Brother of the Third Wheel

While we are no longer a member of the group we still love the look of the home made machines. A recent ebay search turned up postings for the old “Triker Magazine” published by the Brothers of the Third Wheel (BTW).

Ebay has several listings like this one 2011 Triker Magazines

I looked around and I found one of our old Magazines from 2010.

Glad I saved this one.

Still riding free on three… only now its a manufactured one from Harley Davidson. I miss my old machines. If you’d like to see some of my homemade ones…. Homemade Trikes

Second Ride – Lake Belton – 5/21/2016

We will be putting a luggage rack on it soon.

View of Lake Belton from the Overlook.

Plaque at the overlook says the dam was built in 1951.

Ed and the trike.

Driving over the top of the dam.

Mural on the wall holding up the overlook.

Mural on the Spillway wall is 700 feet long and approx. 30 feet tall.

We buckled under – Bought a HD Trike

Our “Free Wheel”

Rest Stop on our first long ride.

I’ve got a backrest, but he doesn’t.

Since the Texas Department of Transportation won’t let us be creative and build our own trike we finally gave in and bought a manufactured trike built by Harley Davidson.

It is nice to have wind in our hair again.  We will not be joining any riding clubs.   We’d rather go 55 and see the scenery.

Ride Safe!

 

Memorial Day Memories – Trike Rally – 2009

We attended the Big Country Wind Riders Rally at  Ft. Richardson State Park in Jacksboro again in  2009. 

The above trike was one of the more unusual ones at the rally.

If you’d like to look at all the pictures you can click over to Jacksboro Rally to view some pretty sharp trikes.

Memorial Day Memories – Trike Rally – 2008

With Memorial Day fast approaching I was thinking back to some fun times we had on our trike.  We attended the Big Country Wind Riders Rally at  Ft. Richardson State Park in Jacksboro.  2008 was the first time that we attend this group’s event.  We had lots of fun and I’m sorry to report that the group is no longer in existence. 

This trike pictured belongs to Jim Harper of Palestine, Texas.

If you’d like to look at all the pictures you can click over to Jacksboro Rally to view some pretty sharp trikes.

Texas outlaws homemade vehicles

Motor Vehicle Title Manual Section 25 Page 16 dated July 2013

Eligibility for Title

Homemade vehicles are not eligible for title or registration. Homemade vehicles are
described as vehicles that were not previously manufactured by a NHTSA approved
manufacturer or a vehicle created by merging two or more vehicles from different vehicle classes that were never engineered or manufactured to be combined with one another by the original manufacturers of those vehicles (such as a motorcycle front and the rear of a Volkswagen Beetle).

Vehicles can be assembled from two vehicles (previously manufactured by NHTSA
approved manufacturers to NHTSA safety standards) when they are from the same
general vehicle class (such as a Ford Sedan front and a Honda sedan rear), but there is no guarantee that these types of vehicles will be considered ‘road worthy’ and eligible for registration. If the vehicle can be titled, but is not eligible for registration, the vehicle could be considered for titling as a off-highway branded vehicle.

Contact your Tx Senators and Congressman and help Texans get back their freedom to build vehicles.  If they get away with this they will be attacking kit cars, dune buggies, and restored antiques/classic cars next!

New trike

After searching for a trike that we liked and could afford for several months we gave it up and started building another one.  Here is our new (almost road ready) trike.

AMC Mail Jeep

Honda 800 Front End

We still need to do the muffler and the gauges on the dashboard.  Oh yes, we want to put the windshield wipers back on too.  Can’t wait to drive it around town.

We hit a road bump back in May when we tried to title and license this one.  We were told that Texas no longer allows homemade hybrid (motorcycle/car) vehicles.  They showed us the manual.  I have since tried to search for that information online and it doesn’t come up.  I’m hoping that that was a mistake and we are trying again to get this vehicle licensed.

Wish us luck!

2012 Okie Twisters Trike Rally – Davis, OK

This was the 20th anniversary event for the Okie Twisters.   This is only my second time to attend.  Back in 2006 the event was held at Turner Falls Park which is a beautiful place.  Since then the park has forbidden pets so the rally was moved to a nearby RV park called Arbuckle Adventure RV Park.

The weather took a turn for the worse this year.  It was COLD and very windy.  We arrived around noon on Friday and there were only a few trikes.  They suggested a fun run over to the Chickasaw Cultural Center and 16 people went.  Pictures from that are posted elsewhere.

Friday evening a bunch of us went over to a nearby Casino and had dinner together.  I had fried catfish and it was excellant.  They were supposed to have a bug run and then a light show that evening but it was so cold they didn’t figure there would be any bugs out.  There was only one trike with lights so that was cancelled also.

Saturday a bunch of people pulled out and went home because of the cold.  A few more hardy folks arrived though.  There was to be a fun run but that was cancelled because of the cold also.  They did have the trike show over in Davis though.  I don’t know who won what trophy but I’ll label my pictures on how I would have voted.  LOL

That evening around 5pm they had a parade from the RV park into Davis.  In 2006 people lined the road and waved at us.  I didn’t do the parade but I doubt if many people were out to see the parade.

Sunday they had a short church service and they everyone started packin up to go home.  We headed over to the Chickasaw National Recreational Area and did a 10K Volksmarch.  Then we went to look around Turner Falls and Lake Arbuckle.  We spent the night and headed home on Monday morning.

Volkswagen Trike -3rd Place for Paint Job

Volkswagen Trike

Volkswagen Trike

Volkswagen Trike

Volkswagen Trike – My #1 for Body Style

Volkswagen Trike

Volkswagen Trike

Volkswagen Trike

Volkswagen Trike – My #2 for Paint Job

Volkswagen Trike – My #2 for Body Style

Volkswagen Trike

Volkswagen Trike

Okie Twister’s Trailer

VW Trike

VW Trike

VW Trike

VW Trike

VW Trike

VW Trike

Triker

Trikers

Trikers

Trikers

Trikers

Trikers

Trikers

Trikers

Trikers

Honda Trike

VW Trike

VW Trike

Toyota Trike

Toyota Trike

55? Chevy

VW Trike

V8 Trike – 1st place (in my opinion)

V8 Trike – front view

V8 Trike – rear view

Volkswagen Trike

Volkswagen Trike

Volkswagen Trike with the Best paint job

Volkswagen Trike

Volkswagen Trike

Sitting up for the Trike show

Sitting up for the Trike show

Volkswagen Trike

Gathered around a fire for warmth

Due to the tornado damage this year there will not be a 2013 Rally in Oklahoma.  Hope they come back next year.

 

2012 Top of Texas BTW Trike Rally Amarillo, TX

This was the 16th year that the Top of Texas Rally was held at the KOA in Amarillo.  It was my tenth or eleventh time to make the rally.  This year we had good weather if a little hot.  The events for the rally started off with a fun run on Saturday morning followed by an auction and raffle that afternoon.  That evening they held trike games which were barrel racing, a backward race, a potato toss, and mens and women’s helmet toss.  On Sunday we had church service and then a trike show at 1pm.  Awards were presented at 2pm.  About 7pm people gathered for a horse show pitching contest.  I have broken the pictures down into groups.  This group is just misc. people pictures mostly.  We didn’t get to go in 2013.

My love affair with trikes

I was first introduced to trikes in 1997.  My husband, Narlen “Ed”ward, found one for sale and brought it home.  It had a Corvair engine and when it ran (which wasn’t often because it had carburetor problems) it would pick the front of the trike up off the ground when you stepped on the gas.  Not a good thing.  You can’t steer if your front wheel is in the air.

I’m not sure how Ed found out about the Brothers of the Third Wheel trike group, but he found out they had a Trike Rally the same week as the Sturgis Bike Rally.  He went up to check it out and came home with some pictures of really nice trikes and some creative ideas.

He did not take his trike to the rally.

If the above picture got you curious, here is a link to his 1997 Rally pictures.

Berry Patch Trike Rally