How many Trikes do we have in the VRCC?

[Goody]

Wondering how many trikes we have in the VRCC.
What Kit is on them?  Why?
How much front end rake?
What front Tire and what pressure?  Already Dual Darkside in the back
Male or Female Rider?
Longest Ride
Problems Or Issues
Think we could Talk admin into a Vrcc Trike T shirt if there are enough of us?
Lets see them trikes.  I will start it off.

99 Valkyrie Interstate With a California Sidecar Kit.  Styling and inline driveshaft.
Kewlmetal 6 degree front end.
Avon at 40 psi.  Looking at a Bridgestone as a replacement.
No Knees Male
300 miles
None so far
Hope so






Goody MD Rep  VRCC# 5792

[3W-lonerider]

99 i/s with a motortrike kit. 114,000 miles on her..have had no problems with the kit since i totally had to redo a bad install...the reason i went with motortrike instead of another brand..even though other brands are better as far as suspension.. is body style. i love the looks of old custom steetrods. tire pressure. i run 24# in the rear tires and 40# in the front..mine has a 4 1/2 degree rake..rode it 1 year without a rake and trust me it was a real workout in the twisties. longest ride was 3,200 miles.. i'm getting ready to install a dunlop k-491 elite 2 on the front..taking off a bridgestone battlelax..the battlelax has worked well and i would deffeinatly go back to one when the dunlop wears out.

[The Purple Haze]

Purple Haze is an '97 Standard with a California Side Car kit and custom wheels.  It has Trike Shop 4 degree trees and a rubber front tire with air in it.  She's ridden by a really old guy and has had no problems since BigBF does all the technical stuff on her.

[R J]

Does this have to be a Valk Trike?

If not, mine is a Chevy Trike with a Cobra kit on it.  Built in Jeffersonville, IN till FORD run em out of business for using the Cobra name.

Front tire, 50#, rear tires 30 to 32#, 206,000 miles.

One of the longest trips was a Hot Rod Power Tour, when we went from Iowa to Bakersfield, CA to Panama City, FL and back to Iowa.

Another long trip on it was from Iowa and doing the 4 corners, Madawaska, ME, Key West, FL, San Ysirdo, CA, Blaine, WA back to Iowa.

This trip doesn't really count as a long one cause it got aborted, came home, fixed the engine and then finished the trip.     Iowa to Madawaska, ME, into Canada to do the Canadian providences, had to abort and limp home from Winnipeg.   Redid all the rocker arm studs and put on guides and roller rockers and went back to Winnipeg to end up in Blaine, WA back to home.

Now, if ya want to talk about longest ride on a bike, try this one.
Time, May 1952 time frame.  Assigned to additional duty in Florida for 6 weeks to 12 weeks.  Was still in the service, rode a hardtail Harley from San Francisco, CA to El Paso, TX to Baton Rouge, LA on over to Tallahassee, FL.   Stayed there 9 weeks, traded the Harley for a non running Norton, seized piston, fixed it in the area by the barracks, and rode it back to San Francisco..  That was a journey that I do not ever want to repeat again.....  Was just almost AWOL trying to get back...  You talk about butt burn, I couldn't set down for about 3 weeks after that trip on the Norton.......  Seat on the Harley was 150 times better than that Norton seat.......  Pillows didn't even help it..........  I think I stood on the pegs all the way across New Mexico and Arizona on the way back.....   NUMEROUS stops in little town parks to get some air on my sorrowful back side.........  It took me 3 days longer going back than going to Florida, and the Norton ran about 45 MPH faster than the Harley, so, YES, I did make numerous stops......

[Lonerbtw]

 
My wifes' 2000 Valkyrie has a US Trikes body and I built the frame work.  My 1998 Valkyrie was ear ended and I had to build everything from the seat back. 
They both have Ford 8 inch rear ends.
Avon Venoms on the front.
28-30 psi front and 16 to 18 rear psi. 
No rake yet but looking into it if I can find it reasonable. 
500 miles one day to weekend run then 500 home. 
We are members of the Brothers of the Third Wheel in Califonria.  I am state Director and my wife is my best riding mate.

Loner

[rmrc51]

Don't have any pictures available yet but mine is a 97 Standard with a MotorTrike conversion. From reading other posts I'm running 41 lbs in the front tire and 20 in the rears.

I've been doing quite a bit of upgrades to her and I'm still not finished but getting close!

Next year I'll add the rake.

[Lyn-Del]

I have a '98 Valk Standard with a Lehman Rogue trike kit.  No rake mods.  Avon front tire, 40-42 psi.  Longest trip to date is 1500 miles.   Female.

[3W-lonerider]

all you ladies and gents that have trikes. that are still running the radials for front tires..you'd be amazed at the difference if you get that radial off of there and mount a bias ply rear tire on front. i'm running a battlelax front tire but getting ready to install a dunlop k-491 elite 2 on the front..but since they quit making the elite 2's i'll go back to a battlelax once the dunlop needs changed.

[The Purple Haze]

OK, I'll bite.  What will I notice if I get a bias ply front tire?  How about a radial car tire?

[3W-lonerider]

your trike will steer much better..and the tire will last longer. wether or not you have a rake kit the bias ply on the front makes a difference..go to the GWRRA website and find out how many trikers over there run a radial on the front of their goldwing trikes. i dought if you'd find even 1.

[Goody]

OK, I'll bite.  What will I notice if I get a bias ply front tire?  How about a radial car tire?

One of the reasons I started this post.  Google  "trike fornt tire" and be prepared to read for a while seems like as much controversy as a darkside tire.  A lot of the points brought up do make sence.  I am heading toward replacing the Avon Venom with a Battlax back tire.  Still haven't decided what direction to run it. 

[JerryB]

 

[3W-lonerider]

iv'e been running my battlelax in reverse direction.but i agree with ya on the controversy...but heres my reasoning. when i triked mine out..i did'nt have the extra money for a rake kit..and the avon tire i had on the front end still had alot of tread.
 heres what i encountered with the radial front tire.
  #1. i thought i was going to need to eat me spinage before every ride because my trike steered like a frikken tank. it was like trying to do the twisties in a 1 stack mack with a window in the back and no power steering. you truck drivers that been around for awhile know what i'm refering to.
  #2 on wet roads the front end loved to slide when going around turns.
 when that tire got to the point that i had a shimmy in my handlebars i removed it and installed the battlelax bias tire. heres the results
  #1. steering seemed to be better it still steered like a tank but it did'nt take as much input to the handlebars to make the same turns
   #2. it felt like i had stepped out of the mack and started to drive a car without power steering. which would be somewhat easier than the truck.
   #3. did'nt notice as much cupping in the front and on wet roads it held it's place.
  the year after i got a rake kit. that made the biggest difference. i can make turns with one hand on the bars now.

[Willow]

... But alas the VRCC won't allow her to be a member. ... Maybe they're not a bunch of old timers that don't want any new blood in the group.

Please clarify, Rattler.  We haven't refused membership, that I know of, to anyone.

[Rattler]

 I have sent you an email Willow.

[Murdoc]

Messy's trike started out as a 2000 bumblebee. Diamond black with Sunset red bi-color now.  6 degree kewlmetal rake with avon front, goodyear tripletread on back.

[SCain]

Here is one of Tracy I took in Galveston TX, I am sure she has better pics.

[Highbinder]

Great shot Steve....here's one of her riding with one of those Valk grins.. she runs a Avon Cobra up front with 40 lbs of air and she can run the twisties with the best of them, just ask Smokin'joe or Britman.. She has a 4 degree rake and Goodyear Triple Threads on the rear...she swears by these tires....her longest trip was 8,258 miles in 21 days....her green trike was bought with 15,000 miles on it and now has 135,000 on it, she also has a black 98 half breed tourer with a calif. sidecar kit with a tour pack...both trikes are calif. sidecar kits...she has put 25,000 miles on the black one she is the ulitimate FarRider Honeybunny by far, oh yea, she does all her own wrenching too...

[Goody]

iv'e been running my battlelax in reverse direction.but i agree with ya on the controversy...but heres my reasoning. when i triked mine out..i did'nt have the extra money for a rake kit..and the avon tire i had on the front end still had alot of tread.
 heres what i encountered with the radial front tire.
  #1. i thought i was going to need to eat me spinage before every ride because my trike steered like a frikken tank. it was like trying to do the twisties in a 1 stack mack with a window in the back and no power steering. you truck drivers that been around for awhile know what i'm refering to.
  #2 on wet roads the front end loved to slide when going around turns.
 when that tire got to the point that i had a shimmy in my handlebars i removed it and installed the battlelax bias tire. heres the results
  #1. steering seemed to be better it still steered like a tank but it did'nt take as much input to the handlebars to make the same turns
   #2. it felt like i had stepped out of the mack and started to drive a car without power steering. which would be somewhat easier than the truck.
   #3. did'nt notice as much cupping in the front and on wet roads it held it's place.
  the year after i got a rake kit. that made the biggest difference. i can make turns with one hand on the bars now.

3W ,What size is that battlax rear you are running on the front.  Got A part #?