Bye

[oldbike54]

 Where did you find someone brave enough to crawl out and take that pic? 

 Dusty

[johnr]

I love Morgans in general and the 3 wheeler in particular. I doubt I would own one though. 

The reason (apart from the expense)? Too many gravel roads round here that I would want to explore. 

I can just imagine the center rear wheel trying to find purchase in the gravel heap between wheel tracks on a gravel road, The thing would be all over the place.  So much worse too with a car wheel back there rather than a motorcycle one.

No, I'll just have to remain jealous and wish you a lot of fun in it.

[JJ]

Congrats and good for you!   No need to leave the asylum!

Being "In The Wind" on a 3-wheeler is infinitely better than sitting on the couch with the TV remote! 

I have driven the Morgan and they are fabulous, although "a trite spendy" at $50K.  A friend is building a Tri-King now with a Guzzi motor.  I believe there will be a 3-wheeler (or sidecar in my future...)

[Sheepdog]

THAT is a great way to poke cancer in the eye! A hoot of a ride and great looking, to boot.

[O]

...so you exit the car fully homogenized.

Hilarious.  Cool ride!  Stick around!

[MGPilot]

I love Morgans in general and the 3 wheeler in particular. I doubt I would own one though. 

The reason (apart from the expense)? Too many gravel roads round here that I would want to explore. 

I can just imagine the center rear wheel trying to find purchase in the gravel heap between wheel tracks on a gravel road, The thing would be all over the place.  So much worse too with a car wheel back there rather than a motorcycle one.

No, I'll just have to remain jealous and wish you a lot of fun in it.

Good points.

Price - I think they are exorbitantly priced for what you get. They brag about how they are essentially made by hand, as in the 1930's. Another way to view this is that you are supporting their inefficiency. That's exactly why I never got one before when I felt I had other options. Also one of the driving forces for buying used rather than new.

OK....this is a little dark, but I've been given (depending on the day and what the MD was drinking) a range of 10% - 60% survival estimates. I could buy this and not dent the security for my wife nor inheritance for my son. These seem to hold their values pretty well. So, the actual cost with typical depreciation would be less than buying a new Miata. Local dealer really really wanted to order me a new one (6mos - 1 year waiting list) and just couldn't get his head wrapped around the idea that I might be on a different time frame than he. But, I'm irritating enough, I could get rejected by a Higher Power and still be around here 30 years from now.  We make the statistics, they don't make us.

Back roads - The rear car tire is a 15" automotive rain tire. I see owners posting pics from trips on undeveloped, dirt/gravel roads through the mountains, in both summer and winter. The tray over the rear tire is plastic. Some of those guys spray the inside of their fenders with undercoating or bed liner. They argue that the traction from the rear tire combined with the 3 1/2" width of the front tires makes it handle well and plow through soft/uneven roads with ease. I can't confirm or deny.

Regardless, this is NOT the vehicle for everyone....and I would be fat and happy with my Moto Guzzi's had I been left alone.

[MGPilot]

Is that a Sperber ? We had one at out gliding club but I never got to fly it, apparently glides at about 20/1 @ 50kts and went up about as good as a K 13

It is. This one had a feathering prop making it about 28:1. Cruised about 85-90mph at 2.5 - 3 gph. Spent a lot of time flying the Cascade Mountains just east of me. Flew it from Seattle to Ohio and back (about 1300mi)--mostly under power. Wonderful to be cruising the empty areas of Wyoming, etc. On the other hand, had to fly over a gigantic wind farm in eastern Washington. Looked like I was flying over hundreds of chopping devices....would have been hard to set down without getting smacked. Very happy to get past that one.

[Guido Valvole]

As was mentioned, Morgans have wood framing to support the body, not a wood frame. If you want a wood-framed car, get an old Marcos. Early ones used a monocoque chassis made of marine plywood, very light and rigid for its day, early to mid-1960s. Volvo engine.
Can't think of a wood-framed motorcycle, lol. Hmmm, someone build a Guzzi-powered Mog replica with a wood monocoque.
cr

[Sheepdog]

Daimler Reitwagen...

[Guido Valvole]

Lol! A bit before my time
cr

[SaskMick]

I love Morgans in general and the 3 wheeler in particular. I doubt I would own one though. 

The reason (apart from the expense)? Too many gravel roads round here that I would want to explore. 

I can just imagine the center rear wheel trying to find purchase in the gravel heap between wheel tracks on a gravel road, The thing would be all over the place.  So much worse too with a car wheel back there rather than a motorcycle one.

No, I'll just have to remain jealous and wish you a lot of fun in it.

I'm building a JZR  morgan three wheeler replica precisely because of gravel roads. I can't ride anything with less than three wheels without coming off.    I don't have the cash to buy a Morgan, but think I can build my own for about $15,000................. PS I'm committed  now whatever it ends up costing.   There will not be much Moto Guzzi titanium left by the time I'm finished
 








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[SaskMick]

As was mentioned, Morgans have wood framing to support the body, not a wood frame. If you want a wood-framed car, get an old Marcos. Early ones used a monocoque chassis made of marine plywood, very light and rigid for its day, early to mid-1960s. Volvo engine.
Can't think of a wood-framed motorcycle, lol. Hmmm, someone build a Guzzi-powered Mog replica with a wood monocoque.
cr

It's a wood framing as wood does not react with the aluminium bodywork as steel does.

[johnr]

I'm building a JZR  morgan three wheeler replica precisely because of gravel roads. I can't ride anything with less than three wheels without coming off.    I don't have the cash to buy a Morgan, but think I can build my own for about $15,000................. PS I'm committed  now whatever it ends up costing.   There will not be much Moto Guzzi titanium left by the time I'm finished

Well I certainly hope that this works out OK,  but I still think it will have a slithery and bouncy back end in gravel. I've pulled a couple of pics (NZ roads)  off the net to show what I mean.

This one is typical.


Deep loose gravel is the main problem area on  gravel roads and here you can see it nicely pilled up between wheel tracks, right where the center wheel of a  3 wheeler is going to be. 

A gravel road in this condition is a good one on a bike because you can for the most part stay in the wheel tracks and if you do have to cross the 'heap' you can arrange to have  a little power on to stabilise things and have a clear area to go to.  A freshly graded gravel road is the pits on a road bike and worth avoiding if you can.

There are also these "1 & 1/2 lane ones.


Any bigger and they tend to get sealed.

I confess that the "WG ETV + " was a disappointment on gravel. It is too big and heavy, its wheels are too small a diameter and too wide, and of course it's tyres were dedicated sealed road ones. Comparing it with my Gold Flash in particular is a bit like comparing my '52 Austin  on gravel with my 79 Rover SD1.  The Austin felt completely at home on gravel, but with its wide tyres and low ground clearance the Rover slithered all over the place. It didn't 'bite in'.

I might be overstating the problem with the rear wheel of your build, especially if it's a nice narrow (by comparison) motorcycle wheel that can bite in a bit. I sincerely hope I am, and that you will be able to say "rubbish" to me in the future after trying it out.

I must ask the owner of one of those CanAm 3 wheeled things about this sometime.

[SaskMick]

Well I certainly hope that this works out OK,  but I still think it will have a slithery and bouncy back end in gravel. I've pulled a couple of pics (NZ roads)  off the net to show what I mean.

I will be using the rear wheel and tire from the bike, there will be no difference.  I will be using skinny tires up front , and a quick detachable steering wheel so I can swap over to an aircraft yoke when needed.   Where I live if it has three wheels and steering wheel it's a "three wheeled vehicle "   , if it does not have a steering wheel it's a motorcycle.     I will just keep it as a motorcycle, a customised one. LOL 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5h9ITRjtBw

  I have no alternative but to use gravel roads, I am surrounded by them. The gravel roads where you live look good, very good.

[SaskMick]

This is a video I made earlier this year.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bc86qwTDaE4

 The road as shown is as good as they get, it was graded the very next day.  When freshly graded it's like riding on ball bearings, and when it rains they are a sea of mud, can't have everything 

[johnr]

  I have no alternative but to use gravel roads, I am surrounded by them. The gravel roads where you live look good, very good.

Don't be fooled. They range from these to goat tracks!

[SaskMick]

Don't be fooled. They range from these to goat tracks!

Luxury !   

[Bulldog9]

Congrats, Enjoy and best wishes and prayers to beat the hell out of that cancer.  I was at MI recently and noticed both of your bikes had sold.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Where did you find someone brave enough to crawl out and take that pic? 

 Dusty

Jesse Woods

Would have done it.  Here, she's doing a plane to plane transfer. None of that sissy stuff like parachutes, being strapped on, etc. Yeah, I've met her. Quite a character, indeed.  RIP Jesse..