Trikes
The build started out with Frank purchasing a 2003 Night Train with a 95” kit already in it. Some sheetmetal work ensued with a stock replacement gas tank being stretched to fit. Slithering 2.25” pipes were fabricated and received baffles. Pedersen also constructed a steel front spoiler, and made the tail section and seat custom. According to Frank, choosing the correct triple tree to get the ideal trail (properly called “caster” on a trike) is extremely important to how the trike rides. Frank typically opts for a much smaller amount of caster on a trike than the trail of the original motorcycle from which it is hewn.
The frame was left stock except that as a concession to Lars’ enormous size, Frank cut the rear fender struts off in order to move the seat back 4” and then relocated the footpeg mounts forward and down. The rest of the rear end consists of Frankenstein’s 34” Hot Rod trike kit in anodized black trim. For traction out back, Frank took 17”x12” wheel blanks and machined them with his own Hot Rod design, wrapping them in 330 Avon motorcycle tires. The trike’s front end received an 18”x3.5” wheel with a 150 tire. For debris management, Frank bought front and rear fenders from Fat Katz. He was able to use the front fender as is, but felt the need to make molds of the rears and then re-cast them in fiberglass because he isn’t happy with the way steel fenders hold up when only mounted on the inside.
A number of accommodations needed to be made in order for the black and bad Night Trike to be rideable by Lars. Frank built the bars pulled back far enough that Lars could steer without using his upper body for leverage. If you have ever ridden a trike, you realize that this is an impressive feat of strength by Lars to say the least. Both front and rear brakes are operated by hand controls linked to a dual-disc master cylinder. A Pingel electric shifter was chosen and a Champion mechanical reverse gear. Frank mentioned that he is currently working on an electric reverse that meets his stringent standards, and once satisfied, it will be incorporated into his future trike rear ends.
Since Frank is in Kansas, and Lars is in Norway, there were some custom fit components that were logistically easier for the customer to have made locally to fit himself. Therefore, not shown in the photos, Lars has added snow board bindings to the floorboards for more security of his feet. Also just behind the seat there is a slot for a horseshoe-shaped backrest that Lars uses so that his upper body is supported against cornering forces.
Pedersen is no stranger to unusual builds. “My style is typically not conservative. I like to be so far off the beaten path that you can’t even see the beaten path from where I’m at, but I want to do it so that it is rideable, so that you can take it anywhere, so that it is serviceable. It’s been popular recently to build bikes so that you hide everything, and that makes it so hard to work on that it is just not practical.” True to his Scandinavian roots, Frank designs and builds his customs to be ridden far and frequently, even his more radical creations.
Specializing in hand-crafting frames, Pedersen has built trike kits for Harleys, Buells and Suzuki Hayabusas, and is working on a turbo-‘Busa trike that he hopes will be the first to dip into the 8-second mark for the quarter-mile. Obsessive about quality and detail, Frank says, “The most important thing to me is to build something that is reliable, strong, serviceable, easy to install, few moving parts, so it isn’t a problem for anyone. I want to do everything that I do, the best it can be done. My goal is to build the Rolls Royce of trike kits and offer the best bang for the buck. We’ve sold over 300 trike rear end kits and so far we haven’t had one warranty issue.”
Up Close: Frankenstein Trike Rear Ends
I have to give credit to Frank Pedersen and his business partner, Steinar Bergby, for being pretty witty guys in coming up with their moniker, Frankenstein Unlimited. Their bright minds have also served them well in their quest to deliver trike rear-ends and kits that incorporate all that they have learned as master mechanics and fabricators.
When it comes to trike suspension, Pedersen believes that a fixed-axle configuration works best, “Independent suspension is great in theory, but without a stabilizer bar you will be leaning outside through turns, and if you use a stabilizer bar that is stiff enough to resist this force, then one wheel may not go up and down independently anymore.” Frankenstein rear-ends use a Dana 30 open-differential, chosen to allow the outside wheel to turn faster during cornering.
The duo is committed to delivering the optimum combination of performance, durability, and ease of installation and maintenance. With ten rear-end designs ranging from 30” to 42”, and three different offsets, the Frankenstein monsters accommodate chain or belt drive, and pretty much any tire size within reason or otherwise.
Most trike kits add 300-350 lbs. to the gross weight of the trike but the Frankenstein kit only adds 120-150 lbs. depending upon the model. That’s a huge difference. Their prices are equally lightweight, offering rear-ends starting at $3,200 and complete kits for as little as $4,900, all of which come with a one-year, unlimited-miles warrantee. Check out their website at www.frankensteintrikes.com or just give ‘em a call at 913-352-6788 and say, “Hallo, Jeg elsker Frankenstein Trikes,” when they pick up if you want to score a “cool person discount.”
Builder: Frank Pedersen Frankenstein Trike
Even as a boy growing up in Fredrikstad, Norway, Frank Pederson was a tinkerer. He scored his first ride while rummaging through an abandoned house at the age of ten, emerging with a moped that he would constantly customize and modify. Later he established his own shop specializing in restoring American cars, doing rust repair and making fenders and other parts that weren’t readily available in Norway. He also was working on motorcycles, but unfortunately it was almost impossible to get customized bikes licensed in Norway at the time, so the only choice was to ride them illegally. That policy has changed somewhat in recent years, but at the time it put a severe rev limiter on the demand for choppers in his native country.
Frank came to the USA in 1984 to pursue his American Dream, initially to go to pilot school, while simultaneously serving as an apprentice to an airplane mechanic. Over the years, he has wrenched on bikes, boats, airplanes, and autos and in 1995 started building trikes shortly after opening his own shop in Pleasanton, Kansas. Pedersen doesn’t exaggerate when he claims, “I like everything that moves you with a motor.”
Asked about his influences, Pedersen cites the likes of Arlen Ness, Indian Larry, Dave Perewitz, and Donnie Smith. “Watching how these guys work and run their business…these guys have taught me a lot. I like almost everybody’s work out of the custom builders, except for when people put stuff on that has no business being there. I don’t like ornaments that are just there to be an ornament. I like for everything to have a purpose. As far as I’m concerned, the shape of a gas tank can be whatever shape you want it to be, as long as it still holds gas.”
For more Frank info, visit www.mcworx.com or www.frankensteintrikes.com or call 913-352-6788.
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