Tow-Pac + 4.5 degree rake & riding on 2 wheels

Well, I have asked for a long time if it were possible to ride safely on 2 wheels with a 4.5 degree rake kit and usually the answer was no - you'll die if you try it... It was my thinking that perhaps ahndling would be different but it seemed as though it might work, so Idecided to try it...

Well, I added a Traxxion 4.5 degree rake kit a while back and today was the first ride on 2 wheels with the rake kit and I am happy to report the ride was uneventful and successful...

OK - the explanation and usual disclaimers... This worked for me - no problems and very few issues... I will explain my setup and my initial perceptions, then tell you I take no responsibility for your experiences doing the same - like I said, the usual disclaimers...

My bike is a 2009 Goldwing, Level III... I run double darkside with a Yokohama Avid Envigor ZPS (run flat in the rear) and a Battlax BT-45 up front... Yoko tire pressure is 24PSI and BT-45 tire pressure is 41PSI...

What I notice riding with the 4.5 degree rake kit...

1. Steering seems like it may a tad more sensitive... The jury is still out on this since it's been a while since I have ridden on 2 wheels and rthis may just my issue after riding with the Tow-Pac for so long.. I'll report more on this as I ride more this week...

2. It seems as though more steering effort is required as you approach the lock or end of steering input... I also noticed this as I backed out from the garage and turned the bar almost full lock - they seemed to want to spring back... Again, more data is required before I say this absolutely true...

3. Stability in corners and sweepers seems about the same and overall handling is pretty close to what it used to be... I see no issues riding the bike on 2 wheels with the 4.5 degree rake kit installed...

4. I thought initially the bike tried to tuck in a bit in an exaggerated turn but again, it could have been me and the lack of riding on two wheels for a while... I'll ride some more this week and report back again on my findings and perceptions...

I should comment that I am one that is very in tune with my vehicles and my bike is no different... My comments above on sensitivity and increased effort are what I first noticed as I was riding and I will continue to ride and report back any additional findings, but from my initial first impressions, the bike seems very rideable on 2 wheels with the 4.5 degree rake kit installed, and no I did NOT instantly die while riding, or even have any bad things happen during the entire length of the 200 mile ride today...

Again, your impressions and experiences may differ depending on bike make,model, equipment, etc, etc, but from my perspective, I see no issues riding my Wing with the 4.5 degree rake kit on 2 wheels...

Les

You know Les, I've thought about this a lot and have read what the naysayers have said and it always brings me back to the chopper with the front wheel sticking out really far from the front of the bike and my thought is always, if that is rideable then why not a slight rake like 4.5 or even 8%. Glad yours worked out so good.

Good piece here:

[url]http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/4125/mngr/rake-and-trail-explained.aspx[/url]

Tells you what to expect...

So, a little more info guys and gals... Today, in my continuing testing efforts, my buddy and I (he was with mde "just in case") ran the "Cherohala Skyway" and "The Dragon"... The Cherohala is about 1 1/2 hours east of mt and the Dragon a bit further...

The Cherohala posed no issues at all and running the big sweepers of the Skyway was pretty much the same as it was before...

I didn't notice a lot on the Dragon either although I do believe that a bit for steering effort i required in tight turns, but I made it thru the dragon with flying colors and no issues what so ever...

My thoughts on the 4.5 degree rake kit is that there is little to fear from for any competent rider on 2 wheels with the GL1800... One would have to try it with the 1500 but I doubt that there would be much difference...

As far as any further rake on 2 wheels, I would be hesitant to try it as the trail is decreased by quite a bit with the 4.5 degree and would be non-existent, perhaps even negative with the 6 degree rake kit... These are just my assumptions and I have NOT tried it but I would exercise extreme caution if going to a 6 degree rake kit and then trying to ride the bike on 2 wheels...

Gonna ride for a few more days while my buddy is still here and then probably put the trike kit back on... If you have any questions, feel free to ask me... I don't pretend to know everything about the topic but I can tell you what works for me...

Les

[QUOTE=alwims;450953]You know Les, I've thought about this a lot and have read what the naysayers have said and it always brings me back to the chopper with the front wheel sticking out really far from the front of the bike and my thought is always, if that is rideable then why not a slight rake like 4.5 or even 8%. Glad yours worked out so good.[/QUOTE]

Exactly Al, and that very point is exactly why I tried what I did... Although, a "rake kit" as it is referred to in my post is not really the same as a true raked fork chopper but I figured it was close enough to give it a try... The difference as I understand it is that in a true raked chopper, the rake angle is controlled at the fork tube and therefore, trail can also be controlled as well...

In my case, and other rake kits like EZ steer, Traxxion, and others, what is really being altered is "trail"... Again, as I understand it, trail is what gives a bike it's inherent stability kind of like the caster effect of a car wheel... It's a self centering effect per sa...

In any case, it works, and seems to work pretty well and I am quite happy with the results...

Les

So, my buddy and I have been riding about 200 miles per day for the last week and I am getting used to the 4.5 degree rake on 2 wheels...

I do need a new front tire (BT-45) as it is very badly cupped after 20K+ miles but overall handling is good... The bike does need more steering input in sharp turns so that's a caveat but other than that, handling is good...

I just ordered a new front tire so we'll see what that does as soon as I receive it and have it installed... The front tire is really buzzing in the turns and I can feel a vibration from the cupping in a turn so it's time for a replacement...

had a kz 1300 w a sidecar and leading link front end... ya i had to try it without the car too...pretty unstable in the parking lot an maybe up to 10 or 15 mph

on the highway i could lean A LOT and still go straight

[QUOTE=stacebg;456068]had a kz 1300 w a sidecar and leading link front end... ya i had to try it without the car too...pretty unstable in the parking lot an maybe up to 10 or 15 mph

on the highway i could lean A LOT and still go straight[/QUOTE]

According to the KZ 1300 specs rake was 28.5 degrees and trail was 4"... The GL1800 rake is 29.1 and trail is 4.3" so there is a difference in specs... Like I said in my post, this worked for me - other variations may not... Perhaps yours was one that wouldn't work... Bit of a different bike as well...

Les