Let's Discuss Air Shock Pressure.....

skuuter

10000+ Posts
Apr 23, 2010
10,183
483
Estill Springs, Tn, USA
MY TRIKE: 2010 Gold Wing/Motor Trike Adventurer IRS with a SUPER BRACE, Pilot Activ Front Tire, Stock Issue Uniroyal Rears..........OK, while on a Ride with Sport Bikes and Cruisers recently (I was second in line and staying with the Leader) riding The Dragon (Mitzie and I were 2-up), I was using what has become my "standard" of 45 lbs in my Rear Shocks, when about 3/4 of the way through, I encountered a serious issue. The Trike began to lean excessively first, then we encountered a slight "pop" as it would straighten up from a right lean, through a left hand corner. This got progressively worse to the point that I pulled over.

We were not far from the Overlook, so I "Limped" it to there to get a wider/safer pull-over Area for a Detailed Inspection. First thing I noticed was how soft the Rear Suspension was, and with a near Total Lack of Dampening. I checked, and "Ah-Ha", the Shock Bodies were Red Hot...now to find the "Pop Culprit". It turns out that the Right Outer CV Joint was Partially Out-Of-Socket (I assume from Hyper-Extending the Axle Shaft from Excessive Leaning). My Friends and I kept bouncing the Rearend very aggressively until I heard another "Pop", then checked....Yep, CV went back into place with no real damage (Have used this "Redneck Repair" on Cars before...:laugh:). After letting the shocks cool to barely warm, we continued on. the Trike was back to it's normal.

As we turned onto the twisty Foothills Parkway, I increased the Air Pressure to what I considered a ridiculous 100 lbs, and spent various times aggressively attacking some of the various tight curves at ridiculous Speeds (pulling away from the 2-wheelers) with no ill effects. Since returning Home, I have experimented quite a bit with Pressures in the 85 to 125 lbs Range, and ridden to the point of "Power Drifting" the rear and actually needing some Counter Steering to complete a Corner.

I have begun to use Higher Pressures, and depending on Road Type, Rider Pace, Whom I am riding with, etc., it gets adjusted accordingly..........

I DO NOT ADVOCATE THIS SET-UP FOR ANY OF YOU, AND ANYONE WANTING TO TEST THIS INFORMATION, IN MY OPINION, SHOULD BE A VERY, VERY EXPERIENCED RIDER WITH YEARS, AND HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF MILES OF RIDING UNDER THEIR BELT...NO EXCEPTIONS

Now, that being said, the Best Pieces of Information gained from my experience is...(1) It is possible to Hyperextend a CV Axle on an IRS Trike (2) You can over-ride Your Suspension

Yes, I was riding my Trike waaaay over it's expected Limits and Purpose when this happened...No, I won't be doing this anymore (...even my Wife says so...:D)...but just some more valuable, or non-valuable Trike Information. THANKS for Reading This, and Heed my Disclaimer Warning.....skuuter.....ThumbUp :Biker:
 
Skuut: That's great info. Unfortunately, I don't believe I can adjust the pressure in my 03GL to that extent.

Since "testing" really, really high pressures, I have settled into the more "Realistic Range" of 65 to 80 lbs. I'm trying to be really, really careful here to NOT promote this as a good, useable practice for "EVERYONE", because "IT IS NOT"...!!!!!

As Air Shock Pressures go up, "Road Feel" to the point of sliding/drifting the Rear Wheels goes down. That "semi-uncomfortable" Lean that is encountered during Trike Riding is actually a Safety Factor. When You remove this, then the Rider needs a really Good, Experienced Level of Riding Expertise to evaluate what is too much corner speed.

I do not intend to post up exact pressures I run for certain conditions now, but merely using this Thread as solely an "Information Thread" for Those "VERY, VERY EXPERIENCED RIDERS" that might want to extend Their Trike Riding/Trike Set-Up Knowledge. My Wife has well over 100,000 miles of Motorcycle Riding on all types of Roads and Conditions, and no way I would allow Her to use this set-up on Her Trike. I've posted my Old Standard 45 lbs Shock Settings before, because I felt this was a Great setting for Veterans and Novices alike..........Use Prudence with This Thread's Subject Matter, and "HEED ALL OF MY DISCLAIMERS AND WARNINGS".......ThumbUp :Biker:
 
Nice report skuuter! I have a question. You did this test with a IRS axle. what kind of results do you think you would get with a solid axle? Any idea.

I run my 2003 GW Motor Trike with 45 lbs overall riding. The minute that i realize that my wife will be with me and I pull a trailer at the same time, I go up to 50 to 55 lbs. Do you think I would benefit from a harder shock. Not riding twisties, just traveling.
 
Here is my answer to several PMs today on this subject.....

Upon arriving Home, I first set the Trike on our Frame Machine and jacked the Trike up on one side, and pulled the A-arms down as far as the built in travel would allow....both CV joints were still able to "float" with plenty of inward and outward travel...next I chained the Trike down and began pulling the Trike down as in Spring/Shock Compression. Right before the point that the Tire started to touch the fender, the Outer CV was running out of travel, and trying to hyperextend...the outer still had a small amount of travel. Next I looked at Killboy Photos when They became available on Wednesday, and sure enough in some pics of us making a Left Hander at ridiculous speeds, most of the Tire was up in the Fender. Apparently if You run too light of air pressure and couple this with a Riding Style and Speeds that were not intended for a Trike....Yes, You can compress the Wheels/A-arms to the point of trying to pull (at least the outers) the CVs apart. Even "NORMAL/FAIRLY AGGRESSIVE RIDING" will not do this because mine has been ridden really hard on other occasions, but never close to this point...never again either. I know It and My ride Limits now...it's not a "Sport Bike".....:D

Boscoporp.....Other than possibly getting a Driveshaft U-Joint into some really contorted angles, I see no reason for worry in this particular arena. Having looked/ridden/and tinkered extensively with Mitzie's Solid Rear Aero Trike, this particular scenario should be primarily exclusive to IRS models. Her Aero Trike is a lot less sensitive to Air Pressure Changes than my IRS Model, and tends to have much less chassis roll. If Yours feel comfortable at the Pressures You expressed, then I would leave Them..."unless" You just want, as I did/do, to simply experiment. If You do, try to use Roads that You are Very Familiar, and Very Comfortable with.....Anyone with more questions, post em' here...Much easier for I, and Everyone else to benefit from the discussion. I always welcome good, concise Tech/Riding discussions....THANKS to All of You that have expressed interest....."NEXT"......ThumbUp :popcorn: :Biker:
 
I blame These Folks and Their Bikes for my CV Joint Issue.....

SPRINGFLING2011DAVID101.jpg


......J/K......Great Buncha' Folks, Always Fun to ride with, and "I knew better".....:laugh::laugh::laugh:
 

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