Hi everyone. Me and my mate are going to be building a trike out of my k100 lt. 
We are looking for some advice we were wondering if anyone had a idea of which car axel to use. 
I have seen some with bmw axel’s but not sure of model. 
We were thinking of using a ford Seira one but not sure if the gearing would be right. 
All advice would be greatly appreciated. 
Can you help me get me and my wheelchair back on the road after my spinal chord was damaged. 
Thanks 
Barnie68 

WelKome to the Knuthaus Barnie great to see you determined to get back on the road again.  The E36 3 series BMWs from mid nineties would give you a big range of ratios to choose from. I would be inclined to go for a ratio of about 3.25 and then a final adjustment can be done with tyre profile choice. 
Spring rate will be a challenge and special make would be needed so best there to check out a specialist spring maker who would have all the necessary info to hand.
The E36 has a bolt in subframe to hold the whole setup but I am not familiar with the Ford as they were not sold in Oz. One other make is the Datsun/Nissan 180B from mid 70s but they could be hard to find nowdays.

Thanks rick i will look in to it.
Im not the technical type but my mate is i will show him your answer he will understand what your saying.
As for the datsun the last time i seen one of them it was a 120 Y i think but that was back in the early eighties i was still at school. I am now 53 think you maybe right about rare especially in our wet damp atmosphere
Thanks again
Barnie68

Hi Barnie, A member on the forum used a RELIANT rear axel with some success,Best of luck  with the project

Reliant axles have to be turned upside down, the oil filler welded up and a new one tapped on the other side. Hmmm. Upside down. May be it would suit an Aussie trike after all

Main thing is: check the direction of drive in the diff compared to the K driveshaft. Secondly, given the state of some of the non-sealed roads out there, don't even consider a 'swingarm' type backend. Go the whole expensive route of IRS (independant rear suspension) - it's the difference between a Holden and a Rolls-Royce and if you are a wheelchair user, your back will definately thank you for it. Also consider this: unless the trike is properly planned, you can actually end up with less carrying space than a solo. At the very least, aim to get a full-width carrying rack on the back.

No, I'm not a trike expert. My interactions have been limited to test riding them after I've rewired one.

Ah! Just seen you're in the UK. Try talking to the Trike Shop down in Cardiff and if you haven't already done so, join the NABD. They are possibly the world's best resource for information, expertise and help for bikers with a disability. And they have a damn good rally every non-Covid year...

Barnie, welcome to the forum. It's generally accepted (actually, required) that new members make an intro post in Member's Introduction before posting questions and threads into the general population. Ta.

Hi dai. Thanks we were looking at putting air suspension in.
Or a ford Seira one with independent suspension.which are very good but becoming quite rare ans now go for silly money.
Both me and my mate have had trikes before so we sort of know whats we need but i had seen a few photos with bmw trikes and they had bmw axels and wheels so i thought that maybe the ford might not be so good so i told my mate i would ask in here to see if anyone had a better idea.
I am a member of nabd and yes they are a great group for disabled advice.
I have been a biker for 30 years had many bikes and a couple of trikes but never had a bmw so have knowledge about their axels or what would be best suited.
But thanks for you reply we will look in to E36 someone has suggested.
We have ruled out the reliant due to the suspension issues also they to are starting to get rare due to the fact they became a axel that a loy of trike builders used for years.
I will ask a few of the bmw riders in the trike groups i am in to se if they have any info.
Thanks again you have been helpful.
Stay safe
Barnie
.

Hi two wheels better thanks for telling me the site rules.
I joined this group a while ago now and knew that rule and i thought i did introduce myself at the time obviously i never.
So here goes im a 53 year old biker who is Scottish but has lived in london for 33 years so i may now be english now lol
I have been riding bikes and trikes for nearly 30 years. That was until i had spinal surgery which went bad and put two holes in my spinal chord 10 years ago. That left me at first paralised from the neck dow but with flailing arms with very little controL.
So i am now a c4/5 incomplete quadriplegic. i have been doing physio my self since i came out of hospital 9 years ago finally got enough streanth to try riding again only to find out i had no balance anymore or i could not swing my right leg over a bike.
The very two basic skills you need to be a bike so a trike it is and has to be built to my exact pacific spec so my disability dont get in the way. It is going to be a long process as being disabled you have to a lot of trial and error to se what works with your body restriction.
I guess that is enough of a introduction but if anyone needs more or if i have to do it on a certain place please feel free to inform me after all i dont want to rock the boat.
Ride safe and take care it there turns out there is now more than volvo drivers out there trying to kill us all lol
Barnie.

Hi everyone
I just found out i never introduced my self i thought i did when i first joined but it turns out i was wrong so:
My name is barnie68 i am a Scottish biker and triker who has lived in London for 32 years so i may now be english now lol 
I have been disabled for 10 years after spinal surgery which left me a c4/c5 incomplete quadriplegic. 
I finally felt fit enought to try biking again as all my friends are still bikes so i bought a k100 lt to transform in to a trike. 
I have had many bikes over the years but now cant lift my leg over the seat now and now have no balance a big skill needed to be a biker lol. 
So was told about here so i thought it would be the best place as i have no knowledge about bmw bikes that is apart from on some models you should not lean it over too much in a corner due to the cylinder heads as my old mate Charlie found out one day on a nice bendy road when we were having a play. 
One broken arm later it turns out he  really could not  lean it over as much as my old gsxr. Who knew !! 
I am now building a trike with my k 100 was told this was a good group to get advice. So here i am. 
Barnie

Ps i will be selling the back half of my bike including standard seat at some point as i wont need it but i will put that in the buy and sell page when i know exactly wot i no longer need.

again 

The boat needs to rock a bit to keep moving.

I have moved the thread to Member's Introduction for you.

Thank two wheels.
I did work out after i replied to your message how to do the introduction post and done one.
I hope i posted the right sort of information that the other members would like to know.
To be honest this forum stuff is new to me so i am hust trying to find my feet but i am happy to be guided by any advice i can get.
Thanks again
Barnie68

Hi RicK  G
Sorry to ask again i looked up a E36 axel’s for sale and i found a E38 full axel for a decent price and as i am on a very tight budget every penny really does count. 
I was wondering if you knew if there was much difference between the E36 and E38 in reference to the gearing and would the E38 still be a good choice ? 
I found out that the E38 is a more powerful car than the E36 but i am hoping that there will not be too much of a difference between the two. 
I am hope yourself or any other members in the forum might know the answer to my question. 
Thanks again
Stay safe 
Barnie68

Hi i think i have solved my own questjon by looking on the internet and the gear ratio’s the bike is 2.91 and i found out the E38 has a gear ratio of 2.93 so i am hoping the two should be a good match but if anyone thinks i am wrong please let me know as i think i have located a decent cheap axel and i want to try buy tomorrow if it is the right one. 
Thanks for all the comments and advice i have been given so far. 
Barnie68

Hi everyone. I forgot to post that my mate who is building my trike had his last build a alpha sud 1900 cc engine based trike featured with a center page spread in BSH before covid. 
He done it all himself in his garage and nearly every rally he went to on it he won the best engineering prize. 
He is not even a pro trike or bike builder he is just the same as me and you a biker with a passion for all things with a engine. 
So with him building and your advice when i ask hopefully will get me the ride i need to get me to the rallies. 
I will be happy to post pictures of the project as we go along. 
Barnie68

So my daughter lives in Long Marston near Tring......up from her is Ben Kingham at BSK Speedworks at Leighton Buzzard....aiming to get over there in August!