1st time I have felt uncomfortable

[OldNick]

My triked Valk has a Ford axle and diff, shortened only to accommodate the Valk's offset drive shaft. So she is steady as. Until now I have always felt that if the trike felt bad, it was me that was the problem. I have some scary moments, but I could always analyse and see that I was caught out and could understand how I could handle it better next time.But yesterday I had a weirdo. I went on to a new off-ramp of a freeway, and the ramp is seriously tight. It pretty well does a 360 in a 450 m curve. There are signs that tell trucks to do 40kph, else they might tip over. I went round at 70-80kph, I guess. I was hanging on. But if I tried to accelerate, the front wheel would squirell maybe 2-3 times a second. Back off and it would stop.I have ridden petty hard on various surfaces and curves and I have never encountered this.Best I can figure is that I am lifting the inner rear wheel, which changes the steering dynamics, the either I or the diff are compensating and the inner drops, and then repeat.So I can do tight turns and corners and have pushed on many, but this one actually made me feel uncomfortable. Smooth surface, long tight curve.Anyone else felt this, and am I right about just over-riding?Interested to hear.

 

[rhino 2]

Yep.........Without over analyzing it, You were over riding the front wheels available traction.......:Shrug:...

In the words of Simon and Garfunkel......The front wheel was ;

Slip-sliding away.....

 

[Gideon]

What type of front tire do you have?

If I enter a curve like you did, I get the same response.

I have a Bias Ply Rear tire mounted in reverse rotation for a front tire. Rear tires do not flex like a front tire due to the stiffer side wall.

I like the way my trike handles, however, I know not to speed in the curves.

 

[OldNick]

Yep.........Without over analyzing it, You were over riding the front wheels available traction.......:Shrug:...

In the words of Simon and Garfunkel......The front wheel was ;

Slip-sliding away.....

Hmmm, I am not sure. I know the feeling of "ploughing" and this was different entirely (no pun intended). It was rhythmical and not constant and there was no feeling of understeering. It seemed to be self-correcting at the starting stage, although not pleasant.

 

[OldNick]

What type of front tire do you have?

If I enter a curve like you did, I get the same response. i have a Bias Ply Rear tire mounted in reverse rotation for a front tire. Rear tires do not flex like a front tire due to the stiffer side wall.

I like the way my trike handles, however, I know not to speed in the curves.

Yep same tyre setup as you describe. The tyre grips like the proverbial brown stuff to a bed's top covering.

Until this I have not slowed down for curves and have never felt this before. It just does not feel like a front tyre slippage problem: there was no loss of directional stability in the direction of outwards.

 

[OldNick]

I may have to eat humble pie....my front was at 28 psi......:blush:. The ride was after a week's break. Need to learn from that.

This is not conclusive as a cause, as I am an hour's ride away from that off ramp. I will try at the first oppo.

If it is squirm from the front tyre, I still cannot understand why it felt self correcting and rhythmical.