GL1800 Trike Fork Springs Issue

[funone97]

I have a 2007 GL1800 Trike with a DFT trike kit installed. The problem is that if I hit a 1-inch pothole, the front end bottoms out. I've tried all types of springs and have bypassed the advice, but it was no help. Has anybody had that problem? At whits end as it hits solid.

 

[pwhoever]

have a 2007 gl1800 trike , have a dft trike kit on it, problem is if you hit a 1 inch pot hole the front end bottoms out. tried all types of springs. adv by passed , no help. has anybody had that problem. at whits end , it hits solid ,

The easiest solution is to just avoid the 1 inch potholes Sorry, kind of a smartazz response...

What would help is to elaborate more on which springs exactly you have tried. I know that with stock springs, they will eventually get permanently compressed and then not give a decent rebound.

Also what weight fork oil have you been using? That too has an effect on rude comfort.

Also I find that running the tires at the "recommended" pressure results in a bit of a rough ride. I usually run my front tire in the 36-38 psi range and rear tires in the 20-22psu range.

 

[funone97]

sorry forget tried stock springs, progressive, traxxion took off fork brace 15w oil, played with air pressure in tires afraid some thing is going to brake . hits hard. 1 inch extension on 4.6 trees . .

 

[funone97]

my weight is 182 lbs one up

 

[pwhoever]

sorry forget tried stock springs , progressive, traxxion took off fork brace 15w oil, played with air pressure in tires afraid some thing is going to brake . hits hard.1 inch extation on 4.6 trees . .

I wonder if it might be a problem with the forks and fork tubes themselves. If not installed and oriented correctly, they can get stuck and then won't move properly. Also if there is damage to one of the tubes and they get slightly bent or deformed, they won't be able to freely move up and down and you will get a harsh ride. The forks themselves may need to be looked at closer. Since you've tried all different combinations of springs and fork oil weights, that's what I would be looking at next.

 

[Papa Zook]

I know you said it was disabled, but it sounds like the anti-dive to me...

 

[pwhoever]

I know you said it was disabled but it sounds like the anti-dive to me...

This is a good point. How exactly did you bypass your ADV? In my case, I have always been using a specific shim purchased off eBay that separates the top and bottom half of the housing by maybe a 1/4".

 

[pwhoever]

And @Papa Zook might be onto something. It might not be an issue with the top part of ADV housing but might also be the plunger in bottom half being stuck down too. I found this old thread that covers not only the top half but bottom half as well. Starting with the linked post and continuing through the thread, it gives a lot of great info and 1 has link to Fred Harmon phase site which has multiple photos that help. Also one of the last posts gives an easy way to check the lower half.

Harsh ride, leaking seals & anti-dive

I apologize first for the length of this post, but wanted to make sure that all the info was there. I have an 06 GL1800, non-ABS, with a new Hannigan kit, 6 degree rake with a 2” riser. We bought the trike right after it had been kitted at 19,400 miles. Within 1,000 miles we noticed that the...

triketalk.com

 

[Papa Zook]

Good find Mike..

 

[funone97]

thanks all , when it gets a little warner out i will go in the garage and ckeck a little more

 

[pwhoever]

thanks all , when it gets a little warner out i will go in the garage and ckeck a little more '

Sounds like a plan. Please do come back after you take another look and let us know what you find. It may be helpful to some else that comes along.

 

[funone97]

played with the bike yesterday still bottoms out.. my buddy says it is not the springs, does the same thing on 3 sets of springs.one guy says maybe a loose or broken motor mount,ill check it out later.shore would like to know what causing it.

 

[pwhoever]

Interesting. Just for arguments sake, I don't think a broken motor mount would cause the front end to bottom out. Are you positive it's the front end and not something in the rear end? Maybe worn out shocks or broken shock mount in rear?

 

[funone97]

Not rear, called Leon at DFT trikes, he told me to check the height of the chassis, all within spec. We have rain coming this weekend, so there goes the weekend ride. Let you all know if I ever get to see what it is...

 

[pwhoever]

Have you checked to make sure the forks have full length of travel? How many miles on the trike? I'm wondering if maybe one or both forks got bent somehow and can no longer compress properly. If it can't compress, it will feel harsh and give you a jolt. Or maybe the tube has barrelled out where it fits into the lower and needs to be replaced? When were the forks last rebuilt?

 

[pwhoever]

Also did you check the lower half of the ADV valve to see if that is stuck?

 

[funone97]

adv buy passed bottom end free, check every thing could think of. it something i must be missing.. sss something simple stubed

 

[funone97]

talked to other people , they said if 3 springs do the same thing , it is not the springs look else where my ouestion is where ? at wits end. atv is by passed with metal plate , motor mounts are ok , rear end checked out ok . probley will sell bike . all it does now is sit in garage , when i get time i will over it from to back , maybe i will find something,tubes are stright ,lower legs are perfect , new bushings,tube sliders seals 15w oil .

 

[pwhoever]

You seem to have checked just about everything so I'm at a loss.

 

[funone97]

afraid something is broke , had front end apart 5 times . like to ride parkway , i will not take a chance now ,if i ever find it i will let you know. staying off parkway .thanks all

 

[MALRKY]

(We have previously owned 2003 GL1800 w/Champion Trike Conversion, upgraded to a 2006 GL1800 w/Champion Trike Conversion, and currently own a 2010 and a 2012 GL1800 w/Champion Trike Conversions)

Front shocks are a week point of our GL1800's. With the additional weight of a trike and coupled with forward momentum and front-end dive when stopping and hitting potholes, if your front shocks were not upgraded to Progressive Heavy Duty Fork Springs (Wingstuff Part #TR771521), or had your front shocks replaced with Traxxion Dynamics or had your shocks rebuilt by Traxxion Dynamics, there is a good chance that unless you avoid every 1" hole, you will probably bottom out.

 

[geol]

(We have previously owned 2003 GL1800 w/Champion Trike Conversion, upgraded to a 2006 GL1800 w/Champion Trike Conversion, and currently own a 2010 and a 2012 GL1800 w/Champion Trike Conversions)

Front shocks are a week point of our GL1800's. With the additional weight of a trike and coupled with forward momentum and front-end dive when stopping and hitting potholes, if your front shocks were not upgraded to Progressive Heavy Duty Fork Springs (Wingstuff Part #TR771521), or had your front shocks replaced with Traxxion Dynamics or had your shocks rebuilt by Traxxion Dynamics, there is a good chance that unless you avoid every 1" hole, you will probably bottom out.

The OP said in a previous post he has tried Traxxion, Progressive and new OEM shocks. He also said he had extended forks which may be the culprit. Not sure why but extended forks with stock length springs will cause a big clunk at every pothole. When using aftermarket, they sometimes give you spacers to put some load on the new shocks.