Greetings from Australia

[Jock52]

Greetings folks,

My name is Joel and I am currently living in Sydney Australia.

I have recently purchased a 2009 Honda GL1800 Trike. It was fitted from new with a Champion Rigid rear end.

The Trike is in fact based in Nelson New Zealand.

I work in Sydney Australia and commute to NZL on leave as I can.

I am currently having radiation at a special Hospital in Sydney for Prostate cancer. Just finished number 9 treatment; 31 to go. I go Monday to Friday.

My Trike has just clocked 40,000kms and it is in a Honda Dealership having the steering head bearings replaced which surprised me with these kms.

I look forward to contributing and meeting you folk.

Kind regards and many thanks

Joel Smith

[ol' school]

Welcome to Trike Talk Joel! Hope your radiation treatments bode well for you.

[rhino 2]

Welcome to Trike Talk....Joel......

[Sully]

Joel, Welcome to Trike Talk from North Ga. ..

[Jack Klarich]

Hi Joel, to Trike Talk

Hoping the cancer treatments go well for u

[Ray Paige]

WELCOME FROM MONTANA, USAWISHING YOU CONTINUED PROGRESS WITH CANCER TREATMENTS.

[trike lady]

Hello & to Trike Talk, glad to have U with Us.

[LadyonaMission]

Welcome aboard from San Antonio, Texas. I hope all goes well with your treatments.

[Marc H]

Welcome to Trike Talk Joel!!!Hope your treatments go well and you are healed up and riding soon.

[Zammy]

Hello Joel, welcome to the forums. Just follow the Doc's orders, you'll be fine.

[Notgrownup]

Welcome aboard, good luck with the treatments. That mileage is low for neck bearings to go bad.. weird. Does it have a rake kit on it or easy steer?

[Jock52]

Greetings everyone,

I am so grateful for the welcome and good wishes extended to me by so many awesome members. I have the most incredible medical team surrounding me and my treatment. I am also blessed to have my wife Janet who is my rock and is so affirming as I move through this challenge.

Regarding the steering head bearings breaking down at 40,000km on my Trike.

Has anyone else experienced this issue on a Honda 2009 Goldwing Trike??

The conversion was a Champion Rigid conversion from brand new.

Best regards

Joel and Janet

[Jock52]

Welcome aboard, good luck with the treatments. That mileage is low for neck bearings to go bad.. weird. Does it have a rake kit on it or easy steer?

1. Greetings and thank you for your message of welcome.
   
   I have ridden several BMW K1200LTEs and GL1800 Goldwing's over the last 30 years and before that spent several years riding Police Special 750cc Honda before moving to other positions within the NZL MOT and Police retiring as a Police Inspector at NZ Police National Headquarters.
   
   This is my first trike as my wife Janet and I have decided to move to the Trike and dispose of our regular motorcycles.
   
   I have the rigid version of the Champion Conversion which was carried out by an experienced registered engineer in New Zealand from brand new in 2009.
   
   It is so very different operating.
   
   I have it in at a New Zealand Honda Agent as the steering head bearings have failed at only 40,000km (24,800miles) I am told the trike is fitted with the front end modification as part of Champion's Conversion kit.
   
   The other issue is the trike is fitted with 15inch tires but they are not radials.
   
   Given the rigid rear end I am thinking of replacing these with a set of 15inch soft wall radial tires which should assist with the various types of roads around New Zealand.
   
   Right off to hospital for my daily treatment.
   
   Respectfully Joel and Janet Smith
   
   
   
   
   Reply to personal message
   Forward
   
   
   

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[Jack Klarich]

Make sure the neck bearings get set properly, not to a 2 wheeled bike spec.

If not torqued right it can be harder to steer and harder on the bearings

Good Luck sir and keep us informed

[Jock52]

Make sure the neck bearings get set properly, not to a 2 wheeled bike spec.

If not torqued right it can be harder to steer and harder on the bearings

Good Luck sir and keep us informed[/QUOTE]

[Jock52]

Hi Jack,

Many thanks for your advice!!-

Would you know what the torque settings for the Trike head bearings would be please?-as opposed to a regular GL1800? Goldwing.

My trike is being repaired at the local Honda Dealer in Nelson New Zealand.

Make sure the neck bearings get set properly, not to a 2 wheeled bike spec.

If not torqued right it can be harder to steer and harder on the bearings

Good Luck sir and keep us informed

[Jack Klarich]

Hi Jack,

Many thanks for your advice!!-

Would you know what the torque settings for the Trike head bearings would be please?-as opposed to a regular GL1800? Goldwing.

My trike is being repaired at the local Honda Dealer in Nelson New Zealand.

28-35 ft lbs should do

[Jock52]

Hi Jack,

Many thanks for your advice!!-

Would you know what the torque settings for the Trike head bearings would be please?-as opposed to a regular GL1800? Goldwing.

My trike is being repaired at the local Honda Dealer in Nelson New Zealand.

Greetings Jack

I just wanted to update you on the work related to replacing the front EZ steering head bearings at such a low mileage on my 2009 GL1800 Trike with the rigid Champion setup.

The Technicians found that 65% of the spring suspension travel (90mm) was taken up by the weight of the Trike leaving very little suspension travel for road bump absorption!! Given this revelation Honda believe the bottoming out was due to this 65% travel (taken up by the weight)and may have caused the premature failure of the steering head bearings.

As a result new suitable replacement springs have been fitted to enable the front ride height of the Trike and giving back it's full front range of suspension travel.

As the Trike was opened up I was shocked to find someone had done a "jack-up" job wiring the USB and other electrical outlets on the Trike. In fact many of the wires had been twisted together and very unsafe. Thank goodness Honda has an excellent raft of fuses in the electrical system.

I had the air cleaner replaced and had all the fluids replaced plus adjusted the hand brake and rear boot lock.

I have two new rear (205/55/R15) Radial tyres being fitted as the current tyres are 205/70/15 and have no give even at low pressure settings.

It has been a huge job but I have not taken any short cuts given my wife and I want trouble free touring.

Finally thanks again for reaching out to me regarding the steering head bearings and alerting me to the correct torque settings for the front end.

Best wishes Joel Smith