AAA and Motor Trike - Brokedown on Trip

[jredman]

Good ending... Front Ujoint went out Goldwing Trike. We limped about 20 miles going 40mph. Made it to Minden LA. Got a hotel room. Called Motor Trike, Inc. in the morning and AAA.

AAA arranged a tow. 120 mile and no charge. Love AAA. Anyway the best part. Motor Trike, Inc. was able to get me all fixed up. Replaced front Ujoint. Found out the sway bar bolts had sheared and sway bar was not even working. No wonder I was fighting steering and premature 17K miles on last Avon Trike tire.

They also saw that the correct shocks were on, but the wrong springs. So I just wanted new correct shocks. The bushing mounts were loose anyway. Motor Trike, Inc. did all of the work free of charge and not even labor charge. How is that for awesome service. I did buy the new shocks, but no labor on those or charge for any other parts. It was not under warranty either. Thank you so much Motor Trike, Inc. You all are awesome. They did this while we waited. We actually rented a car and drove to Troup TX from Minden LA. My wife was done and just drove the car home and I rode.

[1dn5up]

Good you were treated in the right way , even thou the aggravation of being road side bit ya .

Women do cop an attitude when the scoot breaks down, I think the sittin n waiting does it.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

If I did any serious traveling anymore ... I'd have AAA.

[radismukes]

Thanks for sharing your MT experience. Positive feedback help us all. May your next ride be event free

[LadyonaMission]

Thanks for sharing your MT experience. Positive feedback help us all. May your next ride be event free

Glad you got your trike all fixed up and back on the road without having to sell your first born. I visited the MT shop once with a friend, they were all very nice Texans.

[eastkytriker]

Motortrike has been great with my problems over the years.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

There is no better advertising than good customer service ... keep them happy and they will keep you happy.

[Pastor Ron]

This is WHY I went with Motor Trike.

[Red Wing One]

I‘m glad everything went as smooth as it did for you.....MT is indeed a great company.

What I’d like to know is your preventative maintenance schedule for the drive shaft on your Trike.

The drive shaft seems to be the biggest mechanical culprit when it comes to roadside break downs.

Personally I take the drive shaft out of the trike once a year (during winter maintenance)

I know it has saved me a failure last year when I found that the rear Ujoint was loose. It turns out the yoke that bolts to the differential was stretched in one of the eyes.

It seems like removing the drive shaft might be overkill....but I know no other way of checking the front U-joint.

Just my 2 cent.....YMMV

[jredman]

I‘m glad everything went as smooth as it did for you.....MT is indeed a great company.

What I’d like to know is your preventative maintenance schedule for the drive shaft on your Trike.

The drive shaft seems to be the biggest mechanical culprit when it comes to roadside break downs.

Personally I take the drive shaft out of the trike once a year (during winter maintenance)

I know it has saved me a failure last year when I found that the rear Ujoint was loose. It turns out the yoke that bolts to the differential was stretched in one of the eyes.

It seems like removing the drive shaft might be overkill....but I know no other way of checking the front U-joint.

Just my 2 cent.....YMMV

I greased both ujoints at every oil change 4000 miles every time. The tech said they need to be greased. I told him I did religiously greased every oil change. It just failed. This is now my 3rd one. But I do ride allot. I have over 68K on a 2014.

[Red Wing One]

I greased both ujoints at every oil change 4000 miles every time. The tech said they need to be greased. I told him I did religiously greased every oil change. It just failed. This is now my 3rd one. But I do ride allot. I have over 68K on a 2014.

Obviously your front Ujoint has a grease nipple.....the front Ujoint on my 2013 Lehman LLS is not accessible and does not have a grease nipple. The Ujoint does not require greasing. The only way to ensure that the Ujoint is good is to remove the drive shaft for inspection.

I believe the drive shaft is the most worrisome component on the Trike.

[jredman]

Obviously your front Ujoint has a grease nipple.....the front Ujoint on my 2013 Lehman LLS is not accessible and does not have a grease nipple. The Ujoint does not require greasing. The only way to ensure that the Ujoint is good is to remove the drive shaft for inspection.

I believe the drive shaft is the most worrisome component on the Trike.

Yes, I have grease zerks front and back on my shaft (Ujoints) Grease both every 4000 miles. One that went was less than 2 years old. Front is accessible by taking off the right oil cover. Trike is in the air in neutral. I can spin the wheel to get at that Zerk. Rear one i am under it. Did it before we left on our trip and inspected both. They were fine. I inspect every 4K miles.

[Pegasus1300]

I‘m glad everything went as smooth as it did for you.....MT is indeed a great company.

What I’d like to know is your preventative maintenance schedule for the drive shaft on your Trike.

The drive shaft seems to be the biggest mechanical culprit when it comes to roadside break downs.

Personally I take the drive shaft out of the trike once a year (during winter maintenance)



I know it has saved me a failure last year when I found that the rear Ujoint was loose. It turns out the yoke that bolts to the differential was stretched in one of the eyes.

It seems like removing the drive shaft might be overkill....but I know no other way of checking the front U-joint.

Just my 2 cent.....YMMV

My hat is off to you for doing driveshaft checking. I think that both ob Wings and Royal Stars this is something that is overlooked far to often

[Burnerboy]

I have a Roadsmith, and everytime I ask, "what should I be doing for prevented maintenance, underneath" all I ever hear is nothing ... I have lifted it up, and took a good look around, and I really don't see any type of grease zirks, or anything to check??????????? But while underneath, I always take my garden hose, soap, and brush, and clean away as much junk as possible.. A clean bike "is a happy bike" As I 'm always, washing/waxing my baby............

Ronnie

[Red Wing One]

I have a Roadsmith, and everytime I ask, "what should I be doing for prevented maintenance, underneath" all I ever hear is nothing ... I have lifted it up, and took a good look around, and I really don't see any type of grease zirks, or anything to check??????????? But while underneath, I always take my garden hose, soap, and brush, and clean away as much junk as possible.. A clean bike "is a happy bike" As I 'm always, washing/waxing my baby............

Ronnie

Hey Ronnie.....good on you for looking around underneath......your u-joints are likely maintenance free...but it’s sometimes hard to tell if your driveshaft needs some TLC unless you take it out for inspection.

Once out, you can flex the u-joints in multiple directions to feel for rough spots.

You can also check for movement in the yokes.....the end caps should not move in the eyes. Ujoints are inexpensive and easy to change.....if in doubt....throw them out!

PS....my Trike manufacturer had no interest in selling me a yoke to replace the bad one on my drive shaft....they offered to sell me a driveshaft for over $700.

With help from Lee-H-Man......I was able to buy the proper yoke for $35

[JaysGone]

I have the "newer" MT driveshaft. My original bit the dust also at the front u-joint as it had no zerk to grease it.

New shaft is easy to grease both front and rear.

MT has been more the great with me on all my customer service needs. Which thankfully has been relatively little.

Another thumbs up for MT.