Making The Switch - Bike to Trike - Great Info!

[skuuter]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

Good Stuff still rollin' in Folks....Keep em' comin'.....I just re-read this Whole Thread today.....ThumbUp

 

[wingnut]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

I installed my Champion kit on my 1994SE in 1-05. It became necassary because of bad knee's. I retired in 2-04, and the two up riding during the season of 04 wasn't fun any more. It became a case of either-or. We left home on it on 6-1-05, and returned on 7-1-05, and finished getting our western states, to complete our complete 48. This is the greatest fun investment that we have made to date, and our trusty Wing now has 132000 miles, and is ALMOST broke in. Since conversion, we have geen to Calif. 2 times, and I would not be afraid to leave for there tomorrow again, if these thunder showers stopped.ha ha I. lead several of our local rides on week-ends, and have to slow down on twisties for 2-wheelers to keep up. The Trike is the answer for a lot of people who, for health or age, want to stay in the motorcycling sport and feel safe and secure, within their limitations. LARRY

 

[jmhelm]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

rode a suzuki 500 for about 5 yrs. sold it for as part of the down payment on the house.waited nearly 30 years before bying a 250 honda rebel. ran acrossed this yamaha road star last summer. good price so i bought it. put about 500 miles on it last year. told the wife when i retired i was going to convert it to a trike. fhanks to champion that is just about done. need easy steer and possibly diferent rear seat for the wife. Good forum learning a lot!

 

[Gorilla]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

congrats on the build looks nice

 

[PhotoTriker]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

Has anyone found a slight vibration in the front end at high speeds only if you have a passenger aboard with you. I notice that yesterday doing about 70 to 75mph with the wife on the bike for the first time. When I was coming up from Phoenix to Prescott at even 85mph there where no vibrations. I do have the original front tire on the trike because it only has 5000 miles on it being it is an 08. those anyone have an idea why. Thanks

Check your front tire for Cupping.

What you can do is:
1 - Use Dyna Beads
2 - Stainless Centramatic Goldwing Wheel Balancers

By doing so you will notice a BIG difference in the ride.

 

[donjack]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

I have a 2011 Harley Tri Glide Ultra with 300 miles on it, and boo coo electronics on it (still figureing them out ), this info and advice have been outstanding. Thanks to you all for the help. 62 yr old, riding for 40 ,bad knees, first trike, so far so good.

 

[Gorilla]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

I have a 2011 Harley Tri Glide Ultra with 300 miles on it, and boo coo electronics on it (still figureing them out ), this info and advice have been outstanding. Thanks to you all for the help. 62 yr old, riding for 40 ,bad knees, first trike, so far so good.

Cool enjoy and ride on

 

[skuuter]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

I have a 2011 Harley Tri Glide Ultra with 300 miles on it, and boo coo electronics on it (still figureing them out ), this info and advice have been outstanding. Thanks to you all for the help. 62 yr old, riding for 40 ,bad knees, first trike, so far so good.

Glad the TRIKE TALK Membership helped....Enjoy Your Ride on 3, and ALWAYS stay Totally Focused.....ThumbUp :Biker:

 

[Maineiac]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

Hi Ozarkryder: I wonder if there is something wrong with me. For some reason I like a VW trike instead of a conversion trike. I had a Goldwing 2003. I bought it new in March 2004. Sold it last Feb. Now I want to build a Roadhawk VW trike. If I can buy all the supplies needed to build it. Will a Roadhawk vw trike ride better than a Runabout VW trike. I once owned a small VW trike a few years ago and I liked it. Am I crazy for wanting another trike? Arnold

 

[Nana]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

Maineiac, there is absolutely NOTHING wrong with that wish for another VW trike! They are amazing and unique and wonderful, and if that style is your style --- go for it!

 

[Ozarkryder]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

Hi Ozarkryder: I wonder if there is something wrong with me. For some reason I like a VW trike instead of a conversion trike. I had a Goldwing 2003. I bought it new in March 2004. Sold it last Feb. Now I want to build a Roadhawk VW trike. If I can buy all the supplies needed to build it. Will a Roadhawk vw trike ride better than a Runabout VW trike. I once owned a small VW trike a few years ago and I liked it. Am I crazy for wanting another trike? Arnold

Not crazy at all. We dearly miss The Blue Trike, a TrikeShop Runabout. It was a hot rod, and great fun. Always came home with a trophy at shows. Served well for about 10 years. We now do distance riding, not unusual to be out 8 to 10 hours for Saturday or Sunday rides, and we regularly tour, logging 500 to 700 miles a day. The Goldwing is a great distance platform, but do we ever miss the VW trike. You might want to get in touch with the Trike Shop either in Florida (Dick & Helen, the originators of the T.S., "retired" to Daytona) or the Trike Shop in Minnesota (Doug, Dick & Helen's son runs the business now).
They may have a Runabout or Roadhawk for sale, or know of one available.
BTW -I would probably go with a Roadhawk if possible. More modern styling, about a foot longer in the middle than the Runabout, newer design in the suspension and drivetrain, etc. Whatever you decide, have fun!

 

[skuuter]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

Nice Built VW Trikes are always FUN.....ThumbUp

 

[bojo38]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

I have been riding trikes sine the early 70s that makes almost 40 years of trike riding. Have had many close calls and some times it scared the crap out of me. I started with a VW trike I built in the early 70s and had to have wheelie bars on the back because it seems like it was on the hind wheels as much as all three but then I liked to show off a little LOL. It is very hard to take off on a steep hill without ir wanting to rare up and if you had a passenger it was worse so I had wheelie wheels on the back bumper. I then built the second VW trike and had a canopy over the back and that was a good wind catcher so had to compensate for trucks on the freeway and worse yet on two lane roads. It had a tendency to pull me into the truck. Also when riding a VW trike you cannot power into the corner because if you do the front wheel will skip or at least mine did. You always wanted to apply the front brake just a little to get some more weight on the front wheel.

With a heavy v8 trike you need to power through the corner so you need to slow down before the corner if you think you are going to fast then hit the power and it will help ou make the corner. It will take some of the weight off the front wheel and make the bike turn better. The v8 trikes will go at least 150 miles per hour so always keep that in mind and a friend of mine that has one says he has had his up to 170 MPH. Looking to die early or something? My trike weighs about 1800 lbs with close to 800 lbs on the front wheel.

Always keep in mind the car in front of you if they hit the brakes you are a lot wider than your 2 wheeler so it makes it harder to squeeze by in a narrow space. You might be able to miss the car in front with the front wheel but the back wheel will get them unless you swing a little wider.

Here is my web site address just in case you want to see how I built my last 2 trikes. I will be posting pictures of what I am doing on my new trike in the near future as soon as I get far enough along on it to make it interesting.
Home of Triker Bill :blahblah: enough for today.

 

[tryker55]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

This is my first season with my Motortrike converson,my conversion was my 2006 H.D. Electra-Glide with the IRS Gladiator kit. I am from the Buffalo N.Y. area and our riding season is generally from mid March to November. This season was always a learning ride each time out. The hardest thing to get used too was the turning, no more leaning , it is now a push - pull technique. Throttle control and Clutch control was diffrent to me in the pressure used. Right turns were shorter than left turns. I learned in left turns to go to second gear sooner into the turn. As far as the new width of the trike it is true, you cant see the whole rear end and my mirrors are 5 inch stems. I put as small label on my dash saying 5 foot wide to remind me at gas pumps. Also at dips in driveways or the curved road curbs,go into them on an angle or you may bottom out.Also try to ride in the middle of the roadway,go slow into turns and then power through them. Other than all of this I must say this has been the most exciting,fun and safety on the road feeling that me and my better half have had in many,many years!! For all those who are thinking about the change and conversion or purchase I say Go FOR IT, you will be glad you did year after year after year.

 

[americanbadass]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

This thread is fantastic for beginners and those thinking about getting one! Thanks to all who posted.:Trike1::Trike1:

 

[GARYD]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

I just bought a 2012 Tri Glide 2 weeks ago - traded in my 2010 Limited. It wasn't that big a deal changing over to the trike.
The one thing I have noticed since getting it is it's a lot better hitting a manhole cover or pot hole with the front wheel instead of either rear wheel.
Way less body shake that way.
The one thing I still have problems with is turning and pulling in the clutch to shift at the same time.
Still learning on making sharper turns then what I'm doing now. I keep picturing the front end snapping off.

 

[Nana]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

Sounds like you are coming along well with it, Gary! Keep riding a bit every day, and suddenly you will find you are handling the steering naturally...... and grinning like all the rest of us! LOL!
Try taking the trike to a large empty parking lot and doing figure eights over and over again! You will find that a sharp u-turn is actually easier on a trike than on two wheels.

 

[GARYD]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

At slower speeds I don't have a problem turning, but at higher speeds it seems to want to plow straight ahead instead of turning. I really have to push/pull the handlebars quite a bit. I'm going to keep practicing and I already have a big grin on my face.

This is how I look in the higher speed sharp turns = :AGGHH:

 

[adaptolife]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

If you are thinking of moving from a 2 to 3 wheeler, consider looking at Retract-a-Trike or Ghost Wheels. Both units hold your bike while stopped or driving around the parking lot, but allow full 2 wheel riding while on the road. Handling on the curves is just like your 2 wheeler. I have used Ghost Wheels for 5 years, and I had many trike riders eating their hearts out.

 

[skuuter]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

At slower speeds I don't have a problem turning, but at higher speeds it seems to want to plow straight ahead instead of turning. I really have to push/pull the handlebars quite a bit. I'm going to keep practicing and I already have a big grin on my face.

This is how I look in the higher speed sharp turns = :AGGHH:

It will finally come to You, just keep practicing.....Look as Far through the curve as You can in the twisties. This applies to 2-wheelers too, "but" I've found it really lightens the steering on Trikes...also takes less cut..."Try It, You'll Like It".....ThumbUp

 

[GARYD]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

The faster I go the more it wants to push the tire sideways. What's the fastest anyone has taken a normal street corner turn?

 

[ray4ausa]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

Great "tips" from seasoned riders. I am a new member and a "seasoned rider" of many different brands of two wheelers. I switched to 3 because of knee transplants and the inability to trust my knees during stopping procedures. I triked out my 95 Harley FLHTC when she had 78,000 miles on her, now she has 107,000. All totaled I have over 300,000 miles of riding experiences AND I CAN SAY IT HAS BEEN FANTASTIC. My wife rides her own 07 Harley FXST and has had numerous brands but she will ride only Harley's after her 81 Wide Glide days. I can attest to the fact that riding a trike has many advantages and I love every one of them.

 

[lasso]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

Well there is some great advice here. So let me share my first experience on a trike. Its a 1987 Suzuki Cavalcade 1400cc. It had a hack-job for outriggers, bought it like that. The first morning I rode it to work, first time I rode it period. Everything was going great, no problems at all. Running about 70 in a 55. Came into a good curve with very little bank, way to fast. The inside tire started to lift up (solid axles). Not knowing what to do, I gassed it. Mind you, I'm already running about 70. Went over the hi-side embankment, onto a cotton field turn-row. Rode down the turn-row to a road then back out to continue again. Moral of the story, solid-axles, slow-down in a curve, if the inside tire starts to lift, slow-down. Since this incident, it now has a hand-made outrigger kit with independent suspension, got somewhere near 500 miles on it, with no problems whatsoever.

 

[trog.2000]

Re: How are trikes different from bikes?

I was having sever knee/ankle/hip problems so I triked my Harley Ultra in 05. Within a week I know it was the best move I could have made to keep riding. No more balancing on slopes with my wife on the back or worries about bad road conditions or soft shoulders. The only time you put your feet down is to get off. If I had not triked I would probably not be riding anymore. We have just completed a 7k road trip and do many week long trips that I would not have been able to do on two wheels.

 

[tryker55]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

I have 1 year riding as a tryker, after having my HD Dresser converted to a Motortrike IRS. What was stated in the previous posts are true about this diffrent style of riding. At first it took some getting used too, turning was very diffrent (esp) left turns they take longer. Pulling up to or next something is always something to remember as the results can be heart breaking and embarassing. I found treating my ride like a car was easiest to do. You will lose some power in your ride,(esp) 2-up,also gain extra heat of your engine that may end up on your passenger.That all said I can say without hesitation,that this has been the greatest riding season for me and my better half we have had together. The feeling of comfort,stability and safety on the open road is tremendous.Become a triker now not a biker anymore, you won't look back except in your mirrors.

 

[harvey]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

Very good answers. I agree with some and not with others. that is just personal, what works for you may not work for someone else. I have somewhere between 300-400 k on trikes. The only thing that I can truthfully add here without repeating Is a factor of experienced and non experienced two wheel riders. I hane built 40-50 trikes for other people. A veteran bike rider sometimes is harder to convert to three wheels than a person with no riding experience at all. I mean no ofence and offer apologies ahead of time. Two wheelers with any years of riding are cut into counter steer and lean. The hardest mental part is to get away from that and point the front tire where you want to go.. I have had some experienced riders say I can handle the trike and the first thing that happens Is the counter steer and lean right thru mt flower beds. This is a very mental thing to be aware of. I ride both 2&3 wheels and have no problem switching fron oe to te other. I hope this helps someone.

 

[Marv1]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

New here and getting ready to purchase my first trike. Never rode and for that fact only a bike a few times also and thats been 12 some years ago. Looking forward though to having the wife ride along and shes excited which is a good thing. So am I better knowing nothing and starting on the trike ? Sounds if I may be. Whats the best tip for a newbie all the way around on riding a trike with zero experience on riding at all ? :Excited:

 

[Ozarkryder]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

Marv1 axes: Whats the best tip for a newbie all the way around on riding a trike with zero experience on riding at all ?

Well, you are in the right place. Go to the beginning of this thread and read it through. Lot of good info here. Second, if there is trike training course in your area, take it. When you get the trike remember confidence and proficiency come with experience.

 

[Marv1]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

Thanks have read thru a couple times, good stuff. I checked no classes here for trikes..

 

[Aussie Annie]

re: Experienced Trike Riders - Please post here.

What trike are you getting Go to that thread on this forum and learn all you can about that trike, and how it handles. Pick the brains of the owners of that model.... that's what they are here for
I have learnt so much about my H-D Ultra trike by just reading the threads in here
Thank you everyone :10: