2004 Road King: Frankenstein Kit

[trike lady]

Looks good :good:

 

[GRR]

Fenders installed today

Harvey continues to dump water on us, but so far my house is dry and the power is on.

So, I installed my fenders today. I'll get some better pictures when the rain quits, but here are a couple.

 

[grandpawj]

I really like it. That Red is really Red! A real looker.

 

[ncbandit]

Great Job!! Awesome looking ride!!

 

[David357]

Great job GeorgeThumbUp

Absolutely awesome looking trike.

It was well worth the wait for all the parts.ThumbUp

Thanks for sharing your build experience with us.

 

[GRR]

Thanks everybody

Now, if it will just quit raining....

LOL

:rofl:

 

[GRR]

Comments on Frankenstein Trikes and Better Pictures

The sun is back out, the trike is done, and all is well. Below are a couple of better pictures, but I wanted add a few comments about the guys at Frankenstein Trikes.

I am very happy with the trike kit and had a lot of fun putting it together. I've had two people at work ask me if I traded the Harley in on a new trike. That speaks a lot about how well the kit goes together.

Throughout the process, the folks at Frankenstein have been extremely responsive. They shipped lightening fast and responded to questions rapidly. I had one damaged part, emailed the night I saw it was damaged, and a new one shipped before lunchtime the next day. Overall, the best service I've had from any company in a long time.

The trike rides great.

Hope to see y'all on the road some day.

 

[paws]

George - that IS one good-looking trike! Glad you are happy with the whole experience of it and glad you and yours survived "Harvey".

Hope you plan on bringing it to the Kerrville meet the first week of October!

Carla

 

[Chappy KC]

GRR, You say the trike rides great. How much psi is in your tires? Also, can you easily identify parts so you can do your own repairs and buy them from an auto parts store? My Motor Trike was proprietary and I had to use the dealer no matter what.

 

[GRR]

GRR, You say the trike rides great. How much psi is in your tires? Also, can you easily identify parts so you can do your own repairs and buy them from an auto parts store? My Motor Trike was proprietary and I had to use the dealer no matter what.

I'm running 30 psi in the rear tires. Some people may want to run less. The rear end is a dana 30, so it will ride differently than your MT.

Frankenstein is pretty open about the parts they use. The brake calipers are HHI, so brake shoes and caliper rebuild kits are easy to get. The instructions even include the part numbers for the differential seal, differential bearings, axle bearings, and brake pads.

 

[Chappy KC]

I'm running 30 psi in the rear tires. Some people may want to run less. The rear end is a dana 30, so it will ride differently than your MT.

Frankenstein is pretty open about the parts they use. The brake calipers are HHI, so brake shoes and caliper rebuild kits are easy to get. The instructions even include the part numbers for the differential seal, differential bearings, axle bearings, and brake pads.

I went to their page and pulled up the quick instructions and they seem to be pretty simple. But they did not mention reinstalling the exhaust. Did you need to buy anything different to put your exhaust on or did your stock ones just mount right back up?

 

[GRR]

I went to their page and pulled up the quick instructions and they seem to be pretty simple. But they did not mention reinstalling the exhaust. Did you need to buy anything different to put your exhaust on or did your stock ones just mount right back up?

You install s-bends for the exhaust to clear the rear end and new mufflers. It is very straightforward, so instructions aren't needed. If you get the premium combo kit, it has everything you need.

 

[robinsondd]

I've been debating for the last 3 months, but I finally took the plunge and ordered my trike kit for my 2004 Road King Classic.

I ordered the Frankenstein Premium Combo kit (trike kit, exhaust, and triple tree) with dual brakes and the parking brake kit.

I'll take pictures and post them here as I work through the conversion.

Is your avatar a picture of the conversion? Lets see more pics...

 

[GRR]

Is your avatar a picture of the conversion? Lets see more pics...

Yes, the avatar is my trike. There are quite a few pictures in this thread. Here is a link to some pics on the Frankenstein site.

http://www.frankensteintrikes.com/photos_fltflhroadking_george_r_2004_roadking.html

And here is a before and after pic.



Is there anything in particular you want a picture of?

 

[Sahuarita John]

Hi

I am new to the forum, I have a 2004 road king trike with a conversion done by Lehman.

Rode 2 wheels since 1986 but now have a trike. Never rode a trike before, so my question is:

I have a lot of wobble. Some says it normal for a trike.

On 2 wheels I could ride no hands. I can only do that on the trike if I want to crash. There still needs to be a good grip with both hands during normal riding.

Tires are inflated good. new front tires.

There is also I would call it "slippage" on curves.

Any of this some familiar?

The new trikes have a front stabilizing bar. Did you add one?

thanks in advance

John

 

[Lee H. Mann]

Hi

I am new to the forum, I have a 2004 road king trike with a conversion done by Lehman.

Rode 2 wheels since 1986 but now have a trike. Never rode a trike before, so my question is:

I have a lot of wobble. Some says it normal for a trike.

On 2 wheels I could ride no hands. I can only do that on the trike if I want to crash. There still needs to be a good grip with both hands during normal riding.

Tires are inflated good. new front tires.

There is also I would call it "slippage" on curves.

Any of this some familiar?

The new trikes have a front stabilizing bar. Did you add one?

thanks in advance

John

First things first....

Rear tires 20-22psi

Front tire 38-40psi

Rear air shocks 15 psi to START and adjust according to ride, up or down.

The head shake can be caused by improper air pressure. head shake is associated with most 3 wheeled motorcycles.

A steering damper will stiffen the steering making it more difficult to steer quickly.

If you don't have an E-Z Steer Triple Tree, and many Lehman's don't, you might want an E-Z Steer if after above adjustments don't improve the head shake.

Maybe 4.5 Degree without a damper.

 

[GRR]

Hi

I am new to the forum, I have a 2004 road king trike with a conversion done by Lehman.

Rode 2 wheels since 1986 but now have a trike. Never rode a trike before, so my question is:

I have a lot of wobble. Some says it normal for a trike.

On 2 wheels I could ride no hands. I can only do that on the trike if I want to crash. There still needs to be a good grip with both hands during normal riding.

Tires are inflated good. new front tires.

There is also I would call it "slippage" on curves.

Any of this some familiar?

The new trikes have a front stabilizing bar. Did you add one?

thanks in advance

John

I've lowered the tire pressure in the rear tires to about 26 psi and have 32 psi in the front. I don't have any wobble problems and can take my hands off the bars. When I let go of the bars the bike drifts a with the crown of the road; I can keep it straight with two fingers on the bars, it tracks pretty true. So far I have about 1300 miles on the conversion. I've had it up to 95 mph on the highway and can ride easily with only one hand resting on the bars. I do not have a steering damper.

Does your trike have a triple tree with the proper rake?

I don't know what you mean by "slippage", but I can get the rear wheels to slide a little if I take a turn/curve really fast.

 

[Gorilla]

Lets also not forget that the steering stem nut has to be tightened more than on a 2 wheeler.

 

[Sahuarita John]

I don't have a triple tree with the proper rake?

not sure what they do.

I'll recheck my tires and try different setting.

Haven't touch the steering nut, not even sure where it is, duh on the column I assure.

if you haven't guess, I'm not a wrench.

J

 

[Sahuarita John]

the video below gives an example of my hands free ride.

its not a trike but the wobble is similar

 

[GRR]

I don't have a triple tree with the proper rake?

not sure what they do.

I'll recheck my tires and try different setting.

Haven't touch the steering nut, not even sure where it is, duh on the column I assure.

if you haven't guess, I'm not a wrench.

J

As Ted mentioned, the stem nut needs to be tighter than on a 2 wheeler. It is a star nut under the large nut shown in the first picture of the #13 post in this thread. This nut holds the triple tree on. When it is tighter, it puts more preload on the bearings.

When you convert a bike to a trike, most people change the triple tree to make the trike steer easier. There is a discussion on rake and trail on the Frankenstein website.

http://www.frankensteintrikes.com/components_tripletrees_main.html

You should check to see if your triple tree is stock or if it has been changed. The photos on post #13 show the stock tree on my bike (black) and the new one I installed (silver). My new triple tree came with my kit, but others also make/sell good trees.

Papa Zook, the founder of triketalk, sells triple trees and can help make sure you get the right one.

 

[Sahuarita John]

I don't even think I have a triple tree on it.

I will look at the thread and link tomorrow and

shoot a pix of my front end.

TIA all

John

 

[Sahuarita John]

Tried the simple way first.

Took the advise of the forum vs the harley shop.

put back wheels at 25 psi and front at 35.

Big difference.

Thanks

 

[GRR]

Tried the simple way first.

Took the advise of the forum vs the harley shop.

put back wheels at 25 psi and front at 35.

Big difference.

Thanks

Glad to hear it. Ride safe!

 

[Maxdog2]

I've been debating for the last 3 months, but I finally took the plunge and ordered my trike kit for my 2004 Road King Classic.

I ordered the Frankenstein Premium Combo kit (trike kit, exhaust, and triple tree) with dual brakes and the parking brake kit.

I'll take pictures and post them here as I work through the conversion.

Great thread for a new guy looking at trikes. I am looking to purchase the Frankenstein kit and have a question about their mufflers. I love the sound of my bike and wondered how their exhaust sounds.

Thanks,

David