Best outrigger style trike conversion for me.
I am new here but not new to trikes. This may get a little long because I want a lot of information and opinions.We had an 1800 Goldwing with Champion trike kit for several years and put 50,000 miles on it.
I am considering an outrigger style trike for several reasons. Main reason I am 75 and have some arthritis in hips and knees, I can ride OK solo (2009 Yamaha Stratoliner S) but I am hesitant to ride double now. We just can not afford the $8,000.00 to $12,000.00 price of a trike kit, so the approx. $3,000.00 to $4,000.00 looks more attractive for an outrigger kit.
We will not be making any real long distance rides just perhaps up to 250 mile round trip day ride. Now for the real questions. I am pretty mechanically inclined , I installed the Champion kit on the gold wing and have a large box of tools so installation will be done in my garage by me. What are the speed limitations on an outrigger trike?
I could run the Gold Wing to 100mph and above with no handling problems, will an outrigger trike go at inter state highway speeds with no problems?
I see that The Voyager seems to be sensitive to pre load, how does going from solo to two up affect that? I am looking at Trigg and Voyager what are pros and cons for each of them. Any and all opinions and facts will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.
Mike
I have a Voyager and really like even after over 15000 miles
[QUOTE=gaascaleman;354455]I am new here but not new to trikes.
This may get a little long because I want a lot of information and opinions.We had an 1800 Goldwing with Champion trike kit for several years and put 50,000 miles on it. I am considering an outrigger style trike for several reasons. Main reason I am 75 and have some arthritis in hips and knees, I can ride OK solo (2009 Yamaha Stratoliner S) but I am hesitant to ride double now. We just can not afford the $8,000.00 to $12,000.00 price of a trike kit, so the approx. $3,000.00 to $4,000.00 looks more attractive for an outrigger kit. We will not be making any real long distance rides just perhaps up to 250 mile round trip day ride. Now for the real questions. I am pretty mechanically inclined , I installed the Champion kit on the gold wing and have a large box of tools so installation will be done in my garage by me. What are the speed limitations on an outrigger trike?
I could run the Gold Wing to 100mph and above with no handling problems, will an outrigger trike go at inter state highway speeds with no problems?
I see that The Voyager seems to be sensitive to pre load, how does going from solo to two up affect that? I am looking at Trigg and Voyager what are pros and cons for each of them.
Any and all opinions and facts will be greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time.
Mike[/QUOTE]
I put the voyager on for the same reason Had a hard time holding that heavy bike with two up so got the kit ad love it and my wife really likes it because now she can move around and not worry about the bike tipping or moving around, Also i like it enough that i LEAVE it on. I an also pull ourlittle trailer and not feel it
Voyager pre load Two up versus Solo
I see all the comments about pre load on the Voyager kit. I ride solo most of the time, will I need to change pre load when riding with passenger? This pre load thing seems to be the most commented item with the Voyager kit.
Mike
comment on Trigg Trike for mike
I have a Trigg on my bike . I can say this the 15 inch tires give a smoother ride and because the Trigg is mounted with the wheels farther behind the bike,s tire it is like a trailer and it may be a little different then the other outriggers. I have had mine up to about 75mph with no trouble two up . The worst thing is the Trigg will bottom out on speed bumps some time. I have done some adjusting on mine and now it can be steered with one hand when needed. I am 72 years old also and bought the Trigg for the same reasons everybody else did .
If I bought a Trigg today I would order it without the shim they put on the left side of the belly plate that makes it pull to the right .I was told by the original maker they did that so people would not drift to the left and have a head on collision. If they can't drive any better then that they need to get off and walk . As far as emails after Bushtech bought the company I made several E Mails to them and they always answered them they even call me a couple of times. So I don't know what is going on with that.
I have had my kit since 2013 and haven't had any trouble with it.
It is a little more trouble to take it off if you want to ride with just two wheels.
But I don't worry about that any more. Also it won't wobble on railroad track crossings like I hear others do. It is a very solid kit. good luck in what you decide
'94 Kaw Vulcan with tow-pac
I ride a 1994 Kawasaki Vulcan 1500 with a Tow-Pac/ 12' wheels. I got it 3 yrs ago come July; already set up and ready to ride. So far all I have done to it is replace the outrigger tires after 13,000 miles and replace a bolt that sheared off when a bracket on the bike frame had a weld break. I ride solo and two up and have had no problems at speeds up to 85. I usually ride in the 55 to 65 range.
I might add that when the weld broke and the bolt sheared, the trike was still rideable to get back home. I also had an outrigger tire go flat and it was also redeable then too without any problems. The trike had 19000 miles on it when I got it and now is creeping up on 33,000 and I have done nothing but enjoy it. I had to go to the trike since arthritis and myositis had gotten to the point that two wheels were no longer a safe way to ride. I am 73 years old and plan on keeping my trike till I have to be lifted on it !:D
I got a Voyager for my Road King
:clapping:Welcome to Trike Talk.
I was pretty much in the same boat as you, with being nearly 70 and riding two-up was getting tenuous. I put a Voyager on my 2003 Anniversary Road King, and I love it. Yes, you do have to play around with the pre-load and the tire pressures until you reach your desired level of handling and comfort, but these are interesting little triking learning curve adventures. So is adapting to the handling presented by a trike.
I repainted my whole Voyager since I bought it used. I replaced almost all of the hardware with grade -8 nuts and bolts and stainless steel or chrome cap nuts. I'm just wanting to be sure my ride is safe and secure. I had the kit put on by the previous owner who lives in Austin, Texas and my son-in-law rode the trike from Austin to La Grange, which is about 70 miles southeast of Austin.
I picked the bike up there and rode it home to Amarillo, and that was about 600 miles. Never missed a beat. I go a little slower in the curves, but I had absolutely no problems riding the trike. I had the speed up to around 90 mph passing a truck, and the unit just went on around him. I usually run about 65 to 75 keeping up with the traffic and I am not a "hot rod" any more! Those days are past me now. With a little wrenching skill and some patience, there is no part of the Voyager you can't understand or work on. Be happy and ride on.
"Oldveteran" the triker!!:wave4: