Hey guys, So I bought this trike project to give a go and I've gotten to the test ride state and it's positively awful. In it's life it's been on he road for several years before holding up so i'm hoping it's nothing catastrophic w/ the chassis.
The build;
1983 CB550sc Nighthawk bike frame and a reliant rear diff w/ wheels off a mini (I think).
The problem(s);
The handling on it is truly terrifying, It's heavy to turn the bars and on corners and the slightest bump/dip in the road has the front end feeling light and the bars wild while the back end bounces all over the place. In it's life it's been on he road for several years before holding up so i'm hoping it's nothing catastrophic w/ the chassis. If you hold the front wheel and try and shake the bars the bike part of the frame will wobble/almost twist where it should be solid.
Problem solving;
- I've replaced the headstock bearings and adjusted those so that there's no forward/back movement and the bars move freely either side.
- I ratchet strapped the back end down (Theoretical hard tail) and that removed all the back end and chassis wobble but the front end steering was still light and a lil wild. So i'm thinking the rear shocks are shot and i'm just looking at what shocks to put in there place.
- I've replaced the fork seals and oil (10w, 375 ml as per manual) but there's ~2 inches of travel on the forks. I increased the preload by maybe an inch to see if that helped and i think it did slightly, so i'm thinking maybe worn main springs or just knackered forks in general?
- Have boxed it up w/ chalk and the tracking on the back looks good.
I'm sure there are things I've forgotten to mention but i think that's most of it. Basically, it handles like a potato and i'm not sure why. Any help would be appreciated