident which broke her back and shattered her leg. She came to Australia in her wheelchair as a backpacker in 2006. “She started studying vet nursing and we met each other in a pub while she was doing that,” said Dave. “She was into bikes before coming to Australia, and I used to double her but had to tie her shoes to the footpegs.”
Heidi is more active than most able-bodied people. “She also used to teach extreme sports and now is into hand cycling, kite buggying, and plays murder ball (wheelchair rugby) twice a week. She’s climbed Mt Kosciusko,” Dave said.
Dave saw Custom Trikes Australia online and contacted Mick Fiore about building a custom trike for Heidi. “He wasn’t all that keen to do it at first, but after six months of convincing, he took on the build. It took 15 months to complete the project.”
Mick used a Frankenstein rear-end kit from the USA. The trike runs a RevTec 100 cube V-twin motor with a three–inch BDL primary. It’s got a five-speed Harley gearbox with a reverse gear unit and electric shifter, and chain drive to the rear-end.
Front and rear brakes are hand-controlled on the bars. “Mick hadn’t done a hand-control like this until Heidi’s,” said Dave.
Heidi has blown a couple of gearboxes. “With the reverse unit it has to be in neutral first,” said Dave. “Originally, it could be accidentally started in gear. A couple of times she’s gone to reverse while it’s been in a forward gear and worn the teeth out. This third gearbox now has a safety switch which won’t let her start it until it’s in neutral.”
Heidi wanted to go for a dark green but the local painter made a custom green with gold metal-flake and she fell in love with it.
There was no problem with the registration; it went straight over the pits. Mick added a seatbelt in to the frame afterwards which wasn’t required but added for safety. There’s a custom box to fit helmet and accessories, etc, on the back and the custom wheelchair holder.
“She’s a bloody hoon!” said Dave.
“I’ve done the odd burnout,” Heidi added.
Dave and Heidi love doing open road riding. They do a lot of long day trips together usually within a couple of hours of Perth, have a beer and lunch, and head back again.
Photos by Brian White
