Handeling corners & curves?

[hdrider]

I'm looking forward to learning the proper way to ride a trike... but I'll tell ya.. I ride with a couple x motor cops from the LA area. If the day comes I can say bring it on to them and even keep up,, I'll be a happy camper. I'll be honest that I can't begine to keep up with those guys if they want to leave me on the 2 wheeler LOL.

[John Luciano]

I saw the Conn State Police DRIVE/Ride . they were our escort for a ride and I can agree with you on that

[Okie]

Ben, that does help. I realized in reading your post that I'm already locking my elbow on the the outside arm in a turn.
I do have a 5.5 Degree Rake and it makes it all that much easier to handle the turns.
Thanks.

I love this forum! Can't tell all of you how much I appreciate you comments. I just need some good weather now to ride the thing. It's going to be 27 here tonight and the high tomorrow is 45 and not going to be warm for the next week. OH WELL, this is March.
Okie
Tulsa, OK

[Goldwingtrike]

Man, it is a good feeling to be reading all this. I have been preaching this for over three years and was beginning to feel I was out in the void all alone. The first time I rode the Dragon up in the Carolinas and Tennessee I was "told" to follow the two wheelers since I could not stay up with them!!!! After the first 5 miles of me honking my horn for them to go faster, they pulled over and let me by. I was down at the store a good 5 or 6 minutes before they got there. The funny part was these guys had been riding motorcycles for the best part of their lives and I had been riding less than two years.

Garland

[Okie]

Well it's finally happened! I went for a ride today with my friend that bought my 06 heritage soft tail and we rode over a few roads that I had already ridden the trike over and I could tell that it was much easier for me to take the turns and curves.
I've got about 1500 miles on the trike and the lifting feeling I had on even easy curves, now seems to be gone.
I've worked at the things that I've been taught on this forum and it has really helped.
We had a beautiful day here today with the temps in the upper 70's and very little wind.
We are planning a three day trip from Tulsa to Hot Springs, Ar and then up to Harrison, Ar and then to Eureka Springs, ar. Planning on going the 20's of April. Now we are just hoping the weather is good. Lots of good twistie roads in this area and beautiful to boot.
Again, thanks for all the help everyone has been.
Okie
Tulsa, Ok

[John Luciano]

Like anything it takes practice. The first few times it is scary. I am always asked ( after of course how much is it ) aren't you afraid it will tip over. I think this what is in the mind of the new trike rider and they don't turn or lean as much as they should . Once you get past that and try to lift that inside wheel ( I still have not accomplished that task ) u will begin to enjoy the twisty roads. Glad you got thu it OKIE. Ride safe and don't run over the 2 wheelers they can't help going too slow.

[Okie]

John, you are right about the tipping over. A couple of years ago we were in Santa Fe, Nm and a trike turned a corner in front of me and his left rear tire was about 2 inches off the ground. He wasn't going that fast and it wasn't a 90 degree turn, more like a 45 degree because his street wasn't square with the street we were on. I think that picture has been in my mind all this time. I have no idea what kind of kit it was but it was on a goldwing.
I'm not a dare devil and I know that at my age (64) it takes thing longer to heal than it used to so I can glide along and enjoy the ride just a smuch as the guys that have to drag the pegs.
My old saying "It ain't the destination, it's the journey"
Okie
Tulsa,OK

[John Luciano]

I will bet it was an add on Voyager kit you saw . I did it every time I took a sharp corner when I had mine. I had to get rid of that out of my mind when I started on the trike. I don't think even a sharp turn at 25MPH would do that on a trike .
I would love to hear from others if they ever lift a wheel .

[Mikethetrike]

I will bet it was an add on Voyager kit you saw . I did it every time I took a sharp corner when I had mine. I had to get rid of that out of my mind when I started on the trike. I don't think even a sharp turn at 25MPH would do that on a trike .
I would love to hear from others if they ever lift a wheel .

One of my favourite rides is to Hartside Top Cafe in Cumbria. The Cafe is situated at the top of a 1904ft pass and is one of the best rides in the North of England. I have been riding this route for many years on solo bikes and the last 3 years on various trikes.
Part of the route, about 30 miles, is of scenic views with twisting roads and some very tight hairpin bends.
My trike is a Gold wing with a CSC conversion which I ride relatively quickly but there is no way I could keep up with performance bikes on this route unless they are old farts like me trying to keep within the speed limit. However I am competitive and don’t like to slow other people down, so I have on many occasions taken one of hairpin bends a bit quicker than I should and the inner wheel has come off the ground, much to the wife’s dislike. The Wing is probably the most stable of the trikes I have owned but they all have a limit to what they can do, I think it is best to know this limit and then ride within it.

[Boscoporp]

Hi John,

After reading all the imput on this turning and leaning I am confused. I ride a 2003 Honda GW Trike with a MotorTrike conversion. I have a Michelin Activ pilot on the front reversed. I have BF Goodrich steel belted radials on the rear. This is how I bought the trike. I do NOT have a EZ steer rake at all.
Is this the correct combination? I , too have a little fear in fast curves!

If I am on a curve going to the left. Are you saying go in wide and turn short?? Push against the curve with a right straight arm and pull with the left? In this example what do I do with my feet and knees??

Yes, I agree with you about the lifting of a back tire. i was in a GWRRA Trike Class and we had a dozen trikes going around and around a parking lot attempting to lift back tire. We did it fo twenty minutes and I watched and rode with a rider. We NEVER saw a wheel off the ground!

[Gorilla]

Your feet stay on the pegs/floorboards. If you are pushing the envelope on the curve You can squeeze the tank with your knees to give yourself some stability as the forces try to throw you off. I still lean a little myself to help cancel the force.

[bullet 10]

Wizard I rode a HD motor trike and had some of the same problems you are having. I think 42lb is to much air in the front try 36 instead. also I had more trouble taking a right hand turn ( I think it was right )and started to feel a vibaration in the turn. check your front lower motor mount. I went through 2 HDmounts and 1 velvet drive mounts. You will think I am crazy but try leaning to the outside of curve just be careful the first time to get the feel of it, it seemed to work for me in a tight curve. I don't think the radial and bias tires makes any difference in handling. I was stock rake but installed 4in over forks which done the same thing. I think 24lb in rear tires should be fine. I ran 20-30 in air bags. shocks were on second slot.:2cents::yay:

[skuuter]

Something I have noticed.....Looking through a corner as far as You can has always been the Hot Ticket for getting a motorcycle to go where You want it to go. Now, I've realized something else about Trikes that doesn't apply to 2-wheelers when using this technique. The farther I sight through a corner on the Trike, the less Handlebar movement it requires to make a particular corner. I finally experimented with this, looking at different sight points of varying distances.........Try it Yourself.....:wtg:

[Saltywheels]

The farther I sight through a corner on the Trike, the less Handlebar movement it requires to make a particular corner. I finally experimented with this, looking at different sight points of varying distances.........Try it Yourself.....

Skuuter, I 100% agree. I started experimenting a short while ago & came to the same conclusion. But I still wasn't sure. So when you posted the same thought, I was a happy camper:yay:

As far as lifting the inside wheel, well I tried at the GWRRA course last week end, till I was nearly dizy with going round-n-round faster-n-faster untill the sucker lifted a lousy 4" I guess an IRS set up doesn't easily lend itself to lifting the inside wheel. Comforting thought

[skuuter]

The farther I sight through a corner on the Trike, the less Handlebar movement it requires to make a particular corner. I finally experimented with this, looking at different sight points of varying distances.........Try it Yourself.....

Skuuter, I 100% agree. I started experimenting a short while ago & came to the same conclusion. But I still wasn't sure. So when you posted the same thought, I was a happy camper:yay:

As far as lifting the inside wheel, well I tried at the GWRRA course last week end, till I was nearly dizy with going round-n-round faster-n-faster untill the sucker lifted a lousy 4" I guess an IRS set up doesn't easily lend itself to lifting the inside wheel. Comforting thought

I can lift mine....."BUT".....I hafta' be doing something so irrational, and at such a ridiculous speed that it falls into the "NO NEED TO BE DOIN' THIS" Catagory..... ......Yep, when ridden "Right" or even fairly "Aggressively Right", They don't lift Rear Wheels....

[1550vt]

Wiz....this is your buddy talking here dude. Take some air out of the front tire. You don't have enough contact-patch on the road. You did say 42 lbs. didn't you? My god man...you're going to blow it off the rim.

[Lonerbtw]

I was at the Cal. state trike in this weekend and we got to take the trikes out on the race track for a few laps for the croud. Comming out of turn 4 on a banked track about 25 mph I thought I would show off a bit and turned down and nailed it. The Valk came to life and stood up on 2 wheels. Only problem was one frount and one back. The guy behind me said it was atleast a foot if not more. Got it back on all three and decided not to do that again, But still did some pretty good burn outs on the straits. And the crouds went wild.
Loner

[Blondie Gal]

Sorry I missed that! Ol' ScalpHunter took a sharp exit turn off a highway last August and heard some 'new words' from me, but I don't think we were on two at any point. Made me consider some additional medical insurance for myself, though . . .

[skuuter]

Sorry I missed that! Ol' ScalpHunter took a sharp exit turn off a highway last August and heard some 'new words' from me, but I don't think we were on two at any point. Made me consider some additional medical insurance for myself, though . . .

.......

[lectric]

Still getting used to a trike. It's hard to get used to all the push on the front end. And overcoming the falling sensation when turning hard. Scared myself a few times in not turning the bars hard enough in some corners. That is especially disconcerting at high speeds. So I'm keeping it mellow still. When I am alone I will push it harder to get used to it, but not with a pillion aboard! What I did find helps for me is to push hard on the appropriate bar and use that push to move me to lean to the inside at the same time. Even though that is opposite of what you do on a bike, it makes it a whole complete action and my body is learning to automate that function. Even if it doesn't need to be done it keeps me from feeling that I am going to be thrown from the trike. Time to go wrench then practice .