[skfboiler]

We have a 2006 Goldwing GL1800 with a Monarch trike kit. Whether riding solo or with a passenger, the rear tires skid just going over small bumps and road imperfections. They definitely skid going over larger bumps and railroad crossings. You can even smell the burnt rubber. We normally ride with the suspension at 12 or 15. We've tried lowering the suspension to around 7 with no improvement. We've tried raising the suspension to over 20 with no improvement. I normally fill the rear tires to 25 psi. I've increased the tire pressure to 29 and no improvement. Has anyone experienced this skidding and what was your solution(s)?

 

[2WheelNut]

Is the rear axle a solid axle on that trike kit? It sounds like the rear wheels are bouncing and losing contact with the pavement causing the skid. This happens more with solid axles than independent ones.

 

[skfboiler]

Is the rear axle a solid axle on that trike kit? It sounds like the rear wheels are bouncing and losing contact with the pavement causing the skid. This happens more with solid axles than independent ones.

No, it is an independent suspension system.

 

[beckhardt]

Man that is peculiar. Like many others, we have thousands of miles on our conversions with no issues to speak of. I am not a mechanic by any stretch of the imagination, but could the problem be with the brakes? Please let us know when you solve this. Best of luck.

 

[techdude2000]

We have a 2006 Goldwing GL1800 with a Monarch trike kit. Whether riding solo or with a passenger, the rear tires skid just going over small bumps and road imperfections. They definitely skid going over larger bumps and railroad crossings. You can even smell the burnt rubber. We normally ride with the suspension at 12 or 15. We've tried lowering the suspension to around 7 with no improvement. We've tried raising the suspension to over 20 with no improvement. I normally fill the rear tires to 25 psi. I've increased the tire pressure to 29 and no improvement. Has anyone experienced this skidding and what was your solution(s)?

Are they skidding on the pavement or impacting the inner fenders? It looks to be sitting pretty low in your avatar.

 

[GoldWingrGreg]

Has anyone experienced this skidding and what was your solution(s)?

Most trike owners replace their tires when the tread is 1/2 worn. Also, if you share your issue with a good tire store, they can look at your current tires and possibly make recommendations from there. Tread design has a lot to do with traction, so does tread width.

The problem with trikes is that they use a car tire designed to carrying more weight, and Trike's have very little compared to a car. So for lack of a better way of saying it, their car tires become "floation" tires "skimming" across any surface. Mainly it is noticed in wet weather, thus the need to replace when the tread is 1/2 worn, but they'll often tend to "spin-out" when acceleration out of a corner.

Good clutch control can help too, so be sure your clutch is bleed every 12k, and setting the clutch lever on 1 gives more control than 5. Also, be sure the throttle play is not excessive ... to much and the throttle can seem snappy.

According to the Owner's Manual, Leman says to air your rear tires at 26psi.

 

[alwrmcusn]

I believe when he says "skid" that he means the tires are rubbing the fender wells when going over bumps. That would indicate (to me at least) that there is a mechanical problem with the conversion and not a tire pressure, tire wear or shock/air pressure problem.
I had a slightly similar problem with my Tag-A-Long trailer. It came with 8 inch wheels which I immediately replaced with 12 inch wheels. The taller tires occasionally would very slightly impact/rub the fenders. For the trailer it was a simple matter of putting one inch spacers on the mounts to raise the fenders. It will likely be more complicated to do that with the trike conversion.

 

[skfboiler]

Yesterday after talking to the dealer we bought the trike from, he is certain that the wheel is rubbing on the fender. He is about 4 hours away. We are going to take it into a local motorcycle dealer to take a look at it.

 

[05nwl]

Make sure the tires and rims are the correct size. Might be too tall.

 

[GoldWingrGreg]

Yesterday after talking to the dealer we bought the trike from, he is certain that the wheel is rubbing on the fender. He is about 4 hours away. We are going to take it into a local motorcycle dealer to take a look at it.

Oh ... tire(s) rubbing on a fender type skid. My thoughts:
- check tire and wheel sizing. Sometimes an owner will use wider tires/wheels then recommended
- sometime the trike body is not installed, aligned, or centered correctly
- some manufactures, or installers, use spacers between the hubs and wheels. They may need to be different or added or removed.
- sometimes the body needs spaced up
- often an owner will choose the cheapest dealer to install a kit, and poor alignment can come with cutting costs.
- possibly there is something wrong with the rear shock that make the body rise/lower

So long as something is not hanging down and rubbing a tire, I'd recommend that the owner go back to the dealer who installed the trike kit.

 

[BigMick]

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