Pucker Power-STUPID

nucseal

1000+ Posts
Jan 16, 2012
1,022
1,223
San Antonio, Texas
Well I rode the Dragon today. First time in 40 years, last time I was 27 and riding Kawasaki Cafe racer. Lets just say I am more aggressive in curves on three wheels than I was on two. So, here I was just running the curves and (came upon the first photographer) there was this tight right hand curve. I push and pulled hard into the curve and hit the throttle. That is when the right tire decide it had enough of the ground and wanted some air space. So, going through a curve on two wheels, doesn't give you religion, nothing will. Needless to say I slowed way down. Hoping the photographer got the picture.

Nuc
 
Yep! We all know that feeling for sure! Last season I also rode the Dragon, for the first time, on my trike, (Only been riding a trike for less then a week/very inexperienced) lucky nothing happened, bad BUT I "THINK" I experienced almost the same situation :clapping:

Ronnie
 
The last couple years we have rode the Dragon 3 or 4 times. The last pic on my 2016 (2-up) it looked like the wheel was almost ready to come off the ground but it never has.

You have to cut loose once and awhile. I don't know though, actually getting a back wheel off the ground may be too much of a pucker factor for me.
 
At last summer's Three Wheel Riders Course, the instructor wanted to demonstrate lifting a rear wheel on a Tri Glide, He asked to use my trike and I agreed. He made about four passes by our group and lifted the rear tire at will. I thought to myself, nice to know it can be done safely, but it'll never happen by me, at least not on purpose.:laugh: Perfectly happy being an L 7 on this one.
 
Well I rode the Dragon today. First time in 40 years, last time I was 27 and riding Kawasaki Cafe racer. Lets just say I am more aggressive in curves on three wheels than I was on two. So, here I was just running the curves and (came upon the first photographer) there was this tight right hand curve. I push and pulled hard into the curve and hit the throttle. That is when the right tire decide it had enough of the ground and wanted some air space. So, going through a curve on two wheels, doesn't give you religion, nothing will. Needless to say I slowed way down. Hoping the photographer got the picture.

Nuc

:) If he got the photo...post it up! Be nice to see.

Lots of folks say you don't need/or can't lean on a trike. In a corner like you described, leaning to the inside of the curve will keep that tire on the ground much longer before it gets tempted to lift up.

In the video below of Mary and I on the Dragon, I was doing a lot of leaning, did not lift the tire once.

The nice thing to know is that the inside tire on a TG or FW can come up off the ground a few inches and still be very stable...it is when it comes up over 6 inches or so that it is getting close to past the point of no return (or at least it feels that way to me).

I regularly lift the inside tire an inch or so. Did it on the ride home yesterday, did it on the ride in this morning. BUT, I am ALWAYS going SLOW when doing that (25 mph or less). If there is any kind of speed, I lean to keep that tire on the ground! See second vid below on lifting tires and how stable the TG remains.



Kevin
 
Well, I must admit that I never INTENTIONALLY lifted a wheel on our 5 trips to the dragon over the past few years, but I learned that technique on my '14 when I was riding a lot with the Daytona HOG chapter. We had the first Sunday morning of each month set aside for Parking Lot Practice. Three of the chapter's drill team riders devoted their skills to teaching the interested members the fundamentals of safe, precision riding. That was where I first learned that the push-pull technique was the way to ride a trike almost effortlessly through a series of tight twisties. I learned, and practiced it every chance I got. Pretty soon I was out-cornering the drill team in all but the very tightest maneuvers, limited only by the turning radius of the TG. And that was when the comments were coming that I had lifted the inside wheel. Not intentionally, but I learned what it felt like, and so did my wife, who usually rode with me on the exercises. That was when she would pound me on the back:laugh:. It is a skill I bring with me when I need to maneuver quickly while remaining in control. It does take the right amount of lean to control the inside wheel lift. I have seen the videos of a few guys who have mastered the ability to do back-to-back corners with the inside wheel lifted at almost 45 degrees, and wile I take my hat off to their skill, I have no need to push it that far :Trike1:
 
Well, I must admit that I never INTENTIONALLY lifted a wheel on our 5 trips to the dragon over the past few years, but I learned that technique on my '14 when I was riding a lot with the Daytona HOG chapter. We had the first Sunday morning of each month set aside for Parking Lot Practice. Three of the chapter's drill team riders devoted their skills to teaching the interested members the fundamentals of safe, precision riding. That was where I first learned that the push-pull technique was the way to ride a trike almost effortlessly through a series of tight twisties. I learned, and practiced it every chance I got. Pretty soon I was out-cornering the drill team in all but the very tightest maneuvers, limited only by the turning radius of the TG. And that was when the comments were coming that I had lifted the inside wheel. Not intentionally, but I learned what it felt like, and so did my wife, who usually rode with me on the exercises. That was when she would pound me on the back:laugh:. It is a skill I bring with me when I need to maneuver quickly while remaining in control. It does take the right amount of lean to control the inside wheel lift. I have seen the videos of a few guys who have mastered the ability to do back-to-back corners with the inside wheel lifted at almost 45 degrees, and wile I take my hat off to their skill, I have no need to push it that far :Trike1:

Me either....that is definitely stunt level skill. Up to about 6", it is the Tri Glide doing all the work of being stable...much higher than that, those guys have some serious balancing skills!

Kevin
 
Stupid question here: BUT why would anyone purposely want to beat on their $40,0000 (plus) dollar motorcycle , and pull wheelies?????????????? :p:p:p

Ronnie

Two Reasons I have:

1. We take our testing seriously at DK. All parts we make have a Lifetime Warranty. We have to beat on them to make sure that what we manufacture WILL last...not just the lifetime of the average rider, but the lifetime of the bike/trike, which may be hundreds of thousand of miles for some of them.

Additionally, part of what we do is test to see what is what with different rides...sometimes this means abusing them a bit.

2. It's fun to pull wheelies, do burn-outs, etc. Not for everyone, but for some.

If I was not in the business, would I pull wheelies, do burn-outs, and do power slides? Yes, probably, but not nearly as many....maybe, probably not...well, I know I would not do as many wheelies, but I surely do like to break it loose and drift thru the curves. :)

Kevin
 
I have did it twice that I remember and the wife give me a good smack both times, a buddy was behind me and every time we get together he has to tell the story it's funny now but not so much then.
 
Xx
Well I rode the Dragon today. First time in 40 years, last time I was 27 and riding Kawasaki Cafe racer. Lets just say I am more aggressive in curves on three wheels than I was on two. So, here I was just running the curves and (came upon the first photographer) there was this tight right hand curve. I push and pulled hard into the curve and hit the throttle. That is when the right tire decide it had enough of the ground and wanted some air space. So, going through a curve on two wheels, doesn't give you religion, nothing will. Needless to say I slowed way down. Hoping the photographer got the picture.

Nuc

I'm faster up there on the trike than the 2 wheeler also.If you can remember about what time you went by and which one it was there will be several pics of your approach and you leaving posted on the site.The main 2 are us129photos and killboy.com.Moonshiner28 is mainly on 28 but may have been on 129 also.

Nuc[/QUOTE]
 
Xx

I'm faster up there on the trike than the 2 wheeler also.If you can remember about what time you went by and which one it was there will be several pics of your approach and you leaving posted on the site.The main 2 are us129photos and killboy.com.Moonshiner28 is mainly on 28 but may have been on 129 also.

Nuc
[/QUOTE]

Pat I believe these are yours. :clapping:

https://killboy.photoreflect.com/store/Orderpage.aspx?pi=04RK03HY090068&po=0&pc=616

https://killboy.photoreflect.com/store/Orderpage.aspx?pi=04RK03HY090068&po=0&pc=616
 

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