Hello all..... from Australia

[Sideshow Bob]

G'day everyone.... Name is Sideshow Bob, nickname given to me as I am originally from Springfield MA and most Aussies automatically think that if you are from Springfield then you are from the same town as the Simpsons..!! :no: I've lived in Australia for 40 years now after discovering the place while on R&R during my stint in Vietnam with the USMC. I currently own a 1996 FLHT and am about to convert it to a trike and after much research have narrowed it down to either Champion or Fat Baggers. My wife and I are about to fly over to the States in 3 weeks time where I hope to have a closer look and place an order for shipping back to Australia. My bike is set up with a "warm" Revtech 110 so I'm anticipating that it will still run hard but I wonder about the belt drive as my bike has already been converted to a chain meaning that I will have to convert back to a belt..!!

Sooooo.... my first question for all of you out there is: Is the newer narrow belt stronger then the older wide belt and if so can it be retrofitted to the wider pulley or do I have to replace the pulley as well..?? Look forward to hearing your opinions.

Cheers, Sideshow Bob

 

[Gorilla]

welcome aboard sideshow bob. I have a belt driven HD. a 103 motor with 100 hp and 105 lbs of torque. No issue with the belt after almost 25k miles.

 

[skuuter]

WELCOME to TRIKE TALK.....Ah, a "Transplanted" Australian.....CONGRATS on decidin' to Trike Your Harley.........Glad You came onboard...:wtg:

 

[ThirdWheel]

Greetings and welcome - my guess that you will need to switch back. We have some very knowledgeable people here who can tell you better than I. Hang on and enjoy the ride.

 

[Nana]

Welcome to TrikeTalk!
Where are you and your wife going to be when you come to check out the kits in a few weeks?

 

[Papa Zook]

Bob, welcome. Harley says the belt is 30% stronger than the old belt and have done extensive race testing on it. I have read about guys running 120+HP motors who havent had problems so they must be strong. Gates has an even stronger belt if that concerns you.

Zook

 

[Big_Steve]

Can't help with the conversion, but welcome to trike talk!

 

[Jimsjinx]

Hi!! Glad to meet ya! I have always dreamed of someday going down there to live. Especially now! Our gov. is ridiculous these days! Getting to be more than I can take!LOL. You'll never find a group of nicer folks than here @ trike talk. A nice place for coffee or a Guiness, and lots of help here. Have a safe trip, and also want to say thank you for your service and sacrifices when you were in Nam. You boys are true heros in my household. Period! God bless ya m-8!! jimsjinx

 

[Sideshow Bob]

Thanks for the welcome.... General consensus is to go with the narrow stronger belt so I guess that'll be the go..!!

 

[Sideshow Bob]

We're landing in LA then by car through AZ, NM to El Paso TX then up to Sturgis to check out the trikes there. We have rented one to see how we like it and then we'll be returning to LA after some more touristy things to visit the Champion factory where we'll make our final decision.... Bob

 

[Sideshow Bob]

I'm obviously missing something here...???? I wanted to reply to each of your messages individually but I seem to be sending back generic messages so please bear with me all while I try to work out what I'm doing wrong unless someone can enlighten me so I can sleep tonight..!!

 

[Nana]

Bob, to reply specifically, use "QUOTE" that is at the bottom of the message you are replying to.

 

[Sideshow Bob]

Bob, to reply specifically, use "QUOTE" that is at the bottom of the message you are replying to.

Thank you Nana... much appreciated. I saw that button but thought "What the hell is quote..?" What's wrong with it saying something like "reply to sender"..? I confess that I've not been much into forums but there appears to be some really nice people on this site and even though I have lived in Australia for 40 years I am STILL an American and always will be so I think this is going to be a great experience..!! As is probably the case with a lot of your members an old war wound is forcing me to convert to a trike but as I delve into this I am becoming more excited about the conversion rather then despondent and "down" because I have to do it..!! With a bit of luck maybe I'll encounter some of the members while we're in Sturgis. Well got to jump on my 4 wheel tractor for a few hours so have a wonderful day and prepare yourself for more questions as I stumble through the forum trying to work things out..!!

 

[Nana]

I like to hear that you are becoming excited about the trike for the sake of the trike! Most everyone comes around to that feeling once they have ridden for a while, but to hear that you are already there......... That is wonderful!!!! It will make every part of this a great adventure for you

 

[JohnnyMac]

Good day to you in West Island. I went to Aussie in 68(got discharged in Cam Rahn Bay) for a visit and overstayed, got married and went back to USA for about 4 years and have been in New Zealand since Nov 73. Still visit rellies in NH, Maine, La, Michigan, Nova Scotia etc and have done a few fairly long bike trips 2-up in USA and Canada. Rode from Melbourne to Melbourne via Perth, Darwin, Port Douglas and Sydney and we camp about 95% of the time. Have recently put a sidecar on my 1990 R80 GS BMW but will probably be looking at a trike in the US next year. Good luck with your new idea.

 

[ThirdWheel]

WELCOME to Trike Talk JohnnyMac. I think you will enjoy the site. If you have any questions on trikes just ask away.

 

[Nana]

Hello JohnnyMac, and a big welcome to TrikeTalk! How are you liking your sidecar?

 

[redneckray]

Johhny,
i was in cam rahn bay in 1968, what a place that was, i was 18 at the time, man how time travels, grinn,
welcome to the family
ray

 

[3WHELAR]

Hey Bob what part of Aus are you in suggest you carefully check out Aussie ADR's before you spend any doe as I would hate to have you bring in a kit and find that you can't register it here in this country mate.

 

[3WHELAR]

Queensland RTA and engineers are known to be excessively difficult to deal or negotiate with.