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Post by media116 on Jul 20, 2013 7:53:03 GMT
Hi All,
I'm thinking seriously about joining the TR1ke-owning ranks, and will be going for my first look at one next week...can't wait!
But, in the meantime, I'd really appreciate any feedback from experienced owners about the pros and cons of ownership. Here are a few questions that spring to mind...
1. How stable are these machines in reality? Is it easy to life a front wheel? 2. How much difference does the make and design of the rear tyre make to power delivery? 3. Does it take long to get used to driving a TR1ke? 4. When cruising at 50mph in top gear, what's the engine spinning at? 5. How many of you have the electric reverse gear fitted, and is it worth considering? 6. How important are tyre pressures? 7. I've seen a pic of a few cars with tiny, perspex 'windscreens' like they use on the Atom. Do these make a difference?
Any views on the above, or any other helpful hints, would be much appreciated!
Regards,
Chris
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Post by paulh on Jul 20, 2013 9:02:11 GMT
Hi Chris in answer to your questions, satbility is not a problem in any way. No matter how hard I tried I have not managed to make mine lift a front wheel, not even on the track at curborough. You will see a wide variation of tyres being used, from cheap budget to expensive track day tyres. I have a yoko track day tyre and can still make it spin at will, but once you get used to it you can accelerate fast without spin. The first couple of journeys in a trike you are concious of the fact there is a wheel missing behind you, after that you tend to ignore that fact and just have fun. Not sure what revs I would be at at 50 in top gear, but it would be very low, probably below 4000. according to my dyno sheet mine does 10.56 mph per 1000 revs in 4th gear, but this will be infinately variable with changing sprockets etc. I have electric reverse on mine but only use it rarely, but I know Kevin uses reverse far more than me. as the tr1ke is so light I cant say I have really noticed any differnce with tyre pressure. My rear tyre was so soft the other week, it pulled of the rim cornering, but right up till then it was still handling fine. I dont have perspex screens for mine yet, but I plan to make some in the next coouple of weeks. Kevin has some for his tr1ke and says they make a massive differnce on a long journey, sending all the wind and flies over the top of your head. Hope this helps with your decision...... one last thing...........DO IT! YOU WILL LOVE IT !!
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Post by slugshot on Jul 20, 2013 16:58:36 GMT
Welcome Chris
Stability isn't a problem as the weight is so low, take a look at the utube clips on Paul and my build threads. the circuit is tight with quick changes of direction and even using the ramp like rumble strips won't unsettle the tR1ke. I have also driven a circuit will very fast corners with no sign of wheel lift, the tyres start to slide first, the seats on my and pauls rR1ke are very low which helps keep the centre of gravity as low as possible.
I would go for trackday tyres on the front, I use yoko 15in ad08,I run them at 15psi they give very good feel and grip+ they are also lasting very well, there are many good road tyres that are fine on the road but wear isn't an issue so the yokos are a good compromise. The rear tyre at the moment is a vredestein sporty road comp run at 22psi, its not as gripy as a trackday tyre but its only an issue on the track, a good compromise would be a yoko ad08 like paul has on the rear of his, but for ultimate grip a 888 trackday tyre is the best in the dry. For the road any sporty tyre will let you corner faster than a tin top. They are easy to drive but will take a bit of practice mastering pulling away from standstill without stalling. First gear is very tall and with very little flywheel mass to stop it stalling you will become a master of fine clutch control. Or do as paul does and drop the clutch at full revs and light the rear tyre to stop it stalling. RPM at 50mph... Im curious to know why you would want to know this?? my tR1ke does 4100rpm at 50 mph geared for 130mph top speed. The reverse was a pain to get to work at first but powered by its own battery it work great an I wouldn't be without it, even though it adds around 20kg. I have a screen for long trips that deflect the wind and bugs over my head, they are wider than the rtr screens but will be far better at deflecting which is good after 100 miles+ on the motorway, but they do look naff though.
Cheers
Kevin
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Post by media116 on Jul 20, 2013 21:34:22 GMT
Hi Paul and Kevin,
Many thanks for your speedy responses and really useful comments. The reason I was asking about the revs at 50mph is because was to try to get an idea about how raucous the engine/exhaust is at 'cruising' speeds. If all goes to plan, I'll hope to use the TR1ke for the odd business appointment, and was just wondering for this sort of in-traffic 'pottering'? Do many people change the gearing at the expense of top speed, to gain acceleration? Thanks also for the tips re tyre brands and types. I'm now even more excited about the car I'm seeing next week!
Regards,
Chris
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Post by slugshot on Jul 21, 2013 12:21:56 GMT
Hi Paul and Kevin, Many thanks for your speedy responses and really useful comments. The reason I was asking about the revs at 50mph is because was to try to get an idea about how raucous the engine/exhaust is at 'cruising' speeds. If all goes to plan, I'll hope to use the TR1ke for the odd business appointment, and was just wondering for this sort of in-traffic 'pottering'? Do many people change the gearing at the expense of top speed. Regards, Chris Hi Chris The tR1ke is fine in traffic and quiet with the std silencer setup. My motor is an early model with carbs, they have the lowest first gear but still does 60mph in first using low gearing and will do 130 at the red line in top gear The latter model like pauls will do 90+mph in 1st.
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Post by edwinwl on Jul 21, 2013 20:54:56 GMT
That is the fun about kitcar: the personalisation / modification. You make it the way you want it.
Not a single tr1ke is the same.
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Post by media116 on Jul 22, 2013 7:32:02 GMT
How many of you all tackle your owner engine servicing> Is there much to worry about in this respect, or is it largely a matter of regular oil changes using top-quality oil?
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Post by erik on Jul 22, 2013 9:21:58 GMT
I'm not intending to do engine service myself. I'll head for a local bike mechanic. However, he did advice me to change oil every spring to prevent wear on the cilinder coating on the carb versions. These versions don't carry cilinder bushes. The coating may get brittle and fail. Because of this I added an Oil temp sensor and gauge on my bonnet to run up the engine warm before hitting 148hp Oil heats up slower as coolant thus the coolant temp isn't the best reference for a warm engine. other than this the R1 engine seems to be a nice choice. Good thing you're asking these questions before jumping
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Post by media116 on Jul 22, 2013 10:56:42 GMT
Thanks for that, Erik!
I think your policy is the way to go. I know the TR1ke is lightweight, but I'm guessing that the engine still has to work a bit harder pushing it around than it does on the bike, so it's not worth taking any chances on routine maintenance. Top-quality engine oil and frequent changes (pretty much regardless of mileage), has got to be the safest way to keep things running smoothly.
What about the rest of the vehicle, though? What are the servicing/maintenance requirements for the suspension, brakes, steering etc? Is this something you'll be farming-out too, or does RTR provide guidelines regarding schedules for this kind of work?
Kind regards,
Chris
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Post by paulh on Jul 22, 2013 14:10:16 GMT
There is not really much to maintain, just make sure nothing comes loose and falls off. I would guess it will be several thousand miles before you even need to think about brake pads or tyres as the tr1ke is so light.Maybe a rear tyre if youre a hooligan
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Post by Deleted on Jul 22, 2013 16:52:56 GMT
Handling is brilliant, as good as most cars, my rear tire is a budget tire as are the fronts, I drive mine quite hard most of the time, and not had any issues with it losing grip, I have never managed to lift a wheel, these are in no way like the Grinnal trikes, these handle as well as the Campagna T-Rex. Mine is on standard gearing and is happy to cruise around in 6th gear at 40 MPH as it is at 120 MPH, I always felt the high revving engine needed more gears, but I am use to owning big V Twin engines that rev lower. It will take you all of 5 minutes to master how to drive a TR1KE, don't expect anyone to let you lose on one, they are a vicious machine, and once you have been for a test ride at RTR you will see why. I fitted some dainty screens, they were useless, I had bought the ones RTR supplied, I didn't like how they looked, although they are meant to be much better, I still didn't like them, so have gone without. I personally prefer a harder tire, its easier to slip, which means its not ripping up the tread and stretching the chain. each to there own, if you want maximum grip and have lots of money then soft compound tires will do the trick, The first demo I went in had Yokahama Parada tires on the front, and a budget on the rear. It didn't seem to grip any better than mine does now. I would personally try it with cheaper tires first, and if need be invest in a spare set of wheels to swap for track days.
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Post by edwinwl on Jul 22, 2013 18:16:21 GMT
There is not really much to maintain, just make sure nothing comes loose and falls off. I would guess it will be several thousand miles before you even need to think about brake pads or tyres as the tr1ke is so light.Maybe a rear tyre if youre a hooligan Agree. My tr1ke is inspected very regular. Visual inspection of all fluids, bolts and parts subjected to wear. It has run a few 1000 km already. Because of very low weight tr1ke has no real visual wear. Exept the rear tire, but i love the power spins.....
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Post by erik on Jul 22, 2013 19:01:23 GMT
Thx for the kine words This tR1ke design is pretty nice with very little remarks to be changed to make one happy. The only debate I read on mainaintance are the poly bushes which may wear out, but this self greasing type of plastic which should only need to be lubricated to cancel out squeeking.
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Post by media116 on Jul 22, 2013 19:14:39 GMT
Well, it's just sounding better and better!
Tommorow's the big day for my first TR1ke experience. :-)
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Post by erik on Jul 22, 2013 19:59:51 GMT
Will you be at RTR? My tR1ke is under pink/white camo canvas over there
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