conversions

[gerald martin]

I need some help please.
I ride a freewheeler now but I am seriously thinking of changing to either a sporty or a softail and putting on a Frankenstein or mystery design trike kit for the simplicity of it all changing handlebars without breaking the bank, changing the belt without a 20 hour labour charge, being able to adjust the clutch and other things
My question is
Has any one ever heard of or personally had experience with frame stress or cracking of the frame after installing one of these kits. I ride at least 30,000 miles a year so I have to do a lot of matinence and the new trikes have too many dealer fix items for me to deal with

I need real answers not speculation answers so please help if you can

Thanks

Gerald

[gerald martin]

come on there must be someone with knowledge yes or no How about you Bazooka you do trike conversions. Have you ever heard of problems

[Gorilla]

Gerald you asked for real answers not speculation. I've been on this forum a long time and no one has posted a frame problem caused by the conversion except a couple of Honda GoldWings that had the frame that cracked even without a conversion. Might be why you are not getting any real answers because its not an issue. Just a thought.

[peteg59]

Have you tried google~ing: frame issues with ________ trike conversion...?

Anything can be fixed, modified, etc., but the degree of tolerance one is willing to endure in getting a perfectly running/riding trike is what usually sways someone one way or the other in getting onto 3 wheels.

If any frame issues do exist as a result from any aftermarket conversion, they are relatively unheard of.
Several guys on this site have successfully converted their 2 wheelers into 3 without mentioning any negative frame issues as a result.

A rear belt change on any conversion or factory trike is not a simple walk in the park, unless you do it on a regular basis.
As motorcycles evolve, manufacturers are increasingly making them more complex to maintain.
They're also introducing major mechanical/structural changes every few years to make interchangeability of parts between many years of their product, more difficult or virtually impossible.
Its simply in their best interest to do so.

Basically its going to come down to you having to weigh out the benefits of working on your trike yourself, vs having a dealer or indy shop doing work for you.
Best of luck to you in your decision, going forward...

[dmillsr3]

I am in the midst of a conversion of a 1987 Electra Glide to a trike with a Cass County Chopper kit. I haven't come across any warnings about frame damage from a trike conversion. However, others on this board have warned about the need for a heavy-duty upper motor mount on the older bikes like mine.

As Peteg59 stated, "A rear belt change on any conversion or factory trike is not a simple walk in the park," but I would point out that if you have done that conversion yourself, ya pretty much know how to do it in your sleep.

[gerald martin]

Well I guess my question will remain unanswered. I thought there were some people on this site that were in business installing trike kits but I have not heard from any of them so I will assume there must be a problem with frame cracking or else they would have been the first to answer as they would be the ones to know. But I guess that would be bad for their business if they said Yes there a potential for a problem but let me do a conversion for you anyways

[peteg59]

I will assume there must be a problem with frame cracking or else they would have been the first to answer as they would be the ones to know.

Couple issues with your assumption gerald:
1) Not all installers nationwide, or local to you, are on Trike Talk to quickly answer your question.
2) Because nobody has jumped up & claimed to have experienced "frame cracking" as a result of triking their bike by Conversion Company X, does not mean that frame cracking has occurred!

Likely quite the opposite as people tend to voice their displeasure's with a product or service that they perceive to have affected them in a negative light on social media for all or many to see.

Bottom line: Most trike conversion companies in business today have been in business for many years, & IF there is/was a company that had frame cracking issues as a result of their engineering designs, we'd have heard of them by now...

If you do more research & actually find documented case(s) of frame cracking resulting from a conversion, please let us know!

[Papa Zook]

Well I guess my question will remain unanswered. I thought there were some people on this site that were in business installing trike kits but I have not heard from any of them so I will assume there must be a problem with frame cracking or else they would have been the first to answer as they would be the ones to know. But I guess that would be bad for their business if they said Yes there a potential for a problem but let me do a conversion for you anyways

Gerald, I got your message but I have been in overdrive and didnt immediately answer it as I should have. For that I apologize, its been a very hectic week with building multiple trikes, family in for Christmas and New Years along with the upgrades and data error fixes we are currently making to the forum software, I have been swamped and admittedly not responded to all of the emails and PMs in my inbox.

I assume the above comment was directed at me and all I can say is that as a long time dealer/installer and owner of this forum, I would NEVER knowingly sell or install any product with known frame cracking issues just to make a few bucks, nor would the manufacturers as they would be out of business.

Champion, Frankenstein and all the major (key word MAJOR) trike manufacturers who make kits for the Sportster and Soft Tail are reputable and have hundreds of positive testimonials all over this site. Safety always comes before money to any reputable business owner that has a brain and wants to stay in business by selling a high quality, time tested product.

If you have any questions, feel free to email, PM or call me at 334-648-0157 anytime to discuss, and again I apologize for not responding sooner.
Randy

[gerald martin]

Thank you for your remarks. I did not mean any offence to anyone All I wanted to know was a yes I have heard of problems or No I have not heard of any problems by the conversion people. Building a trike is expensive on a fixed income so I just wanted to know of any problems that could accrue. The reason I was so sceptical is because I have dealt with more than one company that will not admit to their defects so that is why I called out to the conversion people as they would have better knowledge of what the problems could be.

If I offended anyone I am sorry It was not my intension

[Papa Zook]

Thank you for your remarks. I did not mean any offence to anyone All I wanted to know was a yes I have heard of problems or No I have not heard of any problems by the conversion people. Building a trike is expensive on a fixed income so I just wanted to know of any problems that could accrue. The reason I was so sceptical is because I have dealt with more than one company that will not admit to their defects so that is why I called out to the conversion people as they would have better knowledge of what the problems could be.

If I offended anyone I am sorry It was not my intension

OK, well no offense taken then Gerald. I can see where it did seem strange that no installer chimed in. Like I said, shoot me another massage or call me if you have any questions on specific kits and I will more than happy to respond, this time in a more timely manner.

[BinIdaho]

Hey Zook.....how about putting Trike Conversions BELOW Freewheeler? The original order was HD Tri-Glide, Freewheeler...then you put the conversion thread above the two original threads. Thank you in advance.

Barbara

[retread83]

15k plus miles on my 08 Frankenstein Sportster without any problems.

[pcombe]

Well I guess my question will remain unanswered. I thought there were some people on this site that were in business installing trike kits but I have not heard from any of them so I will assume there must be a problem with frame cracking or else they would have been the first to answer as they would be the ones to know. But I guess that would be bad for their business if they said Yes there a potential for a problem but let me do a conversion for you anyways

I AM ALSO ONE WHO BUILT MY TRIKE A FIXED INCOME
Why in the world would I have a frame crack?

The only thing that is likely to go on a Harley are rubber mounted parts such as engine mounts and you should change them out periodically.

A motorcycle was never designed to be a trike but the conversions have dealt with stress related parts with swing arm design. On an older Harley the upper engine mount must be strengthened as the stock system is not heavy enough. Buy a kit from Champion it works great. The newer bikes are already stout enough you wont need to worry about it.
There is more tendency for a twisting motion on take off with a trike and that is easily handled by good maintenance.

Replace the swing arm bushings when you build the bike, change the motor mount make sure you have proper torque on your swing arm shaft so you don't get slop and crack the transmission mount etc. as well as all fasteners and check them at regular intervals.

If I have some help I could change a belt in about a day but it doesn't matter how long it takes me as Harley takes 8 hours and charges $2000.00.
The only thing that matters is I can do it myself isn't it?
My old Tour Glide Ultra is 28 years old and I have NEVER dealt with a frame crack, I think your giving yourself fits over a moot point?

Years ago when people were cutting and stretching necks I seen bad welds cause stress cracks, You are using a fork kit that requires no cutting and at best you will be welding an extra bracket to mount the body frame.
keep the ground as close to where you are working to prevent striking an arc through bearings any time you weld on anything motorcycle related.

Start with a new belt from HD. Drop the bucks and don't be cheap I have never had great luck with aftermarket belts, Check it at least seasonally for proper tightness and axle alignment, it isint all that hard to do.



To see pictures of my conversion google-- pcombe photobucket/library and get on with the task at hand. Click a picture and it gives an explanation of what I am doing.

[pcombe]

Gerald, I got your message but I have been in overdrive and didnt immediately answer it as I should have. For that I apologize, its been a very hectic week with building multiple trikes, family in for Christmas and New Years along with the upgrades and data error fixes we are currently making to the forum software, I have been swamped and admittedly not responded to all of the emails and PMs in my inbox.

I assume the above comment was directed at me and all I can say is that as a long time dealer/installer and owner of this forum, I would NEVER knowingly sell or install any product with known frame cracking issues just to make a few bucks, nor would the manufacturers as they would be out of business.

Champion, Frankenstein and all the major (key word MAJOR) trike manufacturers who make kits for the Sportster and Soft Tail are reputable and have hundreds of positive testimonials all over this site. Safety always comes before money to any reputable business owner that has a brain and wants to stay in business by selling a high quality, time tested product.

If you have any questions, feel free to email, PM or call me at 334-648-0157 anytime to discuss, and again I apologize for not responding sooner.
Randy

Gerald. you can trust what Randy said and you can trust him not to burn you, You can also trust you will be able to get ahold of him with any issues or questions you may have.

During my build I had a tech question and he put me direct telephone contact with champion to address my needs.

Hell the owner of the company even saved me a few hundred in shipping right to my garage door.

In addition there are plenty of us like myself who built our own trikes and will give you some insight and tech advice as well.

I started my trike build buying all my parts through Bazooka and have not ever been disappointed in service or product.

I have never met Bazooka personally but over the years we have become friends helping each other out in various ways. ( I built my trike in the spring of 2013)

he got me discounted parts saving me a bunch of bucks during the build and always delivered what he promised.

I am NOT a member of trike talk staff nor am I employed by Randy, Just another guy like many others on this site who is willing to give a fellow triker a hand up.

You can private message me just to ease your mind if you wish. I live in Wyoming where very few people convert trikes as a business so many of my friends bring trike problems to my door. I work on friends trikes just for something to do because I am retired and generally worthless in most other respects.






Paul Combe.