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Help. Inherited a 99 valkyrie with a california side car conversion. The previous owner always told me to keep the air up in the shock, otherwise the left wheel would rub the trim. Come to find out there is only 1/2 inch clearence on left side, and 1 3/4 on right side wheel. Is this just a sloppy install, and is there any way to adjust it so both wheels have the same clearance. Thanks for any help in advance.
welcome tom
Welcome to Trike Talk, it sounds like you may have a leaky rear air shock
California Sidecars have one Shock absorber installed horizontally between the tops of the rear suspension arms. Unless there is something broken or worn out, the suspension should be level. It sounds to me like the body was not properly installed. One way to check it is to measure the height of your trike from a fixed point from one side to the other.
A good point of measurement is your seat bolt holes. Make sure they have an even measurement from center-line to ground. Another thing to look at is tire wear. If they are wearing evenly and flat, the suspension should be good. If tire wear is not a problem and basic trike attitude is OK then it is most likely a body installation issue. Hope this helps some. Good luck..... Jim
[QUOTE=cScjhb;825625]California Sidecars have one Shock absorber installed horizontally between the tops of the rear suspension arms. Unless there is something broken or worn out, the suspension should be level. It sounds to me like the body was not properly installed. One way to check it is to measure the height of your trike from a fixed point from one side to the other. A good point of measurement is your seat bolt holes. Make sure they have an even measurement from center-line to ground. Another thing to look at is tire wear. If they are wearing evenly and flat, the suspension should be good. If tire wear is not a problem and basic trike attitude is OK then it is most likely a body installation issue. Hope this helps some. Good luck..... Jim[/QUOTE]
Prior to the IRS version in 2001, CSC built solid axle conversions. I had several for sale in the shop in the early 2000's. They were of a wider wheel-track than a Lehman but shared the same basic under-structure designs of a Champion and Lehman.
[IMG]https://www.utpr.com/roadrunner/suspension.JPG[/IMG]
[SP][URL]https://www.utpr.com/roadrunner/trike_suspension.htm[/URL][/SP]
[video=youtube_share;dWJHzAdplBA]https://youtu.be/dWJHzAdplBA[/video]
Welcome to Trike Talk Tom! Sounds like you got some advice to start checking out your issue with.
[QUOTE=Burky;825581]Help. Inherited a 99 valkyrie with a california side car conversion. The previous owner always told me to keep the air up in the shock, otherwise the left wheel would rub the trim. [B]Come to find out there is only 1/2 inch clearence on left side, and 1 3/4 on right side wheel.[/B] Is this just a sloppy install, and is there any way to adjust it so both wheels have the same clearance. Thanks for any help in advance.[/QUOTE]
Tom, Welcome to Trike Talk from West Virginia.:wave4:
The rear axle may have shifted or the body frame or body might be mis-aligned. If you can figure out where the mishap has occurred, body on frame, wheel offset or rear shift, 1" clearance should stop the body rub and you can equalize and soften the rear shock.:D
Thanks for all the help. I guess I need to ask if it's easier to shift the axle to center it in the wheel wells, or to shift the body.
[QUOTE=Burky;825581]Help. Inherited a 99 valkyrie with a california side car conversion. The previous owner always told me to keep the air up in the shock, otherwise the left wheel would rub the trim. Come to find out there is only 1/2 inch clearence on left side, and 1 3/4 on right side wheel. Is this just a sloppy install, and is there any way to adjust it so both wheels have the same clearance. Thanks for any help in advance.[/QUOTE]
Tom.........Welcome to Trike Talk.......:clapping:...