Rear Lift Brackets: Any Downside?

[GARYD]

Just received kits. Wow that's fast service. There's a guy in my chapter that works on bikes. I will check with him. I still think I can do it.
I did read other posts that said to remove both brackets first.

Thanks again.

BTW the welds look fantastic. Did you sand them before painting.

Hey! if you can't use that beauty sleep, can you send some to me? LOL

 

[TheBobs]

I used to do business with a dealer like that, notice I said used to. I used to get I never heard of that or the famous you can't believe everything you read on the Internet. Fortunately I'm quite self sufficient so I buy my parts at other 20% off dealers plus the after market and do all my own work.

What stinks even more is that dealers like that don't care if they have our business or not. They seem to show a sense of entitlement at their service desks and parts counters.

 

[iaff84]

Just received kits. Wow that's fast service. There's a guy in my chapter that works on bikes. I will check with him. I still think I can do it.
I did read other posts that said to remove both brackets first.

Thanks again.

BTW the welds look fantastic. Did you sand them before painting.

Hey! if you can't use that beauty sleep, can you send some to me? LOL

Everything is blasted, both before welding and after, then powder coating.
Wife thinks I need more sleep, must be about the beauty part???
Dennis

 

[jtrissel]

I just installed the lift brackets on my new 2012 tri-glide last night. All went well, getting the heavy bike off the ground and holding the front down was interesting. The old bolts came out with a couple of sharp whacks of my palm on the 1/2 in socket. The kit was delivered in two days, and installed in two hours. Took the opportunity to put the chrome bumper on while the bike was in the air. Looks loads better. Anxious to ride.

 

[msocko3]

I just installed the lift brackets on my new 2012 tri-glide last night. All went well, getting the heavy bike off the ground and holding the front down was interesting. The old bolts came out with a couple of sharp whacks of my palm on the 1/2 in socket. The kit was delivered in two days, and installed in two hours. Took the opportunity to put the chrome bumper on while the bike was in the air. Looks loads better. Anxious to ride.

When forced to work on the floor my dad has a couple anchors in the concrete we can screw eye bolts into and then strap the front wheel down.

 

[Ironhorsepilot]

When forced to work on the floor my dad has a couple anchors in the concrete we can screw eye bolts into and then strap the front wheel down.

You guys think of everything, don't you?ThumbUp

 

[jcolson]

Was at the Harley shop yesterday & the tech told me some guy came in that installed his own lift kit & broke off the wheel studs. So the HD shop had to fix it. Must of had a 3/4"impact. I asked about leveling my trike. It's 1/4" lower on the left side.Asked if there is anything they can do. They said they would have to talk to Harley. I told him some of the poeple on here have had this fixed & helps keep the bike go straighter. He asked if ther was a number, but I don't know of any. Does anyone know of any case numbers? I know the crown in the road has alot to do with it. Any help would be nice. Thanks.

 

[jtrissel]

When forced to work on the floor my dad has a couple anchors in the concrete we can screw eye bolts into and then strap the front wheel down.

That makes a lot of sence. As this is my first trike, I wasn't prepared for the issue, as a 2-wheeler doesn't have the rear weight to deal with.

BTW,Many thanks to Dennis for clear, precise, instructions!

 

[msocko3]

You guys think of everything, don't you?ThumbUp

We certainly try, I even strap the front wheel down when working on the lift in case the front wheel was to slip out of the vise.

 

[Oldmsocko]

You guys think of everything, don't you?ThumbUp

We get creative at times.

 

[Ohio Eddie]

Question? How does the lift bracket improve the handling in curves.

 

[Boom]

When forced to work on the floor my dad has a couple anchors in the concrete we can screw eye bolts into and then strap the front wheel down.

Been there, done that! I'm thankful I don't have to hoist the tubby trike very often.ThumbUp

 

[Trent]

Hey Ohio Eddie.. By raising up the back end a little, it cantilevers more weight on to the front end. That gives your front tire more bite when making turns or going thru the twisties. When I installed my lift kit, that was the very first thing I noticed was the increased performance in the curves,, and it does make a very very noticable difference. My ridin' buds on 2 wheels couldn't lose me in the curves anymore, even though they tried.

 

[Trent]

And...by the way... Do not buy any other lift kit equipment except the stuff from Tglidestuff.com,,,They are machined perfectly and the best in quality. Lotta copy cats out there that don't cut the mustard. This is not an ad for Dennis,,, just tellin' it like it is!!! Many others on this forum will agree.

 

[azbob09]

Hey Ohio Eddie.. By raising up the back end a little, it cantilevers more weight on to the front end. That gives your front tire more bite when making turns or going thru the twisties. When I installed my lift kit, that was the very first thing I noticed was the increased performance in the curves,, and it does make a very very noticable difference. My ridin' buds on 2 wheels couldn't lose me in the curves anymore, even though they tried.

How do they affect the effort that's required in the steering?
Or shoulder strength needed to be used?

 

[TheBobs]

How do they affect the effort that's required in the steering?
Or shoulder strength needed to be used?

Not too much difference there. Have to use good technique (pull & push/lock elbow). The improvement to me is in how much better it handles in the curve, more so than getting it to change directons.

 

[tkglider]

Probably the best add on I have done.Tie off the front wheel to a post,jack up the rear,Put the trike on jack stands,remove wheels,change one lift at a time,torque em,and enjoy them.

T K

 

[Ironhorsepilot]

You will never regret getting the lift kit! I couldn't believe the difference in handling, esp on the curves. I was yahooing out loud!

 

[Ohio Eddie]

Hey, Thanks guys for the info, I kind of figured it had to be the weight tranfer to the front wheel, also I'll sure take your advice on where to buy the lift brackets at, I support people who make,use and depend on their own products, it's hard to say what part of Red China some of the cheap parts comes from.

 

[GARYD]

When I mentioned the lift kit at the dealer, one of the service writers said that's what car racers do - put more weight on the front wheels - there is a name for it but I don't remember what he called it.

Then one of the mechanics overheard it and said all kinds of negitive things about doing it. He's the one that also said my saddlebags were installed correctly. So I'm going to make damn sure that guy NEVER touches my bike.

 

[msocko3]

When I mentioned the lift kit at the dealer, one of the service writers said that's what car racers do - put more weight on the front wheels - there is a name for it but I don't remember what he called it.

Then one of the mechanics overheard it and said all kinds of negitive things about doing it. He's the one that also said my saddlebags were installed correctly. So I'm going to make damn sure that guy NEVER touches my bike.

One thing I've learned over the years while dealing with many Harley techs. They have all been trained by the MoCo and have drank the Kool-Aid, a good many can't think outside the box. If they can't find it in the service manual their at a loss, ask them to do performance work and the best you'll get is a bolt on Screamin Eagle kit they pull out of boxes and bolt on. The sad part is the shoddy ones cast a bad shadow on the guys who actually know something and are top notch technicians.

The best thing a person can do is educate them selves and ask questions, if the answers don't add up then move on. My dad and I ran into it with the dealer we used to do business with. The stock answers we used to get is, "its normal", "they all do that", and the one which killed me, " you can't believe what you read on the Internet". Once the dealership came under new ownership it didn't take long for bad changes to take place. They lost their service manager which actually knew the difference between a muffler and a clutch. They promoted the service writer to service manager, he didn't know the difference between a muffler and a clutch. Some of the better technicians moved on to other dealers and were replaced with MoCo drone parts changers. You know things are getting bad when the service manager calls me at home and ask me if I know what is wrong with a trike we dropped off for warranty work, and goes on to say his guys have limited trouble shooting abilities. It ended up getting ugly so we folded our tent and moved on to greener pastures, found a couple dealers who actually have techs when know something.

 

[joeychitwood]

Is it necessary to re-aim the headlight and passing lamps once the lift kit is installed? Does it drops the lights at all significantly?

 

[iaff84]

Is it necessary to re-aim the headlight and passing lamps once the lift kit is installed? Does it drops the lights at all significantly?

I readjusted it but I also aways check / adjust light before a long trip with bike / trike loaded.

I measure to center of headlight, put a piece of tape that hieght on garage door, then put bike back 25 foot from headlight to garage door.
Have no idea what the books have said about different models I have owned, it is just the way I have done it. Just as a check before trips with different load levels on bike.

Dennis

 

[Lakeman]

Where do I order a set?

 

[consitter]

As for me, I think it makes the trike look better because the rear end is a little higher. It also keep you from scraping your pipes so easily when going over bumps.

As far as steering, I really don't notice much difference, but that's just me. Truthfully, I need to go to the dealership and ride a new TG to see if I can tell if it's more difficult to steer. Hmm. Now I've got a new theory I need to test out.

 

[cdculbertson]

Where do I order a set?

http://www.dkcustomproducts.com/Harley-Trike-Lift-Kits_c56.htm

 

[Lakeman]

http://www.dkcustomproducts.com/Harley-Trike-Lift-Kits_c56.htm

Thanks

 

[MikeyTX]

Ordered mine the same day I brought the trike home from the dealer last week. 100 miles of twisty country back roads by choice. Without question, the ride needs them

 

[Lakeman]

Dose anyone know why the hell Harley does the thing like that.

 

[MikeyTX]

Dose anyone know why the hell Harley does the thing like that.

Because they can. Never loose sight of whom we are dealing with.