Shaky shaky head big sigh shovelhead

[Downtown Cowtown]

Have shaky bike, it has a fork brace, and a new trike tire zero miles balanced of course, rear end measures straight. 15 pounds air in rear tires Ive run for 35years at 12lbs now 15lbs.

Tightened fork stem till it quit and backed off a notch. Originally in a stock frame, it was tweaked, i changed it out for a supposedly stock reman, its 2inch tall in the front legs and the rear seat is dropped.

Front end is a Kenny p, raked tree adjustable, with 10in over forks, when i had the Harley raked trees 6 over but needing 8 or i never had this prob.

Before i go back to a 10 over with Harley trees Im going to put a adjustable steering dampener on it. If that don't fix it, Im outta options.

Im into suggestions from the elect, that means you.

[Sidecarbill]

You should measure the trail on that setup. Hard 2 tell from the picture but it almost looks 0 or negative.

[Downtown Cowtown]

You should measure the trail on that setup. Hard 2 tell from the picture but it almost looks 0 or negative.

Ordered a pair of stabilizers shocks off evil bay. If that don't cut it, i don't know what will, if it don't i will pull the rake in some more, pat Kennedy trees. Or just change the front end, big sigh, good news i got the front minus the tubes.

i^ll post better pics from the side later, thanks

[stacebg]

Have shaky bike, it has a fork brace, and a new trike tire zero miles balanced of course, rear end measures straight. 15 pounds air in rear tires Ive run for 35years at 12lbs now 15lbs. Tightened fork stem till it quit and backed off a notch. Originally in a stock frame, it was tweaked, i changed it out for a supposedly stock reman, its 2inch tall in the front legs and the rear seat is dropped. Front end is a Kenny p, raked tree adjustable, with 10in over forks, when i had the Harley raked trees 6 over but needing 8 or i never had this prob. Before i go back to a 10 over with Harley trees Im going to put a adjustable steering dampener on it. If that don't fix it, Im outta options. with the extend forks i wonder what you have for trail.. becuase when you add the longer tube the fron end become higher and that will increas the trai.. lift the fr Im into suggestions from the elect, that means you.

wonder what the trail is... with extended tubes the trail is bigger because it lifts the front of the frame..
i am betting you still have too much trail... i find around and inch an a half work for me.. some dont like it that short but works for me
i just sold my harley trike with a vette rear and have a v max with a mazda rear both have harley adjustable trees and about 2inches over stock tubes neither ever had a damper.. the yamaha i can drive forever with one hand the harley had to be careful with one hand it might shake just a little but soon as you put your other hand on it stopped...totally manageable the trail was just a little longer on the harley
is it pretty good till you hit a bump or does it shake all the time ?

[butchvoss]

boy i had a low speed shake on my home built that ripped my stabilizers out and i had two. It only happened if i hit three bumps in a row under 30 MPH.. My trike was just not safe. I did have 2 inch of trail but something was just not right. I went to building a leading link with the help of members here.. Im sure you will figure it out and when you do please let us all know what the fix was.

[Downtown Cowtown]

Heres a band aid that might work for the slow head shake that Ive never experienced before, Grrrrrrrr, why now. ?

ABOUT $170 OFF EVIL BAY. COMMENTS ANYONE. ??? THEY BE IN THE MAIL I DO BELIEVE.

[butchvoss]

I broke the brackets of two just like that when my steering head went nuts the last time.. lol Heck i pulled back on the bars and hit the brakes and they still broke, Mine only shook under 30 but last time was so violent it scarred the poop out of me.. Never did it above 30 and i put about 500 miles on it last summer. I tried a band aid fix with adding more rake. helped an awfull lot but did not fix for me. I think i just had way to much front end weight for the gold wing forks.

[stacebg]

I broke the brackets of two just like that when my steering head went nuts the last time.. lol Heck i pulled back on the bars and hit the brakes and they still broke, Mine only shook under 30 but last time was so violent it scarred the poop out of me.. Never did it above 30 and i put about 500 miles on it last summer. I tried a band aid fix with adding more rake. helped an awfull lot but did not fix for me. I think i just had way to much front end weight for the gold wing forks.

you went more rake? or raked the trees?
under or at about 30 seems to be the killer speed for shake .. sidecars as well as trike... doesnt seem to be any rhyme or reason... i dont believe to much weight is a cause of the shake if the steering is hard which i am assuming is the case.... you have too much trail...

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Heres a band aid that might work for the slow head shake that Ive never experienced before, Grrrrrrrr, why now. ?

ABOUT $170 OFF EVIL BAY. COMMENTS ANYONE. ??? THEY BE IN THE MAIL I DO BELIEVE.

imho it "IS" just a band aid..
i personally i would opt for trying to fix the problem
does your trike steer hard??
another hing that will cause shake.. if the stem bearings have the slightest wear it will cause shake.. had a tike with same issue the races had the slightest dent / dimple almost didnt notice it... put in new and was fine!!
for future ref iou need stabilizers and if you can make the mount vw beetle stabilizers work real well about 25 or 30 $ least the used to be

let us knopw

[butchvoss]

I raked the trees. The guys on this forum helped me figure what was wrong.

[Downtown Cowtown]

you went more rake? or raked the trees?
under or at about 30 seems to be the killer speed for shake .. sidecars as well as trike... doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason... i don't believe to much weight is a cause of the shake if the steering is hard which i am assuming is the case.... you have too much trail...

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imho it"IS" just a band aid..
i personally i would opt for trying to fix the problem
does your trike steer hard??
another hing that will cause shake.. if the stem bearings have the slightest wear it will cause shake.. had a tike with same issue the races had the slightest dent / dimple almost didn't notice it... put in new and was fine!!
for future ref you need stabilizers and if you can make the mount vw beetle stabilizers work real well about 25 or 30 $ least the used to be

let us know

Used to be is right, oriellys is 69 bucks and pretty much so is evil bay.


New neck bearings outta the box. races also. cups also.

Tis disappointing since before the frame, front end change it never happened. Ugh. Coulda saved $660 on the frame and the grief that comes with changing it. And the expense of pat Kennedy trees and on and on.

Jus disappointing,in in all ways.

Im in it to win it, the lady is jus wishing i would finish it out, so she could ride.

Life is difficult. When it comes to rake an trail. I can bring the rake in a bit, only took a 4ft crowbar last time to line it all up. Ugh, then shorten the tubes, then shorten the brake lines then then. You get the idea.

[stacebg]

Used to be is right, oriellys is 69 bucks and pretty much so is evil bay.


New neck bearings outta the box. races also. cups also.

Tis disappointing since before the frame, front end change it never happened. Ugh. Coulda saved $660 on the frame and the grief that comes with changing it. And the expense of pat Kennedy trees and on and on.

Jus disappointing,in in all ways.

Im in it to win it, the lady is jus wishing i would finish it out, so she could ride.

Life is difficult. When it comes to rake an trail. I can bring the rake in a bit, only took a 4ft crowbar last time to line it all up. Ugh, then shorten the tubes, then shorten the brake lines then then. You get the idea.

guess its been a while since i bought one....
have you tried to figure how much trail you have??

[Lee H. Mann]

Try measuring the trail. Photos look lake too much negative...

[Loner]

Lotsa expert craftsmen on this forum ready to offer the help with your problem, but all unstable front end analyses orient around a few basic facts, the primary of which is 'trail'. Take a few moments and 'fill in the blank' by measuring and letting us all know your true trail value is to get us all on the same page. I personally believe that your problem will begin to solve itself as soon as that value is determined. While you are measuring also share with us; 1) the neck rake on your frame, and 2) the additional rake dialed in by the triple trees.

Practical engineering (i.e., trial and error) tought us about how to apply our book-learnings to improve front end stability on a trike, but it always comes back to the '2-planed geometry' layout of a design to show us the most effective route to improve it.

One other tip - never underestimate the effect that rear tires/alignments/etc. will have on front end stability. Even one rear tire being slightly out of balance can produce a major reaction in the front forks. (But it sounds like you've already double-checked most of that).

[Downtown Cowtown]

OK girls here we go, if the pics download. Installing the stabilizer, of course i didn't think it was a bolt on, and its not. Since the bracket is bigger than the frame tube. Ugh.

To be expected, but my lead tech being a smart feller, took half my idea, i saw a set of Harley handlebars up, with the knurling, cut out of the bars and split, then wrapped around the tube, better yet lead tech breaks a hack saw blade piece off to put next to the tube, then the shim made outta the knurled handled bar to keep the bracket from slipping, hacksaw blade keeps the shim from slipping, damn smart on his part i would have never thought of it.

Almost installed. Progress report coming.

Also have magnets on outside my tool box drawers, well once drawer came out then all came out top and bottom and almost impaled him on the bike table, drew blood, then my neighbor came by, Viola, straps on box and 3 bad backs pulling up the Titanic of tool boxes, now its shimmed up in front and no fall, Take my experience and make it your own.

having PROBLEMS DOWNLOADING PICS, GOT IT DONE, BUT I CHECK THE BOX AND IT STILL NO DOWNLOAD, BIG SIGH.

[Downtown Cowtown]

Im pretty much unimpressed with the shock setup, its a Daytona, sold by many for more than i paid. Ad shows a two set up which is what i thought i was to get.

Seller sent one, Ive notified them im short, the ad no say take you pick, it shows 2 and says one like a kit ? So emailed them, waiting for them to tell me im stupid.

Ill let eBay takem on. The shock itself has little if any resistance. If its nitro filled, its gone, at least to me, if its hydraulic its never been filled.

Beware if ya buy this kit or one like it, seems substandard to me. Kit i paid $159 for others Ive seen almost twice the price and its same same.

Never had this problem with a extended Harley front end of 6inchs on a stock frame, with Harley raked trees, others Ive built using a narrow glide with a permanent 10degree rake tree handled like a cat on a hot stove.

Guess i could cut down the legs on this road king front end and use the similar in nature top caps on the stock Harley raked trees, and hog out the lower tree to 41mm.

Go with the cover and the fat boy headlight. As a last resort that might be my last option.

In all fairness my head shake was slight. At slow speed, no more than 20mph, faster than that no shake, which is the nature of a raked out frame. That^s why some put a 21incher on the front of the old style scoots to help with the flip flop on the front at slow speed.

Back to the drawing board and i will measure the trail, thanks for the depiction of the bike and measuring trail.

If your looking for a shock set up similar to this, don't buy this one. MO. Its sold under many names on eBay, but you can tell by looking its same same. Save you money and buy or build something else, altho i like the brackets on this one.

So far i cant upgrade to a ohlin shock that Ive seen as they are 8 ball shaped. Hundreds of shocks on eBay, all from Thailand, china. and Timbuktu.

Suggestions ? overall about 15inches long, 1 inch od. about a 5inch stroke, and no almost 100 percent of the sellers don't list the details.

Rode it awhile ago, turn loose the handle bars almost no shake, but bike will pull to the right if handlebars are unattended at slow speed. Was hoping the shock would help hold her straighter than that.

That^s my story and how its unfolding, whats your experience. ???

[stacebg]

Im pretty much unimpressed with the shock setup, its a Daytona, sold by many for more than i paid. Ad shows a two set up which is what i thought i was to get.

Seller sent one, Ive notified them im short, the ad no say take you pick, it shows 2 and says one like a kit ? So emailed them, waiting for them to tell me im stupid.

Ill let eBay takem on. The shock itself has little if any resistance. If its nitro filled, its gone, at least to me, if its hydraulic its never been filled.

Beware if ya buy this kit or one like it, seems substandard to me. Kit i paid $159 for others Ive seen almost twice the price and its same same.

Never had this problem with a extended Harley front end of 6inchs on a stock frame, with Harley raked trees, others Ive built using a narrow glide with a permanent 10degree rake tree handled like a cat on a hot stove.

Guess i could cut down the legs on this road king front end and use the similar in nature top caps on the stock Harley raked trees, and hog out the lower tree to 41mm.

Go with the cover and the fat boy headlight. As a last resort that might be my last option.

In all fairness my head shake was slight. At slow speed, no more than 20mph, faster than that no shake, which is the nature of a raked out frame. That^s why some put a 21incher on the front of the old style scoots to help with the flip flop on the front at slow speed.

Back to the drawing board and i will measure the trail, thanks for the depiction of the bike and measuring trail.

If your looking for a shock set up similar to this, don't buy this one. MO. Its sold under many names on eBay, but you can tell by looking its same same. Save you money and buy or build something else, altho i like the brackets on this one.

So far i cant upgrade to a ohlin shock that Ive seen as they are 8 ball shaped. Hundreds of shocks on eBay, all from Thailand, china. and Timbuktu.

Suggestions ? overall about 15inches long, 1 inch od. about a 5inch stroke, and no almost 100 percent of the sellers don't list the details.

Rode it awhile ago, turn loose the handle bars almost no shake, but bike will pull to the right if handlebars are unattended at slow speed. Was hoping the shock would help hold her straighter than that.

That^s my story and how its unfolding, whats your experience. ???

the pull to the right is more than likely the the crown in the road you can drive on the wrong side of the road (i didnt really recommend that did i?) more than likely it will pull left...
yrs ago i put a bungee cord on my front fork to take that little pull away... course then you wanna ride the left on the highway its pulling the wrong way... with very little trail it not very noticeable... but this is the reason i went with a lean set up

[stinger608]

Have you tried moving your fork brace up any????

Reason I ask, is I built an ole shovel trike for a pal of mine and when we first got it completed it about tossed him off the scoot from the front end shimmy.

Got a fork brace and it helped but it was still there.

What we did, and it even looks better, is to measure the distance between the bottom of the top triple tree to the top of the bottom triple tree along the fork tube. Now move your fork brace up to measure that same distance from the bottom of the bottom triple tree to the top of the fork brace.

Don't know if that will help with your application but it will probably only take minutes to test to see if that takes care of your issue.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Downtown Cowtown]

Any suggestions on a shock >>> one i have is weak and brand new, im looking for the adjustable, shock, one inch in diameter, not finding any locally and eBay gotem but i cant put my hands on them an test the resistance.

Soooo any real world experience ???

Suggestions ? overall about 15inches long, 1 inch od. about a 5inch stroke, and almost 100 percent of the sellers don't list the details.

[Downtown Cowtown]

I guess all you smart guys are keeping a well kept secret, guess few read this and have info that would benefit me, some do, some dont, come on wake up, lets hear it.

which is the best stabilizer ? mmm, its about 8inch long instead of 15, and about one inch around.

Is the bk rider best bang for the buck ?

[Downtown Cowtown]

I didn't ask about trail, i asked about a stabilizer. You didn't see any info on trail, because i haven't measured it yet.

As for a band aid, thats a given, jap bikes all come with it on the bigger cc sportsmodels i have, so i guess japs are selling band aids included.

Im going to run a stabilizer regardless of trail.

I didn't say it was what i wanted i said it was what it is. Pay attention and have another cup of whatever wakes ya up. Now backs to the program, whats the best stabilizer this side of ohlin. ? Thanks again.