another new guy

[homer]

hey to everybody. just wondering if anybody has triked any old iron. i'm over 60 and having a time keeping my dresser up were it belongs. lean a little to much at a stop, well you know what i mean. so i have been looking into conversion kits. only problem so far is finding a kit with a swingarm for this bike. it's a 83flht with 55,000 mi. most places with kits want my swingarm to build on. didn't think that was a good idea if i wanted to put it back to stock. not knocking my own bike but the swingarm doesn't look like no matter what you did to modify still wouldn't take the extra stress. any ideas? thanks

[Gorilla]

Welcome aboard homer. Sorry no help though

[John Luciano]

Don't know much about the install. some kits are set up differently . Did you try Roadsmith. I would think there would be less strain on the swing arm in a trike application.

[Bob Witte]

hey to everybody. just wondering if anybody has triked any old iron. i'm over 60 and having a time keeping my dresser up were it belongs. lean a little to much at a stop, well you know what i mean. so i have been looking into conversion kits. only problem so far is finding a kit with a swingarm for this bike. it's a 83flht with 55,000 mi. most places with kits want my swingarm to build on. didn't think that was a good idea if i wanted to put it back to stock. not knocking my own bike but the swingarm doesn't look like no matter what you did to modify still wouldn't take the extra stress. any ideas? thanks

First of all, your FLHT is in the middle of a long, unbroken line of big twins. My first HD was a 1948 former police model purchased for $135 in 1964 -- and I have little or no doubt that somewhere, it is still running today! The FL's can be aptly described as 60 years of tradition -- unhampered by progress (certainly at least as far as frames and swingarms go!)

If I were you, I'd seriously doubt I would want to put it "back to stock" after triking it. The bike will most likely be worth more as a trike anyhow. Also, swingarms for your bike are on eBay all the time for $50 or so. In the case of a Trinity Trike conversion, that swingarm (and another $50 item, the pulley) are the only parts you'd have to replace to "go back" should you decide to do so.

There are in fact, two schools of thought regarding the swingarms -- rebuild or replace. For the straight axle design we use, The Trinity Trike is one of those who actually modify the existing swingarm rather than replace it with a "home grown" one. But rather than just hanger side plates welded on, we create a "boxed in" structure with one or more cross pieces. In the case of the Burgman 650's, I know we have 7 in all. And for the HD touring class swingarms, I believe we use fairly wide .25" thick steel plates welded on top and bottom. Rigid is the name of the game!

For ours, the attaching axle assembly only weighs in at about 82 pounds. It has a 1 5/8" steel axle supported inside a 4.5" aluminum tube by 6 sealed, double row bearings each of which has a static load rating in excess of 40,000 lbs. So all in all, your bike's modified swingarm should handle the stress of a Trinity Trike conversion just fine. And I would imagine the other equivalent straight axle conversions in the market place do just fine as well!

All this means to say be confident! There's a solution for you out there so keep shopping (but be sure to do something before your knees give out like mine have!!).

Bob Witte
The Trinity Trike

[trike lady]

I'd suggest the Frankenstein Trike, I used one on a sportster and they work very well. While the bike isn't a collector's item, it would make a good trike.
You can always get another swing arm from a salvage yard, if you wanted to revert it back to a two wheeler. If you just want a hot rod trike with no fiberglass body, the Frankenstein would work and they also have bodies available. There is also US Trike and John Edwards Enterprises (Corsair Trikes).

[homer]

thanks for the replys. i guess it would help me make up my mind if i had a pic of the modified swingarm. just can't imagine it would be strong enough.

[trike lady]

The companies I mentioned do an excellent job of modifying their swing arms, these are companies that have been making trike kits for many years and are not the 'New Kids on the Block' like many out there, there are acouple of kits I would not advise anyone to buy, as some people have a bad experience with them.
A little later I will find their phone numbers and websites and post them for all to see.

[trike lady]

Like I promised here are the websites and phone numbers for trike kit manufacturers. Look for yourself and see what is available for older Harleys and then make a decision. John Edwards Corsair Trikes, 909-499-7832. U.S. TRIKES TRIKE KITS AND TRIKE CONVERSIONS HARLEY TRIKES TRIKE KITS TRIKE CONVERSIONS MOTORCYCLE TRIKE, 301-842-0050. Untitled Document, www.frankensteintrikes.com, 913-352-6788.

[Papa Zook]

The swingarms are pretty light weight on the older FLHs. I just found one on a newer (2000) model that was cracked completely in half at the axle hole, left side. Thats why the newer models have got a billet steel axle assembly that is welded to the swingarm. Id recommend replacing the swingarm with a heaver duty one fabbed for your bike. It shouldnt be that difficult or expensive to do and would be much stronger than your stocker. Some of the companies mentioned may offer a new swingarm with their kit.

Dont know if he would do it, but our member "ultraboy" is one hell of a fabricator when it comes to trike swingarms or just about anything else.