Shakes

[Speedy]

Have a friend w/o internet access with a 2014 Goldwing with a Motor Trike Razor kit on his bike, independent suspension and a 6 degree rake kit. Bike was shaking before rake kit was installed. At 60-65 mph the bike starts shaking and he has to slow down to get it to stop shaking. Tires on the back are Fusion 225-60-15 on custom billet wheels from Motor Trike, tires have been rebalanced and still shaking badly. Trike has about 13k miles on it.

Anyone have any ideas what might be causing the shake?

Speedy

[rhino 2]

Just a shot in the dark here , Could it be a bad steering stabilizer , Or maybe it doesn't have one installed and could use one ....

[peteg59]

About anything any of us can do is try to guess at the cause as there are potentially quite a few reasons this could be happening. The actual interpretation of the shake, which can vary person to person by the riders mechanical knowledge and or their experiences riding trikes can also come into play.

Having that behind us, I'd start off by closely inspecting the front tire condition.

Then a tire air pressure check all around. Tire air pressure recommendations vary wildly, but have been discussed on here in a few different threads. If you have time, check em out.

After the above is checked and ruled out as the cause, all fasteners in the front end should be torque checked.

Best of luck to your friend and if/when the reason is found, please post up the info...

[Gorilla]

Also they very well may not have tightened the triple tree stalk bearing tight enough. If they tightened it to Factory spec it's to loose for a trike. The bearing should be tight enough that with the front wheel just off the ground pull a handlebar (either one) all the way to the end of the travel let go it should only swing down thru the bottom of the swing then matbe a little past then stop. If they swing more than that the bearing is to loose. That can cause a shake.

[radismukes]

If your friend lives in Houston I would plan a trip to Motortrike and let the factory techs take a look at the trike. They may like to know who did the installation of their kit. A poor installation can reflect very poorly on a excellent trike kit. I have the same kit and it rides great.

i

[trike tech]

Let me take a wild guess here..

The "shake" feels kinda like a teeter totter on the back end between the left & right fender? Typically most noticeable at highway speeds & every now and then can kinda feel it at lower speeds when you hit a bump?

[Speedy]

Don't know about teeter tooting. He says it feels like it is trying to throw him off the bike when it starts shaking. Mostly when he hits a bump between 60 and 65 mph. Doesn't shake at anything below 60-65 mph. Front tire is running 40 psi and back has 24 psi. 6 degree rack was installed by a certified motor trike installer along with the kit.

[trike tech]

Single most common cause for what they're experiencing is alignment.

That being said - BEFORE they start jumping through hoops, inspect the shock bushings (lower bushings primarily); worn shock bushings will cause the suspension to compress more than normal creating a toe in condition. See so many shops do an alignment and see no change in vehicle behavior because the shock bushings were worn & the increased compression "offsets" the alignment they just did.

13K is about where MT recommends having the alignment checked; officially the owner's manual says 12K, but it will vary based on riding conditions (much like your vehicle).

[Speedy]

Single most common cause for what they're experiencing is alignment.

That being said - BEFORE they start jumping through hoops, inspect the shock bushings (lower bushings primarily); worn shock bushings will cause the suspension to compress more than normal creating a toe in condition. See so many shops do an alignment and see no change in vehicle behavior because the shock bushings were worn & the increased compression "offsets" the alignment they just did.

13K is about where MT recommends having the alignment checked; officially the owner's manual says 12K, but it will vary based on riding conditions (much like your vehicle).

Richard:

Can you e-mail me at Speedy0149@sbcglobal.net. I have some questions to ask you that needs to remain private.

Thanks

Speedy

[trike tech]

Speedy,

Send you an email.

[Speedy]

Posted earlier about friends trike that shook at 65 mph and above. Found the triple tree was not torqued to specs for a trike and the u-joint bolts on the rearend were not tight, nuts didn't even engage the lock washer. After fixing the above items bike is no longer shaking at 65 mph and above.

Thanks for everyone's help.

[trike tech]

Glad y'all/they found the problem, that's great news!

Steering head bearing torque is a fairly common one (it's an often neglected part of a bike) & have seen many times where the rake kit instructions aren't followed & bearings are torqued to Honda spec which is a big no-no. I get why they're neglected, it's a pain to check periodically on most bikes (I was as guilty as the next when it came to them on my personal bikes).

I have to admit, I'd have NEVER thought about checking driveshaft bolts & to be quite honest it's rather "embarrassing" that of the shops that looked at the bike that none of them caught something like that. I know a lot of folks aren't fans of it because it makes removal oh so fun, but proper spec on a driveline bolt is to use red loctite & 75 ft-lb torque. I know that the loctite part can absolutely suck on an item that should be removed for inspection & 95% of the time the lock washers prevent the bolts from backing out, but for an item that's often neglected or overlooked it can make the difference.

[BIG DENNY]

Richard:

Can you e-mail me at Speedy0149@sbcglobal.net. I have some questions to ask you that needs to remain private.

Thanks

Just run it up to ZOOK in CONROE and pay him to take a look at it

Speedy

Just run it up to ZOOK in Conroe and PAY he to fix it END of story

BIG DENNY