New to this site. Have an old Dunecycle

[Dunecycledug]

Hello all

My name is Doug and I came across this site while searching for information on Dunecycles and thought it would be a good place to start.
I have a Dunecycle that has been in my family for 37(ish) years. When I was a kid my mom bought it for my brothers and I (1973 I believe) and we rode the heck out of it for years. It then sat in my moms garage for 5 years until I claimed it and fixed it up for my kids to ride, which they did off and on for two or three years. A few more years passed as it sat and collected dust until my 15 year old daughter started hounding me for a quad.
Well, I told her I have something better than that so I pulled it out of storage and gave it a good overhaul and now it runs real good and goes like a bat out of hell, but I think the old Comet torque converter has seen better days and needs to be replaced.

 

[chainsaw]

Welcome from a fellow dunecycle owner.

 

[steven Durham]

Welcome to the OldMiniBikes Doug : I never owned any Dunecycle machines but have had my share of Tri-Sports. Steve

 

[Dunecycledug]

Thanks for the welcome.

This will be the second go-round on rebuilding this thing and I'm sure I'll have some questions.

I can't stand NOT having some sort of project going on and I just finished my latest one a few months ago.
Check it out.---> YouTube - Restoration of my 1960 Volkswagen Beetle

Now it's time to start another. I have pictures of my Dunecycle but still need to figure out how to post them here.:shrug:

More to come
Doug

 

[Dunecycledug]

Okay, here's some pictures. I'm really curious to know more about this thing that has followed me around for so long.
The last time I did any major work to it I took the hard mounted front end off and added the one in the pics.
If I remember right it's from a Moped. Shocks on the front makes a HUGE difference. The engine is a 5hp B&S. Not the original engine but the same kind. The back wheel and tires are not original either. I'm thinking about going with something a little smaller and lighter. Not sure yet.

More to come
Doug

 

[deckman]

I too am new to this site...The name is Deckman. I had a dunecycle as a kid in alaska (27hp Kohler) and just picked up one last week in Cali and brought back to washington. My plans include a new 440 Kohler engine mod and redoing the whole thing from the ground up got any advise for a spped crazed old man?:

 

[gumpit]

I too am new to this site...The name is Deckman. I had a dunecycle as a kid in alaska (27hp Kohler) and just picked up one last week in Cali and brought back to washington. My plans include a new 440 Kohler engine mod and redoing the whole thing from the ground up got any advise for a spped crazed old man?:

Insurance comes to mind... lol

 

[Dunecycledug]

okay so I have a couple questions about this dunecycle.

1. Does anybody happen to know anything about it? Like, is it an actual dunecycle (that's what I've always called it) or is it something else? Maybe when this particular model was made? (aprox.)

2. It has a two piece flo-jet carburetor on it now. Is there a different carb that would work better? It seems to stall out for a moment when it gets bounced around real good.

3. About the torque converter. Right now it has a Comet 30 series with an asymmetric belt. It seems to work pretty good once you get going, but it can struggle to get the dunecycle going from a stand still. I know it's getting pretty worn out and I plan to replace it with either another Comet 30 Series or a Comet 20 series that has the symmetrical belt. I'm not so much looking for top speed as much as torque/power to climb or take off without struggling. So...is one better than the other for that purpose or does it really matter?

Thanks
Doug

 

[james c]

im a bit lost on the manufacturer of this trike, ape? i dont know, may well be! as far as clutch issues, first check the belt.
is it wore out?
if not then check the slack, too much will cause your problem

 

[james c]

i think it may well be a flattracker that is a littlle older than usual trikes., see my photos for orther pics

 

[Dunecycledug]

The front end of this one from your gallery is exactly what was on mine years ago.

I remember it had some kind of warning sticker on the top plate where it mounts to the frame.
When I changed it I had to put a slight bend in the frame just ahead of the foot pegs to get the angle right but other than that I haven't made any changes to the frame except paint it black. I painted the seat as well. It was a VERY metallic brownish-gold. (Hideous) The shoulder harness set-up is out of a helicopter and has an inertia real mounted to the back of the seat.

I plan to do a complete overhaul on this thing and the torque converter is definitely one thing that needs replaced. It's just figuring out the best one to buy for power as appose to speed.

I'm not sure yet if I'm gonna replace the engine. The one on it now is an I/C series and runs great. I do think I need a different carb though.

 

[Dunecycledug]

i think it may well be a flattracker that is a littlle older than usual trikes., see my photos for orther pics

Thanks james c. I believe you're right. It looks like it is a dunecycle flattracker. The warning decal in this picture from your gallery is exactly what was on mine years ago.

Does anybody have any thoughts on the carburetor and torque converter questions?

Thanks
Doug

 

[james c]

check the diameter on the driven unit, either a 6" or 7" then you can determine if you should go to a larger engine for torque and not speed as all briggs motors run at a max rpm of 3600, so size will not matter on a stock b&s engine. a larger driven will slow you down and allow you to run a 5 hp and still have climbing power, the sluggish start could be a few things, does the motor have to reach a certain rpm to begin moving? or does it bog? high rpm is a loose belt, bog is a tight belt, does it creep along at an idle? sign of tight belt. otherwise loose belt or a weak motor.

 

[Dunecycledug]

check the diameter on the driven unit, either a 6" or 7" then you can determine if you should go to a larger engine for torque and not speed as all briggs motors run at a max rpm of 3600, so size will not matter on a stock b&s engine. a larger driven will slow you down and allow you to run a 5 hp and still have climbing power, the sluggish start could be a few things, does the motor have to reach a certain rpm to begin moving? or does it bog? high rpm is a loose belt, bog is a tight belt, does it creep along at an idle? sign of tight belt. otherwise loose belt or a weak motor.

The driven is 6". I like the idea of a 7" though. That's good to know that a larger driven will slow it down and allow me to run a 5 hp and have good climbing power. It has a good strong I/C series engine and I think I just may leave it that way.

It doesn't creep at all when ideling and as soon as I crack the throttle it wants no move, but the belt slips at first. After moving a few feet it really gets hold and goes, it's just the initial get-go that is sluggish.
Something I noticed yesterday was inside the cover there is a layer of a heavy black "powdery" substance that I'm sure is from the belt.
I just ordered a new belt today so we'll see if that helps.

Thanks for the good info james.

 

[james c]

be sure to measure the distance between the driven and any interference from the frame or anything else to be able to install a 7" driven as sometimes there is something interfers.
you may only have a driver clutch prob but i think its just the belt.

 

[james c]

try moving the motor away from the driven to tighten the belt.it should be able to move a couple inches but not more than three, so not too much slack

 

[KrimsonKing]

Hello fellow Duncycler! They were made by A.P.E. Industries, and came in a few different models including a no-shock model, front shock model, and a front/back shock model. I think mine was called the Spyder 101 (just front shocks). This has been my project. Pic links to more info.

Comet Industries has gone out of business, but I found a company that is licensed to make their converters. Here's a link. Hope it helps!

Comet TAV2 30 Torq-A-Verter Replacement from GTC

 

[Dunecycledug]

Holy cow, that thing looks bad-a$$.

Well I put a 7" driven on it and a new belt and did some work on the carb and finally I got it working really good. Was doing some great power slides with it tonight. Thanks to everybody for all the good input.

I'll try to post pictures of the overhaul/restoration progress I plan to do this winter.:grind::hammer::hack::censure::weld::mad2: