Fork Rebuild Time.....

[Gold Rush]

Just thought I'd pass on a little bit of interesting information.... Differences in trikes and riding styles might change my experience slightly but this is worth considering at least.

I had my '06 GL1800 converted to a Motor Trike Adventure with just over 73,000 on the odometer (Jun '11). When I raked my trike about 25,000 miles ago (Jul '11) I rebuilt both forks. As part of my winter major maintenance and just for curiosity sake I got the parts and rebuilt them again yesterday. In that 25K the guide ware was far greater then in the previous 73K as a two wheeler. The additional stress of the trike conversion and rake kit puts a lot more on the front end of these bikes. Looks like at least every 25K I'll be doing that rebuild again...

It's not all that difficult to do. Just time consuming and really nasty.

As mentioned several time before the left fork oil was much dirtier then the right but neither was as bad as the first time.

 

[bustedwing]

Thats good to know. I figured to do it when either they started leaking or apparently not working, not by milage. I guess I will have to rethink that.

 

[cscsonny]

I have the CSC "Power-Trac" on my conversion and it is totally different from factory stock front suspension.It equals a 6 degree rake.Available for 1800 also in 4.5 degree.
I read that 1800's were prone to fork seal and slider problems.A friend replced seals twice before 50,000 miles on an 1800(not a trike).If you are using the stock 1800 front assembly with just a rake kit the seal and slider problem is apparently still there.
Here is a description of Power-Trac:
Why you should choose Power Trak™
New upper and lower triple clamps cast from high grade aluminum alloy A206, with a yield strength of 85,000 lbs.

Fork tubes machined from 4310 chomemoly aircraft quality alloy steel heat treated to a tensile strength of between 100,000-125,000 PSI, well exceeding OEM tubes.



Fork tubes are ground and polished to a high gloss, then nickel plated, hard chromed and then finally, cylindrically ground to create an optimum sealing surface and roundness. Internal dimensions are identical to OEM tubes, allowing the use of all aftermarket damping accessories.

Machined steering stem with new lower bearing and seal

Double glycor bushings increase bearing surface for the fork lower to maintain a more linear function



How Does Power Trak™ work?
By extending the fork tubes and changing the angle of the triple clamps, we have reduced the trial which creates "easy steering without oversteering".
Mine was converted in 2011 and have never heard of a seal or slider problems with this set up.

 

[Gold Rush]

Lots of fancy words there Sonny. I hope your front suspension is every bit as good as you believe it is. The precision machining and extra bearing surface sound like steps in the right direction for sure.

For the rest of us, I would suggest keeping an eye on the OEM style forks. I have never had even a hint of fluid leakage but both times now the sliders inside were really worn out. I can't help but think that will affect how things operate.

I do ride pretty hard and enjoy twisties more then most. If you ride mostly straight and flat roads I suspect the forks will last longer then mine do... pepper pepper