Nick Hein's PPV
Morgantown, WV

Details

One evening in May 2002 as I was at the side of a road fixing a flat tire on my bike a guy walked out of the house I was in front of carrying a compressed air tank and asked if I needed help pumping up the tire.  I thanked him, then as I worked he mentioned that he had a PPV (People Powered Vehicles) in his back yard and wanted to know if I was interested in it.  He asked if I was interested in buying it.  I said YES!!!  I am now in the process of restoring it to (original) running condition.   

All I've had to do to get in running condition is replace the front tire and tube, brake cable and lever and give it some grease and oil.  It is quite rusty from sitting out under the eaves for 8 years, but I plan to go to work polishing it up this winter.  These views show the general arrangement and motorcycle rear wheels and tires.  The rims are heavy steel and the tires 16x1.75 (bicycle size) front and 16x2.25 (moped or lawnmower size) in the rear.  All body parts are held together with large pop rivets.  The windshield and roof are not stock items.  The windshield frame (there's no glass in it) is from an MG Midget.  The roof is a surrey top from a golf cart held up in the back with a couple of broomstick handles.  Total weight is over 100 lbs.  If you have one that you are restoring contact me.   Contact me by email or phone (304-599-1791) if there's anything you need.  

Shift Console
This is the shift lever for the transmission.  It has  three speeds, but they are rather close together so you are limited to mostly riding on level ground.  The post in the foreground of the right picture was a trailer hitch.  I've removed it since.
 
 

Driver and Passenger Areas
 Pedals are an s-shaped bar on both sides.  Both go to the middle, but have a BMX freewheel between them so the passenger can coast when the driver is pedalling.  The handlebars are from a Harley motorcycle from what I can tell.  A replacement is available from the JC Whitney catalog.  The outboard ends of the pedal cranks are on mounted bearings that are riveted into the body.

Underside Views
View of the underside showing the frame and full-width drive axle.  The body is watertight except for the drain plugs.  I've heard stories about someone who filled the plugs and used it as a boat.  The front fork and wheel show extensive rust from having sat outside for 8 years.  The front drum brake is the only one on the entire vehicle.  Please ignore the fact that it is disconnected.  The cable and lever were a complete rust loss when I got the vehicle.  I have since replaced them and we are using the PPV for short trips around the neighborhood.  In the future I plan to put in a heavier-duty lever and cable like the original (from a motorcycle).  The transmission is a 3-speed that uses shafts, chains and freewheel pawls and works like a motorcycle transmission but with chains instead of gears.  When you move the shift lever it engages a different pawl depending on what gear you want.  It works fine and shifts while running and under load and at a complete stop.  Several other owners have told me, however, that they removed this setup and installed a conventional bike freewheel and derailleur by welding hub dropouts to the frame.

Latest Situation and Plans
The vehicle is currently in running (but ugly) condition.  As time permits I plans to clean it up cosmetically, but leave it in original condition.  I would like to develop a new version that is lighter and of higher performance.  Stay tuned for updates.