RUMCars Forum
General Category => Unusual Microcar Discussion => Topic started by: Smart51 on November 29, 2012, 07:28:25 PM
-
It has just passed the MSVA test so is road legal and I'm waiting for the DVLA to issue me a number plate. It has a 250cc scooter engine of 22 BHP and weighs 240kg. It should top 70 MPH, though it is perhaps best not to drive at its top speed for very long.
-
Well done. That space frame is a work of art! Are you going to fit a skin or stick with the Atom look?
-
Nice! Mine weighs about 320 kg and can only manage about 60 mph (on a good day), extracting a mere 16 hp from its 453cc Tecumseh engine. I can take no credit on the build.
(http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3550/5733681301_89a874e566.jpg)
-
A similar thinking process to the Pod. More complex space frame. Be interesting to see it in the flesh, as it were. Can you see a skeletal thing in the flesh? Which engine did you go for. The Pod being older now has a Honda Forsite 250 four stroke. That engine has been developed over the years and I am out of touch if has now been superseded by a completely new unit. The Majesty engine has been used similarly in a few back end altered cars.
-
Looks fantastic and I want a go in it! Well done.
-
Very nice. What is the front suspension from?
-
Thanks for the kind words. The engine came from a Piaggio X8, which I chose because it had the most modern engine and the best fuel consumption of the 250cc scooters. The front uprights, anti-roll bar and steering are from a Fiat Seicento with wishbones I made myself.
Hmm. The space frame was laborious and the insides of the front were tricky to get at and weld. Painting it was even worse. I was for ever finding bits I'd missed! It was tested as shown so can be driven without a cover. I am thinking of making a fabric cover for the front and sides to improve aerodynamics. Less drag = less strain on the engine = less fuel burned. On the other hand, I might just leave it as it is.
-
Did you do all the fabricating and welding? Is it ali or steel?
-
Thanks for the kind words. The engine came from a Piaggio X8, which I chose because it had the most modern engine and the best fuel consumption of the 250cc scooters.
Well the Piaggio Hexagon was a licensed built Honda 250. So I wonder if this engine is the latest version under licence. Likely less expensive, if so, than the equivalent Honda. Either way a good choice as it will probably be plenty quick enough without going to a bigger cc. Should be thrifty while being great fun.
Why not cover it is clear plastic material. I thought of doing this with a naked Velorex, so as to show off the skeleton. A speeding ticket picture could be interesting. Man on arse clocked at 85 mph! We went further and thought of including lines of coloured LEDs so it would look like a giant plasmodium with cilia beating on the road.
-
More photos showing some of the details would be lovely.
What would be quite cool to cover it would be packaging plastic - after being wrapped, it can be heated to shrink it onto the shape, which would show off the lovely frame nicely.
-
The frame is steel and I fabricated it all myself. Round tubes are lovely but there's a whole lot of fishmouthes to cut All at odd angles too.
The QUASAR engine is a Piaggio design and as far as I know, not related to the Hexagon engine. It was new for the X8 and was designed for low emissions. With EFI and a catalytic converter, the emissions test at MSVA read almost zero.
This pic is from before the build was finished but it shows the front in more detail
-
that is a beautiful and very skilled piece of work