Trike conversion

[harpjeff]

I am in the throes of purchasing a 2007 Goldwing which I intend to convert to a trike. I would appreciate any advice on which kit would be best, what to look out for, etc. TIA.

 

[Papa Zook]

Welcome Jeff, you'll get as many answers as there are manufacturers. The three most popular are CSC, Roadsmith and Hannigan. All three are high quality conversions, ride and handle well, you wont go wrong with any one of them, so it typically boils down to your preferred styling.

 

[HDUSA1]

I went through the same process a year ago, then I discovered this forum. There is a TON of information here to read through to help you sort through it and narrow down your decision. Ask some questions as you go along and I think you’ll quickly narrow down which one to go with, then it’s a matter of deciding on options.

To me, It depends if you are doing the install yourself or if you are looking to have someone do it for you as well. My nearest installer for Hannigan, Roadsmith and CSC was 230 miles and was a Honda dealer. I have a Harley and they wouldn’t touch my bike. I called a few other dealers and they weren’t too excited about working on a Harley either. Thats when I decided to install it myself and Roadsmith seemed to me at least more friendly & helpful for a DIY’r. Plus I liked the options they offered for a Harley and it was about a $1,000 less for what I wanted.

If you are having it installed locally, get on Roadsmith, CSC, and Hannigan’s website and find your nearest installers, then go talk to them. Then go to a few of your Honda dealers as well. They may even have a few trikes for sale that you can go look at and maybe even test ride. When talking to them, see if they will let you talk to the installer after talking to the salesman, you’ll be surprised how much more you will learn when narrowing it down.

Personally if I had a Honda and were having it installed, I would be looking hard at the Hannigan first, then CSC, then Roadsmith. As Papa Zook says, you can’t go wrong with any of them.

 

[Gorilla]

Welcome as said there are choices, but the bottom line if you are not doing the install, THE INSTALLER CHOICE is a MAJOR factor so do your home. ASK QUESTIONS and take your time with the decision. Good Luck

 

[cycle7447]

It seems you have received some great responses. Might I add - look at the various conversions and determine which you like the best. Then, move on from there.

If I could, let me add just a little more. The 2007 you are buying - how much are you paying for this? Next, consider the price of the conversion. My CSC with all of the stuff I wanted (running boards, rake kit, bumper, reverse, etc) cost me just under $18K. So, add somewhere around this amount to the price you are paying. This is your new to you bike cost. Now you are looking at $28K

When done, you will have a 2007 Wing for this amount. Look to see if you can buy a more current Wing for somewhere around this amount. My bet is you can find a nice 2017 for this amount.

Final thing to consider - once you convert it, especially since it is a 2007, most Honda dealers will not want to service this for you.

Good luck

 

[pwhoever]

I'm kind of going through the same thing right now. 8 years ago, I had my 07 converted to a CSC Viper kit. It served me well until a few months ago. I had to figure out a replacement after an unfortunate incident.

I did originally start searching trikes but was unable to find one in the brand I wanted, the options I wanted, lower mileage, and the color I was looking for at a price I was comfortable with.

I switched gears and like you started looking at bikes and having my own conversion done. I found a 2012 that fit the bill and bought it. Low mileage and very few accessories added to it, only ones I would have added anyway. It's newer than my previous 07 which is what I also wanted. I really wanted a 12-17 because I wasn't quite a fan of the 18+ so these would be the newest I would be able to get. Now I can again get it set up the way I want instead of buying someone else's and settling. And honestly it ends up pretty close to buying an already built trike. The advantage is that I also end up with a full factory warranty at least on the trike conversion parts instead of buying used and no warranty.

@cycle7447 brings up a valid point about age of bikes and Honda shops wanting to work on them. It's not every shop so you do have to check with your shop(s) you plan on using and find out their policies. For me, it's not a big deal because for years, I have done the majority of my own service and maintenance. About the only time I visit a dealer is to have recalls done and pretty much any dealer can do any needed recalls regardless of year of original bike.

@Papa Zook and @HDUSA1 also bring up some good points and do some research on the various conversion kits to see which one will work best for you. They named the top 3 IMHO on which ones to consider.

Good luck with your project.