help with vw trike steering dampers?

[beachbumtroy]

hey guys i just got a vw trike with an 1985 honda shadow front end,rides great but front end is way to heavy...i want to put a steering damper but im afraid the little 10 inch one i bought off ebay is way to small,and im also wanting to find out if there is a formula to figure out what size i need and so on? right now if u let go of the handlebars its got way to much turn and way to heavy, it will literally slam against the frame, so in this im going to include pictures of the damper, fork clamp, and trike and hope u can give me some ideas, i was just going to bolt the damper to the forks and then clamp to the frame somehow,but as i said i think its to short so if u agree, where could i find a longer one and how long anyway thoughts and ideas are appreciated thnx bb

[rhino 2]

Troy .........Welcome ToTrike-Talk...................

[beachbumtroy]

thnx rhino

[DeathBySnuSnu]

There is some critical errors in the design/geometry of your frame.

You have way too much trail.

The problems you describe are the classic symptoms.

Go check out the "tech tech tech" thread at the top of the page. Then go measure your trail.

To skip ahead to the end.....you have a couple options.

Live with it....possibly some kind of dampener to mask some of the symptoms and some arm exorcises to handle the stiffness.

Cut the neck and de-rake it to put the current fork into proper geometry.

Make a custom fork that has the right geometry.....such as a leading link....ect.

Cut the neck and de-rake some and add raked trees (yokes) to use the current fork. Be very careful with your geometry math when using raked trees.

A trike typically takes around 2 inches of trail. It depends on what type of fork used......such as the one on my trike is a drop pivot linked shocker and I have less than an inch of trail. Sugar bear does an extremely dropped pivot springer and has zero trail. A typical motorcycle has around 4 inches of trail.....and once you tilt it back to give it a "raked" look you will have 6 to 8 inches of trail.

[beachbumtroy]

ok rex, i`ll go check out and yes to the options but this old boy is going to do with the damper just for assistance.....but if u kno where i can start looking for longer dampers let me kno ok? thnx bb

[Papa Zook]

ok rex, i`ll go check out and yes to the options but this old boy is going to do with the damper just for assistance.....but if u kno where i can start looking for longer dampers let me kno ok? thnx bb

You're wasting your time and money adding a dampener. Like Rex said, you'll just be masking the symptoms. You'll have to cure the excessive trail problem to ever achieve a safe and enjoyable ride.

[beachbumtroy]

ok papa we`ll see thats why i asked for all opinions and ideas to choose thnx

[stacebg]

what they all said, dont waste your time..even if someone gives you a damper and a case of beer give the damper back and share the beer

[Sidecarbill]

Just tryin to understand your problem. By heavy you mean excessive effort to make a turn? Why do you let go of the handle bars. Letting go of the handle bars on something like that is always a mistake. Are you trying to correct a front end wobble with the steering damper? A steering damper will not make steering effort easier. A source of large steering dampers would be a vw from the sixties to seventies. That actually doesn't look like it should be unrideable to me.

[DeathBySnuSnu]

Link

https://www.triketalk.com/forum/thre...-build-a-trike

Like said.....a dampener from a beetle may be larger than what you have looked at.

[beachbumtroy]

appreciate the replies, no this is real easy to steer, and i dont let go of the handlebars when im driving but it does have way to much turn to right or left, so after tslking to all of u i think?..... i might try a steering limiter of some sort, just to keep it from going to far? and no front end wobble and thnx for the other damper ideas...i`ll try and get better pix of how far the steering goes and post today so maybe that will explain what im tryin to tell u guys ok? ill post em by 6pm thnx again for all ideas and advice thou

[TomyJ]

I hope this helps, Ride Safe...