Front end wobble
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Joined: Oct 2007
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Front end wobble
My wife's 2000 deuce (bought used last fall) with a Motor Trike conversion kit has twice developed a low speed front end wobble that feels like its going to rip the handlebars out of your hands. First time was due to blown fork seal, corrected under warranty and they also put heavier weight fork oil in it. Now its happening again but this time there is no blown fork seal and its only happening during braking at 25-35 MPH even when you do not use the front brake. Dealer checked neck bearings and is now telling us that its a inherent problem (WTF it was not happening before) with trike's and they suggested a steering dampener like 09 Harley trikes have. Any thoughts or ideals on what may be causing this and is this "inherent wobble" true???
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,073
Likes: 3
From: san antonio, tx
raked trees, longer tubes, maybe a steering damper.
a bike's steering geometry is changed when you trike it out. the new triglides come with all the little bells and whistles and are already set up as needed. the new triglide owners don't have to even worry about it.
rake and trail are now seen as camber, as in a car's suspension. as a result, changes need to be made to the neck angle, fork tubes, etc. to compensate for the necessary adjustments. a bike allows you to work with the laws of physics. a trike makes you work against physics and special consideration must be taken so as to maximize steering and control effort.
when building mine, i had severe issues with the steering and was unable to control it with one hand. a lot of phone calls, arguments with my friend who helped build it, shop visits and inquiries led me to rake the neck and put on longer tubes. it was all trial and error but when i was done it was something that i took great pride in. ask a lot of questions, be a pain in the *** to people and be patient.
good luck.
grimm
a bike's steering geometry is changed when you trike it out. the new triglides come with all the little bells and whistles and are already set up as needed. the new triglide owners don't have to even worry about it.
rake and trail are now seen as camber, as in a car's suspension. as a result, changes need to be made to the neck angle, fork tubes, etc. to compensate for the necessary adjustments. a bike allows you to work with the laws of physics. a trike makes you work against physics and special consideration must be taken so as to maximize steering and control effort.
when building mine, i had severe issues with the steering and was unable to control it with one hand. a lot of phone calls, arguments with my friend who helped build it, shop visits and inquiries led me to rake the neck and put on longer tubes. it was all trial and error but when i was done it was something that i took great pride in. ask a lot of questions, be a pain in the *** to people and be patient.
good luck.
grimm
Road Master
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 1,073
Likes: 3
From: san antonio, tx
all the trikers on this board and i'm the only one willing to offer any help to this guy? am i right? am i wrong? c'mon guys, i know that there are several on here who have built their own trikes and have first had knowledge of the infamous wobbles. let's help dave out.
we can devote 3+ pages to locking glove box covers and cup holders but when someone has a real issue nobody can help? wow...
we can devote 3+ pages to locking glove box covers and cup holders but when someone has a real issue nobody can help? wow...
Club Member
Joined: Aug 2007
Posts: 10,393
Likes: 2,060
From: N. Atlanta Burbs
Hey Grimm... Mine did something similar. Wheel wobble but it also did a little more than that.
When I picked up my Motor Trike I thought everything was normal. I had never ridden a trike before but... while I was messing around at an Indy shop near me the owner wanted to take a spin. He came back and took it immediately inside.
WTF??
He came out after speaking with his shop mechanics real quick and asked me if I ever noticed the wobble and the rear end hunting. Come to find out the builder left the hine joint and all the connectors for the stabilizers loose. 4 turns to tightened the hine joint and about 3, on average, to tighten the stabilizer connectors (all of them). He also tightened the handlebar risers 2 or 3 turns.
No more wobble and no more rear end hunting. It tracks straight as an arrow and I can let go of the bars now.
May not be the OP's answer but if this just came up I would check everything to be tight first.
When I picked up my Motor Trike I thought everything was normal. I had never ridden a trike before but... while I was messing around at an Indy shop near me the owner wanted to take a spin. He came back and took it immediately inside.
WTF??
He came out after speaking with his shop mechanics real quick and asked me if I ever noticed the wobble and the rear end hunting. Come to find out the builder left the hine joint and all the connectors for the stabilizers loose. 4 turns to tightened the hine joint and about 3, on average, to tighten the stabilizer connectors (all of them). He also tightened the handlebar risers 2 or 3 turns.
No more wobble and no more rear end hunting. It tracks straight as an arrow and I can let go of the bars now.
May not be the OP's answer but if this just came up I would check everything to be tight first.
Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 196
Likes: 3
From: Mark, Il.
My 2001 ultra-DFT had the same problem. After all of the calls, and trials, it ended up the only cure was raked tripple trees. It steered 100% better and no wobble. The same conclusion every one else had found.
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