Hi, I am looking to purchase a used trike and am having a problem in choosing which trike kit is best. I know they probably all have their good and bad points but can someone point them out for me? Any info would be very much appreciated... Sign me confused... Thanks for all your time...
goldwing trike
- Thread starter ralzie
- Start date
welcome aboard. what make is the donor bike? what kind of riding are you planning on doing? are you close to any dealers/builders?
John Luciano
One Of The Origionals , TOI - New England
I guess it is safe to say that they are all good. they fall into 2 categories'
1) Independent and Solid rear axle .
Ind rear gives you a softer ride, it has more moving parts,its is (some say ) slower in the twisties, I personally don't agree, and it is generly more expensive.
The solid axle is stiffer in the ride department, less maintenance, and as stated above a more solid feel in the corners.
After that it is all about style. Storage space, the two largest trunks IMHO are the Champion and the DFT. The only 2 I have found that will fit a folding golf chair. ( DFT up to 6 ) . A few I understand are more difficult than others to remove the rear tires. I am not sure what ones they are.
It all boils down to 1) How much do u want to spend
2) What dealer installer is close to you 3) check around and see who is the best/ most experienced installer. A bad installation on the best kit produces a bad trike .
1) Independent and Solid rear axle .
Ind rear gives you a softer ride, it has more moving parts,its is (some say ) slower in the twisties, I personally don't agree, and it is generly more expensive.
The solid axle is stiffer in the ride department, less maintenance, and as stated above a more solid feel in the corners.
After that it is all about style. Storage space, the two largest trunks IMHO are the Champion and the DFT. The only 2 I have found that will fit a folding golf chair. ( DFT up to 6 ) . A few I understand are more difficult than others to remove the rear tires. I am not sure what ones they are.
It all boils down to 1) How much do u want to spend
2) What dealer installer is close to you 3) check around and see who is the best/ most experienced installer. A bad installation on the best kit produces a bad trike .
- Thread starter
- #4
John, I am looking to buy a used trike, somewhere in the 17k area. I am asking which brand kit the people of this board like best. And any other insight you guys can supply would be very helpful. For instance, is e-z steer something that you would consider a must have? Is there a year goldwing you would advise me to stay away from? Any info you or any other board member can supply me would be great..Thanks for your time, Ralph...
Welcome to the board, as far as what kit is the best is like asking what kind of oil is the best 
there are tons of trikes out there already done, u just need to ride as many types as u can, what I like and what U and ur wife likes might be different. Some things that need to come into play is there a dealer or installer near by??? How has the trike been taken care of?? Does it have E-Z Steer??? I would say 95% are pampered. In the 17K range I would guess U R looking at a 95-98 year Goldwing and maybe even up to 2000 depending on how bad a person wants to sell... make sure it has the things u want(ie CB) some things are expensive to add. And if U find one U really like and are concerned pay the x-tra and have it checked by a trike dealer or repair shop.. Also the part of the country U R in will have something to do with the price... Hope I have not confused U too much.
Good Luck.
there are tons of trikes out there already done, u just need to ride as many types as u can, what I like and what U and ur wife likes might be different. Some things that need to come into play is there a dealer or installer near by??? How has the trike been taken care of?? Does it have E-Z Steer??? I would say 95% are pampered. In the 17K range I would guess U R looking at a 95-98 year Goldwing and maybe even up to 2000 depending on how bad a person wants to sell... make sure it has the things u want(ie CB) some things are expensive to add. And if U find one U really like and are concerned pay the x-tra and have it checked by a trike dealer or repair shop.. Also the part of the country U R in will have something to do with the price... Hope I have not confused U too much.Good Luck.
jim peacock
Contrinuting Member
If you have a corider make sure you take her along on the test rides.
Remember if mamas not happy no bodys happy.
:yes::yes::yes:
Remember if mamas not happy no bodys happy.
:yes::yes::yes:
John Luciano
One Of The Origionals , TOI - New England
Ralzie I didn't not pick a brand or kit because as answewed on this question already , I like what I ride ....a DFT. I have ridden many brands and not just around a parking lot, I had fun on all of them and if mine broke down or needed to use one of them other brands I would not hesitate to take any one of them on a 100 mile trip. That said, Go to a rally ,if there is one in the area, (getting late for them now ). Usually there are at least 2 or 3 brands at a rally u can try. If you want someone to tell u what trike to buy you are not going to get that answer on this forum. We have no favoritism on here and that is what is so great about this forum . EZ steer . If you have never ridden a trike before you will find it to be harder to steer than you think. EZ steer will be an asset. I do not have it on my trike , at least not yet.( been driving it for 47,000 miles with out it ). Not like it is the end of the world if you don't have it . Also it can always be added. Don't pass up a beautiful trike or a great buy just cuz it doesn't have it . I hope you understand this answer it is as plain as i can make it .
Ralzie
An easy way to sum it up is to take test rides on various trikes, see which one works best for you, which one you like the body style on, which ones have the options you like and if you like IRS or straight axle. It's a big decision and one that involves a lot of $$$. Do your homework before you buy.
An easy way to sum it up is to take test rides on various trikes, see which one works best for you, which one you like the body style on, which ones have the options you like and if you like IRS or straight axle. It's a big decision and one that involves a lot of $$$. Do your homework before you buy.
jim peacock
Contrinuting Member
In the price range you are talking about you may want to look at a late modle 1500.
I think it would be hard to find a 1800 trike in that price range,like I said in my other post make sure it has a rake kit.to install a rake kit you at looking at around 1300 dollars
I think it would be hard to find a 1800 trike in that price range,like I said in my other post make sure it has a rake kit.to install a rake kit you at looking at around 1300 dollars
Be wary of "Dealer" used trikes. I feel more comfortable with a private party, with all his maint. records. Dealers don't care if you get killed on the way home cause of a problem, and will rarely make it right. I have had some terrible experiences with them in the past. Also, as stated, a dork can throw one of these together, but a badly setup trike is not only a lousy ride, it can be downright dangerous. There are some great dealers out there, but don't just think cause they deal with trikes, they "Must be trustworthy!". Most are not. Adventure is an exeption to this opinion. Randy takes it seriously, and he seems to really enjoy seeing his customers smile. Just be on guard, and ask for PROOF of everything. I found out my trike was on CarFax, for an accident! Took alot of time and a fair amount of money to get it all to spec. The "Dealer" told me " Oh, everything is done right on this one, and we did every bit of maint. here at our shop." All Lies. Take it for what it's worth. I'm not a crabby old fart, I just want you to know. You asked. jimsjinx
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