Last Call: Fat Hippo Edition

Peter Tanshanomi

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This uber-functional dirt bike, used for clearing riding trails, was home-built using parts scavenged from a worn-out Honda TRX250 four-wheeler and parts of a Kawasaki Tecate 3-wheel ATV. The finished fat-wheel style trail bike has electric starting, ultra-low gearing, shaft drive, and reverse. It’s not terribly fast, but it can confidently tackle any terrain and chug up and over just about any obstacle.
You should go read the build thread on the Adventure Rider web forum. The fabrication tricks and “can-do” attitude that went into this build are remarkable.
Last Call indicates the end of Hooniverse’s broadcast day. It’s meant to be an open forum for anyone and anything. Thread jacking is not only accepted, it’s encouraged.
IMAGE: XR4EVER at ADVrider.com

About

Peter Tanshanomi

Peter Tanshanomi

Tanshanomi is Japanese [単車のみ] for “motorcycle(s) only.” Though primarily tasked with creating two-wheel oriented content for Hooniverse, Pete is a lover of all sorts of motorized vehicles.

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9 responses to “Last Call: Fat Hippo Edition”

  1. Batshitbox Avatar
    Batshitbox

    Golly. I’m definitely one to work on ridiculous projects for their own sake, so I can appreciate spending more time cobbling together something just because I’m procrastinating trail maintenance.
    Without reading the build thread…
    Where does that exhaust pipe go when it detours over to the other side of the bike? Is that just to clear the kick start lever?
    Isn’t that the front fender from a Yamaha BW200? Rarely seen predecessor to the long lived TW200?
    Are there plans to PTO a generator off this so a decent electric hedge trimmer can be put into service?
    Reversing a dirt bike up a recently cut trail, tell me about this. Do you lie supine along the bike, elbows hooked over the handlebars with a beer on your belly?
    Do you call it a chainsword or chainsaber? It’s a generational identifier. GenXers always point out that sabres are curved, and therefore a lightsaber is correctly a lightsword and you’re not reading this anymore, are you.

    Reply
    1. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
      Peter Tanshanomi

      > Where does that exhaust pipe go when it detours
      > over to the other side of the bike?
      > Is that just to clear the kick start lever?
      It just goes in behind the frame tube and back out.
      > Isn’t that the front fender from a Yamaha BW200?
      > Rarely seen predecessor to the long lived TW200?
      No, it’s the stock Tecate fender, cut down in front and with cooling slots cut into the back.
      > Are there plans to PTO a generator off this so a
      > decent electric hedgetrimmer can be put into
      > service?
      I don’t think so, but it does have a 2″ hitch receiver on the front and back, so that a winch can be mounted to the front or back of the bike as desired. That could be used to mount a small generator.
      > Reversing a dirt bike up a recently cut trail, tell me
      > about this. Do you lie supine along the bike, elbows
      > hooked over the handlebars with a beer on your
      > belly?
      From what he’s described, you sit on it normally and crawl backwards very slowly while duckwalking the bike.
      > Do you call it a chainsword or chainsaber? It’s a
      > generational identifier. GenXers always point out
      > that sabres are curved, and therefore a lightsaber
      > is correctly a lightsword
      I have actually never used either of those words before.
      > and you’re not reading this anymore, are you.
      Yes, I am.

      Reply
  2. dead_elvis, inc. Avatar
    dead_elvis, inc.

    Perfect for packing on the back of this! http://hooniverse.info/2018/11/06/this-unimog-u500-is-your-true-global-adventure-machine/

    Reply
  3. Sjalabais Avatar
    Sjalabais

    As time passes, memory fades and the “how bad could it have been?”-mental process sets in. Watch this as a reminder of how hard GM did break SAAB, a company that used to be proud of their safe cars:

    Reply
    1. Vairship Avatar
      Vairship

      Then again, the giant F-150 doesn’t do any better. Cars back then simply weren’t designed for offset crash tests.

      Reply
      1. Sjalabais Avatar
        Sjalabais

        You’re not wrong, but my point would be that a company long known for safe cars should ace a new test like that anyway – because they should have their own procedures and testing to start with. Witness how the antique XC90 got top scores in a new IIHS routine a few years back. All GM products seem to be crap in crash testing, and the company is singled out in the above video. For SAAB, that had been catastrophic.
        https://files1.coloribus.com/files/adsarchive/part_550/5509005/file/saab-9-5-to-crash-with-a-volvo-is-extremely-safe-small-87765.jpg

        Reply
  4. 1slowvw Avatar
    1slowvw

    It’s like a homemade 1 wheel drive Rokon.

    Reply
  5. Fuhrman16 Avatar
    Fuhrman16

    OK, having just now finished reading the build thread, this is a hugely awesome rig!

    Reply
    1. Peter Tanshanomi Avatar
      Peter Tanshanomi

      Yes, ain’t it though!

      Reply