RoadSmith Trikes Question

[O'le Guy]

The RoadSmith is the heaviest and longest of all the trike kits..does anyone know how this effects the neck and neck bearings with the extra stress especially with the 6° rake? I've been told that you need the 6° rake with the RS cause of the heavy front end. Thanks Joe

 

[threewheeled]

Ole Guy:
This is Beaufort Motorsports. We build V8 Trikes with those neck bearings and stock tubing. This is sometimes a bit more than a 6 degree rake. This is a load of about 750 more Lbs than you will ever put on the neck of yours even combined with a bump in the road, there has never been a problem with these necks and bearings although we do put a fair amount of overload springs on them...
This was my 2 cents worth. Any worry about the strength of the neck and bearings is wasted energy...
I am sorry if I stepped out of bounds here. But just thought I would try to help as we have been custom building trikes for 30 years...
kodiak

 

[O'le Guy]

Thanks Kodiak...your not out of bounds..this is the kind of info that I am looking for..just don't want the moco comming back at me if something did break. But now I wouldn't even be concerned about it. This helps me narrow my decision to whick kit I'm looking to get. Thanks Joe

 

[O'le Guy]

Kodiak..I went to your website..WOW..now them there are some wild V-8 trikes...I'm not worried anymore...Thanks
PS..next time I'm in Savannah, I'll give ya a holler.....Joe

 

[threewheeled]

The Coffee pot will be warm and ready!!!I should be able to show you some of our BIG trikes that we build and will travel 2 up and go all over the USA for under $16000. Honda, Harley, Yamaha, And Customs. No training wheels here!
kodiak

 

[Trikerjim]

Joe let me through another opinion at you. Like we say all the time, YOU have to make the choice on which kit is right for you. Most all of the conversions, if built right will make you happy. They have subtle differences and people consider some more important than others.<br />
I LOVE my Motor Trike and am still learning things about it, but I bought it barely used because I got a great deal on it from a good friend. I'm like everybody else here and had looked and looked at all the brands when I was thinking of buying a new one. I was really impressed with the RoadSmith and it was actually my first choice if I had bought a new one<br />
Figure out what's important to you and see which ones fall into your list. Just my opinion and best of luck on it....<img src="images/smilies/wink.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Wink" class="inlineimg" />

 

[threewheeled]

Trikerjim is correct, find what fits you and trike it. Roadsmith appears to be a good trike and I have seen a few at the shows we do but we are not a dealer for them so cannot give an honest yea or nay on them but this forum probably can. We tried to inquire about them but could not get a response from them. We would have been happy to include them in our conversion offerings since we do just about every kit that we know of... We have had several requests for Roadsmith kits and they seem to have a good reputation out there.
We let the customer decide totally on what they want and do not push a brand over another unless asked at the time.
We also have tried not to put a "PLUG" in this forum toward any Brand as it seems that if they have one brand, that it is the best in the world because they own one. This is the case of Chocolate,Vinilla, Strawberry, Ice Cream...
All are equal but each has its own following and one is no better than the other...Its just individual taste...
Our motto:
If the bike fits you, (No matter what kind) The trike will fit you also...
kodiak

 

[O'le Guy]

Thanks Guys..I like Butter Pecan ice cream..<img src="images/smilies/smile.gif" border="0" alt="" title="Smile" class="inlineimg" /> I'm going about this slow and easy..no hurry to drop a bunch of money. Was on the Shadow today and thought that I'd like to keep it along with a trike when the time comes. I just love to throw that bike into the curves. I just don't think I'll be riding the Shadow very much if I get a trike. It would be a great starter bike for my grand baby in 15 years. Ya know, I'm riding Grandpa's bike. Like I've said before, I'd like to stay a couple of hours from a dealer cause of warranty issues. We have Trikesmith. CSC, MT, and Hannigan around here. Of these kits, I'll find one that "fits" both the wife and myself.

I also will be pulling a white Fibco trailer camper when we travel so I need a color match. I hear that Yellow is the fastest. <br />
I saw a low mileage 07 GW Champion trike on E-Bay today for 25 grand in Silver but don't have a Champion dealer close by. It was the low end GW. I have been thinking about the ASB feature. What do you guys think about ABS if your going to keep the trike a long time??

 

[bigdave]

I have a 03 GL1800 with a 08 Roadsmith conversion. My son and I did it ourselves. Great kit. I had a previous Valkyrie Interstate with a Motortrike kit. I'm 64 and it rode to rough for me. I wanted a smoother ride and I didn't care it it wouldn't take the curves as fast as the Motortrike. I put 12000 miles on the Motortrike and only have about 5000 miles on the Roadsmith. It rides great, looks great, and has a big trunk. It came with a list of all of the car parts such as break pads, u-joints, and such with the NAPA car part number for them. I see this kit as an easy kit to install and an inexpensive one to maintain.

I also have a 5 1/2 degree rake kit and after 5000 miles I wouldn't want any less rake. <br />
If you have any questions just PM me. <a href="mailto:dave@dpomeroy.com">dave@dpomeroy.com</a><br />
Dave

 

[O'le Guy]

Thanks for the info Dave..Any thoughts on the Hannigan with ABS??

 

[bigdave]

The Hannigan was the only one I didn't ride. They were not at Wingding in Billings and we had do dealer around here. Also they don't cater to DIY people. I wanted to do it myself so I could be sure it was done right.<br />
Dave