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View Full Version : Not your typical modified Spyder



Pelican_Racing
02-03-2010, 03:58 PM
SpyderLovers avert your eyes! I've done extensive work to my Spyder, so much so that the State of California no longer recognizes it as a Can-Am. I'm still deciding on what to call it.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bwywFmaZoJ8/SxoO1MzNWNI/AAAAAAAAB74/5THQP7oJjag/s800/IMG_0398.JPG


I realize that it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but please be kind. This has taken a year of long hours and late nights, as well as nearly my entire bank account to accomplish.

More details to follow. Questions gladly answered!

Thanks,
Hong

MarkLawson
02-03-2010, 04:00 PM
Wow!! Would love to see it.

DynamoBT
02-03-2010, 04:05 PM
That looks great!! And you're right. You can hardly tell a Spyder is in there!!

You obviously have talent in design.

WizardMaster
02-03-2010, 04:41 PM
Like the Green Lotus Elise there!!!!:thumbup: How is that to drive?

fastfraser
02-03-2010, 04:51 PM
:thumbup: Now if i can just decide on a windshield !!:joke:

Pelican_Racing
02-03-2010, 04:53 PM
Like the Green Lotus Elise there!!!!:thumbup: How is that to drive?

It's okay - for a car... :popcorn:

Of course I kid, but honestly the Elise is our handling target for this vehicle. It belongs to our Vehicle Engineering Lead. He designed both vehicles (well, S1 Elise, but it is essentially the same).

-Hong

burg650
02-03-2010, 04:55 PM
I have one word, AWESOME truly a one of a kind hope to see it one day.

Al Bragg
02-03-2010, 04:59 PM
:agree: I would like to see it too. Cool

What are you doing for stearing? A Wheel or bars?

More pictures please :thumbup:

Pelican_Racing
02-03-2010, 08:37 PM
:agree: I would like to see it too. Cool

What are you doing for stearing? A Wheel or bars?

More pictures please :thumbup:

I'll let everyone know when we're down in SoCal. I'm looking for Leno. :thumbup:

Steering is similar to a car. Or should I say a go-kart.

BumbleBee
02-03-2010, 08:48 PM
A lot of long and hard work has been put into that Spyder/Car :2thumbs:

Looks pretty cool and different :thumbup:

NautiBrit
02-03-2010, 09:28 PM
I admire your vision.

Lamonster
02-03-2010, 09:30 PM
Wow, that's great. Please give us some details. :thumbup:

LDFIREWORKS
02-03-2010, 11:05 PM
gotta have one:shemademe_smilie::thumbup::agree::clap::2thumb s:

SpyderGirl
02-03-2010, 11:43 PM
WOW.... Very unique!! I'd love to see it in person. You are VERY talented. :2thumbs:

Can I have the Porsche?? :D

I used to have a really nice 1985.5 944... sold it after I bought the Spyder.

Pelican_Racing
02-04-2010, 01:50 AM
Wow, that's great. Please give us some details. :thumbup:

Thanks Lamonster! Vehicle specifications are probably well known to the Spyder crowd. We keep the powertrain and mechanical bits the same.

Basic idea is a single vehicle donor kit. We sell the chassis and body shell. You take all the parts off your Spyder and put it on our vehicle. Registration varies state to state, but here in California it is considered a new vehicle and gets a new VIN.

We've only gained about 150lbs over BRP's claimed dry weight, and are actually lighter than the new RT model. Performance should remain quite good, with better handling given the longer and wider stance.

We keep all the safety systems (ABS, VSS, EBD, DPS, etc.) and add a bit more insurance in having a tubular steel space-frame surrounding the occupants, roll bars (to be fabricated) and 5 point racing harnesses.

I'm hoping to sell the chassis and body with all necessary parts to do the conversion (pedals, steering shaft, shifter) to current Spyder owners. We can also sell complete vehicles using brand new Spyders for folks who want to go that route.

SpyderGirl,

I'll have to take it out for a NorCal Spyder Rally if you folks will have me. :doorag:

-Hong

truck 85
02-04-2010, 02:50 AM
Way cool. I am sure that you will have many miles of fun and enjoyment. But if you think that we get questions about are spyders look out for this cool machine!:congrats:welcome

Lamonster
02-04-2010, 10:05 AM
Got any idea on the price of the kit? How's the cooling?


Thanks Lamonster! Vehicle specifications are probably well known to the Spyder crowd. We keep the powertrain and mechanical bits the same.

Basic idea is a single vehicle donor kit. We sell the chassis and body shell. You take all the parts off your Spyder and put it on our vehicle. Registration varies state to state, but here in California it is considered a new vehicle and gets a new VIN.

We've only gained about 150lbs over BRP's claimed dry weight, and are actually lighter than the new RT model. Performance should remain quite good, with better handling given the longer and wider stance.

We keep all the safety systems (ABS, VSS, EBD, DPS, etc.) and add a bit more insurance in having a tubular steel space-frame surrounding the occupants, roll bars (to be fabricated) and 5 point racing harnesses.

I'm hoping to sell the chassis and body with all necessary parts to do the conversion (pedals, steering shaft, shifter) to current Spyder owners. We can also sell complete vehicles using brand new Spyders for folks who want to go that route.

SpyderGirl,

I'll have to take it out for a NorCal Spyder Rally if you folks will have me. :doorag:

-Hong

NancysToy
02-04-2010, 10:29 AM
Got any idea on the price of the kit? How's the cooling?
Spyabusa Rex??? :D

COOLMACHINE
02-04-2010, 11:10 AM
:2thumbs: It's always nice to see new ideas. I can only imagine the hours put in it. Side by side seating. Looks like a heck of a lot of fun and I'm sure it scoots too.
That being said, I'm gonna keep my Spyder but keep up the GREAT work. That's something to be proud of. I'm amazed with what people can come up with. Best of luck to ya !

Dukester
02-04-2010, 01:13 PM
I admire people like yourself so much. I wish I had the talent to do things like that. There are so many people on this site that are so talented and knowlegable. I'm so jealous. Well great job and thanks for sharing.:congrats::bowdown::bowdown::bowdown:

M2Wild
02-04-2010, 01:21 PM
I would still consider it as a Spyder .... I can see that the builder stayed true to the Spyder theme and retained most if not all of its parts and highly modified the remaining area. Very original.:2thumbs: I am a little suprised to see that you kept the OEM exaust can and didn't go over to the Hindle.

PS. What a beautiful garage. I thought it was Leno's at first look.

SpyderGirl
02-04-2010, 03:49 PM
Looks like it might be tricky to get in and out of. I assume you plan on painting it and refining it?

M2Wild
02-04-2010, 03:55 PM
Oh yeah .... one question. Does the front wheels canterlever when turning or stays straight up like the Spyder?

SpyderWolf
02-04-2010, 09:36 PM
That is a very cool concept brought to life. :thumbup:

Pelican_Racing
02-04-2010, 11:34 PM
Got any idea on the price of the kit? How's the cooling?

I'm hoping to keep the kit under $10k, but that might be higher if we continue to fabricate in Silicon Valley, which is extremely expensive.

Cooling shouldn't be an issue because we're going to have a dedicated vent on the passenger side just for the radiator. There is also room to install a larger unit if we need to. The motor is also air-cooled to some degree since it is no longer buried underneath all that bodywork on the Spyder.


I would still consider it as a Spyder .... I can see that the builder stayed true to the Spyder theme and retained most if not all of its parts and highly modified the remaining area. Very original.:2thumbs: I am a little suprised to see that you kept the OEM exaust can and didn't go over to the Hindle.

PS. What a beautiful garage. I thought it was Leno's at first look.

As the "builder" I would have to agree with you! :thumbup: The idea is to keep 90% of the Spyder's parts so everything works together as it was engineered and also keeps the final vehicle cost lower.

That was one reason we use the OEM exhaust. The other being that we wanted to stay in compliance with CARB regulations for emissions and smog pollution in California. I don't know if the Hindle has cats inside.

I wish that was my garage, but that angle is only a small part of it. We hope to be in/on Jay's Garage in the near future.


Looks like it might be tricky to get in and out of. I assume you plan on painting it and refining it?

It's quite easy to enter/exit the vehicle once you know the procedure and get a bit of practice. I think it's a lot easier than getting into and out of the Lotus Elise!

Paint and a bit of polish are coming up soon before we release info and images to the media.


Oh yeah .... one question. Does the front wheels canterlever when turning or stays straight up like the Spyder?

All wheels camber in/out to some degree while turning and absorbing bumps due to the SLA suspension design. But we retained the factory geometry and mounting locations, so the suspension is essentially the same. The Spyder components are quite nice, but the key is going to be in the tuning and setup.

Thanks,
Hong

Firefly
02-05-2010, 12:33 AM
:thumbup:

Pretty neat idea-- and well done.

I'd really like to see under the hood pics---- did you lengthen the swingarm?

SpyderGirl
02-05-2010, 01:20 AM
Well I am definitely looking forward to an opportunity to see this in person. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled on this one. :popcorn:

SpyderWolf
02-05-2010, 11:38 AM
I also think it looks a whole lot better than the T-Rex. :2thumbs:

Pelican_Racing
02-05-2010, 01:37 PM
:thumbup:

Pretty neat idea-- and well done.

I'd really like to see under the hood pics---- did you lengthen the swingarm?

Thanks! We actually had to shorten the swingarm. The engine is now behind the driver/rider instead of underneath them.


I also think it looks a whole lot better than the T-Rex. :2thumbs:

:agree: We were going for a cohesive design from the onset. Some of the other three wheelers available seem to put design lower on their priority list.

-Hong

SpyderGirl
02-05-2010, 01:43 PM
Did you change it out from a belt drive to a different kind of drive system? I noticed you were selling the drive belt but wasn't sure if that was because you moved the motor or not.

The T-Rex is CHAIN driven. :shocked:

Not sure why a $50K+ machine is being driven by a chain, but I am sure they had their reasons.

As for names, how about "Spy-Rod"?

SpyderWolf
02-05-2010, 01:46 PM
Not sure why a $50K+ machine is being driven by a chain, but I am sure they had their reasons.

Perhaps because all of the high end sport bikes are still chain driven as well. :dontknow:

SpyderGirl
02-05-2010, 01:48 PM
Perhaps because all of the high end sport bikes are still chain driven as well. :dontknow:

Well the T-Rex does have the ZX-14 motor in it which is chain driven, but I would much prefer a shaft drive or a belt drive if given the choice.

SpyderWolf
02-05-2010, 01:59 PM
Well the T-Rex does have the ZX-14 motor in it which is chain driven, but I would much prefer a shaft drive or a belt drive if given the choice.

:agree: with you, but this may have been one of the areas that they decided to just go with what was already available. Cost savings at that point perhaps. Did you see the episode on "How It's Made" where they showed them building one of these? Of course they did not show everything, but it seemed to be a pretty straightforward process.

SpyderGirl
02-05-2010, 02:01 PM
:agree: with you, but this may have been one of the areas that they decided to just go with what was already available. Cost savings at that point perhaps. Did you see the episode on "How It's Made" where they showed them building one of these? Of course they did not show everything, but it seemed to be a pretty straightforward process.

That is most likely the case. And yes, I did see that. I wanted to see more.

SpyderWolf
02-05-2010, 02:05 PM
That is most likely the case. And yes, I did see that. I wanted to see more.

I wanted to see more as well. :)

At least they are planning on making this into a kit, and you may just be close enough to get to see it in person before the rest of us. :D

SpyderGirl
02-05-2010, 02:06 PM
At least they are planning on making this into a kit, and you may just be close enough to get to see it in person before the rest of us. :D

Yes, this is probably true. :D

Pelican_Racing
02-05-2010, 04:06 PM
Yes, this is probably true. :D

Make that *definitely* true. :firstplace:

I'm not a fan of chain drive either, so we kept the vehicle belt driven. Let me tell you, BRP did *not* use a standard motorcycle belt...

Now I've gotta go hunt down that video ya'll talking about.

-Hong

SpyderGirl
02-05-2010, 04:18 PM
Make that *definitely* true. :firstplace:

I'm not a fan of chain drive either, so we kept the vehicle belt driven. Let me tell you, BRP did *not* use a standard motorcycle belt...

Now I've gotta go hunt down that video ya'll talking about.

-Hong

I figured as much. You should be able to find that vid on YouTube probably.

As for your prototype, now I REALLY can't wait to see it in person, I have so many questions that probably couldn't all be answered here.

ALSO, you might have another customer right here.... if we ever decide to maybe get a second Spyder (or whatever) I might have to consider this as a possibility to convert one so it doesn't look like I have two of the same vehicle -- especially if it can look anything like those pictures on your website. :firstplace:

Pelican_Racing
04-27-2010, 11:33 PM
New pictures posted on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/70476053@N00/sets/72157623606131952/

Please "Like" us on Facebook if you like what we're doing.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Prong-Motors/115742389969

Thanks,
Hong

SpyderWolf
04-28-2010, 05:46 AM
That turned out very nice! I like what you did with the paint scheme as well. :congrats: on getting it finished.

SpyderGirl
04-28-2010, 10:13 AM
AWESOME! :2thumbs:

I still want to get down there to see this in person. :)

Motza
05-06-2010, 10:36 PM
VERY COOL... LOVE TO SEE IT IN 360`

powerbyaj
05-07-2010, 12:27 AM
Sell new look to movie company as a transformer...its sweet looking

katnapper
07-21-2010, 11:22 AM
WOW, just bring it on over to "Spyders in the Smokes" turn all the heads!

kismaokole
07-21-2010, 06:54 PM
SpyderLovers avert your eyes! I've done extensive work to my Spyder, so much so that the State of California no longer recognizes it as a Can-Am. I'm still deciding on what to call it.

http://lh4.ggpht.com/_bwywFmaZoJ8/SxoO1MzNWNI/AAAAAAAAB74/5THQP7oJjag/s800/IMG_0398.JPG


I realize that it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but please be kind. This has taken a year of long hours and late nights, as well as nearly my entire bank account to accomplish.

More details to follow. Questions gladly answered!

Thanks,
Hong

AMAZING! Makes me want to hang on to my Spyder for the potential of making that kind of modification possible. Thank you.

Eddie
07-21-2010, 10:56 PM
I'm with every one else WOW!!! Very sharp indeed!~~ :bowdown:

jwhatman
07-22-2010, 09:35 PM
Awesome job! That looks totally hot. I also had to show hubby the garage. The beautiful cars are displayed appropriately. Being we are car enthusiasts as well as motorcycle enthusiasts, well anything that has a motor really, we can appreciate the drive and determination it took to make that beautiful machine.

Joyce