2002 Boss Hoss trike

[Kruzn]

This is our 2002 Boss Hoss trike. Bought it new in 2002, currently has 75,000 miles. We've done a lot of travelling on that trike. The wife is now riding it to work too.





We recently added a 2015 Indian Roadmaster trike to the stable.

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Both are sweet ... but ... the Road Master is so sexy kewl ... Love that nostalgic look

 

[ol' school]

Nice looking rides Dave!

 

[Kruzn]

Both are sweet ... but ... the Road Master is so sexy kewl ... Love that nostalgic look

Yep!

Raw, brutal, macho hot rod on the left. Smooth, low, sexy custom cruiser on the right.....!

The Boss is very docile for cruising too, just hang on tight when twisting the throttle hard!

 

[Zammy]

What a great pair of rides Dave, they're both good looking.

 

[grandpawj]

Great looking rides Dave!! Just out of curiosity is the Boss Hoss an automatic tranny?

 

[1dn5up]

Indian

Was a clone of that 4 sale in Jersey, I came real close on the purchase, but I lost the tug of war ! Nice ride Dave :clapping: good luck.

 

[Kruzn]

Great looking rides Dave!! Just out of curiosity is the Boss Hoss an automatic tranny?

Yes, GM TH350 3-speed auto.

 

[Kruzn]

Was a clone of that 4 sale in Jersey, I came real close on the purchase, but I lost the tug of war ! Nice ride Dave :clapping: good luck.

Not a clone. It IS the one from Jersey. It now lives in Illinois.

 

[David357]

Classy rides DaveThumbUp

 

[knockdolian]

Kruzn, just out of interest if one had to go, which would it be ?

 

[Kruzn]

Kruzn, just out of interest if one had to go, which would it be ?

That would be a tough decision. The wife rides the Boss a lot since it is automatic. However, for 2-up riding/travelling we prefer the comfort (and fuel mileage) of the Indian. The Boss does great for super-slab riding, but will beat you up on back roads and twisties. The Indian steers easier and it's independent rear suspension soaks up the bumps better.

We enjoy both, so it will be hard to make a choice when that time eventually arrives. If we had to make a choice today, I think the Indian would stay.

 

[knockdolian]

That would be a tough decision. The wife rides the Boss a lot since it is automatic. However, for 2-up riding/travelling we prefer the comfort (and fuel mileage) of the Indian. The Boss does great for super-slab riding, but will beat you up on back roads and twisties. The Indian steers easier and it's independent rear suspension soaks up the bumps better.

We enjoy both, so it will be hard to make a choice when that time eventually arrives. If we had to make a choice today, I think the Indian would stay.

I know exactly what you mean about the boss hoss. I have a 96 BH with coupe body. One of only a handful in the UK. fuel (gas) is about $9 a gallon now but it’s still fun. Just bought Air Ride suspension off the V8 forum. Looking forward to seeing how that deals with the pot holes. Enjoy mate

 

[Kruzn]

I know exactly what you mean about the boss hoss. I have a 96 BH with coupe body. One of only a handful in the UK. fuel (gas) is about $9 a gallon now but it’s still fun. Just bought Air Ride suspension off the V8 forum. Looking forward to seeing how that deals with the pot holes. Enjoy mate

Tha air ride will help for sure. I had Air Ride Technologies Shockwaves on ours for a few years and it was definitely better. One of them blew out and ART would not stand behind it, so I put the old coilovers back on. One tip ART gave me was to make sure you carry enough air pressure in the system. The tendency is to think that less pressure equals better ride, but that is not always the case. Too little pressure can allow the suspension to bottom out resulting in harsher ride.

The main problem with the Boss trikes is that the rear suspension is a rigid swingarm with very little side-to-side articulation. That makes for rough ride over potholes, etc. Another issue is the trail number on the front end is too large, it's the same as the 2-wheel bikes. That makes for hard steering. In 2005 Boss Hoss added raked triple trees to the trikes that reduced the trail and made them much easier to steer. I wish I had upgraded the trees on ours when they first came out with those.

Also, if yours has the third shock for torque control, take it off when you add the air ride. Replace it with a strap or chain to keep the rear axle from dropping too far under hard acceleration. That will help a little with ride too.

 

[knockdolian]

The main problem with the Boss trikes is that the rear suspension is a rigid swingarm with very little side-to-side articulation. That makes for rough ride over potholes, etc. Another issue is the trail number on the front end is too large, it's the same as the 2-wheel bikes. That makes for hard steering. In 2005 Boss Hoss added raked triple trees to the trikes that reduced the trail and made them much easier to steer. I wish I had upgraded the trees on ours when they first came out with those.

Also, if yours has the third shock for torque control, take it off when you add the air ride. Replace it with a strap or chain to keep the rear axle from dropping too far under hard acceleration. That will help a little with ride too.[/QUOTE]

Agree with everything you say. When I got it I couldn’t understand how the suspension was ever going to work. I ditched the dampers and sat the coil overs up. I put softer springs on as well. I had new trees made with 6 degrees of rake. Unbaeveable what difference that made. I’m in the process of getting brakes that work !! When I first got it I was very disappointed but it’s getting better. I can’t believe BH stayed in bushes for so long. I’m assuming the bikes were better. Anyway ride safe and enjoy.

paul

 

[Kruzn]

The main problem with the Boss trikes is that the rear suspension is a rigid swingarm with very little side-to-side articulation. That makes for rough ride over potholes, etc. Another issue is the trail number on the front end is too large, it's the same as the 2-wheel bikes. That makes for hard steering. In 2005 Boss Hoss added raked triple trees to the trikes that reduced the trail and made them much easier to steer. I wish I had upgraded the trees on ours when they first came out with those.

Also, if yours has the third shock for torque control, take it off when you add the air ride. Replace it with a strap or chain to keep the rear axle from dropping too far under hard acceleration. That will help a little with ride too.

Agree with everything you say. When I got it I couldn’t understand how the suspension was ever going to work. I ditched the dampers and sat the coil overs up. I put softer springs on as well. I had new trees made with 6 degrees of rake. Unbaeveable what difference that made. I’m in the process of getting brakes that work !! When I first got it I was very disappointed but it’s getting better. I can’t believe BH stayed in bushes for so long. I’m assuming the bikes were better. Anyway ride safe and enjoy.

paul[/QUOTE]

Paul,

I learned the hard way with the rear brakes. Front has always worked fine. I found out that BH used some sort of special rear brake shoe lining, apparantly to make up for incorrect master cylinder sizing (they use the same master cylinder as on the rear disc brake on the 2-wheelers, which is not really correct for the drum brakes). The originals worked fine until they needed to be replaced due to normal wear. I replaced them with new ones (Ford Ranger pickup) from auto parts store. The darn thing suddenly would not stop. I tried replacing the drums, still terrible. Went through 3 sets of new shoes, trying different brands. Nothing worked! Finally gave up and called my dealer. He said they had the same problem and the only fix was to use the replacement shoes from Boss Hoss. He got me a new set (very expensive!) and voila! They worked.

Others have converted to discs on the rear and a few have even added a vacuum power booster with different master cylinder.

Hope you get yours figured out.