Trike comparisons

[wiredgeorge]

As a complete newbie to trikes and owner of a 2006 GL1800, I am looking for good articles that compare various manufacturers trike kits. I am also a bit confused as to whether independent suspension is a beneficial and worth the price or the rake kits being offered with most kits. Can anyone point me to links where pros and cons relative to these issues are discussed? <br />
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Problem with reading manufacturer websites is that they are full of techno babble and each claims to be best. FYI, I am fairly strong and can still handle a large bike with little difficulty but am getting on in years and need to pay for a trike BEFORE I have to have one I guess... I also have never strapped a teddy bear to my luggage rack nor do I pull a trailer. The missus and I are interested in mileage, comfort and economy. I don't want to spend money on stuff unless it is really needed as I am not wealthy. TIA.

[Saltywheels]

Hi Wired: Welcome to the best trike -forum around<img src="images/smilies/thumbup.gif" border="0" alt="" title="" class="inlineimg" /><br />
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Not sure if there are any specific articles comparing one brand vs another. If there is, I am sure one of the members will refer you to it. You are absolutely right about the hype each manafacturer puts out about his product. But isn't that the nature of advertising? Yet, it's truthful.<br />
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Re IR suspension, it certainly gives you &amp; the missus a lot smoother ride IMHO.And as far as raking the front end 4-6*, well, that is a no brainer. Makes handling a lot easier &amp; more precise. Rode an 03 GL with a CSC kit (love it!) for a year before adding the rake kit &amp; lo-&amp;-behold...almost power steering<img src="images/smilies/grin.gif" border="0" alt="" title="big grin" class="inlineimg" /><br />
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If you are a hi-mileage rider, then I would also recommend an auxillary tank. Beats filling up every 150-170 miles. And the best part is, you don't have to sweat it. You got the gas, if you want to ride 200+ miles before stopping.

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The rest becomes a function of the pocket book &amp; personal preferences.<br />
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G'luck.

[lectric]

+1 on the aux tank! regardless of the brand. IRS do ride smoother and less shaking of the trike when 1 wheel goes over something. More maintenace though. I am not aware of any magazine that has done a heads up comparison between brands or styles. A rake kit may not be necessary, but I personally would not be without one. The more rake the easier the steering, some say the 6 degree is too twitchy. But that also depends on the width and length of the wheel base. Each trike kit has plus's and minus's. <br />
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One thing is certain, it's easier and in the long run, and cheaper, to have the optional kit components installed during the build(rake,all balls, aux tank, floor boards, parking brake etc) not talking about doo dads.

As for mileage, your going to take a hit from a 2 wheeler, expect on a GW trike to get about 30 to 35 avg. I just did 275 miles of varied riding yesterday and still have prob 3 gals fuel left in my 2 tanks on my GW/CSC. Try and ride as many brands and types as you possibly can, preferably with your SO. There is a big difference I am told in the pillion comfort between some of them. And go to every forum for trikes and read, read, read.

[cirbtap]

2 years ago I put on a CSC and have never looked back. I pull a pop up trailer and have no problem. Didn't really check anyone out, I saw this conversion and had it made.
Have about 11,000 miles on it since I converted and haven't had any problems since.
Good luck and ride safe.

[Konrad]

There are many threads on this forum regarding conversions and each brand has its adherents. Point being it seems everyone LOVES the brand they have because very few have had the advantage of riding the various brands to compare them all. In other words, it would be difficult to go wrong!<br />
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That being said, your satisfaction and happiness will strongly depend on the skill of your installer - he is going to be the key element.<br />
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I would strongly suggest that for your passenger's comfort you investigate brands such as Roadsmith that put the rear wheels BEHIND the passenger seat which provides greater stability and far less bounce for passenger comfort. And definitely get the auxiliary fuel tank if you are going to be doing some long distance riding. In many of the western states gas stations can be few and far between - I know - recently returned from a 5,299 mile trip on my Roadsmith through 13 of them.

[wiredgeorge]

I guess I have ridden through most all the 50 states at one time of the other and understand the fuel issue. I understood when I asked about the different brands that folks would be partial to whatever they own as it reflects on their buying savvy; same with just about every purchase BUT there are nuggets buried in comments such as passenger comfort and rear wheel placement. THIS IS PARAMOUNT as my missus has ridden pillion for best part of a million miles I guess and I need to keep her happy. Heck, in my old age, I need to keep me comfy too.

[wingking51]

When I was getting ready to order my trike I asked my installer why I should spend the extra $ for independent suspension vs. solid axle. He told me that my wife would have a much nicer smoother ride with the independent suspension. That being said, I went independent because as you well know, if momma ain't happy, nobody's happy! Really, I am glad we have the independent suspension. It gives us a fantastic ride here in the leading pothole state in the USA.<img src="images/smilies/thumbup.gif" border="0" alt="" title="" class="inlineimg" />

[John Luciano]

Honey has ridden on the back of a Champion, a MotorTrike and our DFT. she preferes the DFT.

[wiredgeorge]

By the way, if any of the admins on this site read this, the DFT ad link on the right hand side of the page is a bad link. You have to remove the slash kits.php extension to see their website.

[cmore]

I recommend the Ezsteer/Powertrack, Aux tank, Parking Brake and the Aqua shields/running boards (since u will be ridding a lot). <br />
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If u <b>ever</b> think u will want to pull a camper or trailer then the trailer hitch. Its much easier to do while the kit is being installed rather than u doing it later.<br />
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I have several other options on my CSC, but would want the above (maybe less the Aqua Shield but they do make the kit look finished and keeps some stuff from hitting your legs)

[wiredgeorge]

Speaking of CSC kits, what is the differences between the Cobra and Cobra XL?

[cmore]

I think that the XL is the newest version. They have some improvements and changes.

Here is the blurb from CSC site
California Sidecar - Performance Touring

Same Cobra Style Now Available with Double the Trunk space

We took the opportunity to re-design our Cobra kit to offer our market a choice of an enlarged trunk capacity for the existing 2001 to 2010 GL1800’s without sacrificing styling or performance. We believe you will find the COBRA XL at first glance hard to distinguish from our current kit, thus maintaining the same elegant soft lines that have made our Cobra kit so popular. What you will discover is a trunk space that is now almost double in size at 8 cu. ft. This larger capacity trunk makes our COBRA XL model the largest trunk space for any trike kits for Honda’s GL1800 in the market.

Style. Performance. Attitude. That sums up the COBRA XL by CSC Trike. It makes a statement, whether in the parking lot or on your favorite winding roads, "don't mess with me". Aggressive styling and the most innovative performance-engineered suspension available will keep you riding in the front of the pack with venomous rule!

At its core, a race-honed, fully independent suspension system crafted largely from weight-saving aluminum, smoothes the roughest road, while providing responsive handling to the driver. Mono shock design and race blades work together to control body lean and keep the trike flat through the most demanding curves and our proprietary brake caliper (patent pending) and fully integrated link-brake system deliver unmatched braking power and control. At the same time, our independent suspension delivers a soft, cushy ride to both passenger and driver, making every mile more enjoyable. Add the Power Trak 1800 to create supreme steering feel and control.

[Pegasus1300]

While I do not pull a trailer with my Trike I do have the hitch installed. Since the bags go away in a trike install the PO put a luggage carrier in the reciever hitch for extra cargo and it works really well.Wife can bring all her do-dads with no problems or I put a cooler with water etc there. I have a TriKing conversion done in 2006 on a 1990 GW 1500 SE. I bought it from my friend who at 87 decided to hang it up. At 66 like you I am still pretty big and strong but after totaling 2 Royal Stars in 2011 I decided it was time to change or quit. I bought this trike because it was cheap.I knew nothing about trikes and nievely thought I could just go from 2 to 3 wheels.After 50 years on 2 wheels it wasn't so easy for me.I have had the trike for a year now and it is finially getting to a point where I feel good on it. And I now know what I want. Must haves for me are a rake kit,aux gas tank and probably a different bike/trike kit combination based either on a Yamaha RSV or a Triumph Rocket 3.So ride lots of trikes before you make your choice. Motor Trike is not too far from you(www.motortrike.com).Go over and ride some of their conversions.Harley usually has a Trike in their rental fleet.The local Spyder/Ski-doo dealer rents Spyders yours may also.Any local clubs you belong to with members who have trikes they may let you try theirs out.Go online and see if you can find the July 1997 Motorcycle Tour and Cruiser issue with the road test of a Honda Valkyrie Trike.Come visit me in Utah and you can ride mine.There are several online magazines with trike tests also. Motorcycle.com is one that comes to mind.
Sorry this is so long but yours in not a short answer question.Good luck

[americanbadass]

As a complete newbie to trikes and owner of a 2006 GL1800, I am looking for good articles that compare various manufacturers trike kits. I am also a bit confused as to whether independent suspension is a beneficial and worth the price or the rake kits being offered with most kits. Can anyone point me to links where pros and cons relative to these issues are discussed?

Problem with reading manufacturer websites is that they are full of techno babble and each claims to be best. FYI, I am fairly strong and can still handle a large bike with little difficulty but am getting on in years and need to pay for a trike BEFORE I have to have one I guess... I also have never strapped a teddy bear to my luggage rack nor do I pull a trailer. The missus and I are interested in mileage, comfort and economy. I don't want to spend money on stuff unless it is really needed as I am not wealthy. TIA.

George, there is a ton written about exactly what you are asking about. I think an IRS suspension and ezsteer are needed- especially to keep the co pilot happy. As far as strength goes, I used to think I could just manhandle my trike-but you really get more controlled steering and less fatigue on long rides with ezsteer. Another queston you must ask yourself is- do I want a HD based trike, goldwing, or asian cruiser? The latter will be less costly than the HD or Wing.
Lastly, I am so pleased to read that you don't strap teddybears to the back of your bikes-I put those guys in the same catagory as people who wear helmets with bull horns and long flowing manes!!!

[Konrad]

"Lastly, I am so pleased to read that you don't strap teddybears to the back of your bikes-I put those guys in the same catagory as people who wear helmets with bull horns and long flowing manes!!!"

I'm with you on that - but I'm happy those people exist, makes for a good happy laugh!