convertible trikes

[briandca]

I have a 2012 gl1800 and was interested in a temp trike such as a insta trike
Your thoughts and suggestions
Thanks
Brian

[oldbear]

I suppose they're "ok", and I know some folks love 'em, but they do NOT drive the same as a "built" trike. My experience has been echoed by two friends who each owned one (1 insta trike, 1 trigg). In both cases the machine just felt "odd" and both owners complained of the way they felt. Both of these folks have since upgraded to real built three wheelers (vs four wheeled "trikes"(). There are also potential issues with the center rear wheel driving when road surface is not level, bag door clearance, etc. I would STRONGLY suggest you ride both types of machines before you spend YOUR $$. Ultimately, it is up to you and if you're happy with it, great! Just be sure you know what you're getting into before you spend your $$ Good luck and welcome to the world of trikes!

[Konrad]

If you enjoy riding on two wheels but want the stability of a trike at stops or low speed manuevers or in stop and go traffic, Google "Ghost Wheels" which I think is a far better answer than Instatrike.

Although I have zero experience with Instatrike (although I have a friend that never could get his to line up correctly and sold it), it would seem to me that the steering would be quite heavy without a rake kit - and once you put that on, it will no longer work as a two-wheeler as the engineering configuration would be permanently changed.

There's a flavor out there for everybody!

[roscoe 07]

in texas a state trooper told me a motorcycle with four wheels on the ground is illegal he say two or three not four

[cblack6540]

i love my insta trike on my Honda Shadow Aero. When you see a built trike take a corner, hit a curb and almost flip, and then you see an insta trike in almost the same occurence and the bike doesnt even tilt very much (just the wheel that hits the curb climbs right over) Thats what sold me. And you can find them used for about half of retail...

[Bill Reber]

I Have seen a Trig add on come off a bike nasty spill resulted. Some like them, some hate them but it's what you feel good with that counts.

[jackpoet]

in texas a state trooper told me a motorcycle with four wheels on the ground is illegal he say two or three not four

Hey Rosco, I live in Brazoria County, city of Alvin. Have friends with an insta-trike conversion, never had a problem with police. This is the first I have heard of something like this. Could be the trooper was wrong, I am going to check it out. Thanks.

[Veritas44]

i love my insta trike on my Honda Shadow Aero. When you see a built trike take a corner, hit a curb and almost flip, and then you see an insta trike in almost the same occurence and the bike doesnt even tilt very much (just the wheel that hits the curb climbs right over) Thats what sold me. And you can find them used for about half of retail...

???Seriously???

An Insta-Trike, Trigg, Voyager, ET AL, MORE Safe and Stable in any cornering situation period much less smacking a curb during ???????
C'Mon Man!
Really?????

[hbrogan57]

Could this happen? Most certainly. IF you are taking a corner like a friggin' idiot. I have cut a few corners a bit too close and have done the "curb shot". A little unnerving, yes, but almost a flip? NOPE.

i love my insta trike on my Honda Shadow Aero. When you see a built trike take a corner, hit a curb and almost flip, and then you see an insta trike in almost the same occurence and the bike doesnt even tilt very much (just the wheel that hits the curb climbs right over) Thats what sold me. And you can find them used for about half of retail...

[hbrogan57]

I spent two years researching the various trike conversions available. HANNIGAN, DFT, CHAMPION, MOTOR TRIKE, et al. There are many, MANY great brands out there. Ultimately, I went with a Hannigan conversion.

I considered the "convertible" trike kits. But there seemed to be far too many small moving parts for my personal tastes. I am sure there are folks out there that really like them. But I prefer the confidence and relative safety of having my full conversion under my butt.

I suggest that you do what I did. Contact as many installers and manufacturers as you can. Ride what you can. Then you will be able to make an informed decision and go with what's right for YOU. Not what's right for someone else or because you got a "great deal"......

I have a 2012 gl1800 and was interested in a temp trike such as a insta trike
Your thoughts and suggestions
Thanks
Brian

[hbrogan57]

Here are a few shots of mine while it underwent it's conversion.....

On the rack....






The end result....

I have a 2012 gl1800 and was interested in a temp trike such as a insta trike
Your thoughts and suggestions
Thanks
Brian

[cscsonny]

It's real hard trying to make up someone elses mind about a decission like this.
Just remember that most trikers on here will state that they will never go back to 2-wheels,whether it be a full conversion or a temporary add on.So,should you have a problem with an add on,temporary type kit down the road,you will most likely go with a full conversion anyway.
One fact I can tell about is a friend had an add on type kit on her bike.We were on a ride one day involving lots of twisties and the mounting arm on the right side broke.She didn't crash,however did have a difficult time riding it to a nearby muffler shop,all we could find with a welder,and did a temporary weld to get her home.Scared her so bad that the next week she trade in on a full 1500 converted trike,then 2 years later on a new 1800 full converted trike.She rides that trike all over the US and mostly by herself and has yet to have a problem.

Also rember that if you are traveling and have a problem with a temporary kit,most dealers won't work on them.

Good luck with your decission.Keep us posted.

[sgmdudley]

I bought a 2009 GL1800 in April 2009. I installed the Tow-Pac Inst-Trike kit myself before putting the first mile on the bike. I put 17,600 miles in 3 years, then sold the kit and had the DFT kit installed.
1) even tho you can remove the kit and drive on two wheels, the ride with 4 wheels will be difficult. If switching back and forth you MUST leave the Front forks stock. With the kit installed you really need to add a Rake Kit to make steering easier. If raked, you CANNOT drive on two wheels.
2) The kit was $4k, installed by me. I removed it several times to swap the rear tire, not too bad. Takes about 4 hours total.
3) The ride was not quite as smooth as I needed for my bad back. Three rear wheels are difficult to align and balance. Also, I had to take curves a little slower then the speed limit to avoid excessive pressure on the Inst-Trike frame. Even so, when I removed the kit to have the bike converted to DFT, I found two braces in the back broken. The welder did a great job so I have no worries about the next owner. Possible reason was the manual says you need to periodically check all the mounting bolts which I was not able to do due to physical issues.
4) The kit did what it was supposed to due. Allowed me to drive 17,600 miles safely without any problems holding up the best touring bike on the market. It was not expensive and I was able to install it myself as well as remove it when needed. I did install a 5.5 degree rake kit which made steering the twisties up in the mountains of Colorado very effortless for me.

[hbrogan57]

Let's be clear here......FOUR wheels is NOT a trike......

tri·cy·cle [trahy-si-kuh l, -sik-uh l] Show IPA
noun

trike
noun, Informal.
1.
a vehicle, especially one for children, having one large front wheel and two small rear wheels, propelled by foot pedals.
2.
a velocipede with three wheels propelled by pedals or hand levers.
3.
a three-wheeled motorcycle.

[SEAlaskan]

Let's be clear here......FOUR wheels is NOT a trike......

tri·cy·cle [trahy-si-kuh l, -sik-uh l] Show IPA
noun

trike
noun, Informal.
1.
a vehicle, especially one for children, having one large front wheel and two small rear wheels, propelled by foot pedals.
2.
a velocipede with three wheels propelled by pedals or hand levers.
3.
a three-wheeled motorcycle.

Butch

[Papa Zook]

Everybody has an opinion, here's mine:

I've been a trike dealer/installer for 8 plus years now and have installed and driven numerous Motor Trike, Champion, Roadsmith, Hannigan, Frankenstein and yes VOYAGER kits on every conceivable make and model. My conventional trike conversion sales VS outrigger sales is probably in the 40 to 1 range so I cant say I have sold huge numbers of them, but I have sold and installed quite a few. As far as safety, I would not say they are safer but I will say that if properly installed the outrigger style trikes are a safe and affordable alternative for many people. I know this from years of personal experience and hundreds of installs of the above brands.

Quiet a few of my outrigger customers have moved up to conventional trike conversions but I have several still riding with 25K+ miles on their Voyager and are still enjoying them. They know that without that kit their riding days would be over and being able to ride is whats most important to them. Do I prefer and recommend the conventional trikes over the outriggers? Yes of course, but not everyone has the means or desire to tie up that much money in their hobby.

[Papa Zook]

There are always strong detractors when this subject comes up and you'll notice the most vocal of them do not and never have owned one, so go ahead and eliminate their opinion right off the bat....just sayin'

If you want the opinions of numerous experienced owners of these, go to the "Outrigger Style Trikes" forum below this one.

[MarciaG]

I agree with the last few posts. If not for a lot of luck (good fortune), I would still be riding on my outrigger "trike." I was very grateful for it....it was all I could afford at the time. I would not have been riding anything without it!

MarciaG

[hbrogan57]

My statement was just for a bit of comedic relief.

It doesn't matter WHAT you ride it's THAT you ride. If folks can't afford a fully converted one then I would certainly tell them to look at the outrigger style options. With one caveat......have them PROFESSIONALLY installed.

Sure, a shade-tree mechanic might be able to do the job, but do you trust your neighbor friend OR yourself with YOUR life? I am extremely mechanically inclined but I sure wouldn't attempt it.

Some things should just be left to the professionals.

Everybody has an opinion, here's mine:

I've been a trike dealer/installer for 8 plus years now and have installed and driven numerous Motor Trike, Champion, Roadsmith, Hannigan, Frankenstein and yes VOYAGER kits on every conceivable make and model. My conventional trike conversion sales VS outrigger sales is probably in the 40 to 1 range so I cant say I have sold huge numbers of them, but I have sold and installed quite a few. As far as safety, I would not say they are safer but I will say that if properly installed the outrigger style trikes are a safe and affordable alternative for many people. I know this from years of personal experience and hundreds of installs of the above brands. Quiet a few of my outrigger customers have moved up to conventional trike conversions but I have several still riding with 25K+ miles on their Voyager and are still enjoying them. They know that without that kit their riding days would be over and being able to ride is whats most important to them. Do I prefer and recommend the conventional trikes over the outriggers? Yes of course, but not everyone has the means or desire to tie up that much money in their hobby.

[riverrat]

I rode a 2000 goldwing with a voyager kit for a couple of years and put over 30,000 miles on it.
I now have a 2010 goldwing with a CSC trike kit and have put 24,000 miles on it.
there is a lot of difference in the ride and handling between the two, but there should be for the difference in money between them. the outrigger will make your bike stable and safe but it won't make it a trike and it will never handle or ride as good as a trike.