Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Rick]

There's a gaping chasm in my motoring history, I've never owned a three-wheeler, or even been in one as far as I remember.

Has anyone here experiences (good or bad) of three-wheeled machines?

RJ
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[Kelsham]

I owned a Bond threewheeler for a while in the 60s, it was powered by a 197 Villiers single cylinder engine, Most journeys ended in a breakdown.

Think travelling in an oil drum with a Kango hammer for company.

Clutch fell apart, reassembled at the roadside, points vibrated loose on two different journeys, Finally a gudgeon pin circlip broke and travelled up and down the bore, severe damage. I rebored the engine and sold the car on.

To get reverse you stopped the engine and started it up running backwards. All gears were available in this mode!!.

I then came to my senses and bought a 1932 BSA three wheeler in 1973.
I still use it regularly. I have travelled long distances in it without drama.

Only drawback is cruising speed is limited in standard guise to about 40 mph, big end failure results in over exuberance. I have modified mine to travel faster.

Handling becomes interesting going downhill on certain road cambers, if you lift of the accelerator.

Handling on the faster three wheelers needs experience and skill.

A puncture in the rear wheel equals complete loss of stability. On the BSA this means above fifteen mph.

There is a very good club for BSA cars and Trikes, they carry spares and offer lots of help, advice, drawings, and club newsletter every month.

Regtards Kels.

[ukdave2002]

[Kelsham]

I don't recall two sets of points, there again it was a long time ago. If I remember it had a Siba Dynastart. It could also be started with a kick starter once the bonnet was lifted.

The engine was mounted above the wheel and turned with it. I always felt self concious kick starting it in public.

My main memory is the noise. It looked really nice painted dark green with a tan coloured hood.

I moved on to a Berkeley sports car, 322 Anzani engine, but a four wheeler.
I fitted a later 328 cc Excelsior engine when the big ends failed on the Anzani. Remember it fondly, but underpowered even in 1968.

Regards Kels.

[Jim.Walker]

I had a Coronet 3 wheeler given to me by a customer who preferred riding to walking!
Whether any survive I do not know, but from the front it resembled a contemporary sports car such as the MG midget.
It had a two (or 3?) cylinder Anzani engine with Siba Dynastart which started the engine either in forward or reverse depending on your intentions - or mistakes!
Rather unstable with a single rear wheel, but fun to drive when it ran!

I also acquired a Reliant Robin, but all I can tell you about that is that it sailed well and raised a lot of money and publicity for the Chesterfield Canal Society!

By the way there is a Bond Mini (it says van, but is not) on ebay at a buy it now price of £3000!

Kelsham, I seem to remember a Berkeley posted somewhere on here with a Royal Enfield Constellation engine. I'll bet that is a very different animal.

Jim
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[Phil - Nottingham]

I had a 1961 Reliant Regal with the old Austin 7 sidevalve engine in it. This was the last glassfibre body one before the reverse rake Anglia rear window and OHV engine.

It went realy well including cornering - it sometimes lifted its outer wheel if cornering too fast

I used it weekly to bomb up and down the M1 in the early 70's - it easily overtook then modern cars like Mk1 Escorts and cruised at 70+ mph
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[Ironhead]

never had a 3-wheel car or van,but rode a motorbike combo with a tin bath or box sidecar in my youth,great fun! still got the chassis.

[Churchill Johnson]

I too have had a Reliant with the old modified type Austin 7 eng done the eng up with two adults and my two small kid's did over 53mpg on a trip to the new forest rust bug in the chassis meant a scrapyard job,but year's before had a Morgan with the J.A.P. 1000cc engonly kept it for about 6month's flywheel problem's put a lid on my joy so it was sold but it was a head turner and i enjoyed it for the time i had it. I do remember reading in a motoring mag a good many year's ago of a chap who modified a Mini to a 3 wheeler singe wheel at the back and it looked a good job.

[MVPeters]

"Rick likes Spitfires"
For heavens sake, just go buy one. One wheel under each wing & one at the back. Stable at speed & lifts both wheels for corners.
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[poodge]

A neigbour had a Bond 3-wheeler,probably the same,or similar to Kelsham's.He spent every saturday under or in the wretched thing,yet very seldom would it start to take him to work.By then it would have been well over 10 years old,so perhaps not surprising.
He eventually replaced it with a Ford Pop,which turned out to be even worse in the reliability stakes!IIRC he bought a VW Beetle after that.

[buzzy bee]

Hi

I can only think of two, one being a velorex jawa 350 simmilar to running in reverse, backwards etc, and then later on the Harley Trike! Both were very much good fun, and I do fancy some kind of three wheeler.

Edit, there is a third! Three point steam rollers! Seem prety stable, never yet lifted a wheel, and hope not to!

Rick you have surprised me, in that you have never been in a 3 wheeled car, or one designed that way I add, I seem to remember a story you told of a wheel coming off near a bridge? Lodging far up the wheel arch??



Cheers

Dave

[Rick]

[Rick]

I think this is the nearest I've got to owning one:


http://www.oldclassiccar.co.uk/bandai-bond-bug.htm

RJ
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[lowdrag]

I was offered a drive in a Trojan in the 60's. Strange thing - twist the key one way and you had forward, the other way three reverse gears! I also drove an Invacar (remember those?) back to someone's house after they lost control and ended in a hedge. Finally, on a company jolly in 1996 we had a Reliant with a tyre on the bonnet and a tennis ball inside. The idea was to complete the course with the tennis ball intact. I turned it over at the first bend....

[Kelsham]

Berkeley started out with a four wheeler Anzani engined sports car.
322cc.
They then changed engine suppliers to use Excelsior 328 cc, and 497 cc engines. the 497 was a triple and I always lusted after one. Not many made. these engines were two stroke, I can still smell the oil mix in my imagination.

They also offered a threewheeler, it used the Excelsior 328 twin.

Looking for more power they then turned to the Royal Enfield twin interceptor engine.
I believe this engines capacity was just under 700cc.

Unfortunately this meant modifying the front of the car to make it fit. I thought they looked ugly.

The later cars could reach a hundred mph. pretty startling at the time.

Regards Kels