What do you like about your California Sidecar Trike?

[Trike Talk News]

OK CSC Trike owners, here's your chance to brag on your CSC Trike and tell current and future trike owners why they should buy a CSC Trike or Trike Conversion. Topics of interest will be ride, handling, features, benefits, design, fitment, service, price, styling, etc. There will be NO FLAMING or complaining in this thread towards any dealer or the manufacturer as there are other places for that.

This thread will be based on your positive experiences and why you bought a CSC and why you recommend CSC to others. Please state the make and model of your bike and the make and model of your CSC Conversion along with how long you have owned it and how many CSC Trikes you have owned total.

And please post a picture too so we can see how awesome your trike is!

[Rick Kay]

I have a 2006 Harley-Davidson FLHTI with a 2012 CSC Daytona conversion. I'm very impressed with my trike, the quality of product, execution, fit and finish are second to none. Initially, I was drawn to the appearance of the conversion. I especially liked the rounded shape of the fenders and rear end. As I researched conversions, I really liked the engineering of the rear suspension of the CSC. Coupled with the added length, a stable, comfortable ride is provided. I like the trunk area's capacity, and I think the way the trunk is finished is pretty nice, too. When I ride the trike, I really enjoy the smooth and compliant ride. At freeway speeds, the stability really shines...it's easy to cover hundreds of miles in comfort! I'd do a CSC conversion on my next trike!

[pops.anderson]

We have a '03 FLHR and the '13 CSC Daytona setup for the Road King. It has the top compartment instead of the Tour Pack setup. Not as much space in the top as with the pack but an easy to get at storage spot for glasses, gloves, etc. Ma can access it at a stop with out getting off the trike. I have to "ditto" all that Rick mentioned. The looks were one of the major deciding factors. I like the smooth rounded curves rather than the old boxy "servi-car" look (not that I wouldn't mind having an old servi). The ride is exceptionally smooth and comfortable, whether at freeway speeds or just puttin' down the back roads. Handles extremely smooth and easy in the twisties. The length and width gives it extra stability that I've not found in some others. Pricing was very comparable to other conversions in the area.

[Grandpa1]

I have a 2012 Goldwing with a CSC Viper kit. I looked at every brand and liked them all. I think they all are good.

I picked out the CSC Viper because CSC had completely redesigned the Viper for the 2012 Goldwing. They supposedly fixed all the issues with the spline and drive train components. I liked the looks of it but I liked the looks of just about all of them.After I had shopped for a trike for quite awhile I decided to buy new because the price was not much more than a five year old wing with a new trike kit and no warranty on the wing.

I saw the one I ended up with online and called in an offer at the dealer. I lucked out and got it. Later I found out it was the dealers end of the month and they really needed to make the sale to make their month. I was very lucky. Unusual for me. I really like the trike. It has good looks, a rake kit and aqua shields. I drove it home (almost 500 miles) the day I picked it up. By the time I got it home I loved it. My wife really likes it too!

I put it on some ramps and really went over it and it is a well built and well designed trike. All in all I am happy.

It is a good machine and I would recommend it to anyone.

[Eagle Man]

I chose CSC for most all of the reasons above, but I would add that I went with CSC for their "fully adjustable shock" option. With the shock adjustment fully activated (knob on handle bar twisted full right) the suspension has absolutely no lean to it. This is particularly beneficial to the passenger when riding the twisties. The no lean feature is accomplised by the hydraulic valve, mounted on the handle bar, which closes race blades in the fully adjustable shock, which in turn restricts the flow of oil in the rear horizontally opposed shock set-up. When completely disengage, the independent suspension regains its full travel for a very soft and compliant ride.

My donor bike is a 2008 GL1800, triked @ 70K miles. I now have over 120K trouble free miles on this set-up, and would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

My plan is to ride this to retirement, which should put my trike right about 325K miles or so. We'll see how it holds up. To date, I have not dropped a ten spot on any Honda or CSC replacement part, but all things mechanical will fail at some time or another, and usually when we least expect it.

Eagle Man

[cscsonny]

Well,I also agree with all the answers already mentioned,the fit and finish and quality of the kit and what really amazed us was the beautiful color match of the paint on our 1997 Wing,it is flawless.
Our concern was about triking an older Wing,however the bike only had 30,000 miles on it at the time (had 10,000 on it when we found it 5 years ago) and we just loved this SE model of the Wing.Close to 60,000 miles now and have loved every mile.

Only problem we had was a rear brake dragging noise and it was corrected by our dealer/installer.
The bike didn't have a warranty on it when we bought it,however we now have a warranty on at least half of it.

CSC did us proud on this one.

[captdanwh]

I bought a 2007- 1200 Sportster converted with the CSC Legend kit for my wife this year and she just loves it. the trike is beautiful with the pin stripping she had added at Daytona and when she rides it people all give her the thumbs up. the CSC kit is a perfect fit for the sportster and we both like the sweeping lines of the kit and have not seen another kit for a sportster that we like anywhere near as much and we looked hard before buying hers. I have ridden her bike and i agree it handles good but it is a little small for me.

We have added a few LED strobe lights in the rear of the trike near the license plate and now when she rides she can be seen so much easier, night or day. we also added a few spotlights to the crash bar in front so she can see better at night and be seen better whenever she rides. the suspension on the trike seems to work well so she has no complaints but this is her first trike so she has nothing to compare it with and mine is a solid axle so i cannot say anything either. all in all the trike is a winner and if it is something that makes Momma happy, everybody is happy, if you know what i mean.

[smiranda56]

I have a 2008 fltcu or ultra glide classic with a 96 cu engine stage 1, I converted my bike approximately 2 years ago, there are alot of advantages to having a trike, I choose csc because of the quality and look of the kit, every time I go for a ride I get a complement, the ability to turn on a dime, stability, independent rear suspension and ease of handling are a plus, I am also happy with the power my bike has with the kit installed, I highly recommend the csc product line, you'll be happy with your decision!

[MMH]

I have a 2013 GW with CSC Viper Kit. I really love her, she is a sweet sweet machine! I call her Blaze! Blaze has all the options, airbag, navigation, etc. I highly recommend the CSC Viper Kit!

[FRR]

I converted my 2004 Wing to a CSC Cobra XL kit in October 2012. I have put only 10,000 miles on it this past year but love the conversion. I went with CSC because of three main reasons.
1. I loved the look and the width of the conversion
2. I loved the idea that it has a huge storage area in the rear where by brother in law is 1/2 the size.
3. I found a great installer.

It has performed to my expectations ever since I have had it. The only thing that I have found fault with is the "squeak" around the monoshock, but I lubricated it and it seems to be fine. CSC said they would even replace the shock stabilizers as long as the kit was under warranty. Customer support with CSC has been great every time I have called with a question. If I hit the lottery, (which would be difficult since I don't play) I would buy a new Wing and put a CSC Viper kit on it, which in my opinion, is sharp looking.

[1pfdcaptain]

What's not to like !!! It's comfortable, nice ride and it attracts a crowd wherever she goes. I flew to Shawnee, Ok in June of 2013 and rode her home, took me 3 1/2 days. Very nice ride !!!!

[FRR]

I have a CSC Cobra kit on my 2004 GL1800. I am the second owner. The original owner bought the bike new and had it triked in '04. This is our 1st trike, after coming off a 2 wheel "04 GL1800 last May. We have put about 5k miles on it this year. I liked the width of the CSC kit which gives it a smoother and more stable ride. Cruising down the interstate is both smooth and effortless. I took it to Deals Gap this summer and trike was like it was on rails. I could actually outrun the other 2 wheel bikes. I was surprised and how much stuff I could pack into the rear trunk. That was one of my concerns because I didn't want to loose any capacity vs. the stock bags. I don't know what the capacity of the stock bags are, but the lower trunk on the kit held everything we normally pack, plus a little more. If we had the newer 6cf trunk, we might not even need the trailer on extended stays.

The fit is not perfect in all areas, but overall still a good fit. The one area that is not quite right is where the left fender ties into the battery cover. My battery covers pins do not line up with the rubber grommets of the trike fender in that area. The kit should come with a trunk door handle and a stop cable. To open the door you have to pull at the edges and that chips the paint. With no stop cable, it will sometimes slip out of your hand and slam down on the hitch ball....again risk chipping the paint. The vinyl cover on the ball is only reason I have not already damaged the paint from this. My other issue is that the door hinges protrude into the storage space too much. This cuts down on what you can put near them because the hinges with smash whatever gets in their way as the door is closed. Again, mine is the older kit and the newer ones may have already address the hinge issue.

I think the issues you raised in your last paragraph were corrected with the XL model, or they seem to be with mine.

[nightstalker]

As some of you may know , I am a double amputee, lbk,rfoot. I used to ride a XS1100 special, before the loss. after the first amputation, I wanted a trike, it took a bit to convince the wife, she never rode with me on the 2 wheeler. we ran into a couple whiile on a sight seeing trip, she sat on the csc trike and was hooked.we started looking and , look at some other brands, but the longer csc with irs, rode and handled better to us. we finally found a 05 csc cobra xl. she is learning to ride it herself, and loves it. I haven't got to ride it much because,of the rf amputation problems, but should be able to after the new year. we have made a few mods, pingle shifter, lowered floorboards, modified brake pedal,modified seat. but sits and rides great. everyone have a safe and merry xmas, ride safe and enjoy.

[slimfin]

I have a 2006 GL 1800 with a CSC kit. I bought it about 2 years ago. It had 34000 mi. My wife said I was crazy, she would never ride it. But one ride around the block she was hooked. Now she wants to ride all the time. This is good if she would let me drive once in a while. We really in joy the smooth ride and the large trunk. I did have to replace the drive line u joints. on the way home from the western rally this year. Hope I don't need to do that again. Very nice and safe ride. It does make heads turn!!!!!!!!!

[Chazzman]

When I saw the Viper kit on a 2012 I knew this was my choice. The lines fit so well with the new Goldwing, the handling doesn't get any better, the Indy suspension setup with the exhaust note is so pleasing. I really liked the fact it has a CSC rear end and not a used rear end housing from a car. If you look underneath the Trike and compare to others it looks so superior, expensive and well designed. It reminds me of my BMW 128I convertible in the handling department.

I did own another 2012 Trike with another kit and it felt like I was pulling something behind me, the CSC feels like one unit, it's quick, fast, excellent handling that can hang with any crusier bike through the twisties... Now don't misunderstand, I am certainly not knocking any other brand, just stating why the CSC is the best in my opinion. That's why we have chocolate and vanilla, it's a matter of choice as many people are very pleased with various kits. I personally think we could narrow that to about 4, again that's only my opinion.

The quality of the paint and fit and finish is flawless. The 1 piece driveshaft is great...Hands down, the most innovative suspension engineering design on the market. Based on Indy car technology, CSC's suspension features a vertically stabilized opposing rocker mono shock independent suspension. It also includes:

Purpose designed QA1 shock for the Opposing Rocker Arm System
QA1 300Lb. linear wound racing spring designed to accommodate a loaded weight of up to 650lbs.
O.E.M. electro hydraulic preload adjuster is retained for preload adjustment by the rider to compensate for varying loads

Oh well I am very pleased to say the least. Check out the Viper at CSC's web site and see what you think.

[Señor Pete]

Hello,

I chose a 2013 CSC Kruze trike conversion for my 2011 Kawasaki Vulcan Voyager 1700 ABS while at the 2013 Daytona Bike Week. While there I had the opportunity to compare the various manufacturers of kits for my bike. If you are in the market for a trike conversion, I highly recommend Daytona as a starting point.

I went with the CSC due to it's sleek desing rather than the boxy look from the others. I was also pleasantly surprised when I found out I could deal directly with the factory and save a big chunk of money by dropping up and picking up at the factory. Per chance, all the manufacturers of my conversion kit last year were using my same model/color combination, making a decision way easy to make.

Within two weeks of pickup, I drove it up to Niagara Falls, Canada with my trailer in tow (10 hrs). The bike has so much power, you can't even tell you have a trailer in tow. Because of the trailer, I had to keep my cruise speed at just 70 mph.

I have no regrets and now realized I should have done it sooner.


Attachment 18741Attachment 18740

Safe riding,

Señor Pete

[G.W. Viper]

CSC Viper here. Both the wife and myself love the ride. Get compliments all the time. Also with that 5 year warranty....hard to beat.... Had it for 1 1/2 years...no problems at all.

[truc]

We have a 2010 Goldwing with cobra conversion and we have had 39000 miles of trouble free service. With the independent rear end it rides very well. The wife says it rides better than the two wheeler. We are very happy with the conversion.

[Thrasher]

Absolutely the best. Triked my 04 Goldwing in 06 and have never looked back. No problems mechanically and fit and finish remain excellent. Considering a new Wing with the CSC conversion.

[ol' school]

We had our 2012 Nomad triked in 2015 and had a matching Escapade trailer made at the same time. We absolutely love it. We get compliments on it wherever we go. It rides and handles awesome with the independent suspension and the Power Trak rake kit, just like a three wheeled sports car. You guys at CSC really know how to build a trike!