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Post by #98cuznvinnie on Feb 4, 2024 16:34:27 GMT -6
I posted an update on the Sport Trike Forum a couple of days ago concerning my ride on 2 Feb. This was a good ride, but there were a few things that I, as a new rider converting from 2 to 3 wheels think experienced Trike riders should address. We need the experienced riders to impart their knowledge of the characteristics and issues encountered on the road. Those of us who are new to this riding style encounter issues with handling that are not a problem when on 2 wheels but can become a butt tightening issue on 3.
Example: On 2 Feb, I was on a 4 lane divided highway driving at 60-65 mph into a cross wind about 15mph from left to right. Trying to keep it up to 65 mph was tough enough, but with the crosswind it was definitely making staying on my chosen track pretty hard. THEN, I was passed on the left by 3 Semi-trucks heading the same direction as I was and boy was that a hair raising issue. With the cross wind blowing me into their lane and the suction/buffeting caused by their own wind vortices I had no other option that to slow down and try and maintain some type of control until they were long past.
This is what this forum is for---discussion: These types of situations need to be discussed and the experienced riders need to weigh in giving newbies like myself a little bit of a heads up to what we will encounter on the road.
For me, if I had had some type of inkling of the way the trike would be hammered, I would have been better prepared to handle the situation.
I would like to see some comments from all sides on this. Positive please.
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lightfoot
Rookie Sport Trike Rider
Riding on 3 wheels is a very different experience then on 2 wheels. It is enjoyable.
Posts: 15
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Post by lightfoot on Feb 5, 2024 7:37:49 GMT -6
I ran into the same situation early on. I found that there is a lot more side surface area with the conversion and putting a death grip on the handle bar is not the answer. I have 9000+ miles on the conversion and have been holding on with only one hand which has been working in all types of weather and wind conditions. It looks like my right hand was trying to over ride what my left hand was doing causing the bike to wander all over the road. I also talked to Norm about the air pressure in the front tires and somehow there was 30+ lbs. in the front. I got them back to the recommended pressure per Norms instructions and things have been much better for the last 4000 miles. Bike is now put up for the winter, but with the way the weather is in Illinois, I just might have to bring it out a little earlier than planned.
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Post by #98cuznvinnie on Feb 5, 2024 15:38:16 GMT -6
Thanks again, I will check those tire pressures. I have been watching lots of videos on control and am trying to deprogram my death grip. It seems to be working but it comes back now and again.
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Post by #98cuznvinnie on Feb 6, 2024 16:17:10 GMT -6
I have also discovered that I have been running with too much air pressure in my rear shocks. Got the correct air pressures from a Drifter guru and adjusted accordingly. Took it out for a ride and discovered a world of difference. Its a learning experience!
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greg
Rookie Sport Trike Rider
Posts: 8
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Post by greg on Feb 13, 2024 10:53:04 GMT -6
I have 5000 miles on mine now #94. It is definitely a learning experience. Tire pressure is a trial and error to find your comfort zone. I am at 16 lbs. now.
Good luck.
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Post by #98cuznvinnie on Feb 25, 2024 19:47:38 GMT -6
After reading the posts that everybody sent, I did some adjusting on tire pressure, air shock pressures, and reduced the size of my windshield. The tire pressures in front were close to what ETC recommends but the rear shock air pressure was way to high causing an almost hardtail situation. Reduced the shocks from 42 psi to 25 psi on recommendation from a Vulcan Drifter guru. That helped handling right away.
The final fix was getting a much smaller/shorter windshield. My bike, a Drifter doesn't have a fixed fairing/windshield unit. Most conversions have the integral fairing and the handlebars are internal and are not affected by wind. The windshield on my Drifter is fixed to the front forks and when the wind hits it, it causes a direct movement of the handlebars. The smaller profile windshield made quite a difference in the overall handling at highway speeds. Thanks everybody for your input.
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greg
Rookie Sport Trike Rider
Posts: 8
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Post by greg on Feb 29, 2024 11:26:01 GMT -6
Crosswinds are terrible, especially with a passenger. You don’t dare ride with one hand in a crosswind. Hang on.
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