hand brakes for trikes

[extreme10]

I recently asked Triking trikes if they had a hand brake on their trikes

Hi.

Does your goldwing 1800 trike kit have a hand brake (emergency brake)

The reply I got from Triking trikes

Ok there are 2 braking systems on your bike, Front on the handle bar and main brake off the brake peddle. So how many do you need in an emergency, and could you reach a lever somewhere on your trike. Is there an emergency brake on any trike??

Mike @ Triking Trikes

I was indeed quite surprised to receive this answer to a genuine enquiry Perhaps the reply was meant to be funny.

I would have thought a knowledgeable trike builder should already know what a hand brake was .It may just be useful for other trike buyers to know which trikes do have this very useful brake as leaving your Honda Goldwing in reverse can jam up it up permenently in reverse, of course you can always carry a wooden chock to jam under the wheel- ugh.

In Canada, United Kingdom, and all of the European Union, no trikes can be used on the road unless they have a seperate hand brake ( motor trike call this an emergency brake) The brake has to be completely seperated from the normal trike braking system and should operate on BOTH REAR WHEELS. As far as I know all these manufacturers (see below) have a hand brakes which is completely seperate from the trikes braking system

EML. Eurowing, Motortrike,Lehmans and Trikeshop There just may be others as I haven't reseached all manufacturers

Recently, I read in one of the forums, an idea that the centre stand switch could be linked into the handbrake. This would help to make sure one didn't ride off with the brake on. This can easily happen if there isn't a light indicator on the dash. It could also help in security as the trike I have also has a lock on the handbrake itself.

[rmrc51]

Roadsmith trike conversions (for the GL1800 at least) do come with the 'emergency/hand/parking' brake. (depends on what you like to call it, lol)

To me, that was a very desirable addition to a trike conversion. I believe that Hannigan is also now offering an 'emergency/hand/parking' as well.

And regarding some how attaching the center-stand/kick-stand switch to the hand brake is a side project that I also intend to investigate.

[saab9k]

I recently asked Triking trikes if they had a hand brake on their trikes

Hi.

Does your goldwing 1800 trike kit have a hand brake (emergency brake)

The reply I got from Triking trikes

Ok there are 2 braking systems on your bike, Front on the handle bar and main brake off the brake peddle. So how many do you need in an emergency, and could you reach a lever somewhere on your trike. Is there an emergency brake on any trike??

Mike @ Triking Trikes

I was indeed quite surprised to receive this answer to a genuine enquiry Perhaps the reply was meant to be funny.

I would have thought a knowledgeable trike builder should already know what a hand brake was .It may just be useful for other trike buyers to know which trikes do have this very useful brake as leaving your Honda Goldwing in reverse can jam up it up permenently in reverse, of course you can always carry a wooden chock to jam under the wheel- ugh.

In Canada, United Kingdom, and all of the European Union, no trikes can be used on the road unless they have a seperate hand brake ( motor trike call this an emergency brake) The brake has to be completely seperated from the normal trike braking system and should operate on BOTH REAR WHEELS. As far as I know all these manufacturers (see below) have a hand brakes which is completely seperate from the trikes braking system

EML. Eurowing, Motortrike,Lehmans and Trikeshop There just may be others as I haven't reseached all manufacturers

Recently, I read in one of the forums, an idea that the centre stand switch could be linked into the handbrake. This would help to make sure one didn't ride off with the brake on. This can easily happen if there isn't a light indicator on the dash. It could also help in security as the trike I have also has a lock on the handbrake itself.

I was indeed quite surprised to receive this answer to a genuine enquiry Perhaps the reply was meant to be funny.

""I was indeed quite surprised to receive this answer to a genuine enquiry Perhaps the reply was meant to be funny.""

We see that now, when someone with not much knowledge get a coat and tie job, tends to be very arrigand to cover their ignorence.

[americanbadass]

I just used a brick- you can get em at Home Depot for 79 cents, they come in red or all natural.pepper

[rmrc51]

I just used a brick- you can get em at Home Depot for 79 cents, they come in red or all natural.pepper

You guys are so bad, lol

[Gorilla]

I'm guessing he did not know that parking brakes are required in other countries. At least I would give him the benefit of the doubt.

[Chumbly]

As I have posted in the past, I can't vouch for the rest of the country, (Canada's traffic laws are much like the U.S. in that every state or province is responsible for their own traffic laws, and enforcing them), but in Western Canada, a parking brake<b> is not</b> manditory. I don't have one on mine...just leave it in gear.

[extreme10]

I would hate to have to carry a brick or piece of wood to use as a wheel stop. If you have ever left your wing on a steep hill in gear don't be surprised if you find it at the bottom!

I stand corrected as to Canada requiring one but I had read previously in the forum that they did, perhaps its just the Province/state they lived in.

It's a bit of a pain having to have one for use in the EU etc as it does limit one to certain makes BUT I wouldn't be without one on my trike for sure

[bustedwing]

I have posted before about the mico lock that is an electric switch you mount wherever you choose and an inline valve that locks on the brake pressure when you flip the switch. Added benifit theft deterrent.

[leo3wheel]

Ontario requires a manual hand brake, separate from the hydraulic brakes. This was a concern of mine because I was considering triking there. Law applies to all trikes passing through Ontario. I had decided that it is probably cheaper to pay a fine than modify our trike.

[Chumbly]

Guess I won't be visiting Ontario for awhile. As far as not leaving it in gear to park, the truckers used to do that on their rigs before modern air brakes came along....I've been doing it all my life with standard transmissions, with never a problem...and I would never trust an emergency brake, (I had a cable actually snap on me once). If your trike engine is big enough and it's engine compression and clutch are in decent shape, I can't believe there would be any problem parking on any hill you can drive up... and I live very close to the "Rockies". But then, do as you like... I do like "Bustedwing" s solution though.

[gympy]

Emergency brakes are required on all trikes here in Canada after January 1st 2001. It is a Federal Law and is written in the Dederal Hwy. Taffic act. To be approved trike kit in Canada to sell one condition is you must have an emergency brake. When I bought my trike kit from Lehman in 2001 the emergency brake kit was included in the kit. If bought prior, you got grandfathered.

"NO" you do not need an emergency brake to come to Ontario if from out of province. There are only two trike Kits which areCanadian Federal Department of Transport approved here in Canada and that is the Lehman Kit and the Motor Trike KIt. This can be checked on the Federal webb site of the above name. In Ontario if your kit is not approved it is EXTREMELY HARD and very EXPENSIVE to purchase insurance for those other kits if you can get it at all.

GYMPY

[BladeRunner]

+1 what gympy says; I don't have a trike, but my friend ( who just signed up on here) just got an '03 wing with Lehman trike kit. It has the e-brake option. He did a lot of research before buying, you can not pass or get a safety certificate of road worthiness here WITHOUT a separate "parking brake"..or e-brake as some call it. It makes perfect sense to me, if for any reason your service brakes fail..you need SOME way to stop the thing
In my mind..it's a needed option.

[rmrc51]

Ya know in all honesty, these things really should be called parking brakes, not emergency brakes due to where the handle is located. (Mine is under the right passenger floor board and the floor board has to be in the up position to set the brake). Even if you were riding with no passenger, there really wouldn't be any safe way to reach back and down that far with out compromising your steering control of the trike, at least in my opinion. And believe me, I wouldn't want to even try it at low speeds.

Now with all that said, I always though it was a great option to have and still think so, but as a parking brake only. And again with THAT being said,,,, guess how many times I've used it (as a parking brake) since I've had my trike? Only once, lol.

[Chumbly]

Emergency brakes are required on all trikes here in Canada after January 1st 2001. It is a Federal Law and is written in the Dederal Hwy. Taffic act. To be approved trike kit in Canada to sell one condition is you must have an emergency brake. When I bought my trike kit from Lehman in 2001 the emergency brake kit was included in the kit. If bought prior, you got grandfathered.

"NO" you do not need an emergency brake to come to Ontario if from out of province. There are only two trike Kits which areCanadian Federal Department of Transport approved here in Canada and that is the Lehman Kit and the Motor Trike KIt. This can be checked on the Federal webb site of the above name. In Ontario if your kit is not approved it is EXTREMELY HARD and very EXPENSIVE to purchase insurance for those other kits if you can get it at all.

GYMPY

Maybe in Ontario....not where I live.

There is no brake on mine (and it is a Motoirtrike bought in 2009), and I didn't have a problem registering or insuring it. Motortrike is sold in Canada and not all kits have emergency brakes. I also know that Champion, Roadsmith, Triwing, and perhaps more are also sold here. I think we've been over this before.

[Mgammon]

DITTO on what Rich said ...

Roadsmith has parking brake standard on their conversion .. I wish they
would have added a bright yellow LED in the group they put use for the aux
gas tank ,.. Would remind me to release it ...

[rmrc51]

DITTO on what Rich said ...

Roadsmith has parking brake standard on their conversion .. I wish they
would have added a bright yellow LED in the group they put use for the aux
gas tank ,.. Would remind me to release it ...

Yeah, that would be a good addition!

[thumperjb]

I have an older model Roadsmith kit, back when they were called Trike Shop. No parking brake. I was parked in gear on a slight incline once when my trike started rolling very slowly forward, luckly another rider saw it and pulled the front brake. Since that day when parked on any type of slope I use a velcro strap on the front brake lever. If I park on a hill I have a truckers rubber chock in the trunk that I can put on the back tire. I don't think I would use the parking brake even if I had one because most of them are mounted in bad locations and hard to reach.

[oldbear]

Ya know in all honesty, these things really should be called parking brakes, not emergency brakes due to where the handle is located. (Mine is under the right passenger floor board and the floor board has to be in the up position to set the brake). Even if you were riding with no passenger, there really wouldn't be any safe way to reach back and down that far with out compromising your steering control of the trike, at least in my opinion. And believe me, I wouldn't want to even try it at low speeds.

Now with all that said, I always though it was a great option to have and still think so, but as a parking brake only. And again with THAT being said,,,, guess how many times I've used it (as a parking brake) since I've had my trike? Only once, lol.

Exactly. It is a PARKING brake. I too have it and have only used it a couple times (parked on steep hills in the mountains).

I leave 'er in gear and then set the parking brake.

It may or may not be necessaary, but it gives me more confidence on STEEP grades. The rest of the time, I just leave it in gear.

[Chazzman]

I think most of the trike kits have it at least as an option. I opted to not have the parking brake since I figure I would never use it. I have ridden two wheels for the past 42 years and never had a parking brake and never parked on steep hills. Wouldn't think it would be any different riding a trike.