Former Lurker Becomes Newbie
- Thread starter Shmick
- Start date
The Wolf
TOI - Scotland
oris it the d-a-r-k side 
Welcome to the funny house!!!! Jump right in if U have been a lurker then U have read and seen some of the questions and answers that have gone on here. We have fun and want to learn as much as we can about all the trikes out there. Have a great week and ride safe.
John Luciano
One Of The Origionals
What ya got for a trike don't forget to post in the Garage and the album
Trikerjim
Tour Master
Glad to have you along FNG. Keep an eye on some of these characters...
Jump in and tell us all about your ride.
Jump in and tell us all about your ride.
- Moderator
- #8
WELCOME ABOARD, glad to have you with us. What kind of trike did you get? What region are you from? Post some pictures. We are a generally friendly bunch. Ted
- Admin
- #9
Welcome FNG. Great looking trike you have there.
Hey FNG - welcome to the fold!
For some good advice from experienced riders, check out this thread:
http://www.triketalk.com/forum/general-forum/242-experianced-trike-riders-please-post-here.html
Some good advice there...
For some good advice from experienced riders, check out this thread:
http://www.triketalk.com/forum/general-forum/242-experianced-trike-riders-please-post-here.html
Some good advice there...
What kind of Trike kit did you put on? I've got a 2004 Ultra and I've been going back and forth on if I should Trike it or not. I really like the new Tri-Glide but I've got so much invested in my Bike, so I've been thinking of putting a kit on it. I've checked them all out and I kinda like the Champion, problem is there's no Dealer around here to do the work. I believe I should be able to tackle it over the winter.Another question I had was what do you do with all the parts you remove?
Hello Tis, welcome to the board. As far as the parts go most people recycle them. (sale them). The guys on 2 wheels can still use the parts that come off. There are some on here who are dealers/installers and some who have installed their own kit so fire away with questions and see if U can get the answers U need. From what I have read Champion is one of the easier kits to install. Good luck.
- Nov 18, 2008
- 203
- 6
- Name
- saybel
tis
I installed a "The Trike Shop" kit on my 07 Ultra. I'm no master mechanic, and had no problem with the assembly. The kit came completely assembled, some dis-assembly, and then bolt it on. Some minor wiring, most of the wiring was just plug-in. The tools needed are basic tools, you will need a torque wrench or two can't remember the spec's. A lift is also nice to have.
I had to remove the parts from the swing arm back, except for the rear fender, it has to be cut off (shortened).
I installed a "The Trike Shop" kit on my 07 Ultra. I'm no master mechanic, and had no problem with the assembly. The kit came completely assembled, some dis-assembly, and then bolt it on. Some minor wiring, most of the wiring was just plug-in. The tools needed are basic tools, you will need a torque wrench or two can't remember the spec's. A lift is also nice to have.
I had to remove the parts from the swing arm back, except for the rear fender, it has to be cut off (shortened).
Welcome aboard, FNG, from a former Naval Parachutist (I gather from your avatar that you were Army Airborne).
Lots of fun and info going on on this forum--you'll love it here!
Lots of fun and info going on on this forum--you'll love it here!
- Moderator
- #15
tis,
If you have been reading this forum you will have read that I just completed a Champion Trike conversion on a 2007 Road King. I also did some other mods to convert the Road King to a Road Glide. You can go to the Champion web site and download the instruction manual for the installation. As stated it was a pretty simple deal. I did the basic install in about 25 hours. The only unusual step was to take the outer swing arm spacers and remove the shoulder on the inside to make them 3/4 inch diameter all the way through. A friend of mine did it by using a air grinder with a rotary cutting bit. He had the shoulders cut out in about 5 minutes each. The installation of these parts become the the inter spacer and the metal removal is not critical so as long as the shaft can pass all the way through the spacer. The rest is just parts removal and parts replacement. I got mine unfinished and my neighbor painted it. Unless you have a friend that is a good painter you might consider having them do it. There was a lot of surface prep work required on the unfinished trike body. I found the instruction manual very easy to follow. I did not due the frame reinforcing step because I had all ready installed a frame motor reinforcement system when the bike was a two wheeler to prevent the wobble. (TRU-TRACK) worked very well by the way. I did not feel the need was there to further reinforce. The Harley Touring frame is quite sturdy and outside of the wobble issue (which I had all ready addressed effectively) that some bikes deal with, I did not see the need for that step.
If you go to the members section find my log in name (tmigala) I have an album posted with some construction pictures.
If you like your current bike but want to go to 3 wheels the idea of triking your bike is a very logical step. You know what you have and you know it's dependable. I feel just from the seat of the pants riding that I have about a 10% loss in performance from the added weight and the 2 wider tire drag. The fuel mileage appears to be down from 40 to 42 MPG to 37 to 38 MPG. These are very preliminary because I've only run 2 tanks of fuel through it.
Just a point of information, when I ordered my Champion kit the shipping date was 4 weeks later and this was in late September. They gave me a Oct 31 shipping date , which got revised to November 7th. It was shipped on the 7th from California and I picked it up at the trucking depot on the 11th in Miami Florida. All with no problems. They only ship freight collect and shipping was around $586. But that was when diesel was almost $5 a gallon.
You can e-mail me any questions here or PM me. I highly recommend the Champion Trike kit that I installed, but from the forum info all the major brands appear to be good choices. It comes down to availability, price, and what one kit offers different then the other and that is mostly in the type of drive system they use. The Champion used the stock HD rear sprocket and shocks, which I liked. The fact it is straight axle and not an independent rear suspension was not a concern for me. I have ridden both and they both rode very well. I do not have a rider very often, because my wife has her own trike (A STALLION) which is also a consideration. Some people say the IRS has a better ride with a passenger. I do not have any first hand knowledge of that, but the one time I had a passenger on the back they said it was a very good ride on my Champion kit.
Good luck, Ted
If you have been reading this forum you will have read that I just completed a Champion Trike conversion on a 2007 Road King. I also did some other mods to convert the Road King to a Road Glide. You can go to the Champion web site and download the instruction manual for the installation. As stated it was a pretty simple deal. I did the basic install in about 25 hours. The only unusual step was to take the outer swing arm spacers and remove the shoulder on the inside to make them 3/4 inch diameter all the way through. A friend of mine did it by using a air grinder with a rotary cutting bit. He had the shoulders cut out in about 5 minutes each. The installation of these parts become the the inter spacer and the metal removal is not critical so as long as the shaft can pass all the way through the spacer. The rest is just parts removal and parts replacement. I got mine unfinished and my neighbor painted it. Unless you have a friend that is a good painter you might consider having them do it. There was a lot of surface prep work required on the unfinished trike body. I found the instruction manual very easy to follow. I did not due the frame reinforcing step because I had all ready installed a frame motor reinforcement system when the bike was a two wheeler to prevent the wobble. (TRU-TRACK) worked very well by the way. I did not feel the need was there to further reinforce. The Harley Touring frame is quite sturdy and outside of the wobble issue (which I had all ready addressed effectively) that some bikes deal with, I did not see the need for that step.
If you go to the members section find my log in name (tmigala) I have an album posted with some construction pictures.
If you like your current bike but want to go to 3 wheels the idea of triking your bike is a very logical step. You know what you have and you know it's dependable. I feel just from the seat of the pants riding that I have about a 10% loss in performance from the added weight and the 2 wider tire drag. The fuel mileage appears to be down from 40 to 42 MPG to 37 to 38 MPG. These are very preliminary because I've only run 2 tanks of fuel through it.
Just a point of information, when I ordered my Champion kit the shipping date was 4 weeks later and this was in late September. They gave me a Oct 31 shipping date , which got revised to November 7th. It was shipped on the 7th from California and I picked it up at the trucking depot on the 11th in Miami Florida. All with no problems. They only ship freight collect and shipping was around $586. But that was when diesel was almost $5 a gallon.
You can e-mail me any questions here or PM me. I highly recommend the Champion Trike kit that I installed, but from the forum info all the major brands appear to be good choices. It comes down to availability, price, and what one kit offers different then the other and that is mostly in the type of drive system they use. The Champion used the stock HD rear sprocket and shocks, which I liked. The fact it is straight axle and not an independent rear suspension was not a concern for me. I have ridden both and they both rode very well. I do not have a rider very often, because my wife has her own trike (A STALLION) which is also a consideration. Some people say the IRS has a better ride with a passenger. I do not have any first hand knowledge of that, but the one time I had a passenger on the back they said it was a very good ride on my Champion kit.
Good luck, Ted
Hi buddy, good to have you with us.
From, Humpy
From, Humpy
- Thread starter
- #17
Wow! What a warm welcome. I'm impressed and grateful. Bought my trike at the end of this season in OCT. Been looking for years, and dreaming for longer. The machine is just what I wanted. I live in WI. Only have about 2000 mi. I wish they would plow the roads. Things are going to get interesting right about now.
- Thread starter
- #19
Saybel: Hey A Cheesehead! I was thinking I could ride all year long if the roads were salt-free and it was sunny. So far, it aint happening. I could use some "seasoned" advice...My trike is sitting in the garage since last time I rode it and it is beaucoup dirty, salty and how do I clean it up in this weather? What do you do? I'm told the commercial spray washes are too powerful and my house hoses are turned off to prevent freeze-up. A bucket of hot water would freeze on contact. My pal says I need to get the salt off or the aluminum will become pitted, but he didn't say how. Any ideas? Thanks.
- Nov 18, 2008
- 203
- 6
- Name
- saybel
FNG, I'm a CHEESEHEAD for sure.
By "seasoned" advice do you mean OLD I'm that for sure.
Not a lot of help with washing this time of year. Mine is in a trailer waiting to go to Arizona. Have you thought oftaking it to a Harley dealer and have them clean it or is there a Garage (car dealer etc.) that would let you use their wash bay. Of course it would be best to trailer it home to keep the salt off. I'm sure a Harley dealer would pick up and deliver, but the cost might be more than you would want to pay, check it out. Even if you can't trailer it, it would be cleaner than it is now.
I agree with your friends, try to get the salt off. I also agree that you should not use a power washer, it forces water where you don't want it, bearings etc..
- Thread starter
- #24
My bad, My bad
I'm sorry, I was thinking (I know I wasn't thinking) of another member.
Saybel: Your mea culpa was for dropping the "H" bomb? Is Harley a dirty word in this forum?
Not at all !!!! Lots of Harleys on here, including saybel's and mine. Maybe he was afraid you'd be offended since yours isn't a Harley. Nope, ALL brands are welcomed, loved, and enjoyed by all of us; even those that someone built from scratch and don't even really carry a brand. That's part of what makes this place so interesting!
The Wolf
TOI - Scotland
Talking of Harley's is the brand now safe? I heard a wee while ago that HD was in financial difficulties and that someone was going to buy the company out.
Hoo, boy, Lot's going on in this thread. Where to start....
---tis - I know a few folks that installed the trike kit themselves, and they came out well if they took time to do the mechanicals right, and spent some money on paint to match the bike they started out with. Some trike kit makers won't sell to private parties, only dealers that are (supposedly) trained. Liability issues if a non-dealer does a shoddy job, then decides to sue if it breaks. Check with your insureance carrier, too. I understand some won't insure, or set the rates very high, if a dealer doesn't do the install.
----FNG - On the salt thing - Yep, not good to leave it on longer than you have to. Also not good to use a power spray, especially around bearings. I have heard tell of folks spraying the grease right out of non-sealed bearings. Now that can't be a good thing. Although - if it is frozen, it may be better for now to leave things as they are. Corrosion doesn't form very quickly without water added to the salt, and freezing the water slows any reaction.
----Wolf - Harley is doing OK, and is not on the aution block. They are doing better than GM and Chrysler, but who isn't? Sales are down as is most transportation, especially non-essential or luxury items. You should see the RV companies dropping like flies here in the US. HD seems to have a history of surviving somehow.
---tis - I know a few folks that installed the trike kit themselves, and they came out well if they took time to do the mechanicals right, and spent some money on paint to match the bike they started out with. Some trike kit makers won't sell to private parties, only dealers that are (supposedly) trained. Liability issues if a non-dealer does a shoddy job, then decides to sue if it breaks. Check with your insureance carrier, too. I understand some won't insure, or set the rates very high, if a dealer doesn't do the install.
----FNG - On the salt thing - Yep, not good to leave it on longer than you have to. Also not good to use a power spray, especially around bearings. I have heard tell of folks spraying the grease right out of non-sealed bearings. Now that can't be a good thing. Although - if it is frozen, it may be better for now to leave things as they are. Corrosion doesn't form very quickly without water added to the salt, and freezing the water slows any reaction.
----Wolf - Harley is doing OK, and is not on the aution block. They are doing better than GM and Chrysler, but who isn't? Sales are down as is most transportation, especially non-essential or luxury items. You should see the RV companies dropping like flies here in the US. HD seems to have a history of surviving somehow.
- Nov 18, 2008
- 203
- 6
- Name
- saybel
Ozarkryder, good point on insurance.
Before I installed my trike kit, I called my insurance company, and as long as it was an "approved kit", and it was, no problem with insurance.
If it would have not have been an "approved kit", I would have had to send pictures in after the build, and the insurance writers would have had to approve it.
With an "approved kit" my insurance cost went down. They told me, they expect that more miles will be put on a trike over a bike, but a trike is safer.
My recommendation is that the insurance company be contacted, before the build, no matter who does the build.
Before I installed my trike kit, I called my insurance company, and as long as it was an "approved kit", and it was, no problem with insurance.
If it would have not have been an "approved kit", I would have had to send pictures in after the build, and the insurance writers would have had to approve it.
With an "approved kit" my insurance cost went down. They told me, they expect that more miles will be put on a trike over a bike, but a trike is safer.
My recommendation is that the insurance company be contacted, before the build, no matter who does the build.
- Nov 18, 2008
- 203
- 6
- Name
- saybel
No, Harley isn't a dirty word on this site, at least I hope not. It just came to me, after I posted, that you didn't own a Harley. I knew that my local Harley dealer would wash, pick-up and deliver, and that's why "Harley dealer" came to mind. I just wanted to convey that "motorcycle dealers", may be a solution to your problem.
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