New 300cc Toranado Bad wobble

[ROliver]

Hi, I am new to scooters I just purchased a new 300cc Toranado trike for the wife. We received it with the front wheel cover broke but everything else looked good starts great but right when you take off it has a pretty good wobble to the handle bars it seems to go away at faster speeds.

I took the front tire off and set the bolt with the tire attached to 2 tables it spins fine dosnt really go to one area to settle and setting next to a 6x6 post it has a slight less than 1cm movement.

Nobody in the area has anything to do a balance on the tire so i do not know where to go from this point it may even be the back tires but not sure how to even remove those, and even if i do nobody can check them for bent rim/balance.

Any Ideas would be appreciated.

[mike6736]

First off check to make sure the alxe nuts are tight and the cotter pins are in. Make sure the lug nuts on the rear tires are set and tight. Look at the chain and make sure it is not too loose or tight just a little slack 1/2 in or better less. Check the ballance on the rear tires just take to any tire shop they can balance and let you know if out of round. Also some have got front tires out of round.

You have to track down all the rattles and use foam tape to stop them, just takes time than you will love the trike

Mike

[ROliver]

Oh we both love it already and I knew what it was and would take some time to fix. I cant wait to get a matching trike so we can both ride.

The chain is tight it almost does not move at all, so i should be able to move it up/down 1/2in? need to learn how to adjust that.

The back tires, it has a hub cover how does that come off i dont want to brake it it looks like a bunch of small socket screws but pretty sure its just a fake for look cover havnt messed with it much just tried to unscrew it.

another note when you throttle up to take off it takes awhile before it moves ie the motor revs up louder before it starts to actually move is that normal? i figured as soon as i gave it gas it would go.

[mike6736]

Not sure about your hub on back wheels but on the magnum I just give it a light tap and they pop off, just a plastic cover is all it is. Chain sounds to tight to me, should have just a little up swing to it when you finger it up.
Yes you have to raise the RPMs for the trike to move. It will rtattle and shake till you work out all the rattles. On thing to remember is a sound in the back of the trik will work to the front. I is very hard to find some noises.

Make sure you change the oils in the motor and the transmission and the rear gear box now. The stuff they put in theses trikes is pure low grade...or no grade...Ha ha

Mike

[leeinark]

Mike and I both changed our "stock" tires out with a bigger and better tire. We went from a china 190/50-12 to a 255/50-12 EXCEL CLASSIC DOT approved. World of difference in my opinion. Several folks have had factory out of round tires and rims. Also factory balance weights have a tendency to come off at times. Check your rims and see how much balance weight is on them. Should be under 3 oz...if more than that it's not a good sign but can be overcome to a point. Also check the side to side movement of your rear wheels (which Mike is alluding to). Lastly unless the wobble is really bad ride it a bit. Sometimes if they sit for a long time you can get flat spots on the tires that will work themselves out with riding. You should be able to have your rear tires and rims balanced at just about any car tire place.

[ibtrikin]

A front end wobble is definitely loose axle nuts. Go to lowe's or home depot and get some 3/4 fender washers to put behind the axle nut to shim it. Tighten the nut as tight as you can and put the pin back in. You may have to tap it back in, but if you get it tight now, you won't have to do it again. If it still wobbles you can check to see if you hubs are warped or if your tires are out of round. I can say that between my 2 trikes I have 6 out of round tires. Lol! I dropped the tire pressure in the rears to 20 psi, but I still have a bit of wobble on the red trike. I'm ignoring it until the tires are worn out, then I'm ordering taller tires to replace them and pick up a few mph on the top end. Bikebandit.com has pirelli tires to fit the front for about $46! Hope this helps.

[roliver]

Ok, i checked the chain it was around 1/2 in slack. I took off the back tires and took them in he said they are both egg shaped so i need to change those out. I also checked the hub nut they where very tight so not sure they need any washers i think it would push the nut too far out for the pin to even go in.

Here is my new question. When i have the tires up in the air and run the tirke the left tire runs fast and the right tire almost doesnt move shouldnt they both be receiving the same power / turning the same?

Another thing i have noticed is the brakes are always snug to the brake pad so it doesnt just turn freely in the air same on the front. with the front tire off i hit the brake and it presses the pads together but does not release them i had to use a flathead to pry them apart how do i fix this? or is it normal?

Thank you guys very much I have gone to all local stores and nobody will help me figure this out so you guys are my only link to help!

[roliver]

Just came back from tire shop they said the tires that came with it are lawnmower tires not made for highway. So do you guys have a recommendation for a good tire i can replace them with?

[ibtrikin]

Can you post a pic of your tires? They should be DOT approved trailer tires, not lawn mower tires. Like I said, between 2 trikes I have 6 out of round tires, so I'm not surprised that yours are too. That is most likely the cause of the front end wobble. As for one tire turning.... If one tire is touching the ground at all with the bike jacked up it won't turn, but the one in the air will. That's the diff doing it's job.

[roliver]

It was with both tires off the trike, He balanced them for me so i am going to put them back on and see what happens. they are 190/50-12 from reading the forums most are 10" rims? i'm having a hard time finding any locally to replace them with. I'll try to get some pics.

Is the brake issue normal where it does not retract once pressed?

[roliver]

Balancing the tires did not help i think i may need to replace all 3 tires to get a good ride its pretty bad the handelbars go back and forth about an inch or more when driving i tried lowering the air pressure and it didnt help. They do say they are DOT R3 on the tires.

[leeinark]

Rolover: If you type in the size tire you want online you will get numerous hits. The Magnum has a 12" rim don't know about yours? There are two different sizes you can get 215/50-12 or a 255/50-12. You need to really check your scoot to see if the bigger one will fit...it may not. 3Rsales and Palmetto specialty tires are probably the two main places a lot of guys buy from for these rear trike tires. Type in golf cart tires and then look for DOT approved ones. By the way I only run 10 PSI in my rear tires and they wear wonderfully and have a fairly soft ride. If you put more than 15 you will wear the tire out down the middle.

[mike6736]

I think some of the first Magnums out did have 10 rims, did you get that from a guy in Florida? Seems someone told me they had 10 in rims... If so go larger and see if you can get as Lee said the 12 255/50s they really make a difference, very nice ride.

I am not a break man, can't get a hammer in there..but the pad should not break the tire after use.

Mike

[ibtrikin]

Try bleeding the brakes. Mine were really hard to squeeze at first and didn't grab too well. I don't think they bleed the air out at the factory. Keep an eye on the sight glass though, you don't want to suck more air in.

[roliver]

My back tires are 190/50-12 12" i think its setup the same as the Magnum i have a local custom golf cart store i am going to stop in tomorrow and see what he has. The wife is mad we need new tires on a new trike but i told her if i asked for replacements we would end up with the same issue. I just hope its the tires or im out a lot of money and still have the same issue

I already see stress cracks around the back screws on the fender did you guys change anything to prevent this? it has rubber washers under the bolts holding it on but not helping much. I was going to buy some locktite to put on the screws as they keep going loose.

I'm going to change the oil today i'll need to read up on changing the other oils you said as ive never done it before.

And bleeding the brakes is also something new sounds like i may need to change out the fluid to do this as to not mix with old fluids?

[leeinark]

Oh wow...I didn';t realize you haven't beefed up the plastics and screws/bolts etc. You should probably pull the whole back panel off. Don't be intimidated it's not that hard. Get you some PVC glue and some big plastic washers. On the underside cover all the holes (from the bottom where you can't see it when you put it back on with PVC glue and the plastic washers. You can also fiberglass the bottom (I think Mike did that...I did not). When you put rear back on put oversize ruberr washers with same size metal washer too. Change those bolts out with Lowe's or Home Depot SS ones and you will be happier. I put a little gasket sealer on mine when I re-installed them.

[leeinark]

I forgot to mention keep some PVC glue on hand as well as some flat plastic. It will fix and stop cracks immediately...but you have to catch the crack early or it will split a long ways on you.

[mike6736]

I took the whole back deck off and layered it with fiber glass sheets and used heavy duty PVC Cement not fiber glass reaisn...also used plastic bars around the rear back of the deck, they will melt solid in the deck and reallyu make it strong.

Mike

[roliver]

Ok i took the back deck off and used nylon washers around all the holes and pvc glue under and around the sides to seat them. Let it set all night and re installed it, two bolts holding the frame onto the deck stripped out so i upgraded them with standard bolts and locknuts.

I think i'll replace the front tire and see if that helps the wobble then go from there as i cannot find any back tires locally and am afraid to getting the larger 225/50-12 and not having them fit.

[mike6736]

The 255 are nice but I have raised mine 3/4 in and still get a rub with a passenge. The bad part is they rub on the front inner fender so will have to mod it later when the cutting is done. But the ride is great

Mike

[gretchen]

Im having a problem with my back right rear tire if i stand behind my bike and look at the wheels the right rear tire is tilted into the right is there a way to adjust it

[roliver]

I dont want to get too much bigger than what i have anybody try the innova IA-8018 215/50-12?

[edfr]

The 215/50-12 will fit better and you would not have to raise or modify the fender. They are are also narrowerso they will not rub on anything in the inside of the tire.

here are the specs on each tire 255s on the left and 215s on the right: and what each do at 50mph. You can plug any mph and recalulate and or change the tire sizes.
www.csgnetwork.com/tireinfo4calc.html
Lefty

[leeinark]

I have a Magnum with the 255's and I have not had to make any mod to the trike. They have fit mine perfectly with no rubbing. For some reason Mike's does not.

[ibtrikin]

I had the Pirelli tire I ordered for the front mounted and balanced the other day. Yesterday, I had Walmart dump the dyna beads out of the rears and spin balance them. The trike is riding smoother than it did, but the back tires are definitely out of round and still bounce way too much. I still have a slight front end wobble at about 10- 20mph. Hope this helps you narrow down your problems.

[roliver]

Ya, I think i will need to replace them all as well. The side mount that holds the back fender piece to the side broke on me so i'm going to weld that one and have a replacement sent for an extra.

Replaced the Oil over the weekend it shows in the book and on trike it holds .8l it ended up taking almost 1.5l.

[mike6736]

My Magnum takes 1.25 gts also

Mike