The first step that George...
The first step that George had to take to make this three-wheeler hop properly was to get his frame extended by Paul De Valera and Jerry Gruen of Choppercabras. George then sent it to Pyramid Powdercoating to ensure a long-lasting finish. With all that done and out of the way, George also had the rear end reinforced in order to avoid any stress cracks.
As part of our never-ending quest to take our readers to greater heights and new limits with our tech pieces, we hooked up with Pedalers West in San Fernando, California, to show how to lift a bike or trike. Co-owner George Mirzoian was just the guy to show us how to hop a three-wheeler the right way. You may have seen George's record-setting hopping trike in recent issues of Lowrider and Lowrider Bicycle Magazines.
We showed up at Pedalers West around 10 a.m. all pumped up to do this project. It was obvious as we opened the doors that this shop is one kick-back environment. It also doubles as a clubhouse for Oldies C.C. George has been perfecting this hopping technique for a few years and already knows all the tricks to make the bike or trike hop properly. Too bad that he didn't want to reveal all of his hidden secrets.
Seeing video of George's trike hopping was amazing; it goes up and down like a real hydraulics-equipped car. For our tech, George already had his trike stripped down to nothing and ready for us to snap away with our camera, but wait a minute now, it was lunchtime. So we decided to take a quick lunch break before getting to work. So, if you don't already know, let the pros at Pedlers West show you how to wire up the Pro Hopper hydros.
George had two custom-made...
George had two custom-made brackets for the pump to go on. These brackets were made out of aluminum but you can make them out of other materials as well.
See how the brackets go in...
See how the brackets go in place.
With both brackets in place,...
With both brackets in place, George placed the pump and bolted it on with two regular bolts.
With the pump in place, it...
With the pump in place, it was now time to do the same with the solenoids.
Once the solenoid was in place,...
Once the solenoid was in place, we hooked the dump wire to it. Again, there should be some instructions on how to do it.
a and b. Next George grounded...
a and b. Next George grounded the pump to the solenoid.
George then grounded the battery...
George then grounded the battery to the bottom of the pump. There is no "right" way to wire a setup, so it's best to work with or consult a hydraulics expert.
Once George had the trike...
Once George had the trike wired up, he hooked up the pump to the front.
Now all he had to do was to...
Now all he had to do was to put the battery in place.
As soon as the battery was...
As soon as the battery was in place, George grounded the pump to the battery.
George hooked the "hot" wire...
George hooked the "hot" wire up for the switch.
Now George powers up the pump...
Now George powers up the pump by hooking it up to the positive post on the battery.
This is the finished product...
This is the finished product of the wiring.
Now all George does when he...
Now all George does when he goes to the shows is plug in his switch...
...and ground the hydraulics...
...and ground the hydraulics system.
With the rear done, George...
With the rear done, George jumps on the front. The first step was to place washers in order for the forks to operate properly.
As you can see the forks are...
As you can see the forks are in two pieces.
As George finished placing...
As George finished placing the second piece of the fork, he also installed the hydraulic cylinder, and held it in place with a grade-8 bolt.
This is what the front end...
This is what the front end should look like when done properly.
As you can see, George didn't...
As you can see, George didn't use a normal fork crown, he had one custom made out of strong steel, and all that was missing was the spring for that real hopping action.
George puts on a few last...
George puts on a few last touches.
With the rim in place, George...
With the rim in place, George made sure that his hydraulic lines were all hooked up properly, and to a proper "T" fitting that produces proper pressure with no restriction of the lines.
The trike was all done, and...
The trike was all done, and here's the Pedalers West brother bike shop crew, Joe Mirzoian (left) and George Mirzoian (right).
Check out George's trike in...
Check out George's trike in action.