MJ on my 2013 Tri-Glide Ultra Classic Rear Suspension System

[MJ]

I'm trying to solve a steering/stability issue I feel I'm having on the trike. When we got the trike it was unstable on the road. Long story short, we learned we low air in the front tire 24 lbs. and only 22 lbs. in the rear suspension. Since then the front tire was found bad and has been replaced and inflated to 40 lbs. We also had a leak in the rear suspension and have replaced it with Legends shocks and lift kit. Rear tires are at 24 lbs. Picked up the trike and thought man this is going to ride like a dream. Well it still drives to me feeling unstable in steering on the road especially above 40 mph. So lay it on me trikers. Is this normal or do I need to look into more details like truing or balancing on the front wheel, rear wheels or something else. Certainly open for and thank you for any suggestions.

MJ

[Lee H. Mann]

I'm trying to solve a steering/stability issue I feel I'm having on the trike. When we got the trike it was unstable on the road. Long story short, we learned we low air in the front tire 24 lbs. and only 22 lbs. in the rear suspension. Since then the front tire was found bad and has been replaced and inflated to 40 lbs. We also had a leak in the rear suspension and have replaced it with Legends shocks and lift kit. Rear tires are at 24 lbs. Picked up the trike and thought man this is going to ride like a dream. Well it still drives to me feeling unstable in steering on the road especially above 40 mph. So lay it on me trikers. Is this normal or do I need to look into more details like truing or balancing on the front wheel, rear wheels or something else. Certainly open for and thank you for any suggestions.

MJ

MJ, I still think you are running the rear tires with too much air pressure. 20psi should be sufficient.

I like the 40psi in the front tire, but many here suggest 36psi is less harsh. Not being familiar with the Legends shocks and if the are adjustable, I will have to digress here. Too much pressure in the shocks WILL cause a harsh ride. I would start at the minimum air pressure and work my way up to see if the ride and handling improves.

I am also wondering if you steering damper might be worn out......

[Gorilla]

Hello I agree with everything Jim wrote. I also have a 13 TRI Glide and here is what I have done to improve the ride. I run coil over shocks preset for a 250 lb load. I ride one up most of the time. I have the lift kit installed. I also run a 8 degree rake that I purchased from Papa Zook (THIS SITE OWNER) 22 lbs in rear tires and 38 in front. I have 62k miles on my TRI and like the ride. The shocks with the lift kit made the most difference. See DK CUSTOM PRODUCTS ( A site sponsor ) they have a great article on rear shocks. I know you spend a lot of money on the legends but coil over with a proper pre-;oad are the way to go. Good luck

[TonkaDriver]

I would remove the trunk and check the Panhard bar as well as shake the trike side to side and if you hear a clicking you may have retainer plate issues. Make sure all components are tight. Last I would check that the rear axle is properly aligned. This forum is a great knowledge base. Search to find how-to threads for alignment.

Kurt

[dthorn]

Hi MJ

I had Legend shocks (Revo-A's) and lift kit installed on my 2107 trike last winter. When I got it out in this spring I could not believe how much improvement there was in both handling and the comfort of the ride. My wife is so happy.

I had the front tire replaced. After picking it up I noticed when I got up to 65mph the front end felt like is was bouncy and/or shaking. After driving it a couple hundred miles it didn't get better. So I returned it to the dealer They noticed the one of the "sealed" front bearing was leaking grease. They replaced both front wheel bearings. The bike rode smooth again. Maybe you have a bad front or rear wheel bearings.

Also did you set the sag of the new shock when they were installed ? Legend calls for 1" of sag when loaded to the aded weight of you, passenger, gear, etc. I had mine set for the weight when both me and my wife plus 25lbs of gear. It rides great when we are together. When I ride alone I notice it's little more bouncing but not bad. Still much better then the stock air shocks. Also did you get the Revo-A shocks? They have a dial on the bottom of the shock with 7 settings that allows to adjust speed the rebound. One is for the slowest (softest) ride and 7 is the stiffest for more of a prefomance feel. They recommend starting at 3. I hope this is of some help to you.

David

[Halfnormal]

When I first purchased my 2015, the front end shook at low speeds. It was very disconcerting. After checking tire pressure and adjusting stock air shocks, it was greatly improved. If you are unable to dial it in, take it to the dealer. Better safe than sorry.

[Fearless]

For what its worth from reading the issues it seems to me more weight needs put on the front tire. Just sayin.... when my oem air shocks decided to deflate handling was pityful. Now when I replaced the OEM air, for Pro Action 13" and a comfort lift from DK Customs it really made a great improvement in ride and handling. Now I must also say when I did this I also changed the rear tires form 205X65RX15 to 205X70RX15 and put even more weight on the front tire. Now the old 09' handles like a sport trike and I believe I can keep up with all but the very best on the twisty's. I've been keeping track on how it handles with air pressures and it seems the best at 20-21 on the rear tire and 40 in the Michelin Commander II rear on the front reversed.