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Overall View
Right side of first ChameleonECO Front Wheel Drive Tilting Delta
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Left side of first ChameleonECO
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Production Updates
ChameleonECO
Bill Stites has decided that he will personally make the first [10] ChameleonECO Trikes only. Still available are serial #'s CH006 - CH010. Thereafter, the design will be licensed to a manufacturer for subsequent production. Since no license has been pursued at this time, it is likely that this will render these trikes to be very rare. Since life always brings unexpected situations, StitesDesign reserves the right to change its policy at any time without notice. See the latest prices and production schedule on the Production and Sales page.
Photo Gallery Below Thanks for looking. Please share with others who may be interested. |
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Overall View
Right side of first ChameleonECO Front Wheel Drive Tilting Delta
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Left side of first ChameleonECO
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Orange Front sub-frame Supports the seat and is the leaning portion. |
Black Rear sub-frame is non-leaning with two wheels on the ground; it contains the handlebar mounting and the cargo tray. |
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Front View Seat Height = 79 cm [31 inches] Wheelbase = 98 cm [38.5 inches] Rear Wheel Track = 55 cm [21.5 inches] with 3 degree wheel camber.
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Front Views Leaning and Turning |
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Since the seat is mounted with the Orange front sub-frame, the rider's weight is shifted to the inside of the turn. Note that the handlebars are mounted in the Black rear sub-frame, which does not lean. They remain parallel with the rear wheels, providing feedback and control of the orientation of the rear sub-frame. Note also that because the lean axis is high [just below the seat], the front wheel is displaced toward the outside of the turn. This provides outstanding stability. |
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Black rear sub-frame has standard wheels [ISO 406] in forks so that many types of 20" wheels can be used. Cargo tray bolted in rear; suspended by Stainless Steel rod in front. Handlebars are highly adjustable for optimum hand grip locations. |
Rear view of seat
Adjustable seat back support structure. Adjustable tension seat fabric with a lumbar cushion to be added. |
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Right Side Views
Orange bottom tube from front sub-frame sweeps back to attach to the rear articulation. |
Rear Wheels are the same size! |
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Central area showing:
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| Rear Articulation
Tab at rear end of front bottom tube [orange] is bolted into bottom of rear articulation. Square top tube [orange] provides for seat mounting. |
Lean lock quick release lever [black] fixes square top tube of front sub-frame to a Stainless Steel plate on the rear sub-frame. This achieves lockout of the lean capabilities. |
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Rear close-up view of Lean Lock. Quick release lever to lock down. "Radial Arc" refers to the new type of suspension afforded by the lean articulation. |
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Rear Views - Close in
Stainless Steel springs bridge the subframes to provide light lean resistance, and maintain the trike upright without a rider. Pre-load is adjustable by varying location of center clamps. |
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Right Side View of front end
The 'Down Chain' connects the right side of the StitesHub mid-drive [with universal joint] to the front drive wheel. The 'Top Chain' connects the left sided crank to the left side of the StitesHub. Note eccentric bottom bracket to tension top chain. |
Close up of eccentric bottom bracket shell with frame gusset work.
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Right Side View of the fork in context The special Front Wheel Drive system requires a custom fork. The right StitesHub cog is mounted at the top of the right fork blade. The purpose of the StitesHub is to fully separate drive forces from steering forces. |
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Right Front Views of StitesHub Area
Elongated fork blade comes up to support the right bearing holder of the StitesHub. Note the universal joint flexes directly over the center of the steer tube. This transfers drive torque without any steering distortions. The 'Down Chain' rides inboard of the bearing, and moves with the fork. |
The heart of the StitesHub is the universal joint in the center of it all. It transfers power across the Steer tube axis at varying angles during real-time steering. Because the torque is propagated along an axis that is PERPENDICULAR TO AND INTERSECTS with the steer axis, there are no forces generated that could rotate the fork for steering.
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Left Side Views of StitesHub Area |
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Left side of the StitesHub is supported by the frame via 4 yellow plate parts. The left StitesHub cog is adjustable vertically for optimal u-joint alignment. Black bearing holder has adjustable location via slots in the silver mounting blocks. The 'Top Chain' requires no tensioner pulley due to the eccentric Bottom Bracket. Steering tie rod comes in below. |
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Close-up StitesHub Views
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View from Right Rear |
View from Right Front |
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The Universal Joint is centered over the steer tube and flexes with real-time steering. The left StitesHub bearing [with blue seal], is fixed to the frame. It supports the left half of the u-joint with its left cog. These left-sided elements maintain their positions and spin in place. The right StitesHub bearing [not visible], is supported by the *fork*. It supports the right half of the u-joint with its right cog. These right sided elements are intimated into the fork and rotate with steering. The tie-rod and steering clamp attach to the top of the steer tube. The tie-rod pushes and pulls to move the steering clamp closely under the left StitesHub parts without touching. |
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Upper Left Rear view Shows relationship of the various parts and systems. The front articulation [silver] is clamped to the square top tube of the front frame [yellow]. It pivots on acetal plastic bushings rotating upon a Stainless Steel surface on the rear top tube [black]. |
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Left Rear View looking past left handlebar Full steering tie rod is visible as it connects the handlebar in the rear to the steer tube in the front; passing the front articulation along the way. While there's a lot going on, the various systems are compact and clean. Each part has a specified purpose - many parts have more than one purpose. For example, the median tubes in the fork crown act as housing guides. |
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Left Side View
Lean restraint springs are adjustable in tension by sliding the black clamps along the yellow front bottom tube. |
Left/rear view of interior
Handlebar assembly is at the heart of the vehicle. |
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Left Front View of central area Handlebar mount is [6] aluminum plate parts forming a structural box in the center. This engineering was required to handle the strong *vertical* forces applied to the handlebars when the rider induces leans. |
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Tie rod inserts into specially machined part with [3] set screws. The steering rod is offset to avoid interference with the front articulation hinge. Center of brass rod end is still the pivot point for the rod end. |
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Right Front Views of Handlebar mounting Handlebar articulation sports acetal delrin bushings top and bottom, rotating on Stainless Steel tube. These pivots are adjustable for friction, allowing steering dampening if desired.
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Close-up View of fork crown detail
[3] laser cut plates with [5] tubes yields [15] brazed joints.
Note the cable housing going through the right median tube. This is the shifter cable going to the Nexus 7 internal hub in the front wheel. |
| Close-up views of left fork
blade.
The roller hub brake is anchored to the brake tab on the left. The eyelet on the right will support a fender stay. |
"SD" laser cut into dropouts. |
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Close-up view of right fork blade Shimano Nexus-7 internal hub provides a clean maintenance-free drive train. Being able to shift gears quickly, and at a stop, is very beneficial in city riding. Nexus-8 will be used upon availability.
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Cockpit view Frame and drive train components are narrow and within the pedal width. Nonetheless, chain tubes and sprocket guards are being developed. Handlebars are highly adjustable in many degrees of freedom. |
Additional Photos ...
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Left Rear View along front section An artistic photo conveying some of the Chameleon soul.
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Older Updates Below - for historical perspective
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As
of January 2004
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Bill's workspace. Second ChameleonECO [Sport Yellow] ready to be built up in the workstand. The decals are flashing out because they are printed on a reflective substrate ... they're reflectors! |
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Click on photos for enlargements and to read captions
| As of October 2003 | ||||
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| As of July 2003 | |||
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Thank you for checking in on Chameleon Trike development. We have been working hard to develop a process for creating the new trikes. This process needs to create outstanding quality, and be precisely reproducable. Controlling the details and relationships of all the various parts are especially important in such a radical new vehicle concept. It takes
StitesDesign a fair amount of time to allow the entire vehicle, with all
its many details, to unfold ... while maintaining all or most of the original
design objectives. There are three images derived from the CAD drawings that show the basic layout of the new frame. There are many changes in structure and aesthetics from the present prototype, including going to articulation hinges and three 406 [20"] wheels. But few changes have been made to the engineering principles and basic geometry, that render this leaner so stable. We try not to change what's working. The continued engineering principles: 1] Horizontal axis of lean 2] Front Wheel Drive using a "StitesHub" u-joint intermediate drive 3] Seat mounted to Front sub-frame 3] Dual function handlebar mounted in Rear sub-frame Remember, this is a City Trike. It's designed to cruise efficiently through high-density urban streets, and medium-density suburban neighborhoods. |
