Rake or not rake a trike

I am just about finished buying a 99 Harley FLH Ultra Classic with a Leahman Trike Kit. Anyone out there with experience that can tell me that installing a rake kit will make steering that much easier and that it will be a good investment. The bike has low miles and is in very nice condition. Thanks Treeboston

Rake it, it needs it

treeboston said:

I am just about finished buying a 99 Harley FLH Ultra Classic with a Leahman Trike Kit. Anyone out there with experience that can tell me that installing a rake kit will make steering that much easier and that it will be a good investment. The bike has low miles and is in very nice condition. Thanks Treeboston

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Hi raking is definitely the way to go. Can you ride without yes, but your arms will get a work out. The rake will be like power steering. A very welcomed addition. Almost close to a necessity.

"RAKE IT"

.....besides the easier effort, You can transition left to right much quicker and at higher mph speeds on really twisty roads.....:wtg:

Frankenstein strongly recommends 7 deg raked trees, which substantially reduces trail and makes steering much lighter.

This was initially confusing to me because if you increase overall rake (angle between forks and vertical) by raking the frame only you increase trail. If you increase overall rake by using only raked trees you decrease the trail. The key is in trail definition - distance between the front tire contact patch and the neck steering axis (projection of the steering stem to the ground). As you increase rake in the trees you move the contact patch closer and closer to the steering stem projection, reducing trail. This is why raked tree manufacturers warn 'not for use on frames with less than 40 deg of rake'. Choppers use a combination of frame rake and raked trees to be able to use more overall rake with longer forks but still maintain a safe trail value. Too much trail is very stable at high speeds but heavy to steer. The closer to zero, the easier to steer, but straight line stability is reduced. Negative trail is dangerous and can result in a fatal high speed wobble.

Frame rake and tree rake don't just add up when it comes to trail - they have opposite effects on trail.

Not real easy to visualize for this old brain and best demonstrated by a rake / trail calculator.

Here is a very good calculator where you can plug in your own numbers and see real time what effects fork length, frame rake, tree rake, and tire diameter have on trail.

This is the one I use when setting up front ends on my own trikes. It also has the formula for calculating tire diameter.

tree......I am riding practically the same thing you will be. I rode it for 2-years and continuously worked on handling problems. It was no problem on interstates and mild curves, but handled like a dump-truck in the hills and mountains. If you don't rake it...it will wear you out and scare you to death in the curves....especially the long sweepers. Go with the TG trees and you can use your stock forks and will not have to modify any of your control cables or lines.

I chased handling issues for years until I finally have mine so I can take a 90-degree curve as fast as I can hold onto the trike.

Here is a list of things that I highly recommend, or you will be miserable, especially if you load it with a passenger and baggage:

1: Rake it

2: Pull the rear end and install Sta-Bo bushings in the swing-arm. Dump the cleave-blocks.

3: Separate the differential and double-nut the 16-bolts that hold the diffy together. These have a habit of working loose.

4: If the drum brakes suck...let me know as I have a design for a disc brake conversion that works better than anything out there.

5: If it has anywhere close to 30K on it, replace the outer and inner rear wheel bearings.

6: If it still has those gigantic 245 rear tires on it, yank those off and install a 205. handling will be improved and the 205's can be easily removed from the fender well.

7: If it has the stock 5-speed, change the output pulley from a 32 to a 34-tooth. This will give you a cruising RPM of around 2900 at 70mph. Don't waste your time or money with a 6-speed conversion.

You don't have to do all this at once, but the three things that I think are a MUST is the raking, replacing the cleave-blocks and the rear tires.

I promise you...I have "been there and done that" with this model year bike.

You will hate it in time if you don't plan to do the things I am recommending above.

I performed an experiment of sorts. When I ordered my conversion kit, I also order the reverse and rake kit. The rake kit was back ordered, but all the rest arrived and was installed. I then rode the new trike 800 miles without the rake kit. As others have reported it steered fine, but required quite a bit of effort at times.

This last week the back orederd rake kit came in and was installed. Wow, much nicer. The steering effort is much less and steering feels much more responsive.

I am glad I had the opportunity to compare no-rake vs. rake.

(This kit was 4-degrees of rake.) I now a convinced the cost was well worth the benefit.

When I bought my trike it was not raked and what a beast to steer. Almost got a divorce when I bought the rake kit, but with a shoulder that has not set correctly and neck and shoulders full of Mr. Arthritus and bone spurs. Putting the 5.5 degree kit was one of the best things I did to the trike.

My wife has a tow-pac trike kit aka training wheels on her 05 HD deluxe and finds it hard to steer, Im considering a 6 degree raked triple tree. anyone have any input? too much ? longer forks?

I've never talked with a Trike owner who was unhappy that they installed a rake kit. Rake it....You won't be sorry.

FRR said:

I've never talked with a Trike owner who was unhappy that they installed a rake kit. Rake it....You won't be sorry.

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Talk to Zook (aka Bazooka-he owns the Joint )

Welllll...
If your arms are tired after riding a trike then (with all due respect) you are not steering your trike correctly.
You are using your arms and you should be using your body not your arms to steer.

HAve had trike since 05, do not have a rake, and have NO intentions of installing one.
(If I sell it I will prob have to install one)

cjmitch said:

Welllll...

you should be using your body not your arms to steer.

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To each his own and no insult intended but, I can't imagine having to turn my body to steer:AGGHH: Do you "stiff arm" while doing this?

I tested many trikes before my purchase. Three things I found very quickly:

1. No outriggers

2. IRS

3. Rake kit required!