June 26, 2008

Life on three wheels
Taking the trike to bike week
By Susan Ware Flower food@hippopress.com

Allen Huckins, of Meredith, has had a 21-year love affair with motor-tricycles. Since 1987, when his brother-in-law brought a trike home from the West Coast and Huckins took down all the dimensions, he’s built four trikes from parts mostly gathered at local junk yards. A retired machinist and tool maker, Huckins, 72, and his wife Gail, took his latest custom trike to the 85th annual bike week, where they fielded questions from curious onlookers.

Q: What is it about your trikes that people find so interesting?
With my current trike, people seem to really get a kick out of the gas tank, which is a beer keg. I had installed a regular motorcycle gas tank, but it wasn’t big enough, so I added the keg. I tell people that it is only half gas — the other half is moonshine [laughs].

Do you get good gas mileage?
No, not really. The trike’s engine is a 1965 Chevy Corvair. Back in them days, we weren’t worried about fuel economy. I say I get about 25 miles to the gallon. The trike holds 14 and a half gallons of gas, so I can go a couple hundred miles before having to fill up again. It gets better gas mileage than my pickup, so we use it often.

Are all of the parts from the junk yard?
[laughs] No, not the important ones, like the brakes, I bought them new. I use Chevy parts. The frame is from a 1964 Chevy Corvair, the front end is a Suzuki, and the seats are from an old Dodge van. They are very comfortable.

Is comfort key?
Yes. I built this particular trike for my wife. She has MS and couldn’t get in and out of my other trike. I also added a stereo. But don’t look for Deep Purple on my trike; we like country.

How long does it take you to build a trike?
A year. If I had unlimited cash, I could probably do it in six months.

Do you ride every day?
Pretty much. We live near the Weirs, so we go down there and sit. We also belong to BTW, Brothers of the Third Wheel, an international organization. Through it we’ve met other trike owners who we’ve taken road trips with. We’ve driven a trike out to Sturgess, S.D., a few times for the big bike rallies.

What about the weather? Does it hold you back?
My wife sits under a roof that I made from plywood, sheet metal and tubular steel. I’m pretty much out there, getting all the elements.

What’s next for you and your trikes?
I’m going to have the one I built for my wife painted in black, blue and gold metallic flecks. The trike’s name is “the paddy wagon,” and we are putting the Keystone Cops on the side — you know, the logo where the cop is chasing the bad guy with a billy club? The trike has two heart-shaped windows on the back which have jail bars across them, so it all fits with the theme.

And when that is done?
I plan to start building another trike in the fall. I’m still working out the details in my head. I’ll probably sell that one.

How do you plan out the manufacturing?
[laughs] It’s all in my head … all in my head. And that ain’t easy.
— Susan Ware Flower