Went for a spin today...didn't go far. :)

[John Schmidt]

After getting 10" of new snow on top of 8" last week, I decided I'd dig out the garage and my car which sat outside. We have a two vehicle garage, guess who gets the stall next to the trike! Anyway, after all the shoveling, I paused and wondered...will it start? It did. Once warmed up a bit, I thought why not! The sun was shining, temp in the low 20s but no wind...so I did. Nancy took some pics and sent them to her friends with the comment; "yes, he's nuts!" I had fun just cutting some rather slippery figure eights and circles in the parking lot here at our apartment complex. Got some good chuckles from neighbors who were all probably as stir crazy as we were. Kinda fun hitting the snow and the throttle, watching if fly up behind me in a 15' high snow shower. Reminded me of some of the rather questionable antics of my youth. Once as a kid we did find out that if you could get my buddy's old Model A up to about 35mph before hitting the ice on the lake, spin the steering wheel the last second, the A would spin in circles clear across the lake...small lake about 250 yards across. I'm sure guardian angels shook their collective heads at times.

[DIGGER]

WOW!!!!  Looks a little cold there!

[old2soon]

     I had been thinkin that very thing BUT alas the 1800 G/W ainm't tagged yet and That's the one I wanna do the stuff on!  Weather guessers be guessin tween 9" and better than a foot of white fluffy tuesday here!  Least ways ya got out!  RIDE SAFE.

[f6john]

What’s great is that you felt like doing it! Nancy’s friends must be green with envy.

[John Schmidt]

What’s great is that you felt like doing it! Nancy’s friends must be green with envy.

Yes, a few are envious of her. She has a group that have been close since grade school...70+ years I'm guessing and all but two are widowed. Great bunch of gals so when they get together I make it a point of dropping by for a few minutes, picked up the bill once as a surprise. The two not widowed have husbands unable to get out and do stuff and both are younger than me(seems to happen more these days ) so they really get into what our activities are. We only tell them if they ask since we don't want to lord it over them but they're always asking so we send pics at times along with explanations. All in all, they're a fun bunch so can't help but wonder what it would have been like some years ago.

[Jess from VA]

John, you're a wildman.   

Donuts in the snow. 

[TJ]

 OLD MAN , You are really losing it in your second childhood ....

[John Schmidt]

OLD MAN , You are really losing it in your second childhood ....

Who told you it was my SECOND childhood? 

[Farside]

  Was that just a spin in your driveway   on the ice Be careful out there 

[John Schmidt]

Was that just a spin in your driveway   on the ice Be careful out there 

Yes, mostly just around the apt. complex where we live. I took a couple spins around the entire area which is about a quarter mile for one circuit. Each turn/corner opened up the chance to do a bit of a power slide around it which put me in the plowed snow bank once but inertia kept me moving so hit the gas and the snow flew high in back. Nancy stood there shaking her head watching her favorite juvenile cutting donuts in the parking lot. 

[Jess from VA]

John, I'm curious, does your trike have posi-traction (2-wheel drive) or only one-wheel drive?  

Growing up in ice and snow for 5 months a year, that was a popular question.

Also, does it have a slow reverse driven by the starter motor? 

I know nothing about trikes.  

[John Schmidt]

Jess, it has a VW independent suspension rear end and appears to be a locked differential. I noticed when I would spin on snow with one wheel the trike still would scoot when one side was on a bare black-top surface. As for reverse, no it doesn't have that...YET! Remember, it's a converted '99 I/S and they didn't have reverse...except for Japanese models. However, if you recall certain models of Wings did have reverse and also had the same 1520cc motor as the Valks until the introduction of the 1800. Ross da Prez sold me a used Wing motor with reverse and I've gone through the process of converting it to use on the Valk trike. Obviously not a direct swap without some work, plus I had to "injuneer" a device to engage the reverse function. While I still had that motor on my hydraulic table, I installed a used clutch with ~23k miles on it...again from Ross. I've hooked it up to the car battery using the resistor device that causes the reverse to run slower and it worked fine both in and out of reverse...observing the output shaft speed and direction for either function. Once all the igloos around here melt, that will make it warm enough to again work in the garage so I'm hoping to address the engine swap this April. Stay tuned on that. 

[Jess from VA]

Thanks John, I believe you've mentioned some of that before, but I forgot.

Reverse on a big heavy trike would seem to be a good idea, otherwise great care would seem to be necessary whenever choosing places to park.  I long ago watched 2 wheel Hog riders make their wives get off and push the bike uphill while he used his feet.  Funny as hell, and the wives were not happy about it,  huffing and puffing.   

[John Schmidt]

Thanks John, I believe you've mentioned some of that before, but I forgot.

Reverse on a big heavy trike would seem to be a good idea, otherwise great care would seem to be necessary whenever choosing places to park.  I long ago watched 2 wheel Hog riders make their wives get off and push the bike uphill while he used his feet.  Funny as hell, and the wives were not happy about it,  huffing and puffing.   

Yup...my reverse is blonde! 

[Jersey mike]

Out in the snow on a trike bundled up and having a good time, good for you!

 I’ll bet that got the blood pumping a little. 

[cookiedough]

time to buy a 2-up ATV and take the misses for a spin doing some donuts in the snow as well? 

[Kep]

Darn it John ! Now you're going to have to wash that thing !!

[John Schmidt]

Thanks for the chuckles guys, I guess my antics again prove we riders at times are little bit loose upstairs. As kids we used to make bets with our buddies on how far we could go on 2 wheels in the snow and ice, I even helped engineer a skid on the front wheel of my friends bike. He had found an old motorcycle frame somewhere with no motor so at first we just called it his cycle...no motor. He repainted it with a brush and got hold of an old Briggs & Stratton which he "souped up"...questionable at best. Rigged up a chain drive to the rear wheel, had welded a sprocket on the right side of the rim in back. One thing was certain, that fool thing would fly but took forever to get up to speed due to sprocket sizes. After 2-3 runs with the newly developed front skid one winter, the local junk yard gave him $25 for the rather twisted pile of metal. It helped pay his doctor bills. 

[old2soon]

    From a small bit of experience with reverse on my 1500 G/W trike It do help BUT it do have Limitations. Recollect you ARE using the starter motor for reverse and do NOT want a heavy load or a LONG uphill in R! When I had the 1500 out last year I am Still picky on the when how and where of parking. Gittin into reverse while Not that bad on the 88 G/W the 12 G/W is super easy peasy!  The 88 requires neutral pulling up and out on a lever then pushing the starter button. The 12 G/W requires meutral touch a button NO LEVER push starter button. 12 G/W has same limitations as the 88 G/W cuz the starter motor IS Reverse. RIDE SAFE.

[flsix]

Keep that up John and you'll need a set of chains. I'd wager you would be the only Valk trike with them.

[f6john]

Since we are on the subject of reverse,  that was the motivation for me buying a Wing. I used to have a 30” inseam but I think I have settled some! The Valkyrie and the Wing are both rather wide at the seating position, at least compared to a V twin, to the point when I put my feet down I felt like I had lost another inch of inseam. Backing up my Valkyrie became as much an issue of traction as it was of strength and the older I got the more it concerned me. As with most things my reverse usage hasn’t been that much of a factor as I anticipated but it still is nice to have available when I find my parking spot more nose down than I realized when I pulled in.

Another issue I should address this year if I’m going to be out a lot is better footwear. I bought a pair of Cruiserworks boots over 20 years ago, that I still have them but they aren’t all that comfortable anymore and most notably they don’t have that much grip with the road surface especially if it’s greasy asphalt. I should invest in some type of riding suit for both comfort and safety. Being on blood thinner and diabetic means it takes an extra long time for wounds to heal so long sleeve t shirts and jeans aren’t really enough protection. Guess I better start saving my Pennie’s as that stuff is expensive.

[Jess from VA]

John we are the same; I was a 30 inseam for years, but now a proper fit is a 29.  Course jeans shrink some after a few times in the dryer, and a bit longer pant leg when riding bent knee means less air up the pants legs. (In colder weather, I use military boot blousers at the bottom of my pants (better than rubber bands) to keep the cold air out).

Good traction footwear is a must for us short leggers.  I do full 8" wafflestomper boots most of the time, but in hot weather may wear ankle boots (still with good traction).

My Ultimate Lowboy is an inch under stock seat height (also helpful). 

I can back my bikes up OK, until it starts to get steep, and will not pull in downhill (I'll pull a tight Uey, and back down into those spots).

Regarding your Cruiserworks boots, some can be resoled as good or better than new, some can't.  And I'll stick aftermarket insoles in my older footwear for comfort, if it fits your feet.

The best (and much cheaper than leather) gear is lightweight ballistic armored nylon (much armor can be removed, I take out the big shoulder pads, but leave in the elbow and knee pads).  Some padding is sewn in.  And you want as many zip open vents as you can get for warm weather (both front and back on the jacket), and zip in or out cold weather liners.  One set for all seasons.

I absolutely recommend the gear by TourMaster.  Good quality, middle priced. 

I can never wear any kind of coverall; if it fits well, it's too tight in the crotch, and if it's loose, it blows around and flaps like a sailboat (which happened the only time I wore my snowmobile suit). 

I get skin cancer, so I must wear long sleeves in all weather, and sunblock (70 spf) any skin that shows (hands above gloves and face/ears/neck) 

[f6john]

I have a relatively new Motorsports dealer about 20 miles from my house and I’m going to check out their riding gear soon. The high quality names are so high that even used clothing prices make me cringe a little bit. But the big issue for me is fit and that keeps me from ordering online. Hopefully I’ll find a good compromise.

[Jess from VA]

A trick you can use with those dealers is to try their stuff on for fit, then go home and see what the best prices you can find on line for the stuff you tried on and liked.  Even with shipping, you can beat big dealer markups.