Motortrike driveline question

[Jimsjinx]

Can the front OEM Honda U-Joint be rebuilt? If so, I noticed the "cups" are swedged in place, instead of using a circlip. Can this be done? I have a deceleration vibration that also starts at 70MPH. I suspect the front U-Joint, cause I can get some movement when I grasp the front U-Joint and shake it. jimsjinx

 

[3W-lonerider]

we have had quite a few try to rebuild that u-joint on the valkyries..so far nobody has succeded so my guestimation would be no. and forget going to the dealer for one..they are on back order till feb. or more.
as far as the front joint goes..i can shake mine to. but it's the yokes on the shaft with the play. not the joint.. might wanna check that. if it is in deed the yokes and not the joint then i'd suspect your joint is not properly aligned.

 

[Jimsjinx]

Could you elaborate a bit? Thanks jimsjimx

 

[Jimsjinx]

I did the "one tooth off" deal a year ago, when I had the shaft out for moly 60 grease application. I got the instructions here. Seems I just can't get rid of that vibration. I can get it to change, but not go away 100%. I'm stumped. jimsjinx

 

[Jimsjinx]

My concern is the ladderbars. I found the nose of the differential to be pointing too high. I tried to move the two top hiems IN, to lower the nose down a tad, but they are SOOO tight, I can't turn em in or out without possibly snapping one of them off. The diagonal crossbar is almost hitting the rear ford U-Joint. Don't look right to me. I'm fearing an unexpected failure of the driveshaft. This vibration is NOT the Honda bike underneath all this. It's always been the trike part that gives me a headache! jimsjinx

 

[chaz_36]

Jim
MT techs say to only advance the timing one notch if it is retarded eg., not aligned. Some can be perfectly aligned so advancing is not necessary.
Charlie

 

[Chumbly]

My concern is the ladderbars. I found the nose of the differential to be pointing too high. I tried to move the two top hiems IN, to lower the nose down a tad, but they are SOOO tight, I can't turn em in or out without possibly snapping one of them off. The diagonal crossbar is almost hitting the rear ford U-Joint.

Not trying to sound trite here, but you are backing off the lock nuts before trying to turn in the hiem joints...right? If so, perhaps the threads are beginning to strip out... just thinking here. I had the opposite problem with my installation- the nose of the rear end was too low, IMO. Chumbly-

 

[Jimsjinx]

On the right side where the front diagonal brace hiem is, I found a goofy looking spacer to raise the bar enough to clear the rear u-joint. and only on that end. Plus, you can see where the joint has struck the diagonal bar before.

 

[3W-lonerider]

I did the "one tooth off" deal a year ago, when I had the shaft out for moly 60 grease application. I got the instructions here. Seems I just can't get rid of that vibration. I can get it to change, but not go away 100%. I'm stumped. jimsjinx

i tried that one tooth off deal on mine awhile back to..and had a vibration tore it back apart and lined them up and no vibration afterwards. as far as greasing goes i remove my drive shaft every 5000 miles and grease the splines. you could install your own grease fitting in the yokes. just drill the hole tap it and install the grease zerk. but the only problem i would have with that is. i like having grease on all of my splines not just one side. my front u-joint has 141,000 miles on it and is showing no signs of looseness in the joint itself. i think that is mainly due to me greasing the splines on a regular basis and not letting the splines dry to wear out the yokes and letting it vibrate. i'm not easy on my trike either..iv'e raced crotch rockets up mountain passes, pull hole shots occasionally. you said that you've hit the diagonal bar with the drive shaft already, how much air are you keeping in those bags. i run mine at 40 psi and never hit that bar. even ran them at 20 psi till i could get somewhere to get air and never hit that bar. i'm beginning to wonder if that trike is even set up properly.

when i had my kit installed i had mine back to the dealer 3 times and told him it was'nt right..their responce was your not used to a trike and theres nothing wrong with it. well that winter i tore the body off and found so many screwups with it it was pathetic. called the dealer and told him everything i found wrong with his install..he did'nt want to hear it..called motortrike and had a lenthy conversation with them..when it came right down to it..they did'nt want to hear it either..so as far as i'm concerned i will NEVER buy another motor trike..but thats beside the point..the point i'm trying to make is..if your kit was profesionally installed..it may not have been set up properly but you riding it as long as you have you might not know any better..i'm not trying to sound harsh or point fingers but i think you have more going on than just a vibrating u-joint.

 

[Jimsjinx]

I absolutely 100% agree with you. I have had a terrible time with this damned thing. I'm about to get rid of it. I have been wrenching on it since day 1. Whoever set this up was an idiot. Too many screwups tp mention here, but I,too, will NEVER EVEN CONSIDER a Motortrike. The factory authorizes these "installers", but won't back anything up. The factory is no help, EVER! I did some hiem joint jockeying today, and got the driveline quieted down. I wonder what Adventure would charge me to realign everything? Still trying to get it right, but I'm burnt out on it. I run it as hard as I can (40-45#) 2 up. The new Superbrace made the front end solid, but that hiem joint hell is amplified now. I did a few hole shots (kinda), and the diff don't hit the diagonal bar now. jimsjinx

 

[3W-lonerider]

i'd say..if you could find someone that knows motortrike inside and out..that can set that thing up the way it should be..that would be the end of your problems..i love mine since iv'e gotten it straightened out. but the fact remains i will never purchase another motortrike product. good luck buddy..if i lived closer i'd have a look at it for ya..i'm sure i could get it straightened out..

 

[Gorilla]

I absolutely 100% agree with you. I have had a terrible time with this damned thing. I'm about to get rid of it. I have been wrenching on it since day 1. Whoever set this up was an idiot. Too many screwups tp mention here, but I,too, will NEVER EVEN CONSIDER a Motortrike. The factory authorizes these "installers", but won't back anything up. The factory is no help, EVER! I did some hiem joint jockeying today, and got the driveline quieted down. I wonder what Adventure would charge me to realign everything? Still trying to get it right, but I'm burnt out on it. I run it as hard as I can (40-45#) 2 up. The new Superbrace made the front end solid, but that hiem joint hell is amplified now. I did a few hole shots (kinda), and the diff don't hit the diagonal bar now. jimsjinx

Jim CALL RANDY

 

[2fromTX]

Speaking of driveline vibration,I noticed today on our way home from Albuquerque that we get a very noticeable decel vibration when cresting hills with the cruise set.

If I control the throttle and maintain our normal 70 mph,not much of a decel vibe

Had a brand new u-joint installed in the bike the day we bought it,could we already be needing another one??

We have logged 10,000 miles since buying her ('00 GL1500 w/Motor Trike conversion)

Thanx in advance

 

[Papa Zook]

Jim,
Call me and we'll set up a time to go through your trike and get it straightened out. Motor Trike builds a good conversion and if installed properly and maintained the owners are very happy with them. Its hard for the factories to QC an installers poor work.
Randy

 

[3W-lonerider]

Jim,
Call me and we'll set up a time to go through your trike and get it straightened out. Motor Trike builds a good conversion and if installed properly and maintained the owners are very happy with them. Its hard for the factories to QC an installers poor work.
Randy

glad you are going to try and get him straightened out..as far as QC from the factory they sure as hell don't show it. when i called them about my installer i was very polite and proceded to tell them my experience. and about how they had to use 3 people to twist a trunk on a gl1800 to get it to line up with the bolt holes to mount it on a conversion they were doing when i was there..i personally talked to the prez of motortrike about sending them a letter to have them retrained. his response was " they are one of our best dealers " mainly because they install 50 kits per year not because they knew what they were doing.

 

[kj5ix]

No one mentioned it and very few ever think of it: Try re balancing your rear tires. Also take a peek at this:

http://www.junkmaster.com/kj5ix/MTServiceManual.pdf

 

[Jimsjinx]

Thanks KJ, I've gone through every step in that manual over the last 3 years, short of tearing the rear body off for a re do. jimsjinx

 

[tfdeputydawg]

I would certainly allow Bazooka to take of it!

 

[kj5ix]

Looking back at your original description; it may be time to call MT and order a drive shaft, and forward U coupler w/spring. I just not to long ago had to do that on a 2+2 that was developing the same issue. There was a slight shudder on letting off the gas, and I could wiggle the front with noticeable movement. Changed out the whole thing and all was good 74K on that one. I cant remember the exact cost but think it was some where around $150, Give Richard a call at MT.

 

[roscoe 07]

do yall have vibration in mirrors at certain speed.i put new tire on front with dynabeads no different

 

[roscoe 07]

on my 07 motortrike kit with independant suspension my front yoke has play where the shaft slides in ,it only uses about 3/4 inch of splinse i dont think that is enough what is yalls opinion

 

[roscoe 07]

i think my driveshaft is too short on trike it has play where the splines go in to joint .can slide it in further and the wiggle goes away 979-798-9360

 

[Rex Slye]

Probably would be best, if you replace the front yoke, to get the new one with a grease fitting. Last I knew the price was right at $120.00. IMO there are several good trike kits and the last straw is the installer. If you get a bad job done you will know about what misery is. I could tell you a nice horror story about mine but I won't. There is nothing wrong with a M/T kit IMO. Take the offer above and get it checked out. You also mentioned a lot of grief with it for awhile. The last I knew the kit has a 3 year, 60,000 mile warranty and you can take it to any authorized M/T dealer. Hope you get it right. P.S. I don't want to discourage you but tell you all the issues on mine were taken care of and it's solid as a rock now and all is not lost with yours either.

 

[Rex Slye]

i think my driveshaft is too short on trike it has play where the splines go in to joint .can slide it in further and the wiggle goes away 979-798-9360

Mine could stand to go in just a little bit further also IMO. It has a very small amount of play installed but like yours it could probably go in a little more and it does tighten up totally. Bottoming it out though with rear suspension movement would most likely produce catastrophic results. One thing I noticed when I first lubed mine was the tension spring can slide down the drive shaft and affect the tension on the front U-joint yoke. Not good at all. I machined a washer on the lathe which would barely, and I mean barely, slide over the front drive shaft splines and about 1/8 inch larger OD than the spring. When it hits the solid part of the shaft there's no way it will go any further towards the rear end therefore maintaining the tension on the front u-joint.

 

[roscoe 07]

FRONT YOKE WENT OUT AT LESS THAN 2000 MILES 3rd YOKE IN 13000 MILES .SHAFT IS TO SHORT WAITING TO HEAR FROM MOTORTRIKE