Rear end noise

[Reno380]

I have a 08 gl1800 roadsmith trike, was triked last November 2021. It has developed a scraping type of noise but only turning right and the sharper right the louder, sound sounds like it is coming from left side rear wheel. I have tried turning with rear brakes applied and noise remains same. Almost like a bearing gone bad, but no noise going straight, braking, shifting, accelerating only right hand turns. I plan on contacting roadsmith in the morning as I don't know of any roadsmith shops for warranty in my area, I had it triked by k&d in Alabama.

 

[rhino 2]

I have a 08 gl1800 roadsmith trike, was triked last November 2021. It has developed a scraping type of noise but only turning right and the sharper right the louder, sound sounds like it is coming from left side rear wheel. I have tried turning with rear brakes applied and noise remains same. Almost like a bearing gone bad, but no noise going straight, braking, shifting, accelerating only right hand turns. I plan on contacting roadsmith in the morning as I don't know of any roadsmith shops for warranty in my area, I had it triked by k&d in Alabama.

John Welcome to Trike Talk.... It does sound like a bearing let us know what the out come is..

 

[Jack Klarich]

Welcome to Trike Talk and your first post

First thing is I would jack up the rear and support it with jack stands

Grab the wheel top and bottom and check for play in the bearing

Next with it in neutral, spin the wheels and listen and feel for roughness and noise from the bearings to rule that out

Last pull the wheels and check for anything scraping the brakes ( maybe a worn pad or a rock stuck in the caliper or rubbing against a rotor)

 

[Reno380]

Thank you for the quick responses, I have had it up on jack stands and can not replicate the noise, brake pads are still good, no noticeable movement as far as bearing play, guess it needs the weight of the bike to force the noise.

 

[Jack Klarich]

Thank you for the quick responses, I have had it up on jack stands and can not replicate the noise, brake pads are still good, no noticeable movement as far as bearing play, guess it needs the weight of the bike to force the noise.

Does your trike have CV type rear axles?

If it does this could also be the source of the noise

 

[Reno380]

Yes, it has cv axles, uses vw rotors and calipers, guess third member is from vw? The only other thing for me is when it is time how to remove/replace the pads.

 

[Jack Klarich]

Yes, it has cv axles, uses vw rotors and calipers, guess third member is from vw? The only other thing for me is when it is time how to remove/replace the pads.

A good rule of thumb is measure the pad thickness and refer to manufacture specs, if specs are not available use 2/32 as a rule keeping in mind to measure inside and outside pad for equal wear

 

[Reno380]

Update: I road 2 miles to meet up with my group this morning and no noise until I arrived and had a right hand turn, so heat must play a part. Maybe it is just a bearing starting to go.

-=Reno=-

 

[Mick]

Have you checked your fluid level in your differential. Sometimes when theyre low theyll do this.

 

[stacebg]

Have you checked your fluid level in your differential. Sometimes when theyre low theyll do this.

why only when turning??

 

[stacebg]

Does your trike have CV type rear axles?

If it does this could also be the source of the noise

why only when turning??

 

[rhino 2]

usually…..

Grinding would be a bearing ‘And clicking would be a CV joint…..I never changed one on a Trike but I did have to a few times on our Side-Bys…When a booth gets ripped or just leaking and water or dirt gets in …

 

[Jack Klarich]

usually…..

Grinding would be a bearing ‘And clicking would be a CV joint…..I never changed one on a Trike but I did have to a few times on our Side-Bys…When a booth gets ripped or just leaking and water or dirt gets in …

CV joints can and do make other noises than clicking, grinding also can be more than a bearing( to much end play in bearings along with improper torque of axles ) can cause noise in brakes some may think is a bearing noise

 

[Reno380]

I called Mike at roadsmith he was great!! Sent me a diagram to tear down the cv to get to the bearings, bearings were fine, on left side where grinding noise was most prominent is where I found my problem, was the bolt from the sway bar bushing. Apparently my kit slipped by, the washer needed above the bottom rubber bushing was missing so when I turned right the bolt would drop down and lay on top of the cv and the grinding sound was heard.

Most of the head of the bolt is gone, much more and would be nothing to hold the sway bar as the head would be gone, I don't know how (if we even can) load pictures else I would post. Mike is sending me a new bushing set and cotter pin for the left side. He said he has never had this problem before, as I did and others have said also, we thought bearing, Mike felt confident it was the bearing, I never expected this. Lol just happy it was not a bearing.

Thank you everyone for your input and help!! I really appreciate the quick responses!!

-=Reno=-

 

[Jack Klarich]

I called Mike at roadsmith he was great!! Sent me a diagram to tear down the cv to get to the bearings, bearings were fine, on left side where grinding noise was most prominent is where I found my problem, was the bolt from the sway bar bushing. Apparently my kit slipped by, the washer needed above the bottom rubber bushing was missing so when I turned right the bolt would drop down and lay on top of the cv and the grinding sound was heard. Most of the head of the bolt is gone, much more and would be nothing to hold the sway bar as the head would be gone, I don't know how (if we even can) load pictures else I would post. Mike is sending me a new bushing set and cotter pin for the left side. He said he has never had this problem before, as I did and others have said also, we thought bearing, Mike felt confident it was the bearing, I never expected this. Lol just happy it was not a bearing.

Thank you everyone for your input and help!! I really appreciate the quick responses!!

-=Reno=-

Good on you for staying with it and solving your issue, thanks for reporting back and best of luck as you continue to rack up miles with smiles

 

[camplejeune]

I called Mike at roadsmith he was great!! Sent me a diagram to tear down the cv to get to the bearings, bearings were fine, on left side where grinding noise was most prominent is where I found my problem, was the bolt from the sway bar bushing. Apparently my kit slipped by, the washer needed above the bottom rubber bushing was missing so when I turned right the bolt would drop down and lay on top of the cv and the grinding sound was heard.

Most of the head of the bolt is gone, much more and would be nothing to hold the sway bar as the head would be gone, I don't know how (if we even can) load pictures else I would post. Mike is sending me a new bushing set and cotter pin for the left side. He said he has never had this problem before, as I did and others have said also, we thought bearing, Mike felt confident it was the bearing, I never expected this. Lol just happy it was not a bearing.

Thank you everyone for your input and help!! I really appreciate the quick responses!!

So awesome that you found this issue and R/S helped you out. They are good people. Did you by chance have a conversation with the builder? If they have too many complaints R/S may not deal with them. When I bought my used 2008 GL1800 with 2014 R/S I noticed issues with the installation. First off the rear brakes were not connected with the fronts as the OEM brakes. The front pads were worn uneven. I had this corrected by the trike shop that sold me this set up. I also found a problem with the way the body was mounted. This too was corrected by the same shop. Also the fork tube extensions were not installed either. I plan to do this. The bike was triked in Missouri so I have no idea who the builder was. Take care, safe travels.

 

[Burnerboy]

I'm glad you found that problem

Ronnie

2/16/23