My Trike

[grandpanystrom61]

I could be wrong but I don't think you'll be making any u turns on a normal road. I believe it will take a lot of room to maneuver with the forks laid down like that. But I've been wrong before. Even with springer type forks with the angle you've got the rockers you're not going to have much suspension travel in that set up.

I have been known to twist information or what is said to me, so I could twist what I read also, so screwed up area in my brain. So I went out and put a test to the old set of springer forks, from the fully extended position to the most I could get the come-along to compress the system, well the axle only moved 2" and maybe 2 1/4" if I had eaten my wheatie's this morning.

That 2" distance should be split, 1" for compression and 1" for extension, meaning the load on the trike/forks should make the rockers compress 1", noted as the loaded position.

So it does not sound like much, but even if it compressed 3", that is only 1 1/2" to either side of load position.

If I need more travel for compression than I will make that adjustment, a little extra does not hurt if one can do it.

[LarryA]

just some thought on fork travel.....think I may have 2 to3 inches up travel maybe 2 or 3 down. That said, with some wishful thinking, you would assume a 2 inch high bump in the road would make the suspension travel up 2in. But with spring rates increasing as springs are compressing and shocks resisting quick compression of the suspension, at some point the whole front end just lifts without full suspension travel ever being reached.....now soft springs and shocks could help, but the suspension would be prone to bottom out and may feel "mushy".

My question to all, would be...... on a typical front suspension with 3 inches of up travel, How much travel so you actually get??

my guess is you are lucky to get 2in. before the front end lifts the front of the trike.

[grandpanystrom61]

Of course speed of travel when a hole or bump is hit would have a lot to do with how much time the front end actually had to react, so with that being said I do wonder how much all really does travel up and down as we go down the road.

So much to think about, hope all have a good evening.

[LarryA]

yes, speed of travel would be a factor, in effect making the shocks act stiffer at higher speeds.

also I forgot to consider actual front end weight... heavier front engine trikes would have more suspension deflection,than lighter ones, before actually lifting the front of the trike.

I have a homemade mud flap on the back of the bail or wraparound on my front end....4in. from the ground.

when hitting dips in the road at speed, this mud flap will scrape on the road.

when this happens, my shocks/springs have deflected about 1in.

I'm guessing that a real large bump would deflect the suspension maybe 2 in. before lifting the whole trike front.

I suspect most fronts on trikes are similar for a 350# front axle weight.

[grandpanystrom61]

I was playing with a life size drawing of the rocker arm, anyway I was looking at the range of swing if one allowed 70 degree overall coverage, to find out how much travel distance the axle will have in this range.Larry you maybe real close or on the mark, others are correct...…. I was off and wrong.... the mock up does not totally provide all the needed space for compression if I do set the loaded position at 90 degrees off fork tubes. It does not mean all travels that far in general riding, but it is needed so suspension can work up and down with out jamming up. You jam up the compression side of the suspension system (say when you do a wheelie) when the tire hits the road surface again thus causing more stress on the fork tube, weakest point below the lower tree. My old set of springers so me all of this.So in truth my rocker arm at axle point will travel near 3 3/8" inch from loaded position to full ext. or comp. state. If I go with 65 degree swing range the distance is a bit shorter, I was just playing to see what it truly measured. The mock up has become gold to me, so glad I listened to what I read and followed the advice of going through the effort of making the mock up.

Sidecarbill, yes your eyes are correct as my set up is off, love the mock up stage.