Quote Originally Posted by 1550vt View Post
Big Steve....I don't want to pi!! you off just because your name must indicate your stature....and you can find out where I live (LOL).

Honestly now (and I am really serious), I never thought a trike needed to be raked either.....until I did it. I can promise you that the TG trees I put on mine (thanks to Ultraboy's article) made a humongous (biggest word I could come up with) difference in the way this thing handled a curve. A handlebar is nothing but a lever. If you rake it, you essentially make the lever longer and reduce the force necessary to turn the trike. The forces are not "working" against the front wheel as hard if you rake it and it will glide through a curve much better. When I get on a non-raked trike now....it reminds me of those Honda 3-wheeler ATV''s we use to ride. It really makes that much difference. I am not telling you that it solved all my issues but it solved a large percentage and made it usable.

I know us Ultra guys got a real break when UB told all of us about the TG trees working on the dresser frame and it will cost you a lot more to rake yours. Find somebody that has a bike close to yours that has been raked and judge for yourself if the handling justifies the expense.

If you plan to keep this trike.....RAKE IT!
You know, maybe I take things too literally. But EVERYONE uses the phrase "power steering" to describe the effect of a rake. I'm driving a peppy cruiser, and it steers real nice, and feels like rack and pinion steering. R&P is greatly preferred over power steering in small sports cars, at least by me. I think of rakes, and I think of huge Wings and Harleys that can barely be driven without them. I'm well aware that I could be all wrong too.

But I'm going to think about this for awhile. If I don't move up to a bigger bike/trike anytime soon, maybe I'll rake it. You said it seems to tamp down suspension issues some, and Honda puts in the cheapest, chintziest head bearings in the world on the VTX. I could kill two birds with one stone that way, and get the steering advantage(??) to boot.