A new ride for an old voyager

[vxiirider]

I sold my Voyager trike to Bill Overton and it's on it's way to Las Vegas piloted by Geno Shields. The space where it was parked in my shop looked too vacant so I bought this to take its place.

It is a 2002 1800 Goldwing that has only 23,200 miles on it. The trike conversion is a Champion Kit and the trailer is a CSC Escapade SE. I have decided to sell the trailer so if any of you are interested, please let me know. I would like to get $ 1700 for it but will consider all reasonable offers. Riding season is fast approaching here in snow country, ride safe everyone.

[cushman eagle]

Nice looking trike John!
I am hoping the AVA family can get together again after this virus issue gets past us and we can see your new toy.
Happy riding till we see you again!

[Barry]

John,
That's a nice new trike and trailer. Was the main reason for selling your vxii trike the lack of a reverse gear? Power? Suspension? Just curious. Stay safe.

[vxiirider]

John,
That's a nice new trike and trailer. Was the main reason for selling your vxii trike the lack of a reverse gear? Power? Suspension? Just curious. Stay safe.

The reason I decided to sell it was the way it handled. The stock front fork in conjunction with the solid rear axle made the ride too hard on this old body (I'm 84). Also the rear suspension (ride) could only be softened by reducing rear tire pressure. Some of the extremely rough pavement here in Michigan made the handlebars hard to control at low speeds, I really had to hang on to maintain control of the trike. The lack of rake on the front end made the trike tiring to steer in the twisties.

My reverse rode on the seat behind me so backing the trike up was never a problem and the gearing made the power band more than adequate. Otherwise, it was a nice ride and we had many great rides and in a way, we were sorry to see it leave .

THE "new" Goldwing is a 2002 that has only 23,200 miles on it and I know that we will never have to worry about wearing it out. The previous owner had ridden it less than 800 miles in the last two years and said that at age 68 he was getting too old to ride.

[Barry]

When you say solid rear axle, are you suggesting it was mounted solidly to the frame, or did it have coil or leaf spring suspension?

[vxiirider]

When you say solid rear axle, are you suggesting it was mounted solidly to the frame, or did it have coil or leaf spring suspension?

The axle was out of an older Ford Mustang, had airbags but the pressure was not adjustable, they were part of what is called," an Automatic Leveling System." There was also a mono-shock mounted on the swingarm to dampen the bumps. In order to smooth out the ride, I carried 18 to 20 lbs of air in the rear tires. A large bump on one side or the other was telegraphed through the front wheel and I had to be sure and hang on to keep the trike tracking in a straight line.

[Barry]

That's so unfortunate. Such a nice looking rig that you created. Several decades ago a friend of mine didn't like the front end on his Moto Guzzi. So he ended up scratch making new triple trees to change the rake. Then he fabricated an Earl's leading link front suspension. Not many craftsmen left that could do that.

[vxiirider]

That's so unfortunate. Such a nice looking rig that you created. Several decades ago a friend of mine didn't like the front end on his Moto Guzzi. So he ended up scratch making new triple trees to change the rake. Then he fabricated an Earl's leading link front suspension. Not many craftsmen left that could do that.

The trike was actually built by an outfit in Daytona called TriKing Trikes and was a custom-built trike body. He did the conversion for me in 2010. I tried to contact him recently and was unable to so I am guessing that he is no longer in business. I have a friend in Las Vegas that said that he was able, after much searching, to find a rake kit that will work on a 1200 Voyager.

[ekap1200]

Very Nice ride John !

[hank43]

John;
Great looking trike, and I know you will like the Champion trike kit. BTW, what year is the trike kit? I have a champion kit on my 2009 VV1700, and love it. Tons of storage, 1/2 axles so independent suspension instead of straight axle. Watch the weight distribution adjustments on the shocks though, Mine ate a set of tires in less than 10K miles.
Couple years back, we (NorCal Voyagers) toured the champion factory in So. Calif. Learned that Champion also makes the trikes for the HD Tri-Glide since they bought out that company. Check with Don Medina, I think he has the same Champion kit on Trish's Gold Thing.
About the rake kit, if you don't have it, it is the difference between standard and power steering on my trike.
hank43

[vxiirider]

John;
Great looking trike, and I know you will like the Champion trike kit. BTW, what year is the trike kit? I have a champion kit on my 2009 VV1700, and love it. Tons of storage, 1/2 axles so independent suspension instead of straight axle. Watch the weight distribution adjustments on the shocks though, Mine ate a set of tires in less than 10K miles.
Couple years back, we (NorCal Voyagers) toured the champion factory in So. Calif. Learned that Champion also makes the trikes for the HD Tri-Glide since they bought out that company. Check with Don Medina, I think he has the same Champion kit on Trish's Gold Thing.
About the rake kit, if you don't have it, it is the difference between standard and power steering on my trike.
hank43

Hank; The Honda is a 2002 so I'm guessing that the trike is either an '02 or 03 and this one has a solid axle. Trish's trike is a California Side Car. That's what I was looking for but this deal for a unit that has only 23,200 miles came along so I took it. This trike has a rake kit and I love how much easier it handles than the Voyager did. Now I just need the Governor to lift the stay at home order so we can go for a ride.

[hank43]

John;
Great looking trike, and I know you will like the Champion trike kit. BTW, what year is the trike kit? I have a champion kit on my 2009 VV1700, and love it. Tons of storage, 1/2 axles so independent suspension instead of straight axle. Watch the weight distribution adjustments on the shocks though, Mine ate a set of tires in less than 10K miles.
Couple years back, we (NorCal Voyagers) toured the champion factory in So. Calif. Learned that Champion also makes the trikes for the HD Tri-Glide since they bought out that company. Check with Don Medina, I think he has the same Champion kit on Trish's Gold Thing.
About the rake kit, if you don't have it, it is the difference between standard and power steering on my trike.
hank43

Hank; The Honda is a 2002 so I'm guessing that the trike is either an '02 or 03 and this one has a solid axle. Trish's trike is a California Side Car. That's what I was looking for but this deal for a unit that has only 23,200 miles came along so I took it. This trike has a rake kit and I love how much easier it handles than the Voyager did. Now I just need the Governor to lift the stay at home order so we can go for a ride.

Uhh...Unless something has changed in the past 3-4 years, Her trike is a Champion. They lived here in CA when she had the solid axle changed out for the IRS axle, same as mine, at the same dealership where I had mine triked.
She says the trike does handle better with the IRS though. Anyway, you new baby is a beauty, I wish I had bought the Gold Thing instead of the Kaw, just because of the 6 cyl engine, the better radio and electronics, better heat handling, and the reverse gear. Currently, I too have the "ride behind reverse", I was supposed to have the champion reverse, but it was not in production when I had the Kaw triked in 2010. I think Trish has well over 100,000 miles on her trike, so I don't think you will have any problems with yours!

[HMB Don]

John
Trisha's trike is a champion, she's had two trike kits on her Goldwing. The first was a solid axle, that kit was on for 98,000 miles. as she got more experience riding the trike she felt it rode to harsh, at 135 lbs dressed to ride, it was a harsh ride. At 70,000 miles I changed the rear shocks and I had already rebuilt the front forks with Race Tech fork springs and emulaters and set the front end for her weight, (when I ride it for road test I bottom the forks). When she first got the trike the IRS units where still having problems, so we went with the solid rear diff.

The new IRS trike kit was installed at 98,000 miles and now the Goldwing trike has 223,000 miles on the Odo. IRS in more complex so as Hank wrote the inside of the rear tires wear fast. On Trisha's I've been playing with the preload on the rear shocks, but as you add weight you have to adjust the preload. With the IRS kit the rear tire pressure is 34 psi much different then the 22 or 23 psi on the solid axle.

The steering stem, when the trike was built it was to have an Easy Steer installed. But Trisha wanted to ride her trike to the 2007 AVA Rally in Rapid City. So it didn't get installed, when we got back it was installed and the differance was like power steering. Since I've changed from Easy Steer to another with a 1/2 degree more rake. Which I got from Cycle Transformers. It not steers much easier, but makes very wide turns and the wheel base is now very long.

So all of this has been because a happy wife makes for a happy life, and I like riding with the best motorcycle buddy ever.