Trike to buy?

[rmrc51]

You brought up some good point's on the Hannigan, on both of our Hannigan's I removed the foot pegs and just use the floor boards. With the pegs removed you can move your feet around going down the road and keep comfortable on long trips. Also the Hannigan retains the Honda drive shaft in a straight line from transmission to the differential, no vibrations and no problem's.

I did the same on my Roadsmith. I also have Roadsmith's Comfort Controls installed moving the shifter and brake further forward allowing easier access to both controls. The combination of removing the foot pegs along with the Comfort Controls has given me much more leg room and clearly increased my comfort level. Just some additional food for thought,,,.

 

[sekanbob]

I stopped in to the local Honda dealer today for a few questions regarding warrant issues and cost of converting to a trike. They do Champion. They said under 10,000 (is that somewhere in the ballpark for not being IRS or not raked?) and discussed IRS and straight axel. He said they didn't do IRS as among other things that there is less problems with straight axle. We talked about raking it and he advised not raking it until riding it for a while because you have better control of non raked and have to continually be correcting for rake. As far as warranty he said that they don't mention to Honda that it is a trike unless they ask or want t send someone to check it out. (Mainly engine and transmission problems but said it was very rare to have any problems.

From looking at many posts on here that most are sold on raking and IRS. (Don't like that abbreviation) I still think I like the looks of Road Smith and CSC better but also discussed the ground effects and he didn't have a good opinion of them either as they are easily damaged. Please comment.

 

[Veritas44]

From what you relate of that Dealer's comments, beliefs, and "spiel",,,,,
Pick another Dealer/Installer ThumbUp

Never been a Fan of or trusted a "One-Trick Pony" to be completely knowledgeable or sincere. As I've said before, those either sell you on the only thing they have and do or they don't get your money. Their Goal is to get your Business and your Money. As such, they are going to be true to THEIR Mission & Goal and say whatever it takes to accomplish that.
Conversely, a Dealer that has several choices and Offerings can sincerely present many Options and still accomplish their Goal and get your Business. Much rather go where I have an A, B, C, or even D choice rather than a Yes or No. Better situation and opportunity to make a correct remorse-free decision as well as to receive complete, accurate, and honest information for the Buyer.
Also, how does someone who only has and knows One Product or Thing REALLY know about the Rest to even be able to credibly talk about the Rest from an intelligent and informed position?
Don't buy my Shoes from the Dude that only sells Reebok (unless I have done diligent and complete research on ALL and concluded Reebok was right for me and what I wanted and needed). Definitely not gonna buy what he has to say about Nike, Merrell, New Balance, or the rest.
*nothing against Reebok (just threw the Names out at random to represent the Point) or Champion for that matter. However,,,, like to explore ALL Options before making my own Informed and Intelligent Buying decision. Can't do that at a One-or-Done/Yes or No Location.

Good Luck and all the best in whatever you do and decide ThumbUp

 

[sekanbob]

Thanks, you made some good points. I had hoped that I could get a trike local but want to get the best I could with the children's inheritance. It seems that trikes hold resale value pretty well at least from what dealers and individuals ask for their used trikes.

 

[sekanbob]

I was on my way to Vegas today on my 2 wheeler and 30 miles out of town at 70 mph had a blowout pulling my trailer. (Checked tires before leaving and they looked good) What a ride. Was thinking how nice it would be to be able to go to Wal-Mart and buy a tire if it had been a trike.

 

[StorminNormin]

Hey Bob,

I found it interesting that the installer you were talking to said what he did about the Agua Shields. It is kinda like the whole subject of trikes even. Some people like them and some don't. Those that do, swear by them and those that don't, wouldn;t have them. Me? I think that a trike without them is not finished as I think they tie the motorcycle into the trike with smoother lines. But! That is only MY opinion. And you know how that goes.

 

[sekanbob]

I kind of feel the same. I have to go there tomorrow and see if they have a new tire for my Voyager.

 

[craiglarmon]

I stopped in to the local Honda dealer today for a few questions regarding warrant issues and cost of converting to a trike. They do Champion. They said under 10,000 (is that somewhere in the ballpark for not being IRS or not raked?) and discussed IRS and straight axel. He said they didn't do IRS as among other things that there is less problems with straight axle. We talked about raking it and he advised not raking it until riding it for a while because you have better control of non raked and have to continually be correcting for rake. As far as warranty he said that they don't mention to Honda that it is a trike unless they ask or want t send someone to check it out. (Mainly engine and transmission problems but said it was very rare to have any problems.

From looking at many posts on here that most are sold on raking and IRS. (Don't like that abbreviation) I still think I like the looks of Road Smith and CSC better but also discussed the ground effects and he didn't have a good opinion of them either as they are easily damaged. Please comment.

To me there are numerous red flags in what you are being told. You should test ride and compare different trike kits. I personally have not heard of IRS being prone to problems, or raking causing control problems. Also, the comments I have heard from others who have ridden straight axle trikes have never been good.

That being said, consider that the performance of a trike will vary depending on the make and model of the bike that is being triked. I can personally attest that a Goldwing Motor Trike performs much differently than a Victory Cross Country Motor Trike. Both are great two wheel motorcycles with similar HP and torque. I am assuming the performance difference is the six cylinder Goldwing engine versus the V-Twin Victory, but maybe there are other underlying (engineering) factors. Suffice it to say, you owe it to yourself to be aware of performance differences before you buy.

 

[Pegasus1300]

Was wondering reasons why people bought the conversions they did. I have looked at Champion, CSC and RoadSmith. Is it better to buy one that is also a Honda Dealer if you are buying a new or used Goldwing at the same time? Thanks for your help.

Check out Crossroads Trikes in Salt Lake City,Ut They are very knowledgeable and have experience installing several brands of trike kits.
www.crossroadstrikes.com

- - - Updated - - -

As to rakes and IRS vs Solid axle I ride such a machine. On freeways and well maintained secondary roads it rides just great,but if you encounter rougher roads you will notice it right away. There is a much rougher ride. As to IRS issues they are as reliable as anything and you will enjoy the ride better. My machine is also non raked and it was a stiff steer when I first started riding it in 2011.I have ridden a raked trike and it is very nice to steer and I didn't notice and problems with having to be extra attentive to the handling because of the rake.

 

[sekanbob]

Thanks, I am thankful for the response as I want to make the best decision possible.

 

[jayhawkokie]

I am also shopping around for a good trike builder, I just talked to Kevin with Horizon in Clarksville, AR, they do CSC, Hannigan, Motortrike and Roadsmith. They build an average of 5 trikes a week, have all the kits in stock so they don't charge for freight on the kits. I'm pretty sure they are who I will go with, horizontrikes.com. They have a nice web site where you can spec the build of your trike and they give you a turnkey price right there.

 

[sekanbob]

Local dealer is probably out. I had explained my circumstances. They didn't have a tire which was understandable but they told me it would be over a week before they could work me in. I have spent many thousands of dollars there not that makes any difference but feel they could find time to help someone get back on the road.

 

[gadgetguru69]

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<img src="images/misc/quote_icon.png" alt="Quote" /> Originally Posted by <strong>jayhawkokie</strong>
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<div class="message">I am also shopping around for a good trike builder, I just talked to Kevin with Horizon in Clarksville, AR, they do CSC, Hannigan, Motortrike and Roadsmith. They build an average of 5 trikes a week, have all the kits in stock so they don't charge for freight on the kits. I'm pretty sure they are who I will go with, horizontrikes.com. They have a nice web site where you can spec the build of your trike and they give you a turnkey price right there.</div>

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</div>jayhawkoie just wanted to let you know I think you will be very happy with the guys at horizon we just picked up our new trike today. We bought it through honda of Russellville but horizon does all their trikes. We had custom paint and lost of options add and they did great job. Chris is horizons painter and he did top notch job. The whole gang did bang up job and was done when they promised too.

 

[FRR]

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<img src="images/misc/quote_icon.png" alt="Quote" /> Originally Posted by <strong>sekanbob</strong>
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<div class="message">I stopped in to the local Honda dealer today for a few questions regarding warrant issues and cost of converting to a trike. They do Champion. They said under 10,000 (is that somewhere in the ballpark for not being IRS or not raked?) and discussed IRS and straight axel. He said they didn't do IRS as among other things that there is less problems with straight axle. We talked about raking it and he advised not raking it until riding it for a while because you have better control of non raked and have to continually be correcting for rake. As far as warranty he said that they don't mention to Honda that it is a trike unless they ask or want t send someone to check it out. (Mainly engine and transmission problems but said it was very rare to have any problems.<br />
<br />
From looking at many posts on here that most are sold on raking and IRS. (Don't like that abbreviation) I still think I like the looks of Road Smith and CSC better but also discussed the ground effects and he didn't have a good opinion of them either as they are easily damaged. Please comment.</div>

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</div>Let me just say this; from what you report about the advice this dealer gave you I would certainly recommend that you keep looking. I don't feel this dealer either know anything about Trikes, or has had much in the way of experience with them.

Either way, it sounds like you would be much better off to find an installer that is knowledgeable about the products

 

[tfdeputydawg]

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<img src="images/misc/quote_icon.png" alt="Quote" /> Originally Posted by <strong>sekanbob</strong>
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<div class="message">I stopped in to the local Honda dealer today for a few questions regarding warrant issues and cost of converting to a trike. They do Champion. They said under 10,000 (is that somewhere in the ballpark for not being IRS or not raked?) and discussed IRS and straight axel. He said they didn't do IRS as among other things that there is less problems with straight axle. We talked about raking it and he advised not raking it until riding it for a while because you have better control of non raked and have to continually be correcting for rake. As far as warranty he said that they don't mention to Honda that it is a trike unless they ask or want t send someone to check it out. (Mainly engine and transmission problems but said it was very rare to have any problems.<br />
<br />
From looking at many posts on here that most are sold on raking and IRS. (Don't like that abbreviation) I still think I like the looks of Road Smith and CSC better but also discussed the ground effects and he didn't have a good opinion of them either as they are easily damaged. Please comment.</div>

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</div>Go to the Champion web sight for a real price! I almost positive you will not be happy w/one that is less than $10K.

Ask to ride one!<br />
Less trouble w/straight axles is a not so true statement!<br />
Rake kit is a must for most.<br />
Road Smith over a CSC!<br />
Ground effects or foot fairings are not easily damaged if one pays attention! <br />
Again, if you are looking for the smoothest ride and most comfort then a conversion that is IRS, extends the wheel base, has weight bearing foot fairings and a rake kit is the way to go.

 

[sekanbob]

I am going to check out a 2014 Lehman trike tomorrow. Want to check out all trikes.

 

[Rosy]

Just like anything else, good shops, OK shops, and shops you wouldn't take a dog to! It is wise to review the statements made about shops from our members near you to see if it is worth you pay a visit. I have several shops my area, but travel about an hour to go to the shop I trusted. I did travel further to have my Goldwing serviced, but he recently passed away. As I did, I have a shop for the Goldwing and a shop for my trike kit work. Some times you can get lucky so your shop does both.

Rosy

 

[jayhawkokie]

When we get back from California, I want to go to Russellville and check out the three brands thy sell.

Drop the folks at Heartland Honda in Springdale, AR an email and see what kind of deal they will make you, I just ordered the Roadsmith HST kit for my 2010 Goldwing conversion, they came close to matching Horizon Trikes price, I went with them because they were 2 hours closer to home,

 

[Razor]

I bought my 2012 1800 from a dealer 2 miles from my house as a dealer demo. I put 3500 miles on it before having the Motor Trike Razor kit installed. The more miles I ride it the happier I am with my choice. Last week Bob and me got on the southern tip of the Blue Ridge Parkway and rode to the North end of Sky Line Drive and enjoyed every minute of the ride. <br />
<br />
The reason I triked it was because I could no longer trust my 2012 Can Am Spyder RT with only 4900 miles on it. I went to my Honda dealer and ask if they would honor the warranty and was told they would honor everything but the transmission. I found a local trike installer who also sells Indian and Victory motorcycles. I went to thier mechanic and ask him what was his thought on the best trike kit. He sold me on the Motor Trike Razor. They had Motor Trike, Hannagin, CSC and a couple of other manufacturer kits onsite.

In my opinion I could have just tossed a coin and pick the right one. They are all very good manufacturers. Its just a matter of personal taste.<br />
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I like the short wheel base which is very maneuverable it tight areas. The trunk space on the Razor is big enough to carry all we need for a one week trip. I also like the look with the two tone paint. <br />
<br />
What would I do differently? For starters I would buy a Goldwing without the useless navigation system. Next I would get the emergency brake and the axillary gas tank. I'm not sure about this but I think I would like to have a slightly lower gear ratio to bump the RPM maybe 2 to 300. I also like the look of the new Hannigan front end.

It would be about $2k more than the 4.5 rake kit I had installed. I'm not sure how that would look with the Razor kit though. <br />
<br />
On another note, we ran into a problem two days after our trip. Bob injured her back again. Boy was the doctor ticked off that she had just spent six days on the trike. He thinks the MRI will show that surgery is the only option this time. She's trying to devise a way to ride with me while in traction. This lady loves to ride. Her heads bobs all over the place looking around. About every 30 second I get poked in the ribs and she yells Squirrel.

I told her on this trip if she did not stop it I would wind up with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Imagine riding three feet from a 1000 foot cliff on a 35MPH curvy at 45MPH and getting poked in the ribs while she yell LOOK AT THOSE FLOWERS! (five hundred times a day). <img src="images/smilies/AGGGH.gif" border="0" alt="" title="AGGHH" class="inlineimg" /> She's my Sweetie. I hope everyone has one just like her. <br />
<br />
Good luck on your search. No mater what you choose you can't go wrong.

 

[sekanbob]

I understand that on CSC, the aqua shields will not support weight but on RoadSmith they will. Is that correct?