vibration in handlebars on champion trike

[john]

hi everone my wife and i went for a ride the first time on our new goldwing trike. i was going around 45 maybe 50 in 5th gear and started to throtle up to gain some speed and i felt some vibbration in the handle bar grips. it went away at 55 to 60. i talked to my dealer and he said i was lugging the moter and said at that low speed [45 or 50] i shoud shift down to fourth to gain rpm and shift back to fifth gear. if i run in fourth gear to 55 before i shift to fifth gear it's ok. so i was wondering what the lowest speed you can run before shifting to fifth gear

[ben721364]

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<img src="images/misc/quote_icon.png" alt="Quote" /> Originally Posted by <strong>john</strong>
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<div class="message">hi everone my wife and i went for a ride the first time on our new goldwing trike. i was going around 45 maybe 50 in 5th gear and started to throtle up to gain some speed and i felt some vibbration in the handle bar grips. it went away at 55 to 60. i talked to my dealer and he said i was lugging the moter and said at that low speed [45 or 50] i shoud shift down to fourth to gain rpm and shift back to fifth gear. if i run in fourth gear to 55 before i shift to fifth gear it's ok. so i was wondering what the lowest speed you can run before shifting to fifth gear</div>

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</div>I hate to say it but the owners' manual is a good place to start. However, the added weight of the trike kit will cause you to use a lower gear than you might get by with on a bike carrying the same load under the same conditions. When in doubt, select a lower gear. Lugging an engine is not something you want to do.

[John Luciano]

RPM not MPH rules the roost. Under 1,600 RPM the the Wing is not powerful enough to pull Trike and 2 people .

[Okie]

I have a 04 1800 with a Trike Shop Kit and I can slow down to 35 mph and crank on it and it will accelerate just fine. It doesn't smoke the tires but it doesn't lug either.
Okie
Tulsa, Ok

[Goldwingtrike]

RPM not MPH rules the roost. Under 1,600 RPM the the Wing is not powerful enough to pull Trike and 2 people .

I agree with John. I usually run in 4th until I hit 2800 to 3100 RPM - but I know folks that shift sooner. I have noticed two things when I shift into 5th below 2800 - #1 the motor doesn't like it and #2 the motor REALLY loves the gasoline. When I shift into 5th at the higher RPMs my fuel mileage will run in the mid to high 40's. When I shfit at lower RPMs fuel mileage drops to the low to mid 30's. After putting 120,000 miles on a 1500 it took me a while to get used to fuel injection and I was not pleased with the bikes fuel consumption until I figured out how to ride her.

Garland

[jim peacock]

John I have read on another trike board some people have been having problems with the champiom drive shaft something about the u-joints not being phased right,you may want to check them and see if theyare phased right.

[1800 06 Champion Trike]

Yes, most likely the drive shaft.
Sometimes they are put together out of balance.
No problems with mine.
Call Pete Hatfield at Hatfield Motors Muscatine, Iowa.
He's my dealer and could help you out.

[Gorilla]

Was at R &amp; R Trikes and Bikes Jasper Ga a couple of weeks ago. Gut brought in a 2006 Goldwing/MotorTrike. He was there for service and just mentioned a vibration in his mirrors at about 50 MPH. They ended up replacing the drive shaft. It was bent at the trans end a good 5 degrees. Ted