best goldwing trike

[jimc]

whats considered the cadillac of goldwing trikes bike and conversion kit thanks

[Patches]

I hesitated doing this, jimc, but couldn't resist!

MINE!!!!!

Sorry!!

[Ozarkryder]

It may sound trite, but given a good installer, most all the trike conversion kits are just about equal. The big differences are independant vs. solid rear suspension. If you ride mostly highway or straight roads, like say, in Kansas, the Dakotas or the plains states the cushier ride of a IRS may be in order.
On the other hand if you mostly ride in the twisties as in the Ozarks or around the Smoky Mountains, the stiffer solid axle suspension may be a better ride for those conditions. The best thing to do would be to try as many kits out as possible on the kind of roads you will ride.

As far as the "Cadillac" factor on the GW conversions, that depends on the options you get on the bike itself. Base model would be maybe a Lincoln. Add Navi, Comfort Package, CB radio, Air Bag etc. and you have the full-zoot Caddy.

[jimc]

good one patches.thanks ozark

[Gorilla]

Ozarkryder hit the nail on the head. Choose a suspension then look for a good installer if you are not doing it yourself. If you are doing it yourself, then your choices are less. Some compnaies will not sell to an individual. Most all the conversions are good. Suspension looks and installer

[John Luciano]

I agree . the drive train is the same ( Motor Tranny ) The GW has the same durability no matter what kit. I have ridden 4 different brand kits with INDy and with solid. Good installer 1st priority ( Withing distance of course.) next what looks do you like (Body shape , tail lights, rear trunk set up , folds down or up , hidden hinges or not ) etc.) Some times a good used one is a better deal .If you have a low mileage GW the conversion might be a better idea.

[stacebg]

personally i would take irs over solide no matter where i road

if you go to the dealer to by say a corvette or porshe they dont ask where you ride... lol

bottom line imo the irs handles better which is why they use them in sports cars

[John Luciano]

STACEGB: I also noticed that EVERYONE is now making the IRS. The solid was the cheapest way to go , after all the rear end was already made by Ford or Toyota , just team it up to a drive shaft adapter (GW ) or add a sprocket (HD). still not saying it don't work and it does work well.

[Papajoe]

Hi there...I ride a 1500 with a lehman no lean kit and it works great for me no mater where I ride... :-)

[jfingalls]

You have been given great advice by our friends on this talk forum. I have had a GW 2008 American Trike for two years. Triked it new, had a great installer (now out of business), it has IRS (of course there is no other way) and we now enjoy it a lot. I am a design and manufacturing engineer by degree and experience (now retired) so I selected the best designed kit for the money that was IRS. As someone said, they are all about the same. I must tell you that I did have a serious problem with the American Trike kit due to a funky shaft extension they used. My installer had to tear down the unit after a major failure and weld the shaft extension together. American Trike chose to fasten the shaft extension together with a 3/8 set screw (major design mistake). Other than that, the kit is now performing great for the last 6,000 miles. So, as this may tell you, you never know what is inside of the unit that you cannot see that may cause failure. By te way, American Trike did not stand behind the unit (warrenty) but my installer did the repair work for free - We love Greg Mendez of Daytona Beach!

[Gorilla]

welcome aboard jfingalls

[jfingalls]

Thanks Tmigala! I'm enjoying the Trike Forum very much and learning a lot too. The information and opinions are enlightening and have helped me already to decide how to configure my Trike. Thanks again Tmigala!

[John Luciano]

Mine is a DFT maybe one of the most expensive of the bunch. Uses all original Goldwing components ( rear brake ( so ABS is still good ) uses same gear ration so MPG does not suffers to much ( 36MPG ) Ind. rear 45,000 miles not even a squeak on of it. Rear tire wear 45,000 miles so far. No rake kit handles good steers quite easily.

[skuuter]

"Newbie" to Trikes, but not to Motorcycles (40+ year, hundreds of thousands of miles). Recently I have ridden both Solid Axle and IRS Trikes....I purchased the IRS. I ride Mountain Twisties weekly, and the IRS (IMO) is a much better feelin' suspension on both Twisties and Interstates......don't forget the Rake Kit.....:yes::yes::yes: