I am Tow Pac and Darkside now!!

[dadztoy]

Well, today I finally got my Yokohama Avid Envigor RF installed... The Tow Pac Insta Trike sub-frame caused several problems with clearance but I managed to get the CT installed after some disassemble... AAMOF, I had to disassemble the Tow Pac frame to remove the old Bridgestone tire too... Here is a photo of that part of the sub-frame that causes the interference...


I had to remove the rear fender panel, loosen the left saddlebag bolts, and then loosen the upper U-bolt and remove the lower bolt on the sub-frame - see photos below



After removing the sub-frame bolt, I could pry the sub-frame member upwards with a small pry bar (first photo) to slip the CT on to the hub... I had the help of a good riding buddy who had just installed his CT on his bike so I had the benefit of his experience... We used the plastic bag method of covering the tire so it would slide easily and we lubed the plastic with Dawn dish soap to make it super slippery... I don't currently have the Tow Pac installed but I will install it in a few days to test it with the new darkside tire, which BTW is a Yokohama Avid Envigor (195/55/16) run flat running at 34 PSI... The test ride was great with good handling, a softer ride, and hopefully 30K+ miles before a change is needed...

Les

[jmk865]

Keep us posted as to how the new tire works out.
I'll be ready for tired by Spring and would consider going Darkside if I can.
My ride is a '94 Kaw. Vulcan 1500 with Tow-Pac.

[dadztoy]

I will do that jmk - hopefully, I'll get at least 30K miles like others are getting... Took another ride today after resetting my TPMS system... The Tire Watch system is working great... The OEM TPMS was complaining about the rear tire until it heated up a bit and the pressure rose to 39 PSI... I'm thinking about getting the tool to register the TPMS sensors and reverse register them so that doesn't happen again...

I'll keep posting as I gain experience with the setup and put the Tow Pac InstaTrike back on the bike...

Les

[dadztoy]

Have the Tow Pac mounted again - had to tweak the wheel alignment adjustment on the right hand side - don't know why it changed - probably a pot hole hit or something as the left side was spot on...

InstaTrike handles well with the car tire - softer ride too... So far I am quite satisified with the CT overall and on the Tow Pac as well... I'll add additional comments as I ride with the CT and the Tow Pac - going for a ride tomorrow and Wings Over The Smokies next week... That should provide a bit more feedback...

Les