SUPER BRACE on a Gold Wing 1800 Trike Report Thread

skuuter

One of the Origionals
Apr 23, 2010
10,056
518
Estill Springs, TN
Name
David
OK, I participated in one Thread Discussion on this, but I thought since I ride as much as I do, I would start a Thread that is Gold Wing 1800 Trike Specific. I installed mine this morning and tried it out on my Lunch Hour today. This will be an on-going long-term Thread similar to my Front Tire Thread. I will be adding personal opinions and information as I put more miles, and more road types into play. I have used SUPER BRACE Fork Braces on many 2-wheel Motorcycles in the past with Great Success, so I have lotsa' experience with the Product.

TEST TRIKE: 2010 Gold Wing 1800, Motor Trike Adventurer IRS, Motor Trike 4.5 Degree Raked Trees, Michelin Pilot Activ Sport Bike Rear Tire mounted straight up as a Front Tire

Here are Today's initial findings:

Even sitting still, the Frontend has a lighter touch to it. As the wheels began to roll, the steering is somewhat lighter than even before. Dropping off the curbing onto the Highway, I immediately notice that there is even less handlebar wobble than before. As I cruised up 4-Lane 41-A, and changed lanes working traffic, I thought, it feels like I have a little more lean coming back in than before. I passed this off, as I headed for Monteagle Mountain.

Monteagle Mountain confirmed the "roll-over-feel". The Frontend is definetly more "point-n-shoot" now, and the Frontend flows over bumps better than before with less shock through the bars, and less tire deflection off small stutter bumps. Now, I was rolling over the increased rear lean in my head. My conclusion: I think before, I was getting a very tiny amount of Fork Leg twist, and Fork Tube "walk". This caught up, and stabilzed by the time You entered the corner, and didn't transfer as much weight to the outside rear wheel. The Fork Brace stiffens the entire Frontend, therefore transferring more weight to the rear, and especially the outer wheel when cornering.

I have been running around 37 to 39 lbs of air in my rear air shocks (sitting still and cold, because they tend to gain up to 42-45 lbs hot, and when pumped a lot). I came back after lunch, let the Trike/Shocks cool, then reset them to 45 lbs cold, went back to the Mountain....WOO-HOO, rollover back to the very small amount as before. They only gained to 48 lbs this time also (more air translates to cooler operation, and less air gain). This will be my starting point. We are gonna' be in the Smokies Area all next week after Tuesday, so I will get to test extensively. Yes, the bike steers easier, less handlebar transition wobble, quicker steering response, smoother ride over bumps, less Tire deflection off stutter bumps or gravel....on my Trike it is a "Keeper".....more to come, stay tuned to this Thread.....:wtg::beerchug:
 
Took the Country Road, Back Way Home.....this Thing really "Slices-n-Dices" now. I ran it hard into, and out of very tight, very familiar curves......"IMPRESSIVE", and definetly more stable...:cool:
 
THANKS Lunchbox.....;)....well, did the I-24 Interstate Cruise with it this morning. Almost no hands required, even at "possibly...;)" above posted speed limits....So far I can highly recommend this as a serious piece of hardware on a Gold Wing 1800 Trike....lookin' forward to next week's 6 days of Smokies Area testing......:wtg:
 
When I bought my Trike, the dealer said I didn't need a Super Brace.
I had one on my 2 wheel wing and liked it.
After reading this, I think I'll buy one and try it.
Keep the report coming.
 
When I bought my Trike, the dealer said I didn't need a Super Brace.
I had one on my 2 wheel wing and liked it.
After reading this, I think I'll buy one and try it.
Keep the report coming.

I put one on my last 2008 Gold Wing 2-wheeler and loved it too. I also pulled the Fork Tubes up through the Trees 1/2" and got less Fork flex and quicker steering. I'm just mentioning this...DO NOT DO THIS ON A TRIKE, it is the very opposite of what needs to be done on Them, but works well on 2-wheel 'Wings...:wtg:....definetly more Testing/Reporting comin'.....:):cool:
 
Thanks Skuuter,

I have been thinking and wondering if I need a brace. I also have an MotorTrike 1800 with 4.5% rake. Seems like it has more lean than my previous trike. So, you think it has less lean than without the brace??

P. Stan
 
Thanks Skuuter,

I have been thinking and wondering if I need a brace. I also have an MotorTrike 1800 with 4.5% rake. Seems like it has more lean than my previous trike. So, you think it has less lean than without the brace??

P. Stan

Mine actually leaned ever so slightly more after adding the Brace when cornering, but adding more Shock air took that right back out. The Frontend now has a much tighter feel, and quicker/easier steering. Definetly helped the Frontend and over-all feel of the Trike......:wtg:
 
OK...the Gold Wing Trike has left Cruisers on The Dragon (...purely for comparative reasons...:rolleyes:), cruised the Cherohala Skyway, rode the Foothills Parkway, and traversed twisty Little River Road, and several other Smokies twisties now. The SUPER BRACE definetly helps the frontend have quicker steering, and a much more solid feel to it. I highly recommend this as an add-on for Folks still lookin' for another little "fine-tuning-edge" on Their Gold Wing 1800 Trike.....more comin'.....:wtg:
 
Good info here. I had the Seeley Dampner put on at TRI. I road it out of there on 0 and adjustead it to 5. I rode it home on 5. It has 24 adjustments. I have not gotten to ride since. I like the new feel I was getting, so I can't wait to get a chance to go play with it. My ride; '09 GL1800 CSC. I'll be back with news as I get to.
 
The SUPER BRACE definetly fine tuned my 4.5 degree raked Frontend. All last week (1,420 miles of ridin') while on vacation, it tested "pencil-sharp" on every type road, and speed I encountered.....:wtg:
 
Super Brace wrote the book on front end braces and wants to give a FREE fork brace to one of you. If you are interested, watch for our Super Brace giveaway contest that is about take place on the General Forum!

Zook
 
Well as I said above that I'd get back to you with a up date. I have gotten to play around a little with my Seeley Dampner. It ajusts from 0 to 24. I now have it set on 6 and let me tell you. The shake, shimmy, and wobble are just about null. It is the answer I was looking for. I still have 18 higher adjustments. That could almost mean self pilot.LOL I have not had any experience with the Super Brace, so I can not comment on that. Price wise it is considerably cheaper. But I am as pleased as I had hoped to be with the Seeley and I recommend it if you can budget it.
 
Well as I said above that I'd get back to you with a up date. I have gotten to play around a little with my Seeley Dampner. It ajusts from 0 to 24. I now have it set on 6 and let me tell you. The shake, shimmy, and wobble are just about null. It is the answer I was looking for. I still have 18 higher adjustments. That could almost mean self pilot.LOL I have not had any experience with the Super Brace, so I can not comment on that. Price wise it is considerably cheaper. But I am as pleased as I had hoped to be with the Seeley and I recommend it if you can budget it.

THANKS for the INFO......I'm always lookin' for Ride Handling INFO.....the SUPER BRACE is still a Fantastic Addition to my Gold Wing 1800 Trike...shoulda' just went on and added one on Day One of ownership, but I like to "Test Bed" things....Glad the Seeley got You the results You were lookin' for.... :wtg:
 
Rode several gravel roads outside Sewanee, Tn on Monteagle Mountain yesterday.....the SUPER BRACE helped with the hard cut tire "plowing" I have experienced in the past on these roads with the Trike. Gravel Roads were/are the only thing I noticed were better without a Rake Kit also. This seems to be due to the "closer to dirt bike specs" of the stock frontend. Not many gravel roads left, so by no means is this an endorsement to not rake Your Gold Wing 1800 Trike....THEY NEED IT......"More" Later....:wtg:
 

I have progressive springs on my '02 Wing ('05 Motor Trike kit). Motor Trike said two things that I am unsure about. 1) You do not need an EZ Steer triple tree. (I put one on after 12,000 on the kit and MT is wrong, it is great.) 2) You should not put a Super Brace on any trike.

After reading these posts, I am not sure I believe MT on the Super Brace statement.

What needs to be done to install a Super Brace? I failed Wrench 101, but can do simple stuff.
 

I have progressive springs on my '02 Wing ('05 Motor Trike kit). Motor Trike said two things that I am unsure about. 1) You do not need an EZ Steer triple tree. (I put one on after 12,000 on the kit and MT is wrong, it is great.) 2) You should not put a Super Brace on any trike.

After reading these posts, I am not sure I believe MT on the Super Brace statement.

What needs to be done to install a Super Brace? I failed Wrench 101, but can do simple stuff.

Remove the Front Half of the Front Fender (4 Allen Bolts)...Remove the Chrome Plastic Filler between and above the Fender Halves (2 Allen Bolts)...Loosen the 4 Axle Clamp Bolts on the Lower Part of the Fork Legs... Bolt on the SUPER BRACE around the Tops of the Fork Legs, leaving about a 1/8th inch of Fork Leg Space showing below the Fork Seal...With the Fork pointing straight ahead (...this is important) re-tighten the 4 Axle Clamp Bolts...Replace the Fender...:wtg:

NOTE: Carry an Allen Wrench with You for a few Rides and re-check the SUPER BRACE for Bolt Loosening, or Slippage...Never happened on my Trike, but did on my 2-Wheel Gold Wing 1800....Need more INFO, "ASK" THANKS, and GOOD LUCK on Your Wrenching.....:)
 
Will be re-testin' the SUPER BRACE again this Friday, Saturday, and Sunday ridin' with a Group of 2-wheeled Sport Bikes at The Dragon, Cherohala Skyway, and other assorted Tennessee, North Carolina, and Georgia Mountain Twisties.....and Yes, there will be Pics..... :wtg:
 
Ok I need some advice..I have 2006VTX1800N trike,4.5 rake..it is really good moving around on the roads and don't feel any bumps..she kind of glides over bumps..BUT I live in Michigan and the roads are terrible..when I go over a bump my front end jumps around sometimes the roads are so bad it feels like my ligaments and muscles are pulling apart..I also have arthritis and want to continue to ride..never have problems when roads are smooth..rode through Ohio and Tennessee one handed..Do you think this super brace would be for me??BoomBoom
 
Don't know about on a trike. On my 2 wheel adventure tourer it was one of the best add ons I ever did. On another GL1800 forum there is and has been much discussion about fork braces. Types, styles, pros and cons. The Goldwing uses two differnet type forks on one front end. Cartridge type on the right and damper rod on the left. Also there is the antidive to consider which only affects the left fork. <br />
<br />
I am only speaking of what I read!!! I never had a brace on my 2 wheel Wing. I never got to ride it, back went south by the time I had her ready.<br />
<br />
But here is what the biggest discussions I read were about.<br />
1.

Stiction- A non varying, fixed brace can cause the forks to stick and not function correctly<br />
2. Anti dive- locks up left fork but right is still free to move, with a brace it restricts the right when the left locks up<br />
3. antidive- disabled or preload reduced<br />
4. fixed or adjustable braces- much ado about this topic<br />
<br />
Along with all this there are many other variables. Such as- are the fork springs stock, If not are the replacements linear or progressive wound and what rate are they. have emulators or after market cartridge systems been installed. Oil weights. <br />
<br />
Much talk about the front end of 2 wheel wings. Mostly in respect to the dreaded front end wobble.<br />
<br />
AGAIN!!! I am in no way saying a fork brace is good or bad on a Wing.

Or what type is best. Just bringing in some of the variables that have been and still are infinitely discussed regarding 2 wheel wing front ends. <br />
<br />
I loved the brace on my V-Strom!!!!!!! And if they work on a trike as well I would definitely be looking at adding one!<br />
<br />
Thanks for the great evaluation! Keep us abreast as the smiles pile up.
 
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FOOTNOTE: I had a SUPER BRACE on my 2008 Gold Wing 1800 2-wheeler, and it instantly made a much better handler out of it also...THE DRAGON.....

winglean1003.jpg


Much Quicker Turn-in, More Stability holding a Line, Much less Wheel Flop/Fork Flex/Twist.....it also had a more controllable Frontend Dive while Hard Braking.......:):cool:

Now, the last two weeks, I have played some more with the Rear shock Air Pressures (Have even taken the SUPER BRACE off a coupla' times for verification of my findings).....I definetly have to run the Rear Shocks in the 40s instead of the 30s with the SUPER BRACE installed. If not, I have too much Rear Roll to negotiate twisties comfortably at "medium-high" rates of speed. The SUPER BRACE is still definetly a Performance Add-on that I highly recommend.....:wtg:

**** We added a SUPER BRACE to my Buddy Jim's 2010 Gold Wing 2-wheeler the other week also.....He really likes it also. It has helped His Gold Wing transition The Dragon, and other Tennessee Mountains much better than before. His is an ABS model, and is "slightly" more complicated in the installation because of an added Fork Bracket. He is also going to add Progressive Springs next week.....we will see how this works with the SUPER BRACE also....;)

Well, more testing comin' this weekend in The Smokies....back later, skuuter.....:wtg:
 
OK, we added the Progressive Fork Springs to Jim's Gold Wing 1800 2-wheeler. The Springs feel even better than the stockers (...even with the SUPER BRACE), and really helps a lot with "brake dive". Progressive Springs may find Their way onto my Trike at a future date. I know, some argue that using the SUPER BRACE and the Springs are a bad combination for a Trike..."but"...I've seen the same argument for the Raked Trees, Rear Tire on the Front, and the SUPER BRACE I have installed, but each have come together to make a much better handling Trike.

I rode The Dragon about three weeks ago, some of it rather "briskly", and my Trike does a Great Job......more to come.....:wtg:

***I am consistantly running 45lbs of air in my Rear Shocks now with the SUPER BRACE...much better handling than with the 35lbs I ran before installing it.
 
Loaned my SUPER BRACE to a Buddy yesterday to try on His Gold Wing 2-wheeler.....we're putting it back on mine right now......He ordered His this mornin'......:popcorn::cool:
 
Loaned my SUPER BRACE to a Buddy yesterday to try on His Gold Wing 2-wheeler.....we're putting it back on mine right now......He ordered His this mornin'......:popcorn::cool:

I thought you were going to tell us he would not give it back.
 

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