Worcester Massachusetts Build

[edvb]

Erik, I hope you get your Eco Exo R sorted out and inspected very soon.

I kind of know what Roger is up to and I think it will turn out super!!!

After driving my Eco Exo R over 3000 miles I feel it is the perfect size engine for the trike.Roger is correct on what terrain you use it for. I have hills I climb here and it just powers up those without slowing down.

It really depends on how heavy the total machine with driver is. Mine is 749 Lbs including the driver so the 30.5 HP of the 2005 Burgman 400 is just about perfect for me.

Edward

[roger32849]

Hopefully, there will be a future for the Eco-Exo. I think Scott Turner and company did a great job for the image and marketing of it. An ideal candidate would be Kevin Patrick at Exomotive to manufacture for the US market. At present, any future discussion about what should or shouldn't be put in a new trike is sort of a mute point until production restarts. As for the rest of us, that already own an Eco-Exo, I agree the 400cc Burgman is the best choice.... not unless you are talking about 150 MPH trike, that can hill climb, tread water and fly through the air.... of course it would need something a bit more sophisticated.... perhaps, wings, pontoons and a propeller to start... LOL

Roger
Worcester, Massachusetts

[erik]

Hi Roger,

Do check the price of the Honda Pcx150. It should be about 2900USD including taxes converted from Euro currency. If you buy an unregistered one, brandnew, it may cost about 2k ? Sell the parts not needed, add the costs of the kit and convince yourself if that's a good deal. a very recent 2nd hand donor might not be cheaper versus a brandnew donor like this.It is not ony the engine you need but all hardware connected to it as well!
An400 are not sold over here thus are unobtainable (my donor comes from spain originally) which cancelles out your preference for me as well if I have to build an other one no matter how our country roads are. It's just no use hammering on this engine because there is no market for such a kit.

Don't think if an engine is not suitable for you it is not worth using.After all, It's a super smooth high efficiency running Honda and many may like this point of view.
They chop new Hayabusa bikes for dirt buggys ya know. It's not rocket science and done before and it extends the lifespan of the design quite a bit.

You have to stay away from tunnel vision it's not getting one anywhere.

Please do realise current owners of this kit have absolutely no control on this product. Only Future costumers do. We only bought a kit from former manufacturors which does not connect us to the future owner of the license exept for the need to replace damaged parts.

Edward is right, If the weight/power ratio is acceptable a lighter engine is worth living. I would'd mind if top speed is 65-70mph. I feel this is perfect for the Exo.

[roger32849]

I did check the price of the PCX 150. It is between $2,900.00 and $3,500.00. That is the pretax price. In Massachusetts the tax rate is 6.25%, so add $180.00 to $220.00 plus documentation fees.... all mandatory whether you register it or not. A used Burgman here is cheaper, or about the same depending on the year mileage and so on.

I was not aware the Burgman wasn't sold in your country. I did read where you found your donor in Spain. I can understand why you would like the PCX 150 from Honda as the donor. The terrain, roads, speed limits and availability of donors make it perfect for where you live. I have looked for the specs on the PCX150 but cannot locate any immediate data on the engine, Horsepower and/or torque or any CVT info. For me to make a blind judgement for US applications without knowing the specifications would not be something I would do. I don't believe it is a matter of being tunnel visioned, or close minded. I believe the Burgman donor scooters are very appropriate and have sufficient power to propel the ECO-EXO over most roads here in the US, whether those are flat and straight or in a mountainous area like me. The CVT on the Burgman is also very durable and holds up well to all demands placed on it.....so far. We all have our ideas on what is best, but what we really mean is what is best for each of us. It is obviously a different situation for you. If Burgman scooters were dropping out of the trees in The Netherlands, we wouldn't have this conversation.

Yes, I see what others may do to very nice high performance machines, right down to tearing up a very nice Miata to build an Exocet or similar vehicle, to installing Hayabusa engines in Dune Buggies and Smart cars.

My trike kit was around $5000.00, the donor with 5,000 miles was $650.00. Yes, there were other expenses as you might well know. If my donor were in the price range of the Honda PCX150, then my trike would belong to someone else and I would own a Polaris Slingshot.

All of this is purely academic.... we have exactly what we have and that isn't going to change. Any future development of the Eco-Exo is suspended until a suitable manufacturer can be found. You are correct, we are owners of a vehicle from a previous manufacturer.....

Roger
Worcester, Massachusetts

[edvb]

Erik

Here in the states it is pretty easy to get a 07 or above Burgman 400 and is one of the most reliable scooter out there.
So for the states that would be the choice.

Where you live any scooter that is close to physical size and mounting probably would work. Every country is different but the chassis was designed specifically for the Burgman 250/400 so that is the preference.

Sure you could adapt almost anything and make it work but in most places in the world that have Burgman dealer it is the best choice.

I know you went the minimalist way but that is not for the majority of owners. As time goes by most of us gain weight and add more accessories and pretty soon the weight is up there and the smaller engine is struggling to maintain speed on a incline.

The Honda Pcx150 has a gross weight of 397 LBS verses 860 LBS for the Burgman 400. My Eco Exo R weighs 749 LBS with me in it!
Even with the lighter motor the trike would have to weight 220 LBS or less with full fuel! 220 LBS + 177 LBS and you would be at the gross limit of 397 LBS for the trike. I do not think you could build the trike that light. There are many more factors than just picking a different scooter to use as a donor

I normally cruise at 55-65 MPH and I surely would not want any smaller engine especially going into a headwind.

For me my Eco Exo R is not a commuter vehicle to get around town with. I use it for extended trips around Wisconsin. That is why I added the side hard cases, GPS and Stereo.

While you may be correct for use as a commuter it sure would not work for how I use mine.

I think Roger is correct in looking at the scooters from China or Taiwan that use the Yamaha motor. You can find those in most places in the world. Universally that would be the way to go to meet production for a global trike.

For me I am super happy I have a Burgman 400 in mine and if it ever needs to be replaced I will just get a 07 and up Burgman 400 and make the changes needed to fit that year motor.

Edward

[roger32849]

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am working on a couple of modifications to my Eco-Exo-R. The progress has long since passed the design stage, whipped past the material purchase, and left the actual "making" the parts in the dust. I have successfully test fitted all 4 pieces. They have all been cut, trimmed, and modified. Each one was hand fitted (several times) until I got the desired outcome. Currently I am doing the fine Sanding and finish work before taking the pieces to be coated.

This project was to include one more little change, but I am having difficulty sourcing the correct pieces. Not much I can say until I get them, except I will be posting several pictures when the current phase of my modification is completed. Right now the trike is being cleaned and polished and I am Taking care of some phase 1 preventive maintenance.

Roger
Worcester, Massachusetts

[roger32849]

We are expecting some overnight cold weather with -10° F (-23°C) with a -35°F (-37°C) wind chill factor. Anything I needed to do outside or in the garage has been put on hold. I did complete my sanding, etching, priming and prep on the 4 pieces that need to be coated. I will deliver them to the paint shop Monday morning. Not sure how long they will be in there. It is a small project so will be done in between jobs most likely. I will be removing the accelerator pedal and brake pedal to apply more grease, also looking at the linkage on the motor mounts as well. I did find a little wire chaffing beneath the bonnet and have already corrected that. I need to tie up a wire or two and my PM will be done.

On a side note. I've been preheating the basement of my home as not to freeze pipes. All heat zones are set to operate and no energy conservation measures are taken tonight. It is the type of cold that freeze the trees and branches fall and go through your roof, or smash your car.

Roger
Worcester, Massachusetts

[roger32849]

I actually got a bit of progress on my Eco-Exo-R. I took the 4 pieces to the paint shop last Monday and still waiting to get them back. I replenished the fluid in my brake reservoir and will purge the entire system later this spring. I took this time to make another accelerator pedal. I moved the location of the foot piece 2.5 inches forward and about 1.5 inches to the right. It is now lower than the brake pedal and far enough away from it that I do not accidently press the wrong one when I need to stop. It still pivots from the same mount though. Today I was cleaning and polishing the frame when my polishing cloth snagged one of those high quality Chinese toggle switches and snapped it in half. That is two of the 4 in my switch bank that broke, so.... I bought a replacement plus a spare. I did manage to polish most of the chassis and GRP pieces before the cold came back. It was 55°F today. I also applied some conditioner to my vinyl upholestry to clean and keep it soft. All things considered, I got a lot done today. My trike is in the garage beneath it's cover doing quite well.

Again... I will be posting some pictures once everything is complete. I figure by now everyone knows what my trike looks like and it will be a little different when I finish my updates.

Cheers everyone

Roger
Worcester, Massachusetts

[erik]

I'm looking forward seeing the grp parts in orange

good progress!

[roger32849]

Erik

My GRP pieces will remain yellow. I really like the high viability yellow provides and it suits the Eco-Exo-R quite well. I hope to finish everything by the end of this week, but it depends on the priority the painter puts on the paint job. Once I get the pieces back, it will only take a couple of hours to install my pieces. A few screws and they are installed. Oh, forgot to mention, I also repainted my dash plate. It got a little scuffed. I took it down to bare metal, etched, primed and painted black with 2 coats of clear. Very glossy. I will be adding a universal cell phone/GPS mount and removing the Ipod mount. The noise level from the wind and engine make it nearly impossible to listen to music so I removed my amp and speakers along with the ipod. After all of this, new tires are next.

Getting ready to ride this summer...

Roger
Worcester, Massachusetts

[roger32849]

[

Ok here is the modification. This really isn't anything new. Scott applied some carbon fiber panels to the demonstrator a couple of years ago. I like the color matched Hummer yellow since carbon fiber is sort of out of my budget.

[edvb]

Beautiful job Roger. Now you have weather protection for those cold days. She looks really sleek now. Well done!

Edward

[roger32849]

The aluminum is 5052 grade, .067" thick. It is very corrosion resistant and is used for aluminum boats and exterior applications.

[roger32849]

This interior is black with the yellow vinyl piping on the edges.

[roger32849]

You may have to look twice, but I relocated the accelerator pedal to the right and forward. Now I can extend my leg a bit more.