[Wannabe Triker]

As you can see from my handle, I am a Wannabe Triker. My wife and I do not currently have a big bike. She has always been afraid in the past to be on a motorcycle. So, to help ease her fears a little this summer, we bought (no laughs here please) a Chinese scooter trike. It is a 150cc and will go about 50 with both of us on it. We have ridden it all summer and she is now thinking we would have a lot more fun if we could go on day trips on a "real" trike. The three wheels have made her feel safe.

I have secretly been hoping this would be the end result of my "scooter experiment" and have been researching trikes all summer as well. I have narrowed my choices to CSC, Hannigan, Roadtrike and Motor Trike conversions because there are installers for all within one hour of my home. I want a Gold Wing 1800 and I like the looks of the ground effects/Aqua Shields/running boards. I know she will be most comfortable on an IRS trike, so that is a definite requirement. I also know that I want the trike raked on the front end.

My installer choices are:

CSC - Niehaus Honda in Litchfield, Illinois
Hannigan and Roadtrike - Lone Star Trikes in Mahomet, Illinois
Motor Trike - Trikes by Dennis in Mattoon, Illinois

I am going to begin visiting these installers to get an idea of their work since everyone says the kits are about the same, but the installer really makes the trike. What questions should I be asking and what should I be looking for when I visit? What other options (in addition to ground effects, EZ Steer, and IRS) do you wish you would have gotten that you did not?

Remember I am new to trikes as I have never had one before. I am looking for all of the input I can get. Thanks in advance for letting me pick your brains.

 

[trike lady 1500]

The one feature you should think about adding to your trike is the auxillary fuel cell for increased riding distance. Warranty on each kit, how many years/miles.
Welcome to the forum and greetings from Florida.

 

[cmore]

The next trike, if there is one will have:
EZ-Steer
Aux Fuel tank
Parking Brake
Trailer hitch
Vinyl Stoneguard

Will Probably have:
ABS
IRS
Ground effects/Aqua Shields/Running boards
High performance brakes
Matching Chrome directions wheels
Chrome Wheel well trim-May do it my self tho.
Trunk Carpet - Will probably do it myself
Rear light Bar
Trunk Dome light- probably do it myself

Won't have:
Adjustable Shock
Passenger Floor Board cover

My trike currently has these options but wouldn't have all of then on the next one.

 

[George Lewis]

Any of the four kits are top notch from major manufactuares. Niehaus and Lonestar are well known. I am sure the other installer is good. You will get many ideas and folks will say ride the demos to determine you likes and dislikes. No one agrees with me, but if you don't ride a demo 500 miles, you can not tell much about it.

You can not go wrong with any of these kits.

Each of us is proud of our trikes and many will say "My trike is best!" The best one is the one YOU and the wife like!

Ask for customers names and numbers who have purchased trikes recently and call them. Ask about problems and the solutions.

Remember what Abe Lincoln said, "the best price ain't always the best deal." Additionally, Abe said, "What your neighbor likes may not be what you would like, look at his wife!"

Buy, ride and enjoy. The only real problem you will have is the wife asking "Why didn't we do this ten years ago?" Let us know how it is going.

 

[blcbiker]

If your a little on the "shorter arm" side....you may want to consider a handlebar relocater kit....aka..."pull-back handlebars" . Less than $100 .
I've had it on both of my trikes and wouldn't be without it....also EZ Steer is a MUST !!!!
Both of my trikes have been Champions (Road Runner Trikes in Ravenna, Ohio) and I've never had a problem but once again.......make sure it is something YOU are comfortable with......make sure you test drive YOUR Choices before purchasing....they're all a little different.
Good luck and waiting for that name of "wannabe triker" to change to "Im now a triker ......" !!!!!!!!

 

[Wannabe Triker]

All good advice. Thanks for the input. blcbiker, fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, that should not be a problem. I am 6'6", tip the scales at 325 lbs and need 38 inch sleeves on my shirts. I just hope the trike can hold me and my wife up with a total of 475 lbs of passengers on board.

 

[KYBLUE]

As most will say, theirs is the best, get what you like! All the ones you mentioned are good kits and would make you a fine trike. The installers you found are also good. Some of the major things I would want ( and remember the "I" part)
1. EZ Steer or whatever...a rake triple tree is a must. Make it feel like power steering.
2. Parking Brake, comes in handy.
3. Pull back handlebar kit
4. Aux fuel tank if available
5. Aqua shields or running boards
6. Trunk light
7. Performance brakes
8. Trailer Hitch with wireing

There may be more. One thing to remember also, get all the accessories you can at the time of install, very expensive to add later.
I would also want fog lights, trunk spoiler w/ light, lighted trunk trim lights, chrome front wheel.

Things to also look at
trunk space ( never have too much room), Independent suspension or sold axle ( your choice).

Get the one that looks god to you! meets your needs. Not what anyone else likes.

 

[cmore]

OOPs forgot the REGs risers. They were put on the bike 5 years before triking.

Also like the fog/running lights and trunk rack, since we are starting from scratch.

 

[chaz_36]

Shopper

Just FWIW, you are very close to the DFT Trike factory in Addison, Illinois, might want to add them to your list for evaluation....

 

[Comanche]

Not to steal the thread, but what are the benefits of the Aqua floor boards. I have two friends with them and have ridden their trikes, but see no difference in comfort or the ride as with my trike without them.


Not spouting off, just curious. Really.

 

[pajim]

Wannabe,

Listen to George and KYBlue.:bow: They hit the thunbtack on the noggin, EXCEPT, of course, all learned folks know that Hannigan trikes (and their riders) are far superior. :roll::roll:
Honestly, whatever you decide is best for you, IS what's best for you.

Welcome to trikin' :thumbup:

 

[cmore]

Not to steal the thread, but what are the benefits of the Aqua floor boards. I have two friends with them and have ridden their trikes, but see no difference in comfort or the ride as with my trike without them.


Not spouting off, just curious. Really.

On a CSC, they give u another pos'n to rest your feet while ridding, help keep road debris and water off the rider. They also make the trike look more finished. On a Hannigan, I am told u can actually mount and dismount using them, although not sure I would want to do that. They also lighten your pockets.:shock:

By the way, :coffee1:CSC is the best!:thumbup:opcorn:opcorn:

 

[LoneStarTrikes]

Not to steal the thread, but what are the benefits of the Aqua floor boards. I have two friends with them and have ridden their trikes, but see no difference in comfort or the ride as with my trike without them.


Not spouting off, just curious. Really.

Let's be honest they are mainly to enhance the look. Pass a semi on a rain soaked freeway and see how dry you stay. Some people like them, some don't. I wouldn't use mine to mount the Trike even though they could withstand the 200 lbs. and too much painted surface to scratch.

:fullsize: With & Without I think both look great!

 

[Tangle Eye]

Not to steal the thread, but what are the benefits of the Aqua floor boards. I have two friends with them and have ridden their trikes, but see no difference in comfort or the ride as with my trike without them.


Not spouting off, just curious. Really.

On a Hannigan you can remove the footpegs entirely. Yes, you can mount by standing on them - they are attached at the foot peg bracket and can stand as much weight as the peg (at least the frame can). Obviously, you don't step on the paint when you put your foot on them - that's what the black stuff on the floorboard is for. :lol: And, like Lonestar said, they look good!

Now - to the original poster - WELCOME. You've got good advice so far. Test rides can make all the difference. Remember - you're not pleasing any of us here - you're pleasing yourself and your riding partner.

 

[jackj98]

As you can see from my handle, I am a Wannabe Triker. My wife and I do not currently have a big bike. She has always been afraid in the past to be on a motorcycle. So, to help ease her fears a little this summer, we bought (no laughs here please) a Chinese scooter trike. It is a 150cc and will go about 50 with both of us on it. We have ridden it all summer and she is now thinking we would have a lot more fun if we could go on day trips on a "real" trike. The three wheels have made her feel safe.

I have secretly been hoping this would be the end result of my "scooter experiment" and have been researching trikes all summer as well. I have narrowed my choices to CSC, Hannigan, Roadtrike and Motor Trike conversions because there are installers for all within one hour of my home. I want a Gold Wing 1800 and I like the looks of the ground effects/Aqua Shields/running boards. I know she will be most comfortable on an IRS trike, so that is a definite requirement. I also know that I want the trike raked on the front end.

My installer choices are:

CSC - Niehaus Honda in Litchfield, Illinois
Hannigan and Roadtrike - Lone Star Trikes in Mahomet, Illinois
Motor Trike - Trikes by Dennis in Mattoon, Illinois

I am going to begin visiting these installers to get an idea of their work since everyone says the kits are about the same, but the installer really makes the trike. What questions should I be asking and what should I be looking for when I visit? What other options (in addition to ground effects, EZ Steer, and IRS) do you wish you would have gotten that you did not?

Remember I am new to trikes as I have never had one before. I am looking for all of the input I can get. Thanks in advance for letting me pick your brains.

Be very very careful of who you get to install. Not all installers are equal. Speaking from experience....

 

[tripod]

Be very very careful of who you get to install. Not all installers are equal. Speaking from experience....

If your Trike is one of the ones that I am thinking of, what was the problem, and why didn't you take it back to the shop. Other than distance what is the excuse! :shrug:

 

[trike lady 1500]

The Aqua Shield, Ground Effects, Running Boards give the trike a finished look. If you purchase a set you'd want weight bearing ones.

 

[bigredbopper]

Not to steal the thread, but what are the benefits of the Aqua floor boards. I have two friends with them and have ridden their trikes, but see no difference in comfort or the ride as with my trike without them.


Not spouting off, just curious. Really.

IMHO the only benefit is -LOOKS! They make it more difficult for the rider & passenger to mount & dismount, they attract a whole bunch of stone & rock chips and they make it almost impossible to mount any decent hiway pegs (****-O-Pegs especially). I have had one with & one without. If I am in the market again I would NOT buy a trike with boards!

 

[W7AX]

IMHO the only benefit is -LOOKS! They make it more difficult for the rider & passenger to mount & dismount, they attract a whole bunch of stone & rock chips and they make it almost impossible to mount any decent hiway pegs (****-O-Pegs especially). I have had one with & one without. If I am in the market again I would NOT buy a trike with boards!

I certainly agree. Not to mention that when maintenance time comes along, they are a pain also. Seen a fair amount of them bashed up from sliding into or over objects and they are not cheap either. But for the guy that wants everything and think they look cool ,it's just the thing.

 

[Doc1]

Foot Fairings or Floor Boards

IMHO the only benefit is -LOOKS! They make it more difficult for the rider & passenger to mount & dismount, they attract a whole bunch of stone & rock chips and they make it almost impossible to mount any decent hiway pegs (****-O-Pegs especially). I have had one with & one without. If I am in the market again I would NOT buy a trike with boards!

I see no difference in mounting and dismounting on the Hannigan than when it was a two wheeler. I am speaking only as a driver and not a passenger. Leg length may have some effect on this.I mounted Ergo II pegs then later combined with mini arms and am totally happy with them. I'm judging comfort not quality in my comments. Our physical make-up often dictates what works best for us. I'm not saying the above comments are wrong, they just aren't correct for me. I have ridden my Trike for over 11,000 mi. and have no rock marks on the foot fairings but I do not ride on gravel and have been lucky to hit no road trash so far.


Our views should be taken with a grain of salt as you are the one making the decision and your view is the most important and we hope our comments assist you in some way. Our views may seem to be contradictory but are probably not as we are most likely different in physical stature and in all likelyhood have different personal tastes and thus the different views.

Ride safe all. Doc :thumbup:

P.S. I feel that they help deflect ground water off of you.