2010 Harley CVO Softail Convertible with Qtec-Engineering Kits (front and rear)

[trike lady]

Any shops in your area that work on hot rods or racing cars? They may be able to help you sort it out, it's sad they didn't have any directions for settings and the adjusters.

 

[ROAD DOG]

Agree. I've asked the dealer for the alignment spec several times, but they're ghosting me. Probably because they still owe me parts or a refund. Actually, more likely, because they won't take any responsibility for my build and, therefore, won't answer any of my questions; or even respond to emails. Frustrating.

I'll try to find an alignment shop that will work with me, and adjust until we get it feeling stable. The steering is light and quick; it needs dumbed down to make it comfortable. I think you're right, caster is the key.

Do you no anybody with a race car ? they would probably have a set of toe plates and a caster camber gauge we helped out a few out that had kit cars, any adjustments you make rock it back & forth bounce up & down on to settle the suspension always roll it forward to check the adjustments you made , you should be sitting on it when you check the caster & camber or somebody of the same weight, first you need to square the the four wheels , then set the ride height, then the caster, then the camber, then the toe. You really need to have some specs to start with ? Good luck

 

[Notgrownup]

A good alignment shop should be able to help you out with the adjustments you need… with all the void in the front nose area, do you have any plans for storage there at all? Didn’t see it but I didn’t read all the posts.

 

[terebit]

A good alignment shop should be able to help you out with the adjustments you need… with all the void in the front nose area, do you have any plans for storage there at all? Didn’t see it but I didn’t read all the posts.

No plans for storage up there. The front cowling isn't easy to remove, so a work-around would be needed to create easy access. Also, you need free flowing air for cooling on the older Harley engine. I do plan to add an oil cooler in the space behind and attached to the front kit, mostly for looks, but functional too. At some point I will add a leather Road King tour pack on top of the rear rack for needed storage (it'll look good too).

 

[terebit]

First

I think that many of the people, at the Hotrods and Handlebars event today in Columbus Ohio, were wow'd by the quad's first showing. Never seen anything like it around here. Won Best in Show for Motorcycles.

 

[Zammy]

Congrats Terry, very cool

 

[terebit]

Progress - Bouncing along

Took the Q4 to a place for an alignment. After putting it on their rack and them hanging their magic mirrors and gauges, the owner/lead mech asked what I had done, because everything was within spec. He said I shouldn't change anything; but could bring it back after riding it some more, if I wanted. Meanwhile, I heard back from the Q-Tec dealer with the specs they use and they're pretty close to what I've got it set to. Camber at zero on all 4 wheels, toe at zero on the rear and 1/8 (in) on the front. Caster is not adjustable; even though the Q-Tec marketing says it is. The ride height, or "shock Sag" is set per the specs from Legend Suspensions. I'd say that the machine still doesn't feel stable enough for high speeds (Interstate speeds). I'm still messing with rebound settings on the shocks and tire pressures [together] to see what they do to the darty feeling and tendency to tire bounce on broken pavement. I can probably reduce tire pressure significantly to help smooth the ride. My guess is that this rig probably weighs less than 1200 lbs, so tire pressure can probably go down between 20 and 25 psi (no science here, pure guess). I'll just have to try it to see how it feels, while ensuring that I'm not rolling the tires onto the edges too much on corners.

I hate brand badges on cars, but I thought the quad's front grill needed something.

 

[Jack Klarich]

Good report, PSI may straighten out that loose feel

Will be watching your progress:clapping:

What is the manufacturer saying to make Caster adjustable?

I am wondering if you can put a cam kit on the upper control arms?

 

[ROAD DOG]

camber

Do you have any camber adjustment ? I would try maybe two degrees of negative camber and toe out a 1/8" if you could get caster 1 or 2 degrees of negative caster, You can run those tires at 15 psi with no problems you got 300 pounds of weight on each tire those low profile tires are not going to roll over that much, we run a 3000 pound pro stock on a 5/8 mile high bank dirt track 10 - 12 psi in the right rear tire, 10 " wide wheels 15" diameter wheel 91" diameter tire they roll over but never come of the bead, at 90 & mph, cut the upper control arms and put adjustable sleeves in them, then you can get caster and camber ? My thought

 

[Notgrownup]

Pretty sweet… I would play with pressures like others have said but also the toe adjustment. There has to be a perfect setting fit that speed/ safety feeling.

 

[Pekoe]

Speeds

What max speeds have you been doing latially? Are there any grease fittings on moving parts? Are some attachments/pivot joints rubber insulated for vibration?

 

[rhino 2]

What max speeds have you been doing latially? Are there any grease fittings on moving parts? Are some attachments/pivot joints rubber insulated for vibration?

Harry…Welcome to Trike Talk..

 

[terebit]

What max speeds have you been doing latially? Are there any grease fittings on moving parts? Are some attachments/pivot joints rubber insulated for vibration?

No grease fittings, just rubber bushings where the A-arms attach to the frame. I adjusted the shocks a little for rebound and lowered the tire pressures to about 18 psi. It seems like there's less crunching and tire bounce now. I'm taking it back to the alignment shop next week to add a little more toe-in based on the specs the dealer uses on their builds. Caught myself at 58 mph the other day on a smooth road. Still not comfortable with the handling. We'll see how a little more toe-in feels.

Taking it to another show on the 18th.

 

[terebit]

Winning

Won best custom motorcycle at the show today. Had a crowd around it most of the day.

 

[ROAD DOG]

Thats Cool , Did you get it stable Enough To ride ?

 

[terebit]

Thats Cool , Did you get it stable Enough To ride ?

Had to delay my next alignment appointment, so no changes to the handling this week. It's rideable, but still too much work to be fun. so, still working on stability at higher speeds. I'll get there.

 

[trike lady]

The spam has been removed. :diespam:

 

[Pekoe]

Mpg

What is your mpg with quad?

 

[terebit]

What is your mpg with quad?

Haven't run a full tank through it yet. Will post the mileage when I can figure it.

 

[terebit]

Stability Augmentation

I haven't posted for a while since this is supposed to be a build thread and I haven't done much new over the summer. I've entered the quad in three bike shows and won awards in every show for Best Custom or Best of Show. I'm still not satisfied with the way the bike handles though. After making adjustments to alignment and tire pressures, it handles a little better, but still feels unpredictable due to the steering quickness. Q-Tech characterizes the handling as "race car" like. I just say it's uncomfortably fast and wants to jump around on the road when going over uneven surfaces. With that said, I've just installed a Precision Racing steering stabilizer (made for ATVs). It's winter now, so the quad is down till spring; plus it needs a new alignment now. I'll be posting a couple of other modifications or add-ons over the winter months. The picture below is the stabilizer mounted with a custom-made aluminum bracket.