40 mph shakes!

[nkpdblue]

Our "new-to-us" '97 RS trike runs beautiful except at about 40 mph when the front starts to shake-- pretty alarmingly Above or below that speed seems to be fine. Anyone have an idea if this is something we should be worried about?? Thanks

[Papa Zook]

Our "new-to-us" '97 RS trike runs beautiful except at about 40 mph when the front starts to shake-- pretty alarmingly Above or below that speed seems to be fine. Anyone have an idea if this is something we should be worried about?? Thanks

Sounds like it needs a rake kit and/or the steering stem torqued. Have you checked to see if it has a rake kit added?

[berngren]

NKPDBLUE! I learned on a 07 tour deluxe trike. In the beginning the trike felt like it was shaking all the time; but it was me because I wasn't use to it. At 40 mph, the bike didn't shake. It had a 6 degree rake installed on it. If it don't have a rake this could be your problem. Is the trike hard to turn? If it is this is a indication that it might not have a rake kit. Without a rake kit steering is hard. Like Bazooka said the steering stem torqued would help. Keep us posted.

[dstott]

The bike does not have a rake kit. I confirmed this when I was negotiating to purchase it. The seller had a rake kit on his Goldwing trike, but not the Royal Star. He claimed it didn't need it and cited pluses and minuses from one bike to the other. Evidently he was incorrect.

[nkpdblue]

Omg Thanks!!! Starting research now!

[nkpdblue]

Alright we found a local guy that works on a friends GW 1800 so hubby is going to check with him next week about doing whatever with the forks-- if that doesn't help he will check into the rake thing. He said it does steer (steer?) very hard at times but it also holds the road like magic. Only needs a tiny nudge to go around curves, if any help needed at all. He is very pleased with the handling except for the shakes.
Thanks again for the help everyone

[Nana]

nkpdblue, PM Bazooka, or call him. He sells the rake kits to members at a significant discount over other retail sources. He is very knowledgeable about which one would be best for your trike (different brands of bikes have different needs). His cell phone # is part of his signature, so scroll up to his post on this thread if you decide to contact him that way.

[nkpdblue]

nkpdblue, PM Bazooka, or call him. He sells the rake kits to members at a significant discount over other retail sources. He is very knowledgeable about which one would be best for your trike (different brands of bikes have different needs). His cell phone # is part of his signature, so scroll up to his post on this thread if you decide to contact him that way.

I have been reading some of the old posts on rakes and came across this---very happy to have this info! If we do decide to look into them I have already told my hubs and he will definitely be giving Mr. Bazooka a call

[Yelvington]

yepper.
this is common on the harley and metric bikes when the bearings in the yoke have worn unevenly. the fix is in a magazine i read about 3 years ago. you will need to jack up the front of the trike and tighten the castle nuton top of the yoke until the handlebars are stiff and wont turn. now move the bars with lotsof force from the left to the right several times until they move freely again. this reseats the bearing and should cure the wobble of death as we call it.this is how we cure this at yelvington trikes. good luck . richard yelvington