Handeling corners & curves?

[Motogordo]

I have a 2005 GL1800 with a MotorTrike IRS. ONLY the crotch rockets can out run me in the curves and I ride with another two-wheeler GL, a Kawa 2000 and a big Harley.

9/5/12
I also just purchased a 2005 GL1800 trike with the Lehman Monarch II. I don't fly around corners at all. I don't like living on the edge. LOL. I just put on a Bridgestone Exedra Radial tire on front. I hear more stories about bias ply vs. radial.
Gordon:GL1800:
p.s. The cycle mechanic sugggested 36 front/ 26 rear.

 

[rmrc51]

9/5/12
I also just purchased a 2005 GL1800 trike with the Lehman Monarch II. I don't fly around corners at all. I don't like living on the edge. LOL. I just put on a Bridgestone Exedra Radial tire on front. I hear more stories about bias ply vs. radial.
Gordon:GL1800:
p.s. The cycle mechanic sugggested 36 front/ 26 rear.

You and I are very close in equipment and practice. I just recently bought a 2005 GL1800 with a Roadsmith conversion. And I also don't like living on the edge or fly around corners, lol.

 

[jcolson]

I was turning left in a corner over a brigde around the chicago area when I hit an expandsion hump. My front end wanted to go straight. That's not a good feeling at 55-65mph. Thought I was going to hit the cement guard rail. You would get that on 2whs.

 

[rmrc51]

I was turning left in a corner over a bridge around the Chicago area when I hit an expansion hump. My front end wanted to go straight. That's not a good feeling at 55-65mph. Thought I was going to hit the cement guard rail. You would get that on 2whs.

That's just another example why I always watch my speed and tend to ride with the slower flow of traffic.

 

[Chazzman]

My rule of thumb is give it 1,000 miles. Don't be discouraged before that. Some catch on in way less time. Seems the less you rode before the trike the easier it is to learn to ride a trike. If you were not an aggressive 2 wheeler u will still be able to be an aggressive 3 wheeler. I have a DVD of a 2 wheeler trying to keep up with a trike on the Dragon and he didn't do too good. Scraped pegs all the way threw it.

John can you post that video here I would love to see it. Also check out Yellow Wolf rides the Dragon on u tube. Not a Trike but a 2 wheel GL1800.

 

[John Luciano]

I do not know if I can post it! I have it now on a DVD. I guess I will have to post it to Utube 1st then render it to this forum . I can try. Give me a few days to try it.

 

[americanbadass]

There was a guy in our local MC that could actually run at the front of the pack, and led many rides on his trike. None of us could touch him through the twisties on two wheels. He rode a Yamaha Royal Star, with a Hannigan conversion. He was the best triker I have ever witnessed, but he passed away about a month ago. RIP Neil!
:GL1800::GL1800:

 

[maestro319]

I was on a ride last year and came into a curve just a little too fast. The outside wheel of my trike came off the ground and the bike did a little "dance" on the gravel right toward the guardrail. Luckily, I have NO IDEA HOW, I managed to "dance" away from the rail and stop. In looking at the left hand curve it appears the road is banked TOWARD the guardrail to right. Not a good situation, especially for a relatively inexperienced rider.

 

[americanbadass]

I was on a ride last year and came into a curve just a little too fast. The outside wheel of my trike came off the ground and the bike did a little "dance" on the gravel right toward the guardrail. Luckily, I have NO IDEA HOW, I managed to "dance" away from the rail and stop. In looking at the left hand curve it appears the road is banked TOWARD the guardrail to right. Not a good situation, especially for a relatively inexperienced rider.

...hope you had an extra pair of undies with ya!

 

[Motogordo]

You and I are very close in equipment and practice. I just recently bought a 2005 GL1800 with a Roadsmith conversion. And I also don't like living on the edge or fly around corners, lol.

Oct.7, 2012
I have changed my tire pressures yesterday. 41/22
The ride is very good at these pressures.

Motogordo:GL1800:

 

[leo3wheel]

Great! ThumbUp

 

[Rosy]

I just spoke to Janice and asked her about leaning in curves and she said she doesn't lean at all. I have a Hannigan with IRS so in a turn both wheels are on the ground. I have heard that some solid axle trikes will "lift" a rear tire in turns, is this true?
Would anybody know if a radial tire will out perform a bias belted tire in the corners? Does a radial tire flex more than a bias belted tire in a corner?
I have taken 90 deg. corners on my trike and I use the in-out method when going in and it seems to work very well. I try and use the in-out method from the days I ran stock cars to take the corners and make the transition from corner to corner easier and smoother.
Like the "pros" said, don't hurry when you start riding a trike. Get use to the machine and all the new things about it before you start push the envelope.
Try different methods to see if you feel more comfortable with one than another, or to see which method gives you a better result.
Just because one driver does it this way, doesn't mean it will be better for you. Trike setup, tires, tire pressure, trike weight, power, and your strength will determine how you handle your trike.
Good luck.

Regards,

Rosy
From NH

 

[John Luciano]

Well Rosy. When following u I never noticed any wheel lift , but then again I was blinded by all the lights pepper

 

[Rosy]

Well Rosy. When following u I never noticed any wheel lift , but then again I was blinded by all the lights pepper

John, you were lucky I didn't have my trailer behind me or you really would have been blinded. You know what they say, you can NEVER have enough lights in the rear of a motorcycle, that may insure the cages behind you will see you! Not always true, but a good idea!

Hey, you got to give it to LEDs, they are great when you put your breaks on and they shine nice and bright!

Rear bright lights are great! ThumbUp

Regards,

Rosy

From NH

 

[Maverick]

If you have never taken one before, I would stongly recommend taking a "TRC" Trike Riders Course. You can learn an awlful lot in the classroom and then on the range.

 

[rmrc51]

If you have never taken one before, I would stongly recommend taking a "TRC" Trike Riders Course. You can learn an awlful lot in the classroom and then on the range.

I've been trying to locate that very same course and it just doesn't seem to be offered very often and definitely not in my area, unfortunately. :Shrug:

 

[Maverick]

Rich, I would contact the nearest Chapter Educator to you and hopefully he can tell where one is; or contact the District Educator for Virginia if the chapter doesn't respond; next would be the Region Educator. Iam sure there are probably alot more trike riders in the state that could use the training. Hope this helps.

 

[rmrc51]

Rich, I would contact the nearest Chapter Educator to you and hopefully he can tell where one is; or contact the District Educator for Virginia if the chapter doesn't respond; next would be the Region Educator. Iam sure there are probably alot more trike riders in the state that could use the training. Hope this helps.

I'll try again. I would really like to go through the course! ThumbUp

 

[Maverick]

Rick, Let me know how it goes with the educators. If I can help with anything, please let me know. I might have some additional info that might help you.

 

[rmrc51]

Rick, Let me know how it goes with the educators. If I can help with anything, please let me know. I might have some additional info that might help you.

Thanks Jim. I will. ThumbUp

 

[FRR]

As a new rider with only 500 miles on 3 wheels, I can tell you it sure to spooky at first. I'm okay now with right turns, but left turns still are scarey. Part of it, I'm sure, is with independent suspension that bike "leans" a little and it plays with the mind, at least it does with me. I'm sure experience will improve that mindset.

 

[MarciaG]

I had to go from SW Ohio to Knoxville, TN to take the trike rider's course. But it was sooooo worth it. It needs to be offered in all states. But I suspect it's going to take a lot more time, unfortunately. Good luck!!

MarciaG

 

[spiritdream]

I've been watching this thread pretty much since it started, and I'm now going to ask a "stupid" question....

When you talk about the inside and outside of a turn, what "side" are you actually talking about??? For example, if I'm taking a left turn/bend/twisty....it seems to me like some of you are calling the left tire side (for lack of a better description) the inside, while others seem to be calling the right tire side the inside. Which is it??

Yes, I ride a trike. Yes, I've been riding it for 5 years now. As I tell most - I ride, just not particularly well! :laugh: I know this because sharp turns, especially if I'm not stopped first, make me nervous (hence my "discomfort" with hairpins!!). My mind tells me to slow first and throttle through, but I seem to constantly battle my hands' desire to grab the throttle and brake! I'm definitely getting better, but still not particularly comfortable though. I'm ok with wide sweeps, but it gets worse the more tight the bend.

 

[Maverick]

Lets see if I can clear up "inside outside" for you. Outside is your right side and Inside is your left side if you are on the road going into a left-hand curve. It is just the opposite for a right-hand turn. Hope this helps.

 

[spiritdream]

Thanks - THAT makes sense to me! ThumbUp

 

[Konrad]

All curves, whether right or left, have a radius. The shorter radius will be the inside wheel while the longer radius will be the outside wheel.

 

[StorminNormin]

I do not have a trike yet! I haven't ridden in over 15 years due to an accident. But , my question is, based on the "inside- outside" staements above. How do you raise an "outside" wheel on a sharp turn when centrifical force is putting the weight of the trike outwards on that wheel? Just me and my mind can't grasp that one!

 

[Comanche]

Don, I've always told my wife to stay uprignt on the bike and not to lean. I want her to become part of the bike so I know how much to lean.
Is that backward to what ought to happen on a trike?
My thinking is if she leans (shifts weight) to the inside of a curve it will help hold the trike down on the inside turn. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Okie
Tulsa, Ok

Only partially correct.

Rider should shift your butt to the inside of the turn (called counter weighting) This will help keep you in the center of mass

Co rider should push back by putting your hands onyour upper thighs pushing back onto the back rest. This will gain stability for both you and the trike.


This was copied directly from the GWRRA Trike Insturctors guide

 

[Maverick]

StorminNormin, you are correct. When doing a left turn, the outside (right) wheel will not lift, but the inside (left) could. This is one of the excerise we teach in the GWRRA course. Do a hard left or right turn, gradually increase the throttle so as to lift the inside wheel. Then the instructor signals the student when the wheel is off the ground and then they let off the throttle. This "controlled" excerise allows the student to know what to expect if he ever got into that situation.

 

[MUSTANG]

Reading a lot about curves and steering with trikes. Everyone seaks highly of the 4.5 or 6 degree rake kits to improve steering and handling in "curvy" situations. How do I know which is the right addition for my situation? I have a 2002 Goldwing GL1800 with a Champion straight axle trike kit. Any experienced with either or both as to pros and cons?