Here's a 60's style trike with a VW drivetrain and spindly forks. It couldn’t be any more primitive if powered by steam. It's about as safe as a skateboard on a freeway. I would no more ride this in public than carry a purse, but it doesn't take much to update it.

I imported the photo into my CAD software, did a little tracing and created a proportioned sketch in minutes. Once the metalflake-painted parts were safely disposed in an EPA-approved burial site, I’d keep the location of the wheels and basic proportions, but upgrade the handling by swapping the chopper forks for sturdier Gold Wing units with a wider wheel. I'd add a wrap-around frame for side crash protection, then wrap it with a swoopin' body. It would still be a VW underneath, but a lot safer and at least it looks modern.

If I was starting from scratch I'd use a Geo Metro drivetrain with twice the power than the VW, plus it burns cleaner. Add a modern A-arm front suspension, side protection and a roll bar, then wrap it with a curvaceous body shell. Expect performance of 0-60 in the 4 second range and fuel economy better than 50 mpg.

The Pulse/Litestar was designed by noted aircraft designer Jim Bede. It's not quite a motorcycle, not quite three-wheeler, but a lot of them were built despite handling problems associated with it's small outrigger wheels. I began to wonder how it might look as a three-wheeler with the original drivetrain. Although I'm not a stylist by any means, I was able to explore different concepts quickly and easily and it helped spawn other ideas.

Although not a motorcycle or trike, the bare chassis photo of this hybrid van was too interesting to pass up. Utilizing the exact same wheelbase and drivetrain, I created an exotic sports car with inline seating and a sailplane canopy. With liberal use of aluminum and carbon-fiber, the weight would be lower than the original van and allow for eco-friendly sport performance. Looks fun to me. How about you?

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