Rake Q & A

[O'le Guy]

Re: How much rake on a Trike

I found a cool computer trick a couple of years ago..if you want to place a degree symbol on a post, hold the ALT button and type 248 on the keyboard..6° , 4.5° etc.

 

[trikes4ever]

Re: How much rake on a Trike

Having racked up some miles on the Frank triked Deuce, I can report that the 5 deg trees work very well. Minimal steering effort and rock steady at all speeds - can take hands off the bars at 70 and she tracks straight as an arrow. No vibrations anywhere. The only 'instability' is at crawling speed on rough roads or parking lots - but I've not tightened the stem bolt would help with this if it bothered me - which it doesn't. Looking into the Seeger now - I can't see my front wheel .

 

[John Luciano]

Re: How much rake on a Trike

6° 4÷ i guess 246 is divide Wow ⌡ 5÷2 = 2.5 never could do that either cool 6° I love it.

 

[Konrad]

Re: How much rake on a Trike

Will someone kindly explain "fall-away" for me, please.

 

[trikes4ever]

Re: How much rake on a Trike

Simple answer: Resistance (or lack thereof) to turning created by tightening (or loosening) the tension of the neck bearings on the races, adjusted with the fork stem bolt.

 

[grumpy]

Front Tire, Rake & Handling

Fairly new here, so didn't know if new posts to old threads would "bump" or not. Have been reading about these subjects and thought I would throw in my .02. I have a '99 Valkyrie I/S with a Triwing conversion. Approximately 21K on the Trike, 79K total. Curb weight is 1200 lbs, with 380 lbs on the front axle and 820 lbs on the rear.

When I first did the conversion, I left the original front, a Dunlop E3 on. Not a good choice! It is still in my garage with about 3K miles left on it. (Maybe somebody riding a Valk will need it someday & I can give it to them) I replaced that with a BT 021 radial rear reversed. 15K miles and it is pretty much worn out. It cupped badly and had high speed balance issues. Eventually figured out it had a bad belt. Second replacement is a Macadam 50 rear reversed. After approx 5K miles, it has worn 1/32" out of a useable 6/32". I can feel the difference in handling between the two, with the Bias being better.

I also did not initially install a raked tree. Another bad choice! I now have an 8*, yes 8, raked tree. Pretty much like power steering. No 'twitchy" feel at any speeds. I have run 650 mile days on all types of roads with no fatigue issues from the steering.

I ride mostly in the mountains, two up, and have no problem "keeping up". I usually run the posted speed limit to 5 over on any road I am on. I find that the machine is just fine running a "constant" line through the curves. Just power through the curve and no problem. Only time I need to really set up a line is if I am really pushing it through hard twisties.

So that has been my experience so far and I hope it is useful info for someone here. Stan

 

[Saltywheels]

Re: Front Tire, Rake & Handling

How did you manage an 8* rake? I've got a 04 GL with a 4.5* rake but would love to rake it out that much. Not even sure I can!

 

[1550vt]

Re: Front Tire, Rake & Handling

What is the parking lot turning radius on an 8-inch rake. Can you turn it around in the middle of a two-lane road? I just ask because going back to my chopper days with a long-neck bike...I could hardly turn the thing around in a Cracker Barrel parking lot. I am sure it handles very well going down the road.

 

[grumpy]

Re: Front Tire, Rake & Handling

Don't know the turning radius, but maybe can get that for you in a day or so, weather permitting. Yes, it will turn around on most two lanes. Stan

 

[Saltywheels]

Re: Front Tire, Rake & Handling

Skuuter: That's interesting to know. I do a lot of twisties, but I do a lot more of Interstate riding. And not just at 70 mph either Glad you brought that up. Maybe the 4 1/2* I got right now ain't that bad after all! Thks for the heads-up. That's why I love this Forum ThumbUp

 

[grumpy]

Re: Front Tire, Rake & Handling

1550 vt: Finally got warm enough to go for a ride today. The turning circle on my trike is 27' outside to outside of rear wheel. Wheelbase is 76" ceter of front contact patch to center of rear axle. Hope that helps. Stan

 

[shadow]

Re: Front Tire, Rake & Handling

Ok whats the difference, pros and cons of a 4 degree, 6 degree and a 8 degree rake , why would I want an 8 degree over a 6 or 4

 

[John Luciano]

Re: Front Tire, Rake & Handling

The higher the # the easier it is to turn , If you ride a round town 6 ( I didn't even know they made an 8) or 8 is nice , Also gerat on the twisty back roads..... BUT if you like to cruise at 70+ MPH the 6 or 8 will be a little tricky. think of a car with very sensitive power steering . in the late 70's my uncle had a Buick that if you took your eyes off the road for a sec you were in the ditch . The slightest wheel movement changed direction of the car it was a constant readjust

 

[grumpy]

Re: Front Tire, Rake & Handling

John, not meaning to be argumentative here, but my '99 Valkyrie I/S Trike with the 8* rake is very stable at 70+ on the highway. I have ridden "hands off" for as much as 1/2 mile with very little drift, certainly no more than would be caused by the crown of the road. I think the important thing here is the combination of the rake/trail/wheelbase/rear track of the individual machine. Like skuuter siad, "8 degrees is a lot on a Gold Wing Trike.....I rode a 6 degree and didn't like it at high speeds. It was great in twisties, but down the Straight highways/Interstate I was basically correcting it as it wandered around. Every 5 mph over 70 got worse. How/Why I settled on 4.5 degrees....just another 2 cents. The Valks and VTXs have different Wheelbase/Rake/Trail numbers to start with than a Gold Wing....." 8* may be too much on some/most trikes, but works great on mine. Stan

 

[Chumbly]

Re: Front Tire, Rake & Handling

I have the 6 degree on my VTX... I'm finding the feedback on the bars to be very vague...the steering very loose... if I look back while riding at highway speed, the steering is so touchy, I feel I could end up in the other lane. While riding I need to tense up my shoulder and arm muscles... never mind ever letting go of the bars. Not a real good feeling to me. Not sure there is a cure for this and not really interested in going back to what I hear is "hard" steering as I have bad shoulders. Any solutions? We plan to do some touring next summer, but not sure I can travel long distances with this feeling. Yep, sometimes I miss two wheels.

 

[Nordic Valk]

Rake Kit for 1999 Interstate

I'm going to be needing a rake kit. I've been told 6 degree is the best. Who makes the best one for the price? Is there a diff. one from another? Mark

 

[Gorilla]

Re: Rake Kit for 1999 Interstate

I'm going to be needing a rake kit. I've been told 6 degree is the best. Who makes the best one for the price? Is there a diff. one from another? Mark

Check with Bazooka. The found and sponser of this forum. He has some for sale. See his listing on the forum.

 

[jjk1646]

Rake kit installed

I have 05 1300VTX/MT, for Christmas wife gave me a rake kit, the kit came from Bazooka. Just had it installed by the crew at our other sponsor UNB Customs in Denver, NC.

Had the opportunity to really test it last Sunday.... WOW what a difference, no more head shake, like power steering, tracks great at highway speeds and easier turning at low speed and in the twisties.. Thanks Randy for the great advice, Thanks to the guys at UNB for a great job.

 

[Papa Zook]

Re: Rake kit installed

Glad you like it JJ. A rake kit is probably the best money you'll spend on your trike.ThumbUp

Check our Rake Store on the bottom left in the sponsors column for members prices.

 

[skuuter]

Re: Rake kit installed

WELCOME to the Wonderful World of "MUST HAVE ONE" on a Trike.....Glad You're enjoyin' it.....ThumbUp

 

[Boscoporp]

Re: Rake kit installed

Heh, jjk1646

I had zooks rake kits installed by UNB in Denver also! They do good work!

 

[wa.bound]

Rake Kit

:woohoo: epper:

Rake Kit ordered. Thanks Randy for all your help and patience and to everyone on here who gives out so much information on this site. It's so helpful!

:wtg:

 

[skuuter]

Re: Rake Kit

:woohoo: epper:

Rake Kit ordered. Thanks Randy for all your help and patience and to everyone on here who gives out so much information on this site. It's so helpful!

:wtg:

You're Really Gonna' Be Amazed In The Difference.....ThumbUp...ENJOY...:beerchug:

 

[jjk1646]

Re: Rake Kit

I just had one installed on my '05 VTX1300/MT Kit came from Randy AKA Bazooka, I absolutely love it, great investment in triking.. Enjoy the ride...

 

[Big0]

Rake Kit Question

Just bought a Shadow 750 Aero with a Trigg conversion kit on it.
It's great over the road but got to the freeway off ramp and Whoa
was wrestling a monster. Being a 61 years young 5' 2" woman am
not having the same muscle power and upper body strength to
really drive it as is around town at slower speeds. Have found
a 6 degree rake and just wanted to know if this sounds like a
good option ? Was also going to put on the following.

This chrome billet aluminum triple tree will totally transform the look of your front end AND pull your bars back 1.6 inches for increased rider comfort. The bars are soft mounted and the top of the tree is closed and clean and beautiful!!!!! This works with all of your stock cables so installation is a breeze, bolts on in 20 minutes!

Does anyone ride with a 6 degree rake and how does it handle ? They
don't make the EZ steer for the 750 Shadow. So was pointed to the 6
degree rake instead. Would be so nice not to feel you are having to
wrestle it around turns.

Thank you
Big-0

 

[tcparry]

Re: Rake Kit Question

Have a 6 degree rake on my GW and love it, steers like power steering..

 

[Lucky]

Re: Rake Kit Question

Welcome aboard BIGO!Great folks and info here.You should pm or call Zook he sells rake kits and will advise you on the rite way to go.RIDE SAFE

 

[Lexi]

Re: Rake Kit Question

I have talked to a lot of trike dealers and they all say that 6 degree rake is indispensable.

 

[fasteddie]

Re: Rake Kit Question

I just had my Valkyrie GL1500 CSC trike raked to 6 degrees. The machining is beautiful and the handeling is much easier. My advice to anyone who is thinking of raking their trike, stop thinking and do it now.

 

[Comanche]

Re: Rake Kit Question

I have a 5.5 degree kit on my GL 1800/Champion trike. At 72, with arthuritc arms and shoulders, I cut corners cleaner and sharper and easier than any 2 wheel rider in our riding club.