New to trikes, have questions

[Lee and Evelyn]

Hey folks,

I'm new to this forum so please be patient with my dumb questions. I am up for retirement soon and my wife and I are planning on seeing the US in our Volvo 610 semi-tractor/motorhome conversion, pulling a large 5th wheel R/V. The bed on my puller has plenty of room to carry a trike crossways just behind the cab but the trike can't legally exceed 102" in length. I could get by with a little over 102" by turning the front wheel all the way to one side when it is parked on the truck.

I've ridden dirt bikes, street bikes, ATCs (three wheelers), ATVs, etc, for many years but never a trike. I need something that we can both comfortably ride on short trips, with storage compartments, that will be relatively safe and easy to operate. (we are a little long in the tooth to be sliding across pavement)

Any advise as to make, model, straight axle or independent? We are not interested drag racing we just want to cruise around.

Thanks for any information you can provide that might narrow my search for a trike.

Lee

 

[Nana]

We warmly welcome you both to TrikeTalk! What a great set up you have there . You will love the trike -- whatever you choose to get.
NOTE: no sincere questions is considered "dumb" here! We all love triking, and are delighted to help others fall in love with it too.

 

[katfish16]

Lee, welcome to the forum... I follow the HDT forum on Escapees also. so I know what kind of rig U are talking about.. But others here don't so U might want to post some pictures, we also love pictures here.. As far as the trike U can raise the front wheel to keep it within ur length if U have to. That way it is up not out..... Also as stated above there are many great trike kit manf. out there just find the one that fits U and ur co=rider... Best of luck and don't be afraid to ask questions... We have the toyhauler set up to carry our trike in and would love to have something like U are setting up...
Keep us posted..... I see U R looking into the smart car also.......

 

[skuuter]

WELCOME to TRIKE TALK....nope, no question is dumb here. Any help that Anyone can get helps get em' get hooked on the World of Trikes. Good Luck on Your quest for findin' the perfect Trike for Your needs. Please post some Pics of Your Tour Rig.....:wtg:

 

[Lee and Evelyn]

Steve and Cathy,

Thanks for the reply. The folks on the Escapees HDT site have been very helpful and have a ton of knowledge to share. The bed on my toter is coming along and I am building it with a Smart car or trike in mind. I originally planned on just hauling two ATVs on the back of the toter but we decided that having an alternative mode of STREET LEGAL transportation for day trips, sight seeing, etc, would add to the overall experience.

The Smart car is pretty popular among the HDT folks because it is the only car that will fit across the back of the bed. As you observed, I have been doing as much research as possible on the Smart car and I had not thought of a trike until a few days ago when I saw my sister and brother in law's new trike. It's a big BMW and they love it. But it is LONG. While the Smart will provide all weather transportation and fit on my rig, I really like the thought of cruising around on a motorcycle but with the added stability of three wheels. The last thing I want to do is lay a motorcycle down with my wife on the back.

As soon as I get a little further along on my HDT (heavy duty truck) project I will try to post some pictures. For anyone on this forum that is interested in travelling the country with a 5th wheel RV AND your trike, take a look at the Escapees HDT site for pictures of rigs and ask questions of the forum members.

Thanks again to all for the responses and please forward any ideas ya'll have as to the best trike options for our situation.

Lee

 

[John Luciano]

I don't know the length of the Spyder but you could consider it.
http://spyder.brp.com/SpyderMY09/CMSResource.ashx/spyder.brp.com/en-US/See/specs-RT.pdf
It will fit perfectly looks like 106" in length

 

[katfish16]

Lee, make sure U pass on this web site to ur realtives that just got the trike, it might help them also...

 

[Gorilla]

Hey folks,

I'm new to this forum so please be patient with my dumb questions. I am up for retirement soon and my wife and I are planning on seeing the US in our Volvo 610 semi-tractor/motorhome conversion, pulling a large 5th wheel R/V. The bed on my puller has plenty of room to carry a trike crossways just behind the cab but the trike can't legally exceed 102" in length. I could get by with a little over 102" by turning the front wheel all the way to one side when it is parked on the truck.

I've ridden dirt bikes, street bikes, ATCs (three wheelers), ATVs, etc, for many years but never a trike. I need something that we can both comfortably ride on short trips, with storage compartments, that will be relatively safe and easy to operate. (we are a little long in the tooth to be sliding across pavement)

Any advise as to make, model, straight axle or independent? We are not interested drag racing we just want to cruise around.

Thanks for any information you can provide that might narrow my search for a trike.

Lee

Welcome aboard. Some conversions are longer than others. The companies will have the lenghts listed in their specs. I ride a HD Road Glide with a Champion conversion. Straight axle. 5 degree of rake. Rake will make a difference in the overall length also. Good luck

 

[Big_Steve]

You were saying you want to scoot around, but not long over the road trips. The trike in my picture below is a Honda VTX 1300 with a motortrike kit. It's stable and has enough power for 2 up. It's light enough that if you have normal upper body strength, you don't need a rake. I don't think I would go any smaller then 1300 cc.

It does check in at 105 inches though. I would think it would lose 3 inches if the front end was hard over but I can't check it right now. Let me know if you want me to measure that.

 

[Lee and Evelyn]

Big Steve,

Thanks for the offer to measure your trike. I would greatly appreciate it. There are so many options out there on the web that I get a little lost when trying to compare features and prices that I think will work for us.

Once the overall length issue is resolved I will have to look at ride comfort for both of us for day trips, no long rides anticipated (thats what the HDT is for) and enough cargo space for a trip to the local adult beverage vendor/minor grocery shopping. I have been reading the various conversion company ads about the rear axle suspension and each side says theirs' is the best. Any thoughts on straight axle vs independent? As in all things in life there are trade offs. I just want to make an informed decision.

Your trike is very sharp looking by the way.

Thanks

Lee

 

[Lee and Evelyn]

Will do Katfish

The internet age is a wonderful thing. There is enough information at our fingertips, provided by people that truly know what they are talking about, to fill a lifetime of "learning the hard way".

Thanks again

Lee

 

[Big_Steve]

Motortrike says the 1300 VTX trike is 105" A quick measure of mine came up 106" But I'm by myself this morning, and just have a tape measure, I could easily be off an inch. I was able to accurately measure the difference with the front wheel hard over though. It loses 2 inches when hard over. I'm not raked. If you rake it, it will be longer. If push comes to shove, you could leave off the back bumper (??) move the license plate, and trim the exhaust tips to shorten the trike up just a tad (2 3/4 more inches.) Would be a lot easier to just buy a shorter kit if someone makes one.

Motortrike makes 1300 VTX trikes at their factory, and sell them through dealers. Motor Trike® look for a link about trikes for sale.

As far as comfort for day trips. The stock seat is horrible. 20 miles and I couldn't get off fast enough. You WILL need an upgraded seat. I spent a lot of money on a Mustang seat. It's a big improvement, but not enough compared to the cost. I also need risers since I changed the seat. Haven't gotten around to getting them yet. Once you change the seat out, you should be good for a couple hour ride, time off, then a ride back. I could probably handle a long trip on mine, but not the passenger.

This is the only trike I've ever ridden. Can't compare suspensions. It handles great by myself. I don't like the handling 2 up. I've played with countless combinations of air bag, shock presets and tire pressures to find something that's okay. It's not dangerous, just not a performer 2 up.

 

[Loner]

Lee,

You're not alone in looking at the length of a trike so it will fit crossways on an RV - for my similar project you might want to look at my forum post at http://www.triketalk.com/forum/trailers-campers-toyhaulers/4671-who-says-you-cant-take-you.html. My HD Streetglide with a Voyager kit installed comes in at 100-1/2" (I was targeting 96"), with the slight overhang (still inside the mirrors and legal) on the passenger side.

We load the HD, lift it, and then tow our Saturn SUV behind that. I'm sure with your research you'll come up with an intriguing rig.

 

[Lee and Evelyn]

Loner

Way cool lift system you have! You have discovered a way to have your "cake" and eat it too. It's amazing how things tend to take on a life of their own. I started out thinking all I wanted was just my Volvo toter and a big 5th wheel trailer. The trailer for fulltime living and the toter for overnight side trips and daily driving. So I rigged the toter with double bunks, refrig., microwave, porta potty, inverter/battery charger, and shore power hook up. Nice short wheelbase and a simple bed deck. Done, right? No. Then I decided I wanted to haul my two ATVs along so the simple deck got stretched. Then I thought about quick trips to town without having drive the toter and then, and then, and then.....

Anyway, thanks for the info on your trike and link to your post. It looks like you have it all in one rig. Nice job!

Lee

 

[Lee and Evelyn]

Big Steve

Thanks for the measurements. I think that length of trike will work. My toter bed is 102" wide so at 103" or 104" with the front wheel hard over, centered on the bed, 1/2" to 1" on either side would not even be noticable and would not block my mirrors.

You said your trike didn't handle as well 2 up. What does it do with a copilot on board as opposed to when you are solo?

Thanks

Lee

 

[Big_Steve]

Big Steve

Thanks for the measurements. I think that length of trike will work. My toter bed is 102" wide so at 103" or 104" with the front wheel hard over, centered on the bed, 1/2" to 1" on either side would not even be noticable and would not block my mirrors.

You said your trike didn't handle as well 2 up. What does it do with a copilot on board as opposed to when you are solo?

Thanks

Lee

By myself with the suspension set pretty rigid I can fly around curves as fast as I want (within reason.) It leans a lot around corners with a passenger, so that makes me back off, which I probably should be doing anyway.

 

[jim peacock]

I have a couple of questions.
How much space do you have between the back of your cab and the hitch on your fifth wheel.
I have a 96 1500 with with a 06 a 06 lehman kit and it is fifty six inches wide,also how are you going to get the trike on and off your truck as most trikes weigh over a thousand pounds.
As for as length my trike with a four and a half degree rake kit,from the front of the front wheel to the very back of the trike is 108 inches and this is pretty much how long most of them or,there are some that are a little longer and one like the hannagan are even wider.
I would highly recomend you take a tape measure and go were there are some trikes and measure them.
I would hate to see you go out and spend a lot of money for something and then find out it will not work.
It sounds to me like you are dealing with a limted space.
If you want a softer ride go with a irs kit.
Lots of luck.

 

[Lee and Evelyn]

Jim,

When I finally decided I would like an alternative form of transportation riding on the back of my toter, I started looking at options. I found that as street legal 4 wheel vehicles go, the Smart is the only thing out there that will fit crossways. With that in mind I followed some good advise from other HDT folks and I allowed 65" from the rear edge of the wing farings on the cab for a Smart (or trike) and an additional 56" to the center of the 5th wheel hitch plate. This should allow the 5th wheel to make at least a 90 degree turn without coming into contact with the car. I have measured the overall width, from the outside edges of the fiberglass, on two different trikes and both were well under 65" wide (but both were way too long). Both length and width are something I have to keep in mind when looking at the different trike conversions on the market.

As to loading a trike onto the bed there are several different ways to go about it. Some folks use drive-on hydrolic loaders, somewhat similar to the mechanism used to pick up a trash dumpster, for loading their big motorcycles/ATVs. Some use a swing arm and wench. Most of those who have a Smart use a set of heavy duty folding aluminum ramps, 12' or longer and arched in the middle to provide less breakover angle, and either drive up the ramps onto the bed (a little scary to me), or use an electric wench (much safer) mounted on the far side of the bed, and slowly pull the vehicle up the ramps. There are a number of different widths of ramps on the market that can be hooked together to make one wide ramp.

Lee

 

[Lee and Evelyn]

From what I have gathered from you folks on this forum and from reading the specs from different conversion companies, it seems the VTX 1300 and the various HD FL models are the shortest overall length 1300+ cc motorcycles available for full luggage compartment trike conversions.

I'm talking about straight OEM motorcycles converted to trikes, without additional rake or custom frame mods. Am I wrong here? Still trying to narrow my search down to trikes that have a chance of working for me.

Thanks

Lee