Trike info please?

[jkskus]

Hello, I just installed a roadsmith trike kit, also easy steer triple tree on my 2007 classic harley. Rode for the first time today. Is it normal when I drive at slow speeds that the front end shakes quite a bit? I'd appreciate any input that would be informative for me. Thanks, John

 

[ThirdWheel]

First check your wheel balance and tire. Next check the torque on the steering. I am sure that will be other suggestion posted to help.

 

[Nauga Mok]

I'm running a Roadsmith kit on a '06 Ultra. No problems with wobbles unless I'm cornering too fast, then that stock Dunlop isn't staying hooked up. How is the "fall away" set? Jack the front wheel off the ground & turn it all the way to the lock -- doesn't matter which way. Let it go. How many times does it ocilate before stopping? If it's set like a bike, it'll swing 3 times. That's too loose for the trike application. It needs to stop at about 1/2 swing. To achieve this tighten up the neck bearings -- TIGHT -- about where you'd tighten up a car front wheel bearing to seat it BEFORE backing off to propper preload for that application. Some people fuss about a little wobble at high speed. As a bike, I had problems with that. It started in at about 105 & the faster I went the worse it got. 120 was about all I wanted to hang onto. Now, as a trike it's rock solid at 110. As ThirdWheel suggested -- tire balance can be a factor. Check the tire for cupping. Tire air pressure can be a factor. I'm running 40 - 42 lbs & it seems to work good. Which "EZ steer" kit did you get? Just curious, because if you have it you shouldn't have the wobbles. I'm running the HD Tri Glide triple tree with stock front tubes & sliders lowered 1". I need to change that to get the ride height back. The Tri Glide tree has a 3* rake. If you got the one Roadsmith supplies you've got a 5* or MAYBE a 7*. Eitherway, this just means yours should steer a little easer than mine -- & still not wobble.

NM

 

[Mr.Wizard]

I would just hate to be a little different than the normal crowd but...

My front end wobble was very evident for the first few hundred miles after converting my 07 Ultra. Reverse was really bad too. Didn't do anything just rode it out and it got better with each ride. Front tire wear? Not sure but it's gone now.

ADD: I've got a 5* EZ TT

 

[Gorilla]

They all gave you the proper guidance on the subject. I lean towards the neck bearing not being tight enough. Welcome aboard.

 

[Nauga Mok]

Wiz brought up something I'd forgotten about -- reverse. I have an AIM reverse gear, so it CAN move pretty good in reverse. First time I cracked the throttle in reverse was before I'd swapped the trees & it almost got away from me. The additional rake helped this a LOT. You have to remember when going backwards, the front end has NO reference since it's running in a negative trail condidion -- it's being pushed instead of pulled & can definitely get a mind if it's own. BE CAREFUL in reverse! Also, as Wiz hints at, there IS a learning curve in triking. Perhaps he's right & you just need to put some miles on to get used to the feel of how it handles, turns, DOESN"T lean in turns, & etc. REMEMBER -- DO NOT put your feet down!! Harley touring class machines have nice foot boards -- use 'em! But -- check the fall away setting. It only takes a couple of minutes, then you know if that's a possibility or not. If you had the instalation done, it's probably set right. Also, in the Roadsmith owners manual it sez to make sure the rear tire pressures are equal. Some people run a couple pounds higher pressure in the right rear to compensate for road crown. I tried it & it does help, BUT when I'm on the other side of the crown as in #1 lane (fast lane) of 4 - 8 lane divided highway, it makes matters worse. I also noticed it had a tendancy to drift to the left under hard acceleration. From my perspective, equal tire pressure in the rear tires is best.

NM

 

[Mr.Wizard]

Since a conversion is only as good as the converting party.... (present company accepted UB and zook) :yes:

After about three months of riding mine, long after the front end wobble was gone, a local Indy wanted to take her for a spin. He's been in the Harley racing business since 1981. When he came back he passed me and took it directly into his shop and called for a jack and tools.

After crawling under the trike he found that all of my support links and hine joint was not torqued, all were loose by two or more turns. Said that the rear end was hunting the road and he had issues controlling it. This guy was not the conversion builder but a friend. I jumped on and took her out for the day... HUGE difference.

I also know my conversion guy reads this forum... well, after all the crap I had to fix on your conversion buddy... I'll never darken your %^&* doorway again. I won't bad mouth your name on the internet but your install guy and quality control sucks. No brakes, stupid wiring issues, rattles, leaks and mis-torqued components and this paint job... sucks... I left your logo on the rear end so when others ask why the paint looks the way it does they can see who did it. There, I feel a lot better now.

Moral, getting used to bad is bad. Make sure everything is right before being complacent. This way you can tell if something's wrong.

 

[Gorilla]

Gee Wiz you need to really tell us how you feel. Sure am glad I built my own so when I find something wrong I can be mad at myself. Been 15 months and it is good. Sorry for your flustration.

 

[Mr.Wizard]

Sorry about that... was a different day yesterday. I"m all better now!

 

[Ozarkryder]

Another factor that hasn't been mentioned yet is the road. At slow speeds, even with an IRS, when you hit bumps on one side the suspension reacts slowly, transferring the energy of the bump to the frame of the trike. This energy has to go somewhere, and the steering head is a pivot point, so you get a front end shake.

Not knowing how rough the road you are on is or your definition of "quite a bit" is, couldn't say if this is normal or not. Lots of good advice from the previous posters, especially about the head bearing torque.

 

[Mr.Wizard]

Yup, said he did... then I hopped on and there weren't any back brakes. :blush:

 

[1550vt]

Funny how things are. Mine had a low speed wobble....which went away with the TG tree conversion. I was very careful to follow the TG manual instructions for adjusting the fall-away (specs. provided by UB). I lean to the tight-bearing side.....and the Wizard view...maybe it will "seat" in a few hundred miles. Ride it out a while.

As for Wizard's attitude......pay no attention. He is just getting older. I can guarantee those frustrating days get more frequent as time passes. I often have 8 bad days in one 7-day week.

 

[Nana]

Funny how things are. Mine had a low speed wobble....which went away with the TG tree conversion. I was very careful to follow the TG manual instructions for adjusting the fall-away (specs. provided by UB). I lean to the tight-bearing side.....and the Wizard view...maybe it will "seat" in a few hundred miles. Ride it out a while.

As for Wizard's attitude......pay no attention. He is just getting older. I can guarantee those frustrating days get more frequent as time passes. I often have 8 bad days in one 7-day week.

Wiz, you'll notice it wasn't ME who said you were old! That should give me some points with you :yay:

 

[Gorilla]

"who said who is old"?

 

[Mr.Wizard]

awww...

VT didn't say I was old.. just getting older which is true but he also knows that it will be a few years before I can catch him in age.

Being banned for life has it's advantages.