HT1800 suspension
Independent rear suspension
The smooth ride of the Roadsmith HT1800 is primarily due to our innovative suspension system that offers a ride like no other trike. The Trike
Shop was the first to offer Independent Suspension for trike conversions over 13 years ago. The cynics said it would never work. They’re eating
those words today. Talk to anyone who has actually ridden an Independent Rear Suspension and a solid axle system trike for a period of time,
and ask them which one rode better. You can’t deny Independent Rear Suspension is the way manufacturers of cars; SUV’s and ATV’s are going.
Trikes are no different. These trikes are built with a purpose “Touring”.
On the Roadsmith the suspension is fully adjustable right from the dash controls, just the way the GL1800 was originally designed. This is great
for adjusting the right height and sensitivity depending on the way the trike is loaded.
The multi-point mount of the chassis to the bike frame actually strengthens the bikes frame as well as dissipates the added stress of a trike. We
attach to existing mounting points on the frame for example on HT1800 we use the crash bar mounts and the shock mount. A feature of the
trailing arm type independent suspension is the fact that there are very few moving parts. There are literally only two pivot points on each trailing
arm. This eliminates any adjustments or maintenance requirements. There are more complicated way’s to design a suspension, but why?
True track stabilizer bar
The stabilizer bar also known as a sway bar is a flexible link between the two trailing arms. The bar uses the torsion effect to always try to keep the
trike righted or sitting square to the ground. The beauty of the stabilizer bar is the fact then when one wheel hits a bump the bar can flex quickly to
absorb the movement then return. This is the same technology used in almost every vehicle today. Just think if you had “no lean” that means your
trike is always perfectly square to the ground. In affect, if you go over a 2” bump with your right wheel the trike rocks up 2”. But with Independent
Suspension, just that wheel goes up. The antiquated solid axle system is only made today because it’s cheaper and easier. Technology has
improved a lot in the short history of trike conversions, but some are too stuck in their ways. We offer only the most innovative designs to our
customers.
Longer wheelbase
We increase the wheelbase on all of our conversions. This puts the rear wheels back behind the passengers’ seat area, Rather than sitting right
on top of the wheels. Any vehicle that has a longer wheelbase will have a smoother ride. It’s just common sense. As an added benefit the
differential being farther back reduces the driveshaft angle.
Shaft driven differential
Our differential is constructed from standard automotive ring and pinion gear sets. There application includes many years and models of Dodge,
Chrysler and Plymouth vehicles. They have a 2.76:1 ratio which is very close to the stock bikes overall gear ratio when used with our tires.
Disc brakes
Large disc brakes more than handle the stopping of this trike. Remember trikes stop faster and easier than bikes. With more tire contact area and
much better stability, braking a trike is not the white knuckled, balancing act that a bike can be.
The wheel bearings, calipers and rotors are all right from a high production automobile application. Like all of our drive train, constructed from
everyday off the shelf parts for your convenience.
Heavy Duty driveshaft
We manufacture a completely new driveshaft built from full size automotive u-joints and a 2” thick walled tube. We use the same components
used in off-road Jeeps. We figure if that design can turn those big “Swamper tires” and low gear ratio’s it should have no problems with a trike
application. We’ve proven ourselves right.
Heavy Duty CV joints
The axles are custom made for our conversion kits, but the constant velocity (CV) joints are standard automotive applications such as VW and
Porsche. We use automotive type parts for all of our drive train because it’s designed for a much heavier load, meaning these parts will probably
last forever in this light duty application. Again using off the shelf parts for your convenience.
Alloy wheels
The Alloy wheels that come with our conversion kits are an “American Racing” brand clear-coated aluminum rim that has a similar look and finish
to the bike front rim. They are a 16x7”, 4 bolt on 100mm circle; positive 35mm offset size that fits many automotive applications. We offer a Chrome
plated option and a 17”wheel with low profile tires for the true chromoholic.
Storage Compartment
The large storage compartment comes completely carpeted to both protect and store your riding gear. The trunk (6 cubic feet) has about twice the
capacity of the stock saddlebags, plus with one larger space you can fit a larger object into it. If you choose not to get the auxiliary fuel tank, an
extra 6”high x12”wide x12”deep storage space can be added. The large trunk door opening also allows for easier packing or loading. The release
for the saddlebags under the Tour Pack is now used to release the latch for the trunk. This convenient trunk will fit all your gear securely away from
the elements.
Factory styled body
The slick body design incorporates the look and feel of the original motorcycle. We feel the trike conversion body should melt seamlessly into the
original body parts. The body is constructed of heavy-duty fiberglass. It is then painted with urethane paint, flat sanded, and buffed to a mirror
finish to ensure a perfect paint match both in color and finish. The mounting system for the body ensures a rock solid attachment and no exposed
mounting hardware. Notice the added foot room for the passenger, another feature of a longer wheelbase.
Trailer hitch
With any touring machine a trailer hitch is a familiar sight. When riding a trike a trailer is not a danger like it is on a bike. The back of a trike will
never feel like there’s a trailer back there. So we include a 1 1/4” receiver style trailer hitch neatly tucked under the body. It is incorporated into the
rear body support and is welded directly into the strongest part of our frame. This is not an option or add-on it’s built right in. It is another one of the
innovative ideas built right into the design of our trike kit.
Fuel tank
We offer a unique auxiliary 5-gallon fuel tank for our HT1800, another first for the trike industry from The Trike Shop, catering to the serious touring
rider. We don’t offer this option because our trikes get bad gas mileage, in fact with our gear ratio and tire size, the mileage will usually only
decrease by 2-3 MPG. The extra 5-gallon fuel tank is not to see how long you can go without stopping, but rather enjoying the reality that there are
better places to take a break than a gas station. You’ll have a range of about 400 miles now. The fuel tank works by simply flipping a switch on
your dashboard when your front tank gets low. It then transfers the 5 gallons into your front tank, filling it on the fly. The tank has a float switch in it
the automatically shuts itself off when it has transferred all the fuel.
Steering kit
The Ultimate 3 degree steering kit is an option that most people get, if not initially, someday. The GL1800 needs a 3-degree rake increase to
make for a comfortable and stable trike. To explain what a steering kit does is complicated but basically it feels like power steering for your trike. It
reduces the steering effort by about half. The front-end geometry for a motorcycle is designed with a certain amount of trail in the front end to allow
the bike to counter steer easy and remain stable. But as a trike we are not counter steering, but rather steering. That is the opposite of what that
front end was designed to do. So with our steering kit we reduce the trail in the front end to give you better leverage at the handlebars to steer your
trike. It gives you better mechanical advantage to turn the front wheel off of center. It’s like your handlebars are twice as wide as they really are.
This can really positively affect your fatigue level at the end of a long day.
Warranty
The Trike Shop has an unparalleled history of customer service and satisfaction and we put it in writing, with the best warranty in the market. Your
trike comes with a full 3 year 1,000,000 mile warranty on the entire trike kit. We can offer this because we know with our over 10 years of producing
this type of conversion kit, we do it right the first time.
|
|
