New to Triking!!

Nov 29, 2022
1
3
Bellingham
Hi -

I just got back from buying a 2015 GL1800 with 18K miles on it. It was triked in 2021 and was ridden 68 miles. I rode this from TN to WA. When riding over rough to very rough road the front end would rock so hard the side view mirrors rubber boots shook off. Is this normal?

Thank you for any and all comments!!
 
Hi Lonnie, :welcome: to Trike Talk and your first post

You might want to have your neck bearing adjustment looked at for the head shaking
 
Hi -

I just got back from buying a 2015 GL1800 with 18K miles on it. It was triked in 2021 and was ridden 68 miles. I rode this from TN to WA. When riding over rough to very rough road the front end would rock so hard the side view mirrors rubber boots shook off. Is this normal?

Thank you for any and all comments!!

Lonnie..Welcome to Trike Talk….👍👍..
 
Hi -

I just got back from buying a 2015 GL1800 with 18K miles on it. It was triked in 2021 and was ridden 68 miles. I rode this from TN to WA. When riding over rough to very rough road the front end would rock so hard the side view mirrors rubber boots shook off. Is this normal?

Thank you for any and all comments!!

Welcome to Trike Talk.

Kind of hard to say what is normal since not many trikes were triked almost 3 years ago and only ridden 68 miles. That's defiantly NOT normal. :)
 
Hi -

I just got back from buying a 2015 GL1800 with 18K miles on it. It was triked in 2021 and was ridden 68 miles. I rode this from TN to WA. When riding over rough to very rough road the front end would rock so hard the side view mirrors rubber boots shook off. Is this normal?

Thank you for any and all comments!!

Welcome to Trike Talk. Which trike conversion kit does it have?

Someone mentioned the neck - and I want to add to that, was the front end raked?
 
Hi -

I just got back from buying a 2015 GL1800 with 18K miles on it. It was triked in 2021 and was ridden 68 miles. I rode this from TN to WA. When riding over rough to very rough road the front end would rock so hard the side view mirrors rubber boots shook off. Is this normal?

Thank you for any and all comments!!

This does seem a bit extreme. There are many things that you would need to check on it. Not sure on your familiarity with GL1800's.

Does it have any kind of fork brace? IMHO, these are good to have and help to minimize that twisting feel in handlebars and help forks work together but not everyone is convinced. I had been using a Superbrace one for many years but just switched over to the Kuryakyn one because it is more adjustable in getting forks correctly lined up.

Do you know if the fork springs have been changed? If stock, after 8 years, it possible that they could need to be replaced.

And do you know if your anti dive valve (ADV) is stuck in the activated position? If it is, it could give you a very rough ride. It ends up getting stuck in activated from old contaminated brake fluid when the brake fluid isn't flushed regularly. It needs to be done at least every 2 years. For those with stuck ADV valves, the simple fix is to buy a spacer that separates the top and bottom half. Or you could drill a hole in a buckle and slip that in between the halves. But it's not recommended if you have stock fork springs. It is highly recommended to disable it if you have stronger aftermarket springs.

How old is your front tire, if it is original, it could be worn out and needs to be replaced. The most recommended front tire is the Avon AV91 Cobra Chrome TrIke tire. However, they have become increasingly hard to find. According to an Avon rep, they are supposed to be resupplying the retailers starting mid October. IMHO, the BT46 is an excellent substitute. It is advertised as a rear tire but works on front wheel. The bonus is that rear tires typically have deeper treads which takes longer to wear out.

What is your rear suspension setting? Are you running it at above level 15? If so, you could drop that down a bit to see if it makes any difference.

What psi are you running on your tires front and rear? Running front tire around 36-38psi is usually about right and rear tires should be around 18-22psi. If you run tires at a much higher pressure, it will give you a rougher ride. I typically run my front tire at 36-37 and rears right at 22 but you will have to experiment to find out what works for you. If I am going to go out on some very twisty roads, I will sometimes bump the pressures up a bit but not much more.

It could be the steering stem bearings are tight but I would suggest playing with the tire pressures first and finding out if the ADV valve is stuck and remedying that. Also adding a fork brace like the Kuryakyn or Traxxion types if it doesn't have one first as getting down to the steering head bearings is a bit of a chore and not sure if your mechanical abilities but isn't a job if you have minimal skills.

I'm sure there are other things I forgot to mention but this should give you a good start on what to check.
 
Hi -

I just got back from buying a 2015 GL1800 with 18K miles on it. It was triked in 2021 and was ridden 68 miles. I rode this from TN to WA. When riding over rough to very rough road the front end would rock so hard the side view mirrors rubber boots shook off. Is this normal?

Thank you for any and all comments!!

It might be something as simple as way too much air in the front tire..??
 
Wow these are really good pics. Thanks for sharing. In Virginia, we need a 3-wheel motorcycle endorsement and I plan to get that in November. I want to order the trike by next spring so it will be here by May or June. I hope it turns out as nice as yours is.

Thanks again for sharing.
 
Wow these are really good pics. Thanks for sharing. In Virginia, we need a 3-wheel motorcycle endorsement and I plan to get that in November. I want to order the trike by next spring so it will be here by May or June. I hope it turns out as nice as yours is.Thanks again for sharing.

Thanks for the complements we really like this bike, winter time is the best time to find a good deal on a Trike, I'll bet Randy (Papa Zook) has some ready if not then complete cycle in Rome Ga. usually has a few. Good luck
 

Welcome to the Trike Talk Community

Join our vibrant online community dedicated to all things Trikes! Whether you're a seasoned rider or just starting out, this is the place to share experiences, tips, and stories about your three-wheeled adventures. Explore modifications, maintenance advice, and rides, all while connecting with fellow trike enthusiasts from around the globe

Forum statistics

Threads
55,544
Messages
901,975
Members
22,604
Latest member
stumphumper

Trike Talk Community

Welcome to a community dedicated to the most diverse and fastest growing powersports segment, Motorcycle Trikes. Come join the discussion about the best makes and models, popular modifications and proven performance hacks, trike touring and travel, maintenance, meetups and more!

Register Already a member? Login

Forum statistics

Threads
55,544
Messages
901,975
Members
22,604
Latest member
stumphumper
 photo 260e2760-d89e-45b2-8675-2bc26fb3d465.jpg

 photo Trike-Talk-150-x-200.gif

 photo DK Trike Talk Right side banner 19.jpg

Merziere Reverser

 photo 9796095c-0d4b-4a9b-88ed-efe4c498d084.png
 photo f9866e4e-75c5-471a-86f5-5e72a446ecc3.png
Back
Top