EZ Steer

[biker91]

I recently purchased a 95 1500Goldwing with a Motortrike conversion without EZ Steer what degree would be best for this trike.

 

[Nana]

Biker91, Bazooka is the best resource for information and for rake kits at the best possible price. PM him or call him (his number is in his signature on all posts). You will love having the rake!!! It will take you from hard work to power steering

 

[Papa Zook]

I recently purchased a 95 1500Goldwing with a Motortrike conversion without EZ Steer what degree would be best for this trike.

I would suggest a 4.5 degree on most GL1500 solid axle Motor Trikes.

 

[jim peacock]

Yes 4.5:wave4::wave4::wave4:

 

[NamVet]

I have 6 degree on my VTX 1800 and 4.5 degree on the GL 1800. If I had to do it all over I would do the six degree also for the GL1800, steers much easier then the 4.5 degree.

 

[steelman0933]

biker91, I just installed the 6 degree rake kit I purchased from bazooka and I can tell you it is just GREAT. I have the 1800 goldwing. Believe me, you will love it!!

It is what it is. POWER STEERING for a trike

 

[Teal]

what is the disadv of having 5.5 or greater,,over sensitive at high speed?

 

[Gold Rush]

what is the disadv of having 5.5 or greater,,over sensitive at high speed?

You can reach a point where the handling will be a bit spooky if the rake results in negative trail. Zook and I just had a very long discussion on that exact subject and we both got educated.

Believe me it's not as black and white as you'd think. Give Zook a call and talk it over. You'll feel a lot more confident with your choice then you can get busy and start enjoying the "EZ" life.

 

[Papa Zook]

A properly engineered 6 degree rake on a GL1800 or VTX-1800 will not produce negative trail. Yes there are numerous different rake manufacturers and designs that though they look very similar, vary enough to produce a great deal of difference in handling and safety. This is what Gold Rush and I were discussing yesterday. Almost every major trike company out there now offers 6 degree rakes, if they were dangerous, do you think they'd take the risk of such a blatant dis-regard for safety? Not a chance.

There are thousands of trikes running 6 degree rakes that are completely safe and handle perfectly. There are several important factors involved in choosing the right rake for your machine, which include rake manufacturer, trike design/manufacturer, i.e, IRS rear, a-arm, trailing arm, solid axle, length, width, etc. Also the proper install and torque settings (fallaway) are very important and can drastically affect the end result. I'll be posting more specifics shortly.

 

[Papa Zook]

A factor that most dont consider is that each rake manufacturer's idea of the ideal rake can be different for a very good reason. Its because one manufacturer will have their 4 degree raked tree's fork tube holes drilled on a different plane in relation to the steering stem than another guys 4 degree rake, by that I mean the fork tubes will exit further forward on the top and bottom triple tree plates as it relates to the exit point of the steering stem. This will result in a larger trail number even though the degree of rake is the same. Trail is what ultimately determines handling, not degree of rake and 2-2.5 inches is the sweet spot. For this reason, if a particular rake manufacturer or trike conversion manufacturer recommends you not go over 4 degrees, they are probably correct for their particular rake kit manufacturer, but not necessarily for another manufacturers rake kit. This is one reason for the different results achieved by different trike owners. The other is due to the following factors not being the same for all trikes, owners and riding styles.

In a nutshell, buy a rake from someone who knows rakes and I'm not saying that's just me. Secondly consider these factors:

1) If you live in and ride areas with a lot of twisties (more rake).
2) Limited upper body strength, small size person or arthritis, etc (more rake)
3) Extra-wide, long trike design, i.e., Hannigan, Roadsmith, CSC (more rake)
4) IRS / independent rear suspension (more rake)
5) Trailing arm IRS suspension (more rake)
6) Live in and ride mostly in areas like Texas, Oklahoma, Utah, or Kansas, no curves, lots of wind (less rake)
7) Shorter and more narrow style trike, i.e., Motor Trike, Champion (less rake)
8) Solid axle trikes (less rake)
9) Rake Kit manufacturer's unique design (depends on who's rake you're talking about)
10) Your PERSONAL preference, everyone else's opinion be damned (either)

These are general guidelines and not a MUST when deciding. Any degree rake is a huge improvement. Any rake kit, particularly the 6 degree rake should always be torqued to 40lbs, rotated several times then backed off slightly until snug, which is normally around 30-35 ft lbs. The bearing cups, or races, as they are commonly referred to, must also be completely seated in the neck so they don't "get loose" when they do fully seat after the trike is ridden a few miles. Some put the races in the freezer overnight so they tap in easily, assuring a complete seating. A tapered race bearing driver tool is a MUST. Even the $24 set from Harbor Freight is decent and works just fine, as will a 1 3/4 or 2 inch trailer hitch ball in a pinch!

Hope this answers some of your questions.

 

[Gold Rush]

I think Zook recorded our phone conversation then just played it back and typed..... It sure makes a lot of sense when someone lays it out in black and white.

You guys don't know the hell I put Zook through getting these facts straight for us. We are sure lucky he's willing and able to dig up the answers to our questions!!!

Thanks Randy!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Nana]

Randy ROCKS!!!!

 

[rodeo1]

RAKE KIT 101 -- THANKS RANDY

beleive i will go check the tourque on mine. roadsmith just said tighten it up till there is no play, not 40 lbs.

 

[rodeo1]

that was pretty wierd ! when i installed the rake kit the instructions called for just tightening it till there was no freeplay. i did just what the instructions called for. i just went out and checked it -- dead on 35 lbs.

thanks again randy

 

[Papa Zook]

that was pretty wierd ! when i installed the rake kit the instructions called for just tightening it till there was no freeplay. i did just what the instructions called for. i just went out and checked it -- dead on 35 lbs.

thanks again randy

rodeo-
You know its not the uppermost steering stem nut (GL1800) that gets torqued, that one just gets snugged and locked with the lock washer's safety tangs. Its the lower steering stem nut that sits underneath the top nut and the safety washer. Thats the one that has to be torqued..

 

[rodeo1]

yeah, i know that, and it would be nice, but my roadsmith kit has no upper nut. it has a long bolt that scews in from under the lower tree through the neck and into the upper tree. had never saw that configuration before, but it was really easy to put together. it leaves a nice smooth upper tree with no nut on the top. i'll pm a pic.

 

[Teal]

freeze the races but have a can of freeze it" on hand (or turn a can of dust it" upside dn) because the race gets warm quick,(i heated the neck -race receiver with a heat gun) then put the freeze it" on the race,, went in easier.

 

[Papa Zook]

yeah, i know that, and it would be nice, but my roadsmith kit has no upper nut. it has a long bolt that scews in from under the lower tree through the neck and into the upper tree. had never saw that configuration before, but it was really easy to put together. it leaves a nice smooth upper tree with no nut on the top. i'll pm a pic.

Sorry, I was thinking GL1800 for some reason.

 

[Teal]

Bazooka, i didnt kn about the 30lb of torque when i installed my 1500 ez steer, i went to 30 1st and backed off until i had some resistance to movement,(which turned out to be abt 15 ft-lbs and left it there)
havent felt any movement in the S Head (2,500miles later )with front off floor or on floor.
DO YOU THINK i will need to retorque,, it does want to steer itsself on the road sometimes making me think its time,, could be forks but they have no more play than they did after rebuild 15k mile ago

 

[Papa Zook]

Bazooka, i didnt kn about the 30lb of torque when i installed my 1500 ez steer, i went to 30 1st and backed off until i had some resistance to movement,(which turned out to be abt 15 ft-lbs and left it there)
havent felt any movement in the S Head (2,500miles later )with front off floor or on floor.
DO YOU THINK i will need to retorque,, it does want to steer itsself on the road sometimes making me think its time,, could be forks but they have no more play than they did after rebuild 15k mile ago

If it wants to "steer itself" yeah, Id re-torque it. What degree is the rake and what conversion do you have?

 

[Teal]

4.5 -
1500 champion strait axle

 

[Papa Zook]

Yeah just re-torque it as I described and you'll be set.

 

[Rebel]

So what would I need for a 2011 Honda Shadow Aero 750 trike with a Motor Trike kit on it? And what is the cost of the "rake kit"? Is this something easily installed, or would a professional have to do it? My upper back and tennis elbows are killing me on this new trike . . .

 

[Gorilla]

So what would I need for a 2011 Honda Shadow Aero 750 trike with a Motor Trike kit on it? And what is the cost of the "rake kit"? Is this something easily installed, or would a professional have to do it? My upper back and tennis elbows are killing me on this new trike . . .

Rebel contact Bazooka (ZOOK) aka (Randy) he is the site owner and the owner of Adventure Motor Sports. He advertises here and has rake kit at a very reasonable price to members. PM or call him, number is in his ad. Any good motorcycle shop can do the install if you do not want to tackle it.

 

[Rebel]

Rebel contact Bazooka (ZOOK) aka (Randy) he is the site owner and the owner of Adventure Motor Sports.

I sent a PM to Bazooka a couple days ago but haven't heard back. He must be a busy man. . . :Shrug:

 

[Gorilla]

he is a very busy man. runs this site and a business. he sometimes misses a message. pm him again or call him on the listed phone for "Adventure Motorsports" ad on this forum.

 

[Papa Zook]

I sent a PM to Bazooka a couple days ago but haven't heard back. He must be a busy man. . . :Shrug:

Sorry about that..I do get a lot of PMs daily. I did order a set of raked 750 Aero trees for someone a while back from a company I had never used. It worked but the trees had to be drilled and tapped to accommodate the tins and windshield mounts, so its not without some extra work.

 

[skuuter]

GOOD STUFF here.....ThumbUp