Trike Shimmy

[groran]

Hello, I have a 2008 Goldwing with a CSC kit. It's been parked for a while, maybe 2 years. Last time I rode it, the front end would shimmy at about 65mph or so and stop above and below that speed. So I put a new front tire on and it still does it. Maybe new back tires too? They are Cooper tires. Still have lots of thread left. You think maybe I should wait until summer, and when the tires get hot, maybe they will get round again? Any advice appreciated.

 

[pwhoever]

It really could be any number of things. It's quite possible that it is the rear tires. It's also possible it could be one or both rear wheel bearings ( hubs). It also might need the steering stem bolt retorqued.

How old are the tires and how many miles in them?

If not too old, I would probably say to try this first. I might suggest taking them to a place and have them "road force" balanced. It's a bit different than just having a regular balance done and can often improve the ride. Make sure the shop is able to do the "road force" like Discount Tires as an example. And don't tell them it's off trike or they may not want to do it.

Also this is a good time to check the rear wheel bearings (hubs). Get the trike jacked up so both rear wheels are off the ground and bike in neutral. Check to see if there is any movement by grabbing wheels on each side and try to pull back and forth. Also try to and bottom too. In my case, I really got no movement but once I got the tires off and began spinning the hub, I could hear a distinct difference and maybe a slight crunching sound out of right hub but left seemed ok. I went ahead and replaced both hubs just to be safe as they weren't that expensive. Not a difficult job but will need a torque wrench able to do at least 200ftlbs. I didn't have one so it was an opportunity to add to my tool collection. And an fyi, you can buy front wheel hubs for a 1997 Chevy Cavalier to replace them with.

And if you've never retorqued the steering stem, now would be a good opportunity to do so.

 

[groran]

The tires are probably 5 years old or more and have been in the extreme heat of Arizona.

 

[pwhoever]

5 years is usually close to time to think about new tires even if you have plenty of tread. If much older than 5, definitely change out the tires.

 

[Papa Zook]

Hello, I have a 2008 Goldwing with a CSC kit. It's been parked for a while, maybe 2 years. Last time I rode it, the front end would shimmy at about 65mph or so and stop above and below that speed. So I put a new front tire on and it still does it. Maybe new back tires too? They are Cooper tires. Still have lots of thread left. You think maybe I should wait until summer, and when the tires get hot, maybe they will get round again? Any advice appreciated.

Being that your trike has sat parked for 2 years, the tires will have a near-permanent flat spot on all three tires, more so on the rear tires. I just experienced the same thing on an Isuzu Trooper ll that I had parked for over a year. Despite putting some miles on it the tires have a stubborn "memory" and still shimmies, though not as bad as it did. Have had the same with my Lifted big tire Club Car Golf Cart.