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The photo posting for this trike build will take several postings as the build progresses. Prior to any progress picture posting, I would like to briefly outline some historical background research, kit manufacture research and trike builder research information used in the final trike conversion decision making process.
BACKGROUND RESEARCH
In May 2009, I sold my 2006 HD Streetglide and purchased a new Honda Goldwing. I did this knowing that if and when the time was right, I would convert the Goldwing into a trike. The Goldwing is well maintained and currently has 97k miles on it. It still made economic sense to make a trike conversion versus buying a new or used trike.
Over 1 1/2 years ago, I realized it was time to build the trike conversion. I began a long hard look at the various trike manufacturers in my quest to understand all of the different aspects of each manufacture's kits.
I probably over thought the process, but I learned as much as possible before making the final decision. I set up spreadsheets to make comparing the different manufactures kits easier for me to understand.
I contacted five different trike kit manufacturers and read is much as possible from their websites and brochures. I read as much as possible here on the Trike Talk forums. The next step was to test ride the various manufactured kits installed on Goldwings. I did many test rides here in Florida, the Blue Ridge Pkwy.,North Carolina and in Georgia.
Once I completed all the test rides and fully understood the pros and cons of the five different manufactures kits, the decision making process progressed quickly. I was able to easily narrow the choice of manufacture down to one.
KIT MANUFACTURE RESEARCH
The easiest and most obvious choice for me, after completing all the research, was the CSC Viper kit by California SideCar. Over the past 1 1/2 years, CSC spent a lot of phone and email time with me. They responded professionally, quickly and with a "solid good customer relationship" attitude.ThumbUp
I had the opportunity to speak with Dwight (in operations), Cassidy (in customer service) and Will (in tech support) on the Viper kits and their components. They were instrumental in helping me understand their product and all of the related accessories.
CSC manufactured and delivered the kit as originally scheduled on time.
TRIKE BUILDER/INSTALLER RESEARCH
It has been said hundreds of times on this forum: "The trike builder/installer is the one who can make or break a trike build".
With that in mind, I visited four different trike builders to discuss and listen to their trike build experiences. I verified a few of their references. I also toured their shops and facilities.Three of the four trike builders were within 240 miles of me in my home state of Florida. I had the opportunity in, the summer of 2015, to visit Gary and Barbara Thayer, owners of Gary's Hobbie Shop, on a return trip from Western North Carolina. They were the fourth trike builder I visited and are located in Georgia, 604 miles from my house.
These folks are easy to talk to, friendly and very knowledgeable about trikes. As fellow riders, they understand and build trikes as well as perform general motorcycle maintenance. I toured their shop. They keep a very clean and well organized shop. They only install CSC trike conversions. Their shop has been opened for 16 years.
Both Gary and Barbara were extremely helpful and patient with me in visualizing and selecting all the accessories for the CSC Viper kit. Their advice and recommendations were both helpful and constructive based on my needs.ThumbUp
I test rode their Goldwing demonstration model and loved the setup. Gary is also a Traxxion Suspension certified technician. This worked out great for me, since I have Traxxion Suspension already installed.
Over the next year that followed, I had the opportunity to speak with some of Gary’s previous trike build customers to get some feedback. Everyone had high praise for Gary’s attention to detail and his methodical build techniques. I returned to Gary’s Hobbie Shop again on August 1, 2016 and finalized the Viper kit order. On that same day Gary and Barbara were completing and cleaning a CSC trike build for another customer.
I had other choices for trike builders much closer to my home but my comfort level with Gary and Barbara is what made the deal. I chose “comfort level with the trike builder” over everything, even knowing that their shop was 604 miles from my front door and that three other trike builders were within 240 miles of my home.
While the conversion kit was in production, Gary serviced the 97k mile bike with an oil change and filter, coolant change, air filter, valve adjustments, spark plugs, clutch and brake lever lubrication, cruise control adjustment, battery and alternator replacement, Traxxion AK-20 cartridge rebuilds and much more.
Now let's get to some pictures in the next post.ThumbUp
