Since trikes have 50% more braking surface

[Phu Cat]

than two wheelers, is it hopeful thinking on my part or do trikes actually stop in a shorter distance the traditional bikes?

 

[Pegasus1300]

That is a very good question. I don't know the answer. Many two wheelers have safety fearures that don't translate to 3 wheels, ABS, linked brakes are only a couple that come to mind. However trikes have more tire on the rear so they also grip better. Trikes weigh more but have more weight on the front tire usually a single tire. I don't think you just assume that larger brake shoes/pads or more of them egual greater braking. Maybe someone knows of some tests results out there.

 

[geol]

Stopping distance, apart from the number and surface area of the brakes is still bound by the laws of physics. Consider that a trike is a lot heavier than its two wheel cousins and a heavy object will not stop as fast but more braking with 3 wheels has to be added to this equation. I have never seen a brake test comparison.... say between a Goldwing (2 wheels) and a converted Goldwing trike and that would be one way to determine if a trike stops quicker or less quickly than a two wheel version of the same bike.

 

[pwhoever]

Another thing to consider as far as linked Goldwings brakes, the rear master does not get changed out and now has to handle 4 calipers instead of 3. On my 07, it did seem to take just a tad more distance in stopping. Now on my 12, it seems to have nice solid brakes that slow very quickly if I give full braking to rear pedal. I'm sure part of it is the rear system was fully flushed and new brake fluid in there as well as brand new rear caliper brakes. But I also did something different this time. I added a Kuryakyn brake pedal arm and the wide Kuryakyn pad to it. It's the same brake pedal that is part of the Kury heel toe setup. I also mounted that so the pad sits a bit higher than where the stock pad on brake pedal was. It was a bit awkward at first but I have gotten used to it. When I push down on the pedal now, I get full travel of the arm which I think translates into more stopping power.

 

[Pegasus1300]

I know on my Spyder the 3 brakes are operated by the same master cylinder and like your car brakes it has a front and a rear section so if one end goes out you still have brakes. The ABS system is designed to work with all 3 wheels as is the traction control system since this was designed as a 3 wheel system from the beginning. The Spyder does stop very hard, but I have not seen a comparison between it, a two-wheeler and a trike conversion. Now that would make for an interesting study by someone.

 

[geol]

A few years back I had a 97 GL1500 Roadsmith conversion and the rear brakes were wooden and not effective. I contacted Roadsmith and was given an alternate brake disk w/part number and can't recall if they sent me some or I went to an autoparts store and bought them but the alternate pads were a lot better and the rear brakes actually got used more since they worked better.

 

[Ironhorse54]

Test show that two wheelers stop quicker than trikes because of the heavier weight of a trike. Two wheeler stopping from 60 miles an hour takes 127 feet. Trike takes 217 feet.

 

[Ironhorse54]

I forgot to add, it is recommended if on a trike to give yourself more distance when following vehicles because of the extra stopping distance that will be required.

 

[Mykneesbehurtin]

I don't know about anyone else, both my 16 and 17 trikes rear brakes felt useless in the rain, very hard pedal and little stopping power. They were that way even when they were brand new.

 

[Ironhorse54]

I got caught in a severe thunderstorm and downpour last summer and had to ride home for 30 miles in those conditions. Brakes worked perfectly as they should have. Obviously you’re braking System doesn’t sound good. I hope you got it checked out?

 

[Mykneesbehurtin]

I got caught in a severe thunderstorm and downpour last summer and had to ride home for 30 miles in those conditions. Brakes worked perfectly as they should have. Obviously you’re braking System doesn’t sound good. I hope you got it checked out?

You have a CSC trike, they are hands down much better than the Harley trikes, My buddy has a DTC Honda with a Roadsmith kit and his brakes work perfect.

 

[Notgrownup]

I tell you. The ABS and linked brake system in conjunction with EBC double sintered pads brake like I never expected. I love it.

 

[Oldster]

I don't believe that a trike [Tri-Glide] takes almost twice as far to stop as a 2 wheeler! A trike has a lot more contact patches than a bike and the rear tires are actually car tires that have a much wider contact patch! My Road Glide Ultra was pushing 1000 lbs., the Tri-Glide is around 1250 lbs. I would think that it would be pretty close! Of course reaction time is a big deal that has nothing to do with what you're riding!!!

 

[HDUSA1]

I don't believe that a trike [Tri-Glide] takes almost twice as far to stop as a 2 wheeler! A trike has a lot more contact patches than a bike and the rear tires are actually car tires that have a much wider contact patch! My Road Glide Ultra was pushing 1000 lbs., the Tri-Glide is around 1250 lbs. I would think that it would be pretty close! Of course reaction time is a big deal that has nothing to do with what you're riding!!!

Yes, a Tri-Glide should not be taking twice as long to stop. There’s something wrong with it if it does, even the older ones.

I’ve had a few that I’ve worked on for friends in the past. I don’t screw around with them. Remove old pads, thoroughly clean calipers including around pistons/ seals/pins, deglaze and wash the rotors with Dawn soap, install new EBC Double H sintered pads, flush and fill brake fluid, hook it up to the computer to cycle & reset the ABS controller if it has it, then bed the pads in accordance with EBC’s instructions. Lesson learned from a few others on here…don’t waste your time on aftermarket rotors if you have to replace them. Bite the bullet and order them through HD.

When they come to pick the bike up, I have to caution them not to be grabbing too much brake at first until they get reused to the brakes.

Here’s a link where some of this has been covered with part numbers.

TriGlide Rear Brake Upgrade '09-13 Models

There was some old post on this but I wanted to see if anyone came up with an upgrade on 09 to 13 models. Did anyone ever try the 14 model rotor and caliper on one?

triketalk.com

 

[cScjhb]

I have owned several 2 wheel Goldwings, a Spyder RTL trike and a Goldwing CSC trike conversion. My seat of the pants opinion is the CSC trike was capable of safely stopping scary fast. Faster than any other bike I owned. And in group riding with mixed 2 and 3 wheelers, the 2 wheelers go to the front because of the superior ability of 3 wheelers to maneuver and stop. I believe this is well accepted group riding etiquette. I don't have the statistics, but I'd place my money on a well set up trike......

 

[HDUSA1]

I have owned several 2 wheel Goldwings, a Spyder RTL trike and a Goldwing CSC trike conversion. My seat of the pants opinion is the CSC trike was capable of safely stopping scary fast. Faster than any other bike I owned. And in group riding with mixed 2 and 3 wheelers, the 2 wheelers go to the front because of the superior ability of 3 wheelers to maneuver and stop. I believe this is well accepted group riding etiquette. I don't have the statistics, but I'd place my money on a well set up trike......

After I did my Roadsmith conversion on my Ultra and bedded the new front and rear pads, I totally agree with you. Stopping is a LOT more controlled than on 2 wheels and I hardly ever use the front brakes anymore. The groups we ride in people think the 2 wheelers push us to the back of the group but it’s the opposite. We make all the 2 wheelers go first and hang out in back talking to each other on the coms. Parking is fun too. We whip around with a quick u turn, back up and are off the bike while they are all still jockeying around.

 

[pwhoever]

I had posted above about switching out the OEM brake pedal with the Kuryakyn brake pedal. I'm not positive but I think because of the design, its able to twist the braking rod it's attached to a bit more than the OEM pedal did. I have found that I actually have to be a bit more careful and not press it too hard or I slow down way quicker than I am trying to do. I haven't locked up the brakes yet and because I have ABS, I'm not even sure if that's possible. But the braking is very positive and quite a bit more effective than it was on my 07.

 

[hogmemberisold]

Well, I recently watched a video addressing just this! Before we decided on our 25 Spyder S2S I looked around for any information I could find. A gentleman named CoachBob3 on you tube has done tests with 6 different units and has some interesting results in a video that may be worth watching.

He is saying that braking on the Spyders has improved over time.

Stopping @ 60-0 is....

24 Spyder S2S - 91' 7"
23 Spyder RT Base - 106' 5-1/2"
SV 650X - 112'
Ryker Ralley - 136' 1/4"
19 Spyder RT Base - 138' 11"
Acura TL - 171' 7"