What did you do to your Trike this week?

[Rosy]

Well, Texas and parts of New Mexico is in flood conditions. Cannon AFB, is flooded, as is the housing projects in and out of the base.
This winter and now spring gave not been good to these people.
No garage here either, but do have a drive in cellar, which is great for winter projects, since it is in the 60s down there.
Holly..Molly Dennis, are you going to be able to see your trike through all those lights? LOL Should look interesting!
How is the weather outlook for Americade? Rain..off and on..?
Rosy

 

[clint44]

Clint, I don't have a garage so I try to work on the trike and bike when it rains. I bring them into my basement.
I would like to get these lights on before going to Americade on Friday.
I use to live in Abilene my last 2 years in the air force. It was so dry there at that time, the cotton farmers down the road had NO crops for the two years I was there.

We have a big two-car garage but it's kinda hot & hard for me to see well,without the garage door being open. With all the rainfall we're getting,the mosquitoes are really bad with the door open.
Don't know for sure but I bet Abilene has been getting all the rain we have been. Dyess AFB is less than 150 miles away from here.
Sheppard AFB is only around 7 miles away.

 

[DblTrbl]

Well, Texas and parts of New Mexico is in flood conditions. Cannon AFB, is flooded, as is the housing projects in and out of the base.
This winter and now spring gave not been good to these people.
No garage here either, but do have a drive in cellar, which is great for winter projects, since it is in the 60s down there.
Holly..Molly Dennis, are you going to be able to see your trike through all those lights? LOL Should look interesting!
How is the weather outlook for Americade? Rain..off and on..?
Rosy

Rain off/on for Americade..going to be a crap shoot but I'm just going up Friday and coming home Sat. The following week for Laconia is mostly a washout last I looked....but you know the weather here...you don't like it, wait 10 minutes!!

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We have a big two-car garage but it's kinda hot & hard for me to see well,without the garage door being open. With all the rainfall we're getting,the mosquitoes are really bad with the door open.
Don't know for sure but I bet Abilene has been getting all the rain we have been. Dyess AFB is less than 150 miles away from here.
Sheppard AFB is only around 7 miles away.

I did my Tech School at Sheppard.... 5 week wonder!! In and out of there:clapping:epper:

 

[DblTrbl]

Well, Texas and parts of New Mexico is in flood conditions. Cannon AFB, is flooded, as is the housing projects in and out of the base.
This winter and now spring gave not been good to these people.
No garage here either, but do have a drive in cellar, which is great for winter projects, since it is in the 60s down there.
Holly..Molly Dennis, are you going to be able to see your trike through all those lights? LOL Should look interesting!
How is the weather outlook for Americade? Rain..off and on..?
Rosy

Rosy, if I use all the lights on just the Trike, I'm looking at 640 LEDs. Don't worry, they are very small lights LOL

Yes I will be able to see it at night...the goal is that OTHERS will see meThumbUp

If I have a few left over, I'm going to put them on the small trailer I bought to pull behind my trike. I may also add a few to the 1100 Classic if they are interchangeable with the set I put on last week.

I have always believed in putting louder pipes on so folks could hear me coming BUT, as someone said last week, The DMV gives licenses to deaf folk but not to blind folks........hense, MORE LIGHTS

 

[Rosy]

Good choice because they are clamping on noise in NH. They are pulling bike/trikes over and checking noise levels.
Story:
They had a pull over at Rye Beach and they was a policeman on the side of the road pulling All bike/trikes over. There were a couple of bikes in front of me about a quarter mile away, saw the policeman pull over the bikes. The policeman was directing the bikes as to where to go, when Janice and I rode by, he turned and starting waving his hands, then he realized that he didn't hear me coming or going, I hit my brakes as I was looking in my rear view mirror. He starting shaking his head, then he waved his arms to tell me to go on! Janice and I started laughing, from the look on his face.
So, my advise, don't ride the NH sea coast beach roads, if you have a loud bike/trike!
Rosy

 

[clint44]

Our trike exhaust is not loud at all but it's definitely not stock. Guess we won't be spending any time in that state.
NH is also checking cars and trucks for illegal exhaust systems too,right?

 

[DblTrbl]

Our trike exhaust is not loud at all but it's definitely not stock. Guess we won't be spending any time in that state.
NH is also checking cars and trucks for illegal exhaust systems too,right?

They don't specifically check for exhaust but if you get stopped for something else, it could be a "secondary" concern.

Also with the bikes, they don't always look for you. They have their little "oh let's show the public we are enforcing this" days......... Few and far between.

They 1100 Classic I picked up in April has a Hypercharger and Hard Chrome exhaust and can be very loud if you are exercising your right wrist. I have flown past state police as well as the locals and not once have they even given me a look.

- - - Updated - - -

making progress on the LED light install. Hope to finish today or tomorrow.

I had a minor problem with loosing my tail and brake lights. Got them working but then the LEDs would ALL turn red when I turned the key on. they are supposed to all turn red when I apply the brakes.

I tapped into the "running" light wire (blue) and I should have tapped into the Yellow wire. All fixed now.

I may have burned out my eyes.......these suckers are BRIGHT.

Pictures to follow...promiseThumbUp

 

[Rosy]

Do we need to wear sunglasses at night, just like the song says! LOL
Remind me to put your trike in the back of the pack, so all of us will be safe from getting hit, from the rear! LOL
Yes, waiting for pictures!
Rosy

 

[mpolissky]

Took it out for a week of awesome riding in Smokey Mountains

 

[Rosy]

Wow, thank you very much for the pictures! They are great.
What are you running for a front tire? Looks like it is wearing very well. How many miles on it?
Thanks again for the pictures!
Rosy

 

[mpolissky]

Wow, thank you very much for the pictures! They are great.
What are you running for a front tire? Looks like it is wearing very well. How many miles on it?
Thanks again for the pictures!
Rosy

Thanks Rosy, I'm running the new Avon AV71 trike tire that was just installed before this trip.

 

[Rosy]

Avon looks good, how did you balance the tire?
Nice looking rig!
Rosy

 

[mpolissky]

Avon looks good, how did you balance the tire?
Nice looking rig!
Rosy

Not sure, my mechanic did it.

 

[Rosy]

I know at times balancing has a factor on longevity of tire. If you could, could you find out what was used to balance?
Thanks
Rosy

 

[mpolissky]

I know at times balancing has a factor on longevity of tire. If you could, could you find out what was used to balance?
Thanks
Rosy

He said nothing special, the same way he balances all the bike tires.

 

[clint44]

Took a few pics of our new Kury solo shifter and Ness rear brake lever,both with SMT Machine pegs,and Ness shifter rod, with my cell phone. Took off the chrome engine guard,also.

 

[Rosy]

Great photos, now the BIG question, how is it working?
Hopefully it is great!
Thanks that was great!
Rosy

 

[clint44]

Although it doesn't look like it,both the shifter and brake pedal are only about 2.5" off the floorboards but fit & function like they were tailor-made for me. Am very satisfied with the extra length of the SMT pegs. Both are 4" long.

 

[DblTrbl]

On the way to Americade Friday, I stopped in Enfield, NH and bought some Ride On to add to my front tire. I don't believe the "indexed" the tire when they mounted it (either time). The folks in the shop were extremely nice and let me pull the trike into the garage where they jacked up the front end enough to take the weight off the front tire. I added the Ride On, filled with air, lowered the trike and off I went...... A few miles down the road the shimmy was 99% gone.

I have noticed that the trike rides "rough" since I got it back this time. I believe it has to do with the tires I have now. I had white wall tires put on front and back. Running 30psi in rear and 32 in front. I'm going to do some research on the brand of tires he put on to see if that is a trait of those tires.

I want to give a shout out to the folks at Shaker Motorsports in Enfield for their assistance!!:clapping::clapping::clapping:

 

[Rosy]

Suggestion on front tire pressure, try raising the tire pressure on the front tire to see if it will decrease the wobble. A lot of the tire pressures we have heard from are high 30s to 41 psi.
I run mine at 41psi.
Good luck!
Rosy

 

[RTwing]

Today I went Biking :Coffee:

 

[DblTrbl]

Suggestion on front tire pressure, try raising the tire pressure on the front tire to see if it will decrease the wobble. A lot of the tire pressures we have heard from are high 30s to 41 psi.

I run mine at 41psi.

Good luck!

Rosy

Rosy, that is what they were running in mine. We ended up taking the air down to 33psi and it made quit a diff. He also adjusted the air in the front forks which also helped.

I'm not getting the "wobble" like I had before. I get a small vibration more like it's an issue with tire balance. Addressing things slowly to see what works or don't work.

I really think the tires have a lot to do with the smoothness of my ride. I had a very smooth ride with the tires I had on last year. This year he put on the white wall tires and I'm getting a rough ride. Other then changing out the tires, the only thing they did while at Hannigan was to Square up the rear end.

I'll get thru this riding season but will probably be looking for different tires for next season.

 

[RTwing]

You are right when you say tires and pressure make a difference. As far as suspension tires are #1 as it is the tire that first must deal with any road irregularities. If the tire cannot then the action is transferred to the springs and the shocks which control and dampen the effects. So the ideal situation is for the tire to absorb as much energy as possible thus reducing the load on the secondary suspension components.
On a delta trike running a MC tire it would then be best to run a bias ply at 32-34psi maximum. Bias tires tend to be softer and thinner on the sidewall so they don't heat up like the radials and do offer a softer ride. MC tires are just the opposite of CT as a car radial is softer where the MC radial very hard and stiff.
Same holds for automotive run flats which are not a good choice for MC or car.

Case in point I run 15-19psi on my front tires any more and wear is increased, ride is harsh and it's difficult to keep the wheels planted on the ground as they will bounce rather than absorb.

 

[Rosy]

The other suggestion was to add ceramic beads to balance the tires. Do you have the fork extensions from Hannigan?
That is something I need to do to my 02 GL 1800 Hannigan trike, get extensions put on. For some reason, my trike never had them put on from Hannigan.
It was noticed when I blew a fork seal last year.
so, two things to do this summer, besides regular maintenance, fork extensions on trike, front tire on my 88 Honda Shadow.
Rosy

 

[DblTrbl]

The other suggestion was to add ceramic beads to balance the tires. Do you have the fork extensions from Hannigan?

That is something I need to do to my 02 GL 1800 Hannigan trike, get extensions put on. For some reason, my trike never had them put on from Hannigan.

It was noticed when I blew a fork seal last year.

so, two things to do this summer, besides regular maintenance, fork extensions on trike, front tire on my 88 Honda Shadow.

Rosy

I'm running the "ride on" instead of the ceramic beads because I want to prevent a flat if I pick up a nail or something punctures my tire(s).

I have the Hannigan rake kit but on the Venture they don't use the Heavy Duty shocks. You just use the stock shocks.

I believe the Ride On has helped tremendously so will just monitor things from here.

 

[Rosy]

So, is it a slurry that is put into the tire? Will it stay a slurry throughout the life of the tire? When you get a nail in the tire, will it seal it so you can get to a dealer to have a new tire put on.
I have heard, you should not put plugs in your motorcycle tires, specially on the front tire.
Need to read more on this product.
Hey, good luck and your wobble, which is getting better.
Hurray!
Rosy

 

[alienwulf]

I would not plug either front or rear on a 2 wheeler. But seeing how little weight and low air pressure in the rear's on a trike I would plug the rear's. Might have a slow leak at most can't see a blow out not at 22lbs or less. Like to know what others have done? :cxtv:

 

[Rosy]

The only problem would be if the pressure gets low enough on the rear tires, you could "roll" the tire off the rim, if you take a corner.
Has this ever happened to anyone? I hope not, because you could be in serious trouble.
Rosy

 

[J.T.M.]

I spent most of my life in the tire business. I am here to tell you DO NOT PLUG A MOTORCYCLE TIRE. Any hole in a tire needs to be inspected from the inside and properly repaired with a patch and filler. I was trained by the best and was certified to repair lawn mower tires to giant tires. I have repaired holes larger than 6 inches. Plugging a tire from the outside can cause a leak in the inner liner and sealed at the outer layer. This in turn can cause a bubble between the two causing a separation and could develop into a blow out. Until you take the tire off you do not know the integrity of the inner liner. Running the tire low can break down the inner liner plus a nail may cut the inner liner from the inside and not show up unless you take the tire off the rim. Knowing what I know I will not except a plug on my car tire or any tire for the highway. A plug is ok for an emergency temporary repair or off road slow moving tires only.

 

[Rosy]

Well, J.T.M., thank you, that should take care of any thoughts on the matter.
I also was told to replace the tire by a mechanic that works on our vehicles, at times I thought, is he trying to get me to spend money, but the more I knew him, the more I trusted him.
One thing that bugs me is to see a vehicle going highway speeds with a "doughnut" on (spare tire), and you know it has been on that vehicle for a while. Why do people subject their love ones and total strangers to a possible accidents? Blows my mind!
Rosy