Well......

[Jolie]

I'm keeping the trike! I love it more than anything!!! I will never ride 2 wheels again!

My handy man rode it to the high school this morning, got me started on it and left for 2 hours. Its a gravel parking lot (small town) and I had two light poles I did figure 8s around. I did everything, stops, starts, starts and turning to the right, and then starts turning to the left, you name it I did it. OMG that trike is awesome! I did tight circles around one light pole and kept going around and around and around and laughing my behind off. That baby does tight turns like you wouldn't believe.....well yes, I'm sure you all know! LOL I could never do that on 2 wheels. I'm surprised no one called our one cop they would have hauled me away as "crazy". My handy man returned and said it looked like I could get home on my own so he left and I rode a bit more and sure enough I got my trike home. Even cleaned the dust off and rode to my moms not far away and back. I still have more practice to do. I was only in town so only to 3rd gear but I totally love the toe/heel shifter too. People saw me cleaning it up in the drive and were stopping to look at it. Small town, a trike is rare. I didn't even know some of them. Some thought it was the new Freewheeler. Nope just my little Tramp...they thought it was pretty darn cool but not as much as I do.
So no more thoughts of selling! I still have more practice to do before highway riding.
I did have a little issue getting it in my shed. I'm hoping someone can tell me I didn't do anything to it. It seems fine but the issue is going to be fixed so it doesn't happen again. I have a shed that is already built and they bring it in and set it down. It's on skids?? I got a ramp to go with it but the ramp isn't long and its a quick incline. I would get it to the top and then kill it (was afraid too much throttle I'd hit the other side but I did have a board stop put up on the other side so I don't go thru the shed lol) This is my first time putting it in there myself. Right at the edge of the ramp and shed I would kill it and it would roll back down the ramp (engine off) but it was in first. I didn't get it in neutral. Would that do anything to it? Please say no! My handy man is going to make a new ramp that is longer so that it's not a quick incline.
If something is going to happen it will happen to me. LOL

 

[rhino 2]

Knew you would.........ThumbUpThumbUp

 

[Keystone]

ThumbUpThumbUp:clapping::clapping::clapping:

 

[Trikindan]

You're gonna be just fine!!! Practice and build confidence, then it will all be second nature!!!:Trike1:

 

[Blue Pearl]

You Go Girl!!!!

EEEEhawwww!!!! There will be NO holding you back now!!! I love my trike too. It is the best thing that happened to me...okay well after the Boy Friend that is....ok umm well I can't really say that either ---- The trike was the BEST thing and my wonderful Boy Friend of 23 years was the next best thing. Just don't tell him that... *looks around innocently* :Angel: Ride Often, Ride like there is no tomorrow, Ride Safe!! Does my heart good to see you here! :wave4: ~Blue Pearl~

 

[Sully]

Good for you :clapping: You see, I told you so. epper:

 

[Marc H]

ThumbUp:GL1800:

 

[Steve on 3]

Good for you. Like you, my trike lives in a storage building rather than a garage. and I too have an incline. I just made mine fairly long so that I would not catch anything on the bottom or drag the pipes going in and out. I have to widen my door so that she doesn't brush her hips going in and out. Be carefull riding until you get used to the trike. You have many miles and smiles ahead.

 

[jaxbobg]

Way to go. You hung in there and regained your confidence.

(Of course, with hundreds of fellow trikers cheering you on how could you fail?) :laugh:

 

[DakotaTG]

You go girl!epper: Get some more miles under the belt and you will be just fine. You already found out that gravel is not as big of concern on a trike verses the two wheeler. Enjoy. Enjoy. Enjoy.

2011 Merlot and Black TG

It's not whether the glass is half full or half empty, the important thing is that you have a glass and have something in it.

 

[wehrme]

Glad you like it.

Nice meet this weekend at Moonshine, IL.

Not that far away from you.

Might be a good time to get a few 'road' miles.

 

[kybigmac]

Just give it time ,an ride it every chance you get! :clapping:

 

[Mick]

epper:epper:ThumbUp

 

[Doc*]

Jolie,

Knew you could master the Tramp. You just needed a little practice time and you evidently got it. Good for you. Now ride, ride, ride and enjoy.

:clapping::clapping::clapping:epper:epper:epper:. Ride Safe. Doc ThumbUp

 

[hogcowboy]

Your incline issue would be resolved with a little more practice. You now need to practice start/stops on hills. Trusting and controlling the "friction zone". It comes with more seat time too but practicing on an incline really helps.

One way to get "some" control is to simply put a 2x4 in front of your front tire so you go over the 4 inch side. Just controlling the throttle for that little obstacle to go up and over it will help a lot. At first you'll lunge over.

With practice you'll be able to creep up and even stop on top. So just a small 2x4x12" will get you something you can come up to, then try to get over, then drive back around an do it again and again. Would be best on solid surface and not gravel though cause the gravel will let it move too much.

And no, you didn't do any harm killing the bike. The friction zone can take quite a lot of slipping. You just don't want to let it slip to hold yourself on a hill. Use the brake for that and sorta dance into moving with the clutch and throttle again.

 

[Phu Cat]

Well congrat jolie, you've got the 2nd most important part down. Now for the first, brakes. You're in luck since motorcycle stop faster than cars and trikes stop faster than motorcycles due to two back wheels. But they still require practice.

Telling yourself you're going to ride far enough away from the traffic in front of you so you don't have to worry about having to stop quickly will only give you a false sense of security for the reason I'll bet you know. Yep, that knucklehead that doesn't look close enough cause he's texting and pulls out right in front of you.

The only way to learn what the feel of a locked brake is and how much you need to let go of the brake handle to release it can only be learned by practice. Locking the brakes when practicing is good because you are leaning what maximum braking power should feel like and you WANT to know what that is. Using maximum braking power can mean the difference between saying "Am I glad I practiced that" or taking a ride in an ambulance.

Have fun out there. It's what riding's all about. (Glad ya stuck with the 3 wheeler.)

Phu Cat

 

[Ed Hobgood]

Sounds like you did a good job for your first time. Take your time and get use to your trike and you will have a great time out on the rode. Don't let anyone tell you they have never killed their engine going up a hill or incline. we all have! Ride safe and have fun!:clapping:

 

[pcombe]

THE LEARNING CURVE?

Here are places to start in that learning curve ok?
Doing it right will save your life, doing it wrong will cost it.
Even worse it will hurt your trike!:AGGHH:



The answers are not upstairs in the attic of your mind Jolie so don't even bother climbing up there to find them.
The answers are in the world around you but you will have to slow down long enough to bear witness to them.

practice until it becomes second nature like driving a car it becomes automatic.



:Coffee: #1. check tire pressure, Front inflated to the maximum. (so the wind don't push you around and road surfaces doesn't make the sidewall flex)(this one advantage to a rear tire mounted backward rotation on the front of your trike)

#2.The rear tires are part of your suspension, 22-26 lbs. press.

#3.Next air press in rear suspension if so equipped?

#4. check the torque on your rear lug nuts from time to time-100 lbs.

Don't push things to hard with your riding curve, find a place with some black top and begin the practice of emergency breaking.
Imagine an errant car pulling out in front of you and deer jumping out of barrow ditches.

When in traffic try not to ride BESIDE a car or especially a pickup you will be in their blind spot. when behind a car etc. ride in a position so they can see you in their rear view mirrors, a pickup will see you better through the driver side door mirror for the most part it is hard to see you out of the rear view mirror on the cabs windshield and over their tailgate.

Assume everyone is texting or talking on the phone because the probably are?

If coming to an intersection and you get the feeling someone is going to pull out in front of you, DONT ignore that instinct.

When riding, understand the steering is a push- pull exercise and locking the elbow on the arm your pushing with makes the steering easier, more confident and results in less fatigue. (especially important for folks without a great deal of upper body strength)
Your using muscles you don't normally use on a two wheeler.

When turning, If necessary learn to SHIFT your bum on the seat so as to be able to plant one foot more securely on the foot peg and better handle centrifugal force.

When going into a turn in the road always make sure your trike is in a gear where the engine is pulling rather than coasting so you can accelerate or decelerate as needed instead of just relying on the brake etc.

Also running your trike in a gear where the engine is always pulling instead of lugging will cut down on front end head shake and give faster response when needed.

by running in a pulling gear if you do get head shake a little acceleration should bring it out of it as well as deceleration or brake application as the riding situation demands. (this is good to know in town on crappy streets)

Take your cut of the road out of the center of the lane as a rule so as to give yourself more reaction room and not have to worry if your rear tire is hanging out of your lane.
The poles in parking lot you practiced in can serve as a reminder that your wheels stick out, get used to watching out for them and your not so likely to mess up and hit a gas pump post.

Hope that helps?:Shrug:

 

[Zammy]

Good going Jolie, as you've already figured out, practice, practice, practice. What you did yesterday has paid dividends in evidence of your ride to your Moms, congrats on a great start! <img src="images/smilies/thumbup.gif" border="0" alt="" title="ThumbUp" class="inlineimg" />

 

[Jolie]

Thank you all! You've all given me some wonderful info for my next practice. I'm looking forward to it. I did do some quick stops yesterday, even slide in the gravel to a stop then I also practiced braking as to not slide in the gravel. The more I practice the things you tell me the better I will be and more prepared. I would love to go on the Moonshine Lunch but it's 2 hours away and next weekend and I'm definitely not ready for that but I plan on being there next year for sure. I should be good enough to not fear all those bikes that will be there. I had to go to the dealer today which is 30 miles away as I'm having an issue with speakers they installed. I wanted to let them know about it and that I'm not ready to ride it 30 miles there yet and they said that was ok. There are some hills and curves that kind of make me nervous.

I can go another way and take a frontage road, its a few more miles but that's ok so that may be the route I'll take when I decide to go there. I do think about these things now and will plan ahead. <br />
<br />
I will keep practicing!

 

[Marc H]

Heres the one I built for mine.

 

[Scratch]

Congrats, Jolie!

 

[Ozarkryder]

Good going Jolie! There are a lot of good tips above and in the "Bike to Trike" thread in the General Forum from experienced riders. One of the most important things to build confidence if to stay in your comfort zone. Try new things, but don't push too much and you'll be surprised how fast you'll master the machine.
Oh, and please keep writing on your progress. I remember the pride and happiness when I started triking many years ago and picked up the new skills. Was a great feeling, and I can relive that vicariously through new riders. Your excitement comes through in your posts.

 

[03VolusiaTrike]

Congratulations Jolie!!! Just keep riding and it will feel more natural each time. Enjoy every mile and ride safe.*ThumbUp

 

[Jolie]

Thank you all! Its raining here again (always on my day off lol) but soon I'll be out again. When I was practicing Sunday I kept looking out to the road and when I felt comfortable I ventured out around the high school and back to the parking lot. I'll keep building up the confidence and reporting back. Yous are all so good to me here! I couldn't do it without you.<br />
<br />
Marc, <br />
I love the pic of the ramp. I hope you don't mind that I saved it and I'm sending it to my handy man. That is exactly what I need. Mine that I bought with the shed is too short and too fast of an incline. Yours is perfect!!!

Thank you so much for posting it.<br />
<br />
Off to eat breakfast and get this day started!

 

[Rosy]

You are doing the right things by taking your time and doing it at your pace.<br />
I believe one of the most important things to learn is taking corners, like someone said, inside..outside..<br />
Take your cage and find a road with corners of various degrees, sharp..or just rolling..close to home that is not used by a lot of people. This way you can go slow if you need to at first. <br />
Practice your corners, get a feel of your machine as it takes the corners, try to be as smooth as possible going through the corners. As you do your corners, plan ahead how you are going to take the corner in your mind. Look ahead, not right in front of your machine, as you head into the corner. Practice..practice..you will never practice enough..Soon taking corners will be <br />
ho-hum and you will be able to stay with the pack. Soon it will second hand in taking corners with your machine. One thing for sure, know Your machine, no two machines will handle the same, no matter what someone will tell you.<br />
If you ride in groups you will be able to see who has mastered corners, or who is afraid of corners by not practicing enough. They are the ones who hold the group up. <br />
Good Luck! & someday we will meet at a TT Rally and you will be riding with confidence!

<br />
<br />
Rosy

 

[Jolie]

You are doing the right things by taking your time and doing it at your pace.

I believe one of the most important things to learn is taking corners, like someone said, inside..outside..

Take your cage and find a road with corners of various degrees, sharp..or just rolling..close to home that is not used by a lot of people. This way you can go slow if you need to at first.

Practice your corners, get a feel of your machine as it takes the corners, try to be as smooth as possible going through the corners. As you do your corners, plan ahead how you are going to take the corner in your mind. Look ahead, not right in front of your machine, as you head into the corner. Practice..practice..you will never practice enough..Soon taking corners will be

ho-hum and you will be able to stay with the pack. Soon it will second hand in taking corners with your machine. One thing for sure, know Your machine, no two machines will handle the same, no matter what someone will tell you.

If you ride in groups you will be able to see who has mastered corners, or who is afraid of corners by not practicing enough. They are the ones who hold the group up.

Good Luck! & someday we will meet at a TT Rally and you will be riding with confidence!

Rosy

Thank you Rosy! On a 2 wheeler I was always afraid of right hand turns but never left. When I started practicing turns on Sunday, especially from a stop (like turning right at a four way stop) I found that I did both left and right hand turns pretty easily. 2 wheels I'd try to avoid right. LOL At first practicing I wasn't looking to where I wanted to go. When I started doing that everything was so much smoother and easier. I also remembered to grip the trike with my knees when turning. All those things I read here really helped! They started flooding into my head. There are some things I overlooked that I will remember the next ride.

All your hints will help me! I hope to maybe next year meet up with TT. I think this year will be getting comfortable on the trike and riding some longer rides. After that there's not stopping me.

 

[Sinical]

Agreed that the ramp that Marc built is right on ThumbUp

We had a wooden shop constructed on site for the trike and two bikes. The builder was cool enough to add the ramp which is 3/4" plywood, 8 feet long with 2x4 stringers underneath spaced a foot apart from each other. Couple coats of deck paint for weather proofing and it's a done deal