Traxxion front suspension

[dadztoy]

I have been seriously thinking about doing a Traxxion front end on my CSC trike. For those of you that have done this, do you think it has drastically improved the ride quality/handling on your trike?

It's nearly a $2000 modification when all is said and done, and I'm wondering if it's really worth the dollars spent? I'm not dissatisfied with the front end performance of my bike, but if it would give a more supple ride and better handling, it may be worth it. I'm already using traxxion springs in my bike and running 5wt fork oil and just recently did bushings and seals, so the front end is still pretty new and to my way of thinking, functions pretty well.

Traxxion is about a 2 hour ride from me, so I would remove the forks and take them there and wait for the mod.

So give me your thoughts please... I don't want to spend nearly 2 grand on this if the improvement is going to be minimal.

As always, thanks in advance for all comments.

Les

 

[pwhoever]

Les, this is one of those topics where you will get all kinds of feedback from those that absolutely love it to those who say it's not worth the expense. You will just have to wade through the info.

Me personally, I would not do it as I was never able to justify the expense on the AK-20 Traxxion cartridges. To be fair, I think that they are a very high quality product. I will say that now because it's stuck in your mind though, it's going to bug you until you at least try it but it's an expensive try. I know that the springs offered by Traxxion come in 3 flavors, Light, Standard, and Heavy. Which ones do you have? Maybe you are using ones that are rated higher than what you need. It would be a lot cheaper to try one of the other rated springs first before going with a full blown Traxxion upgrade. I went with the Progressive fork springs but they are a one size fits all.

And I'm by far from being an expert but 5w fork oil just seems like it is way too light. I have always used at least 10w and tried 15w but it was long ago and if be hard pressed to remember the differences. I just settled with 10w as it seemed too do the job. But 5w just seems like it wouldn't provide enough damping for trike forks and if combined with the heavy option from Traxxion, that might explain the harshness. Also, did you disable the ADV on the left fork? A known problem spot and if it gets stuck in activated position, you will get a very harsh ride.

My big suggestion would be to see if you could find someone with a trike that already has a Traxxionned front end and test drive it to see how it feels. Much better than opinions you will get on the internet. That way you will have a better idea on if spending the $2000+ would be worth it, otherwise it's just a big gamble. JMHO

 

[ROAD DOG]

I sent my forks to them when I had my 08 GL, I would not do it again, I think going with the medium springs & the 10-weight oil is a good set up. with the 5w I think that would make the front end soft ? Different front tires make a big difference in ride, A little taller tire will make a lot better ride.

 

[geol]

I did the ADV mod and have had a chance to put quite a few miles (about 400) riding post mod. Not a lot of feedback in terms of ride characteristics changing but most of the riding was on fairly smooth surfaces. I will be happy if I don't have to replace the fork seals on the left fork due to the ADV mechanism not working correctly. I took a look at the Traxxion website and the prices for their modifications but that stuff is way too expensive for me to consider justifying such an expense. The stock Honda stuff gives a pretty decent ride IMHO.

 

[dadztoy]

Thanks guys, appreciate all the comments. Well, I had 10wt oil in before and the ride was a lot harsher than it is now. Like I said before, I'm not real,y unhappy with the ride, AAMOF, with the 5 wt oil it seemed to soften up that harsh ride, so take that for what it's worth...

My wife recommended we do nothing as I'm not a long distance rider anymore. At 79 years young, I just can't do multiple hundred days any more, so if we're going somewhere, we usually trail the trike and ride when we get there, taking a day or two of rest in between rides...

I did a 170 mile day yesterday with a friend and I'm a bit tired today but the trike is running like a fine Swiss watch, so maybe I'll just leave things alone. I'll still continue to collect info and make a decision afterwards...

Maybe, I'll forego the Traxxion and buy a nice riding suit instead . Thanks again for all the input and your thoughts too Mike... Hope your doing well and getting ready for that new ride!!

Les

 

[pwhoever]

Doing way better now and am patiently awaiting word on my trike. It's in the best hands possible so no worries. It's still a ways until official riding season!

 

[Papa Zook]

Doing way better now and am patiently awaiting word on my trike. It's in the best hands possible so no worries. It's still a ways until official riding season!

Thanks for your patience Mike, I do stay very busy, but getting caught up now and the wait came with a seriously big bonus too right?!

 

[dadztoy]

Glad to hear that Mike. Looking forward to seeing you this year somewhere. I would agree, your in the best hands possible. I should have gone there too right!! (inside joke)

Oh Mike, I just finished the valve clearance check and things were pretty much OK... I had a few intakes at a loose .005 but that was about it... If I could find a shim set that was in .001 increments I would have changed them, but I didn't see much sense in going from a loose .005 to a loose .007...
I'll check them in another 50k miles or so... I'm about 3k miles away from turning 100k !!!

 

[dadztoy]

So I did a bit more research on my front end springs... They appear to be Traxxion -FSK-LL, which I assume is the lightload spring but I can't really verify that nor can I correlate that number to anything on their website... I checked my maintainance records and I did indeed use 10wt fork oil coming down from either 15 or 20wt... Think I spoke with Mike about this last year some time... Guess I could order the standard spring if it's still available and see how that rides. The spring set is 150 bucks and change plus oil, etc., so it's a darn sote cheaper than the 2 grand for the cartridge setup...

I do know my bike front end settles waaaaay down when I remove the jack from under the motor while working on it and those springs were bought and installed when the bike was on 2 wheels and I was "ahem!!" a bit lighter myself...

Guess I could also try the Progressive shocks like Mike has as well if they are still available...

I would like to go a cheaper route than 2k for the cartridges, so I'll be looking for suggestions...

Zook, you do a lot of this type work - any thoughts on this???

Les

 

[Papa Zook]

Yes I do Les. I've had both Progressive and Traxxion spring sets in stock and sold and installed both. When laid side by side, I could discern no difference in the two, they looked identical in length, color tone and their progressively spaced winding/spacing top to bottom, as if they came out of the same batch....not saying they came from the same manufacturer, but....

I have also found no discernable difference in ride quality or performance either. I am only speaking to a comparison of both manufacture's progressively wound GL1800 springs only, not to include cartridges.

 

[Marc H]

Something i don't think gets factored into spring decisions but I honestly don't know how much it affects things.When these companies developing these springs they are using 2 wheelers with no rake. Most of us have a raked front which is laying the forks down some. We aren't pushing as straight down as stock so I wonder if as rake increases if that actually lessens the need for stiffer springs. I'm probably overthinking it.

 

[Papa Zook]

A six degree increase in the fork's angle reduces trail and will have a much more noticeable and positive effect on ease of steering, but very little if any effect on spring compression.

 

[dadztoy]

That's good information Zook, thanks for that. I do believe I will go with the Progressive setup. There is a huge difference in cost and no fork modification either with the Progressive setup. I'm currently out of town but when I get back I'm going to call Progressive and chat with them about a trike versus bike and see what they say. If positive (which Im sure it will be) I'll order the Progressive monotubes and a new seal set and do the job and then report back here. I just put in new slider bearings last year so they should be ok but I might just replace those as well for a better comparison.

Thanks to all who contributed, your thoughts and experiences are invaluable...

Les

 

[dadztoy]

Well, I pulled the trigger on the Traxxion AK 20 cartridges. Took a ride down to Traxxion on April 1 and had them installed. I only have the ride home for comparison but so far I can tell the difference. You can really feel them working on the road irregularities and bumps. Still need to do more riding on familiar local roads but so far, so good...

Les

 

[pwhoever]

I had a strong suspicion you might do that. I know if I get something in my head, it will bother me until I at least try.

 

[dadztoy]

Yeah, I did a lot of thinking and research on it before I decided. Found quite a few trike guys that were pretty happy with it so I decided to do it... Has Zook got your trike done yet?? Are you ready to ride??

 

[Papa Zook]

Yeah, I did a lot of thinking and research on it before I decided. Found quite a few trike guys that were pretty happy with it so I decided to do it... Has Zook got your trike done yet?? Are you ready to ride??

Zook has it in the cue.. I am very busy and so is CSC. Mike has been on the mend from his accident, not quiet ride ready so he was not in a rush, he was kind enough to let me get several local Texas orders done as riding season hits sooner here in south Texas than it does in Minnesota. The upside for Mike was that it saved him $2000 on his order due to the CSC sale.

 

[pwhoever]

It's in good hands!!!

 

[dadztoy]

Awesome Mike and Papa Zook. Sounds like y'all have it under control... Good deal on the savings too... Never hurts to save a dollar or two!!