Lee H. Mann
Gone But Not Forgotten
Pros & cons of factory conversions
My own experience as a builder tells me this about Factory conversions:
The factory assembles conversions experimentally.:AGGHH:
The average trike owner does not put 5,000 miles a year on his or her trike so any potential problems may not manifest themselves for many years down the road. Some trikes get less than 1,500 miles a year while there are those lifestyle trike riders that may put 30,000 or more on theirs. That means that most trike conversions, although tried and true, have not been subjected to the same road tests.
Your local dealer/installer sees these trikes from time to time and may make adjustments and repairs to a high mileage trike that it's lower mileage counterpart might not have yet experienced. These repairs, adjustments, modifications and tweeks are unbeknownst to the factory since they very seldom see a trike they have built for a service problem. Dealer/installer usually alert the factory to a persistent issue but unless the factory sees that there is a definite problem they may or may not respond. After all, who is the dealer to be telling the factory engineers that they may have overlooked something.
As far as uniformity in construction, I agree that the factory is the best place for a conversion that is perfect. The dealer/installer does not always work with perfect circumstances or conditions and the contents of the kit may exclude items needed and further delay construction. Cookie cutter trikes built by the factory may contain engineered deficiencies that at one time or another will affect their entire fleet. This is not usually the case with the trike built by an experienced field dealer/builder whose product is locally used and serviced and whose reputation is usually reported to others in his general geographic area. The factory reputation can last many times longer simply because of their geographic area is ever encompassing (worldwide sales).
Support of a local builder/installer is important to those who travel as well. It is not easy to find someone to fix or repair your trike when you are out of town. People usually rely on a motorcycle shop that may have no experience at all with a trike (this includes a lot of Harley dealers).
Since most trike factories offer trike conversions direct to the customer, a dealer/installer is at a disadvantage with on-the-shelf parts and is also in competition with the very Factory he is supporting.
Your local dealer/installer repair shop might not be there when you need them.
My own experience as a builder tells me this about Factory conversions:
The factory assembles conversions experimentally.:AGGHH:
The average trike owner does not put 5,000 miles a year on his or her trike so any potential problems may not manifest themselves for many years down the road. Some trikes get less than 1,500 miles a year while there are those lifestyle trike riders that may put 30,000 or more on theirs. That means that most trike conversions, although tried and true, have not been subjected to the same road tests.
Your local dealer/installer sees these trikes from time to time and may make adjustments and repairs to a high mileage trike that it's lower mileage counterpart might not have yet experienced. These repairs, adjustments, modifications and tweeks are unbeknownst to the factory since they very seldom see a trike they have built for a service problem. Dealer/installer usually alert the factory to a persistent issue but unless the factory sees that there is a definite problem they may or may not respond. After all, who is the dealer to be telling the factory engineers that they may have overlooked something.
As far as uniformity in construction, I agree that the factory is the best place for a conversion that is perfect. The dealer/installer does not always work with perfect circumstances or conditions and the contents of the kit may exclude items needed and further delay construction. Cookie cutter trikes built by the factory may contain engineered deficiencies that at one time or another will affect their entire fleet. This is not usually the case with the trike built by an experienced field dealer/builder whose product is locally used and serviced and whose reputation is usually reported to others in his general geographic area. The factory reputation can last many times longer simply because of their geographic area is ever encompassing (worldwide sales).
Support of a local builder/installer is important to those who travel as well. It is not easy to find someone to fix or repair your trike when you are out of town. People usually rely on a motorcycle shop that may have no experience at all with a trike (this includes a lot of Harley dealers).
Since most trike factories offer trike conversions direct to the customer, a dealer/installer is at a disadvantage with on-the-shelf parts and is also in competition with the very Factory he is supporting.
Your local dealer/installer repair shop might not be there when you need them.
