new here & thinking about trike conversion

[crouch38]

hi , im Bob from western Pa . my back is in bad shape after 2 surgeries & many , many injections . im thinking about converting my 2005 hd softail deluxe to a trike or getting a sidecar , so i can be in the wind a little more . any thoughts , ideas , + or - "s on a trike conversion over a sidecar ? also , nice site and lots of great information . thanks , Bob

[pcombe]

Welcome to trike talk.



Hello crouch38:

Glad you could join us on TT.

First of all i am not an employee of trike talk and i get nothing for this advice ok?

this forum is a great place for us to get together and talk about trikes and give each other some guidance on trike issues. But a forum such as this one has to have some form of support or it just would'nt be here, It's very expensive to maintain a site such as this.

Bottom line? sales are what supports it. (You don't have to buy anything to be a member and use or play on this forum.)

Bazzooka's Real name is Randy and he is the forum owner.
He has his finger on the trike business and the trike community so he gets real nice discounts on trike kits and trike parts that he passes on to us. He is a dealer himself and at least when i bought my kit he had a shop doing conversions.
He can't afford to burn people on this forum or he is out of business.
He dosent allow scumbag sponsors to be here either.

When i first set out looking for my Champion conversion kit i was greatly suprised to see he could knock $1000.00 off the price ( I dont know what he could get you of course)?

I was real leary of sending a big bunch of bucks to someone i only knew from a computer.
I solved the problem by using a bank draft and sent half the money when i ordered my kit and half when it shipped. It turned out i had nothing to worry about but i liked it that way! (i been burnt before)

I also bought a high quality (Hog Halter) 5 degree raked triple tree that zook is invested in the company for half the cost of the other manufacturers so it was around $600.00. It has some damn nice features that made installation allot easier than more expensive ones i have since installed on other peoples bikes and their tree has nothing on mine for quality.

I built my own trike and when i had questions he set me up on a direct contact with Champion (he sells other kits also) Other folks on the forum were happy to give me some tech advice also.

Some kit manufactureres wont sell you a kit unless they install it some will, Randy arranged to have it drop shipped to my door because he is a dealer.

You dont have to build your own, the folks here can give you advice on where to have it built close to you and who to stay away from.
The difference between a good trike and a bad one depends entirly on the integrity of the builder.

My Tour glide Ultra is 25 years old and i have had it since it was new so it's paid for already.
All in all, doing the work myself i have a total of about $8,000.00 into building my ride.

To start the process and see what trike talk can save you scroll down the regular forum until you find a thread called trike shopper. It takes you straight to bazzoka or you can just search the community and pull him up and private message him.

The other sponsors on the forum i have dealt with have proven to be straight forward and honest so i look here for parts first, if not other members of trike talk always have good suggestions.

For pictures of my build

Google-pcombe library/facebook.

Hint click on a picture for an explination of what i am doing?

Jesus this sounds like an advertisment but i guess it's a valid one?

I built my trike in the winter and rode it's first season in 2013 so i have two seasons on it and i love it.
Randy went beyond a dealer to a friend so im not hesitant to suggest going that route, what the heck your not committed so you got nothing to loose.


I have piloted side cars in my time and I much prefer the trikes stability.
There will be those who disagree with me but I like the full fledge trike over the outrigger models.

[Bikerbozo]

Welcome Bob and greetings from Long Island. Good luck with whatever you decide.

[TouringOn2]

WELCOME to Trike Talk from Florida. I hope with all your back problems you will be able to ride. Be safe and enjoy the ride. Larry

[bikerbillone]

Go trike after you've done your research. Stick with this forum, it's growing with the trike industry.

[Rick Kay]

Welcome to Trike Talk from Michigan!

I had a similar decision to make, trike vs sidecar. I borrowed a friends 'hack, and did fine with it, but in the long run, the trike was easier to ride, and less chance for error on my part. That took me down the conversion road, because I liked my '06 FLHTI, knew it to be a reliable and great bike. I decided on a CSC Daytona, because of the IRS, and the longer/wider wheelbase. My local HD dealer, with whom I've done business for more than 25 years, did my installation, as they are a CSC dealer. I took the opportunity to customize the trike to my heart's content, and am very pleased with the outcome. Best of luck with your decision, and keep us posted, please.

[neonryle]

Welcome aboard. Lots of useful info here you can find.

[DblTrbl]

greatings from New Hampshire! I have never riden a trike but do to some riding conditions in this area, my back issues and a few other reasons I decided to have my Yamaha Venture converted. Dropped it off to the shop last weekend and the build will take place Jan/Feb time frame.
Really looking forward to spring and getting it out on the road...

[tbear]

Welcome to Trike Talk from Michigan!

I had a similar decision to make, trike vs sidecar. I borrowed a friends 'hack, and did fine with it, but in the long run, the trike was easier to ride, and less chance for error on my part. That took me down the conversion road, because I liked my '06 FLHTI, knew it to be a reliable and great bike. I decided on a CSC Daytona, because of the IRS, and the longer/wider wheelbase. My local HD dealer, with whom I've done business for more than 25 years, did my installation, as they are a CSC dealer. I took the opportunity to customize the trike to my heart's content, and am very pleased with the outcome. Best of luck with your decision, and keep us posted, please.

need to ask you a question on who did your "conversion"? I live in Michigan and a good friend of mine is wanting to Convert over with his 008 Ultra. Your advice could help us in our decision. I have a 2010 Triglide but told him to go for the IRS type. wish I did.

[Rick Kay]

need to ask you a question on who did your "conversion"? I live in Michigan and a good friend of mine is wanting to Convert over with his 008 Ultra. Your advice could help us in our decision. I have a 2010 Triglide but told him to go for the IRS type. wish I did.

Tbear, ABC Harley-Davidson in Waterford did the installation on the CSC kit. I highly recommend their work. Walt Smith is their service manager and the person I worked with through the process. (Walt regularly drag races his Dyna at Milan). 248-674-3175

[Ohio Eddie]

Welcome to Trike Talk.

[Gorilla]

Your Softail will make a fine trike. Do your research, first is are you going with a straight axle or Independent Rear Suspension (IRS). Then look at the different companies that make what you like. Most all the companies make a good product. Not as mentioned here is the BIG difference. You need to decide if you want to do it yourself if so that will eliminate some companies. If not then you need to find an installer. A GOOD INSTALLER IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. A lazy installer will ruin a good kit. As mentioned Randy (Bazooka) is a good person to PM to for ideas and help. I built a Champion onto a 2007 RoadKing highly modified. Great kit. Install was not difficult at all. Their install instruction are available on their web site if you want to download them to get an idea of what its about.

Good Luck

[Lucky]

Welcome glad you joined us. Good luck with your decision. RIDE SAFE

[pcombe]

Tbear, ABC Harley-Davidson in Waterford did the installation on the CSC kit. I highly recommend their work. Walt Smith is their service manager and the person I worked with through the process. (Walt regularly drag races his Dyna at Milan). 248-674-3175

I always enjoy photos rick,thanks

[crouch38]

Thanks for ALL the quick replies . Im just starting to look at all the different options because its just getting harder to ride . i really like the look of scottys crossbones with the bed . I think my softail deluxe would look awsome with that kind of build . thanks , Bob

[pcombe]

Thanks for ALL the quick replies . Im just starting to look at all the different options because its just getting harder to ride . i really like the look of scottys crossbones with the bed . I think my softail deluxe would look awsome with that kind of build . thanks , Bob

Just a thought? You might Private message him and see how it rides?

[Ed Hobgood]

Welcome to Trike Talk from Missouri. Good luck with the hunt for a new trike. Everyone here will agree, do a little research on trikes and fine what soots you best and you will be very happy. Ride safe and have fun.

[kybigmac]

Do it you'll be glad you did !