|
|
Post by cliftonc on Sept 27, 2011 12:03:47 GMT -5
Learnings for the DF150TKA Reverse Trike
I have learned, the hard way, the following:
* These are not entry-level bikes, and require the knowledge and mechanical chops to deal with the quality issues thay bring as standard equipment.
* Tighten everything! Use blue Loctite.
* Fluids - before you even start the thing, drain and replace the fluids. The ones in it are not satisfactory, and don't even smell like what they are supposed to be. For engine and final drive, use Castrol or Amsoil 20W-50 synthetic. For brakes, use a good DOT4 brake fluid. These are my preferences, your mileage may vary. Change engine/final drive oil at 300 miles, 600 miles, and 1000 miles, and every 1000 miles thereafter.
* Budget an extra $150 for tires; the OEM ones are rubbish. I prefer Continental Zippy 1, but again, your mileage may vary.
* Alignment, alignment, alignment. If the front end is just a touch out of alignment, the thing will shake, tremble, and it don't handle well. Mine is best with somewhere between 0 and 1/16" toe-in.
* Set the front shocks to max preload, the rear to medium or minimum.
* The OEM brake pads are also rubbish; replace them when you can.
* Be sure to lube the front end!
* As bolts wear or strip, replace them with Grade 8 equivalents.
* Be prepared to replace light bulbs as neccesary; the OEMs are rubbish.
Do these things, and the trike will be quite usable, and overall a pretty good deal for the money, IMHO.
|
|
|
|
Post by tvnacman on Sept 27, 2011 12:20:40 GMT -5
can you poet a pic of the trike your talking about .
|
|
|
|
Post by cliftonc on Sept 27, 2011 12:53:23 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by chaz12 on Sept 27, 2011 12:58:17 GMT -5
Sweet reverse trike.. They look like fun to ride..
|
|
|
|
Post by dayseedee on Sept 28, 2011 14:49:58 GMT -5
|
|
|
|
Post by cliftonc on Sept 29, 2011 4:18:27 GMT -5
Thank you, ladies for doing these videos. Outstanding!  |
|
|
|
Post by cliftonc on Sept 29, 2011 4:22:53 GMT -5
Sweet reverse trike.. They look like fun to ride.. They are fun! Be prepared with travel time, though - almost every stop is a conversation starter... ;D |
|
|
|
Post by dayseedee on Oct 1, 2011 15:34:01 GMT -5
Thanks for the video,s girls . I have to switch the shocks on mine to the other side because it keeps wanting to fall to one side Sooo the guy said switch them and if it falls to the other side its the bad shock? I hope so because I would love to practise in a parking lot Alllll afternoon if I get it running right. I hope that will take care of the problem... If it does, i am sure you will be able to have as much fun as my sister and i do...Good luck, and keep us posted. Take care and be safe! |
|
|
|
Post by dayseedee on Oct 1, 2011 15:35:08 GMT -5
Thank you, ladies for doing these videos. Outstanding! You are so very welcome, glad you enjoyed them! |
|
|
|
Post by mike1948 on Oct 3, 2011 13:42:44 GMT -5
Just out of curiosity, is the lean in controlled be how much you turn the handle bars, or is it strictly a speed and balance issue?
Mike
|
|
|
|
Post by cliftonc on Oct 3, 2011 14:28:09 GMT -5
I just ride mine like any other, and the leaning just comes with it. Turning the bars will instigate a lean just like it does any other bike. There is a limit to the lean, though - it limits at about 45 degrees. I just once had need of a bit more in an evasive thing (critter trying to share the road), but it turned out ok. There won't be any peg-dragging, though... ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by mnfitz on Nov 5, 2011 7:22:20 GMT -5
I picked up one of these second hand with less than 50 miles on it. Evidently, the first owner had bad handling and took it to an ATV dealer who aligned it and set the shocks tighter. Don't know if the first owner got scared by it (there is a small scrape on the rear fender), but he told them to sell in on consignment. I rides GREAT for me! I forget there are two wheels in front.... on one of my early rides, I took a turn a little wide and ran one of the wheels up on a curb at about 20mph. The trike took it completely in-stride with no loss of control at all. I figured out later that I would have cleared the curb with a two wheeler and had forgotten my wider track.
|
|
|
|
Post by cliftonc on Nov 5, 2011 15:21:34 GMT -5
 That is what I found. I have had just a couple of wide-eye moments on mine with the front wheels; the first was my first gas stop, when I realized at the last second that the left front wheel was about to get the concrete pump island! The other was stopping at the mailbox at home. The "trike wheels" being on the front just seems freaky to a number of folks - one of the riders that sat on mine and was really unnerved about it rides a Gold Wing trike.  Allow for the width on the front or the back - seems the same principle to me...
|
|
|
|
Post by mnfitz on Nov 28, 2011 4:29:45 GMT -5
Regarding alignment:
I'm finding it a challenge to dial in my toe-in due to the change that occurs with loading. I'm finding I have to adjust it to about 1/4" toe-out so that it has a little toe-in when loaded. The geometry that induces toe-in when the swing arms go up contributes (I think) to a high speed shimmy. I'm thinking I need to adjust the shocks in such a way to make the steering rods parallel to the swing arms.
|
|
|
|
Post by cliftonc on Nov 28, 2011 5:52:51 GMT -5
I think you are on the right track; I have the same thing. I run the front shocks at max preload to give them as little travel as practical, and I adjusted it with my brother sitting on the trike; he weighs about the same as I do. Another thing is the tilt - when it tilts, the steering rods are attached to the trike, with the other end attached to the spindles, and it does not seem to do the same thing with both wheels. There does seem to be a poorly-thought-out factor going with the suspension. You will notice that the tie rods "rest" at an angle, which contributes to the wowing with the toe-in as the suspension moves. Check any car - the tie rods are mounted such that they are parallel with the ground in "usual" position. I have scratched head over this thing - my old S-10 truck has a steering box, and the piece that the tie rods attach to has an offset arm from the steering box, and the tie rods attach to this offset arm, about 4" below the steering box, which makes the tie rods level. I have been a bit poorly lately, and have not been able to examine the trike closely, but I think that may be something to consider, if a custom piece can be fabricated there.
|
|
|
|
Post by mnfitz on Nov 28, 2011 20:03:42 GMT -5
I'll have to do some in-depth figurin' on this one. On first glance, I thought the steering rods looked like they were set up for an Ackermann correction (when turned OR tilted) to make the inside wheel turn more than the outside wheel.
I'm thinking the lack of being parallel to the swing arms might be improved (like you say) with some changes in attachment points.
|
|
|
|
Post by cliftonc on Nov 28, 2011 23:24:23 GMT -5
When I recover the health, that is going to be one of my serious head-scratching things. A couple of years ago, I had to replace the outer joints on both tie rods on the truck, and one night I was considering the trike, and it struck me about the level tie rods on the truck. I have since glanced at a number of cars, and the four-wheel ATVs that some of the neighborhood kids have, and the level tie rods are universal. It will be worth researching.
|
|
That is what I found. I have had just a couple of wide-eye moments on mine with the front wheels; the first was my first gas stop, when I realized at the last second that the left front wheel was about to get the concrete pump island! The other was stopping at the mailbox at home.
Allow for the width on the front or the back - seems the same principle to me...