Rake & Trail

[Smoken'JOE]

Do trikers worry about setting up R/T on trikes?
I'll be going from a 15" rear M/T to 2 17" C/T on the rear. The front I am moving up from a 17" spoke to a 18" cast rim. Adding 6* rake for easy steer. Will I need to add the 2" extensions in the forks like two wheelers do when they add a 6* kit?
All help is appreciated..................thanks.

[Baz]

The bike should make for a very good trike.----- You may find you need the 50mm extensions to get sufficient ground clearance , I'm in the same position with the M109 ie low is great for handling but not so good for road works & speed humps.

[ricle41]

I'm a newbie triker. Have put a total of 25 miles on my new-to-me '95 GW1500 with CSC conversion. I am the third owner. Second owner purchased it for his wife, and she decided she would rather ride two-up with him.

Anyway, when I asked about the rake, they said they thought it had "a little rake" and didn't think it steered hard at all. With my short experience, I really am not unhappy with the effort required to turn, but it is firm and maybe my opinion will change after some longer trips.

My immediate problem is with the front "wobble" at slow speeds around town. Is this correctable with more rake and is there a way for me to actually measure how much rake, if any, it has now?

The "wobble" is manageable but disconcerting for a new rider. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated.

[Greydog]

Are you sure the front is actually "wobbling". When I first converted my Ultra I found I was trying to countersteer the trike like a two wheeler causing it to weave in the road. That went away after about 50 miles. If it is, in fact, wobbling you can tighten the "fall away" on the front end and it should help a lot.

[FBTRIKE]

ricle41,

A little bit of front end shake can be a normal side effect of trikeing a motorcycle. However it is normal only if it is slight and occurs on deceleration with a very light grip on the bars. You shouldn't have any shake on acceleration or steady speeds. And yes, a set of raked trees can help in reduceing the amount of front end wobble on deceleration, though not always entirely. And as Greydog stated, properly adjusted steering neck bearings are a must and even over tightening a VERY SLIGHT amount. But use caution over tightening, as it will cause premature wearing of the bearings. A better idea may be a steering dampner. Also, be sure the rear axle is squared to the bike.
Good luck.........

[ThirdWheel]

Have your front tire checked for balance and round.

[Gorilla]

ricle41, All the above is good information. Now lets find out if you have any rake. The easiest way is to find an exact make model of your trike in the 2 wheel unconverted. Measure from the same spot on the back of the front fender to the same spot on the frame area. If your trike is raked the measurement should be longer for your trike. If it is the same then your trike has not been raked. Raking kicks the front suspension out a little. 5 degrees of rake on my Harley made that measurement about an inch longer at the bottom of the front fender to the frame.

[ricle41]

Thanks for all the great info. As soon as this #@%$##@ blizzard moves on East, maybe I can get to the garage and try some of that advice. <br />
I had thought about that measurement technique but am glad to see tmigala explain how it was done. Sometimes the simpler things seem complicated.

[subeetrikerdon]

Do trikers worry about setting up R/T on trikes?
I'll be going from a 15" rear M/T to 2 17" C/T on the rear. The front I am moving up from a 17" spoke to a 18" cast rim. Adding 6* rake for easy steer. Will I need to add the 2" extensions in the forks like two wheelers do when they add a 6* kit?
All help is appreciated..................thanks.

On homebuilds rake doesn't mean much, however, trail is very important. The closer you can get to about 1 inch of trail the better your steering will be. You can read more about rake and trail on my website:
RAKE AND TRAIL FOR TRIKES

[Gorilla]

Welcome aboard subeetrikedon

[redneckray]

Don,
real ggod seeing you here,
Ray

[ricle41]

Welcome subeetrikedon and thanks for the link to your website. That was good reading, and answers a lot of questions.
This site is a great spot for info and you will be a great addtion.