Front wheel hop reprise

[OldNick]

I posted here a while back about my front wheel skipping out under hard cornering over little bumps. I was told I was "pogo sticking" and that sounded apt.

I also was having a wrist shattering ride on bumpy roads.

The advice was to try reducing fork oil and maybe using lighter (5w) fork oil.

So I gradually removed oil and it helped a lot. But there was still skipping.

In the end I lowered the front tyre pressure from the recommended 38 psi to 35. The result is magic! The front now sticks like the proverbial to the woven bed cover. My "had dest ride" post was after I did this and I could feel the grip.

So. For info and questions.

I cannot feel any loss from lowering the pressure...anything to look for?

On my Valkyrie, changing the fork oil is a major PITA. Does anyone figure I should do that rather than go with the lower pressure?

 

[hogmemberisold]

I don't have any experience with a trike yet, but, I do have experience with running 36 psi in the front... if I remember correctly, that's what the sticker in the trunk shows as to what we should run. I know most people say to run 40, 41... for me, 36 is smooth as butter. 35 wouldn't bother me one bit.

Sounds like you found the problem, over inflation.

 

[paws]

I found 41 to be too high in the front tire. It makes for a harsh, uncomfortable ride but never felt a skipping feeling in the curves. Prefer 38'sh.

 

[OldNick]

I don't have any experience with a trike yet, but, I do have experience with running 36 psi in the front... if I remember correctly, that's what the sticker in the trunk shows as to what we should run. I know most people say to run 40, 41... for me, 36 is smooth as butter. 35 wouldn't bother me one bit.

Sounds like you found the problem, over inflation.

Yeah it would seem so and it's good to hear that others run similar pressures. Funny thing is this is a trike-specific tyre and 38-40 was the reccommended pressure.

The difference at the lower pressue can only be described as astounding.

My experience so far, and to me iut makes sense, is that a trike's forces are much more forward than a bike's, where the force is miore down the tyre into the road and also acceleration will tend to drag the front around the corner, in a latent wheel stand. On a trike, acceleration will always tend to drive the wheel straight forward under hard cornering or acceleration.

I have read guys who own custom trikes, with rear engine, saying that wrapping on around a corner can be quite scary, beecause the front will plough.

I found 41 to be too high in the front tire. It makes for a harsh, uncomfortable ride but never felt a skipping feeling in the curves. Prefer 38'sh.

Wow!

If the difference between 41 and 37-38 is anything like my drop to 35, that WOULD have been a harsh ride.

Unless I hit a really nasty short bump (the worst ones are where they trench across the road for phone etc and always stuff up the refill: either too high or too ,low) I was not getting skipping so much in the curves, but on sharp corners if I pressed.

So if I turned fast around a corner into a side street and there were little washboards or even those tar marks they leave when they simply drip tar to fill cracks, the trike would hop across them and needed quite a bit of oversteer.

I will qualify that my post on my hardest ride would not have happened at the higher pressure, even though that was on curves.

I just would not have had the confidence to push that hard.

 

[Gold Rush]

Nick I'm very glad you have found a cure for your issue. Everyone does indeed need to take all factors into consideration when resolving these things. Remind us again what your trike is please. I see in your profile something about a Honda 750???

Believe me, I am NOT trying to belittle what anyone has said here but I do need to caution everyone when taking into consideration what other riders recommend; as it may not apply to the trike they are riding. All trikes are not equal and what works for one will make for a very negative experience when applied to a different style. I'm not saying all Tri Glides, Freewheelers, or GL1800 based conversion should be set up exactly the same. Every rider has their own riding style and we all know roads make a HUGE difference in how a trike handles.

I guess what I trying to point out here is that each of us should take in a butt load of information then sort out the useful pieces before applying them..... :xszpv: :xszpv:

 

[Jack Klarich]

Ride it, a bit lower will not hurt it do you have weights or dyna beads, may try a steering damper also

 

[gerald martin]

skipping

I have a 2015 freewheeler. I live in Vernon bc which is right in the mountains. our paved back roads are extremely winding and the posted speeds are between 70 kms and 50 kms per hour (for you lucky Americans that's about 45 to 55 mph). All of the people I ride with ride two wheelers and some are very aggressive riders and usually go at least 20 to 30 mph over the speed limit. There is not one off them that can keep up to my freewheeler in the curves but I have never found the trike to skip or shimmy in corners. I run my tires at the manufactures recommendations. You guys must drive extremely faster than I would ever dare to make your tires skip and I consider myself an aggressive but safe rider So how fast do you go around curves?

PS
I hate these frickin snowflakes. They make it hard to find where the mouse is