Ice Bear reliability

[olmanrivah]

If I purchase a new Compeller 300, Magnum 300, or Road Warrier 250 and get it from a reliable source ( like Jim ) and get Ice Bear or Jim to do the PDI's is it going to be a reliable Trike.

If I maintain it as I should and don't abuse it, will it be reliable or is Ice Bear just a problem. I realize there are lemons in any industry and also realize that Forums tend to attract the less fortunate.

If I'm going to spend 4G's I'd like some view points. . . .

Thanks,

[kixome]

Not being a jerk, but no one can predict with any certainty what will happen to you. Like you said there are lemons in every industry.

IMO you should buy a $1500-$2000 motorcycle and convert it to a trike with the remaining money. Buddy up with someone who knows fabrication and welding and you might be able to get it done even more cheaply.

I am fortunate enough to know just a guy like that so i get fab work done on the cheap.

[olmanrivah]

Let me try putting it another way,

If 100 trikes are sent out, about what percentage have major problems?

[kixome]

I still think that is a very hard question to answer. I could not even begin to answer it. If i had to guess i would think no more than 5-10%, but i am not a dealer or manufacturer.

What i would worry more about is what kind of warranty it comes with and will they stand behind it.

[olmanrivah]

Well, 5-10% isn't too bad. Maybe there isn't that many Ice Bears out there to get an accurate estimate. They are fairly new in the USA.

[rapidjim]

Aug 5, 2012 13:31:29 GMT -5 olmanrivah said:

If I purchase a new Compeller 300, Magnum 300, or Road Warrier 250 and get it from a reliable source ( like Jim ) and get Ice Bear or Jim to do the PDI's is it going to be a reliable Trike.

If I maintain it as I should and don't abuse it, will it be reliable or is Ice Bear just a problem. I realize there are lemons in any industry and also realize that Forums tend to attract the less fortunate.

If I'm going to spend 4G's I'd like some view points. . . .

Thanks,

Some may think by me answering this thread I am biased and just trying to make a sale. To those that think that, just read all my posts.

Now having got that out of the way. (LOL).

Working on machines since I was in my early teens and owning my own shop for 20 years now , I can say I feel very comfortable with Ice Bear, both the product and company. Otherwise I wouldn't sell them. They are somewhat new (2006) but I feel they have come a long way in a very short time frame. They are constantly updating and modifying their machines, they do listen to their dealers and by extention the end users.

One thing a person must keep in mind when buying an Ice Bear trike is that is not a Harley or a Goldwing. For the price it is a great little machine. If a person does a proper PDI from day one or has it done and maintains the service on it, it should provide years of enjoyment. They are not rocket science to work on but you should have some mechanical ability or have someone nearby that does.

Forums are a great source of information but, like you said, they do tend to draw out those that have issues. Whether the issues are machine based or customer caused, it always seems to be the machines fault (LOL). That is just human nature. The main thing to remember, anything that is mechanical will break at some point, even brand new. That is where your dealer and warranty come into play. I can say without any reservation that every warranty issue that I have had to deal with, Ice Bear has stood behind their product 100%, even on a couple that could have been questionable.

I have yet to see a bad motor, not to say there weren't any, I just haven't seen one or read about one on the boards. I have seen a couple with oil leaks at the jug gasket but those were not bad out of the box. There were some 300 cc rear end gear issues, most of those were from improper chain adjustment or reverse cable adjustments. In the beginning there were quite a few 150cc rear end issues with reverse, Ice Bear decided to quit making the 150 with reverse. I am not sure why they did that or what the issue was caused by. The main issue people were having was a vibration issue. Ice Bear stopped all production earlier this year on the 300s and did a major mod. I sold 4 of the modded 300s and so far the reports are very promising.

Related Link scootdawg.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=threewheelers&action=display&thread=47963

All in all I think they are a reliable machine and well worth the price.

Jim/Owner
Rapid Repair

[olmanrivah]

Thanks Jim, I was hoping for your comments. Makes me feel better about their Trikes. I have no Dealer in my area that I know of, so I have to depend on Forums and such.

[kixome]

I was hoping he would comment too since no one else was, cuz as far a chintrikes i have no idea what ia m talking about. Good lock with your purchase.

[wiredgeorge]

Well, I bought a used 150cc Icebear trike (2011 model). I had looked at the forums and there was a lot of negative. I think some is deserved and some is not. The part that is not deserved is the basic component quality. Not too bad actually and we already import a BUNCH of Chinese aftermarket bike components. The bad part of the Icebear is that the vehicle wasn't assembled with a lot of care and thought. I have owned my trike for a bit less than a week. Horn didn't work. Took off the front plastic and discovered that the wire leads to the horn were excessively long and had gotten pinched in the forks and the wires were cut. Fixed this in a second and then while I was there properly tie wrapped the other stuff. There won't be any other problems from cut wires. Next issue was the carburetor pilot (slow jet) was plugged and the bike wouldn't idle. This was a problem caused by the corn-oil gas as the trike had sat for a couple months. The type 424-16 #35 style Keihin pilot jet needed to be cleaned. The basic Chinese carburetor which is a copy of a Keihin CVK is actually pretty decent quality. The jets however were not chamfered with the same care as genuine Keihin jets. The main jet shouldn't be an issue but the pilot jet splatters fuel making the low end to 1/3 throttle transition a bit rough... not bad but a genuine Keihin jet would fix that small issue. The main jet had no marking so I don't know how to replace it specifically and don't want to take the time to experiment. Why not stamp the size on jets? The fuel hose running from the tank to vacuum petcock makes me nervous and I am going to replace all 1/4" gas hoses and fuel filters as well as the vacuum lines (1/8") . These hoses feel more like windshield washer hoses than fuel hoses. I am going put a plastic wrap covering on the gas line to add some protection. The basic machine is well worth the price and if you are a bit mechanically inclined is actually kind of fun to work on except to the plastic panel removal. By the way, I am a professional motorcycle mechanic and am active in the vintage motorcycling industry. I own a carburetor rebuilding and sales business (can't make money on vintage bikes doing general mechanical work) and own a vintage motorcycle forum (vintagemotorcycleforum.org) if anyone is interested in such things. i am not trying to drum up business as I am swamped already.

My opinion is that if you trust a fella like Jim who conducts himself like a gentleman and seems very honest, you can't go wrong. If you bring me your trike and ask ME to do your PMI, I would certainly get at least 3 times what he charges as there is quite a bit of labor involved and professional set up if you aren't mechanically inclined will make your ownership experience a lot more fun. I need to get some documentation for the trike as I spent quite awhile the other day discovering that the kill switch was a click on-click off type as I have never seen one and in the clicked off position you don't get spark which takes awhile to figure out.

[wile]

The killswitch what it does is it grounds out the CDI. You can pull the Killswitch wire Off the CDI and you will then not have a Killswitch.
Wile

[olmanrivah]

I'm sort of leaning toward a Compeller or maybe the new Zodiac. Mainly because of the 14 inch rear tires. I would really like the Road Warrier if it was 300cc. I sort of liked the Snow Leppard, but, not so much news on why it was discontinued.

Then, there's the Harley . . . . . .

[ibtrikin]

I love my trikes, but I love to work on things. If you don't like to "fiddle" with stuff, they may leave a bad taste in your mouth.

I have suggestions for anyone thinking about purchasing these:
1. Change all the fuel and vacuum hoses BEFORE you even start your bike.
2. Change the spark plug.
3. Change the air filter to a UNI or K&N filter.
4. Go ahead and change the exhaust.(Most of the lean conditions I've run into have been because of the crappy muffler.) This may not be a problem on the 300cc's as they have a different setup.
5. Change the MAIN jet to a 110-115 (some experimentation is necessary here)
6. Pop off the plug covering the idle mixture screw and adjust carburetor.
7. Change the fuel filter. Advance Auto sells one that will work just fine.

If you do these things you will have a bike that will be a lot more user friendly. If you don't you will be doing a lot of "fiddling" and forum searching like I have over the last year

[wiredgeorge]

6. Pop off the plug covering the idle jet and adjust carburetor.

The plug covers a pilot mixture screw. Gas comes into the pilot circuit via the pilot jet drawing it from the float bowl. Air comes in via the pilot air jet. These mix and are metered by this pilot mixture screw. Turning the screw in adds less mixture and out more. The mixture only effects the pilot circuit which is prominent in the scooters operation to about 2500 rpm or 1/3 throttle; then the jet needle/needle jet take over the main metering but the pilot circuit still delivers a little gas. Tune the pilot mixture screw for max idle speed then back your idle down to where the scooter doesn't creep on level ground.

[ibtrikin]

Thanks for catching that, lol. It's fixed now.

[wiredgeorge]

I rebuild 300-400 sets of vintage Japanese motorcycle carburetors a year and know carburetors pretty well. The little Keihin CV clones are very familiar except for the electronic choke. Most vintage motorcycles have a manual choke OR an enrichener system for starting.

[tug54]

I ride a 2010 IB 300 Magnum and I can tell you they stand 100% behind the warranty... I have made many changes and Mods and am still doing the rear hubs and swing arm Mods, done this week I hope. These are great little trikes for the price. You have to be able to work on them a little and you will learn as you go and have a blast in the process. A lot of the problems I have had have been changed by IB and from what I seen on the new trikes were some on my headaches.

I will say this....The warranty is only as good as your Dealer... I have never got one from Jim but would if I get another. Jim has helped me several times with parts and takes the time to talk things out.

Magoo

[rapidjim]

Thanks Magoo! I try hard to help folks regardless of where they may have bought their machines. I have a great working repore with Ice Bear.

Recently there has been some time lag in getting parts shipped, that situation has been addressed by letting a person go from the warehouse and hiring a new one. From early indications from the parts manager, the new guy has a great attitude and is working out fine so far.

Jim/Owner
Rapid Repair

[brooklyngal53]

Gentlemen, I have no mechanical ability and I have just purchased the ice bear Eagle 150cc. I love this trike so much my car is developing a complex. I do agree if you purchase these trikes it is good to have a dealer near by to keep an eye on your machine. It took me a Year to find a dealer in North Carolina and I must say my only problem has been a broken trunk lock and a non working speedometer, both were fixed immediately by my dealer. They delivered the trike and if for some reason it would not work they will pick it up and repair it. People who run thier business like this ANYTHING ON WHEELS in concord NC or like Rapid Repair is what will keep Ice Bear a growing business.

[icecub]

@ Jim.... Stop pushing your bikes! loool! Im joking.

I would probably give an organ for the entire Ice Bear line up. If anyone has reservations about the Ice Bear Corp. Its a false concern, STOP IT! I have done serious research on this company even dealt with them personally, They are located in California But they are made in China at the Huzhou Daixi Zhenhua Tech trade co. They are very serious about quality and this is a very exclusive product. These trikes are so exclusive that Ice Bear holds patent on this design U.S. UTILITY PATENTED 8,177, 013

Dont forget the fact that people are breaking there necks to look at this thing. Loool! It's a major head tuner and gets looks from EVERYONE!

My next purchase from them will be the road warrior im sure, That is one tough looking bike with tons of saddle racks and storage, I could move out of my house on that mutha! Loool!

[Parker2100]

Icecub: IceBear only holds the patent for the the Rear Wheel Assembly. The rest of their designs are stolen...err....borrowed fair and square.

Also, IceBear themselves might take quality seriously, but some departments at the Huzhou Daixi Zhenhua factory leave a lot to be desired! Also, there are some low quality materials that IceBear seems to be looking the other way on. Such as the plastic parts in the Headlamps and the Air Filter Assembly.

Parker