May 23
Stem post with plug
Today I had a interesting fix.
Way who is an avid rider, yeh he rides 20 miles at a pop every time he takes his trikke out, had a clicking in the column. Well I always go right to the bearings in the steering head and give it a tug back and forth on the column. And usually I am right, hmm not this time. His column was tight as can be. So I then took it for a test spin and sure enough there was a small click. Now we have to really take a close look at things to start eliminating. First off the trailing arm was a tad loose when fully extended. the bolt were tight but it produced a squeaky noise like that of a floor. So we have to remove the trailing arm from the Cambering Mechanism so the we can remove that plunger in the arm lock. Needless to say that was not it. After careful thought I began to disassemble the column and found the culprit. The riser or stem post that the bars and gooseneck are attached to has a small plastic plug inset into the bottom of the post. It had worked loose and fallen into the bottom of the column. I turned the trikke upside down to retrieve the plug. The plug was a bit loose so I added a small piece of eletrical tape to the plug and stuffed it back into the post. Once together the noise and click was gone. You see what happens is the clamp that locks the post becomes like a seesaw for the post allowing it to swash back and forth. If you have a simular sound which seems faint, this is most likely your issue.
If you have a question that needs answering – send me and email at southbaytrikke@gmail.com.
Tagged with: clicking • noisy steering column • plastic plug • stem post clicking
Mar 13
Replacement extension arm
I broke my Trikke…but happily Andy at
SouthBay Trikke Fixed it!
I was trikking here in Costa Mesa on Tuesday and felt the right footpad was bending inwards, uh oh. The handlebar column was mushy too. I got off and looked at the Trikke and it looked like the right pedal was bent outwards. When I got back on, the welded joint up at the front cracked. Ugh! I walked it back to my hotel and made a few calls…fortunately finding Andy at
SouthbayTrikke. I took it over to him yesterday morning and he put a new part on…it’s silver so it sort of looks bionic now, I like it! A battle scar!
He was great, adjusted my brakes, managed to fish out a plug that had come loose in the steering column, got a broken bolt out of the bottle cage hole (thank you bad installation at a local b*ke shop, grr), fixed my Trikke so the front wheel will stay in alignment and….put on one of his groovy cargo nets. So now I’m all fixed up, better than ever, with a new bionic part, cool.
Big thanks to Andy for all the help yesterday, he was great! Now I can enjoy my Trikke in this wonderful California weather.
Thank you for the kind words
Andy
Tagged with: cambering Mechanism • Trikke fix
Oct 26
When Trikke Tech first released the Ekit in late 2008 and the beginning of 2009, there were 2 options. You could acquire the Electrified package in either a 12″ inch front hub or a 10″ inch front hub. Both versions pack 250Watts of muscle and powered b y the 3x 12 volt batteries in a series to give you the 36V needed to drive that hub. On a T12 one would mount a 12″ ekit. For the T8 it was the T10 hub.
I have run both and enjoy the power of both. Of course I lean to the T12 for the disc stopping power and overall size. Well you cant get the T12 hub because they are sold out and are changing the 12″hub motor to a 350W option. This T12 motor by the way will not be available as a kit. So what are Trikkers left to do. Many are turning to mounting the 10″ hub on the T12 Roadster. I have always wanted to try it and just never got around to it. I received a call from Rich who wants to upgrade his T12 Roadster into a ETrikke. “Well, Rich I only have 10″ hubs” I explain the difference. He ’s in and wants to make it happen. how could I resist that….
His Trikke is in Great condition um because it has not been ridden. We all know its tough at the beginning but it only gets easier and smoother. We begin by opening the Trikke up completely and removing the brake cables. Tug on the cable upward on the steering column and out of its pocket. Then remove from Brake lever and rest cable on each side of cambering mechanism. The next part involves removing the sticker and badge off of the front side of the column. After inventorying parts from the kit, lay the battery pack down on the ground. After applying 2 provided protection stickers 1/2 inch below brake cable supports, collapse the Roadster and rest on battery pack cradles. Install the lower bracket and be sure to even distance to base on both sides. Snug up lower cradle 3/4 below cable mounts. Do not tighten all the way, just enough to hold it when we open the Trikke back up. So once open we want to assure that the pack is happily resting in the base, massage the pack into the mount and tighten Velcro strap under the battery cradle. Pull the upper mount closer to the column now and force it to fit under the cable mounts by at least a 1/2 inch and resting on plastic sticker. We want room for the cables to move freely.
To be continued>>>>
Oct 12
Trikke Cambering bushing
Regular Maintenance Check list.
In order to keep you ride at it’s optimum performance we need to do a few things. Here is a review of the items to check on your Trikke at least every 3 rides. Remember that this carving vehicle needs to be checked so you can get the most out of it. Procedures will be available for all these topics, so fear not for the novice gear head.
Check Tire Pressure. (75-80psi) A drop in pressure of 20psi will create a larger contact patch on the ground. Kind of feels muddy.
Check Brake Adjustments. You want to make sure that when you squeeze you brake lever that there is sufficient resistance before the lever meets the bar, better yet it should not reach the bar.
Inspect Bushing. The bushing is the glue that makes it all work. This bushing will wear and tear after extended use. Replace when tearing is visible around yolk shaft. Trikke will feel loose with all bolts tight.
Check bolts. (Do Not tighten hex heads with the ball end of some hex/allen wrenchs) this will strip the bolt on the inner face of the tool and bolt mating surfaces. Be gentle but firm. Use the straight end for the stubborn bolts then use the speed end
a. Goose neck & bar asembly bracket
b. Cambering mechanism assembly
c. Wheel axle’s
d. Headset set bolt
Sep 23
Trikke bent disc
Hey Andy!
How’s things… family…the crew, et al? I hope all is good.
As much as I’d rather bounce over to your pad and have an expert fix this… I’m currently back at home base in New Mexico, so – that option isn’t going to work.
My PONE has a problem brake disc. I’ve taken it off and pounded a bit with a rubber mallet. I’ve tried to bend it into shape – but seemingly – to no avail! My dad is grabbing two metal plates so I can try pounding/pressing the disc.
The disc looks like it’s ‘bowled’ ! Do you have any tricks – advice? I’ll order some new ones soon – I have a feeling I’m going to need them! I finally POPPED my FIRST tire this morning on my T8 — – sssshhhhhhBANGPOP! It was actually very thrilling – I was wondering when I’d hit just the right pebble or glass shard – or over inflate one of the little darlings. My T12 has been giving me the most joy and amazing riding thrills since you tuned it and put these amazing grips on – so much better now that I’m really in touch with how the Trikke works!!!
(just to brag to you, because I know you’ll appreciate this — I think, so far – at least 10 people have purchased a Trikke due to my simply ‘riding’ around and showing off and showing them how to get moving. I’ve got to work on the business side of this somehow I think!)
I hope to catch up with you in the future and ride. That ride on the Ponies to the market was all it took for me to grab the balls on the Tribred and show this mountain town what the future looks like!!!
Cheers
steve j.
Bummer on the flat. The disc can be trued while mounted on the trikke. Its easier with the large T12 disc because of sheer size. You basically have to rotate the wheel looking for hi and lo spots, pushing and pulling as you rotate the wheel. A small crescent wrench closed down against the disc will act as a lever to motivate towards or away from the wheel. softly is the key. This should help until you get new discs.
Peace Brother
I had a great time riding with you as well.
Tagged with: bent disc • bent disk • rotor • trikke disc brake
Sep 16
Take a minute to look this over. Lining your cable properly will save the cable from a potential pinch between the frame and fork. Pinching the sheath around the cable set can cause serious damage to the motor and may harm you. This will ensure that there is no contact. I also like to route this between the trailing arms just behind the yolk of the cambering mechanism
Apr 18
A loose T78air Deluxe with Ekit regains Posture
Corey is my 18 year old nephew and today he came by which gave us a chance to do an over haul on his Tribred free rien. This was one of the first kits available with the combination. There were no instructions, we figured the assembly by what was left over after install. Learning what effects the added weight would have on the Trikke be came a new issue to deal with. We have learned a few new ways to help a sagging posture and here they are.
Corey had recently change the cambering bushings which were already taking a hit due to his riding style. He really can throw this machine around. We knew we had to change them out. Trikke has a new heavy duty cambering bushing that is on the new Freereins and Pon-es from the factory. If you have a T12 ekit or a T8 with an ekit, get this bushing you will thank me later.
When working with these its a good idea to use a C clamp and a socket for the removal and install of the bushing. The best move is to fold the free rien up on the ground and remove the 2 bolts from the folding mechanism. Lay the trailing arms on the ground. You should be able to remove the cambering mechanism fairly easy. Loosen bolts from the yolk and front pivot axle, pull the CV halve from unit. Use a snap ring remover to remove the ring and washer spacer. You can either remove the bushing by pushing it out of the housing or use a large socket and C-clamp to press out. Replace with the new bushing. I like to apply a line layer of house hold grease on the outer edge of the bushing to ease of install. DO NOT apply in excess. We don’t want grease all over this unit, remember the bushings are made to wear. Once the bushing has seated in the housing use a socket and C-clamp to compress the bushing a bit so that the spacer and snap ring can easily slip back into place. This is also a good time to inspect the integrity of the part. Look at the welds for cracks or warpage.
Feb 09
Steering head clicks or seems loose.
Every now and then one slips by. You get your Trikke all set up and take it for a spin only to find it loose in the steering or a clicking noise. What the heck is going on? Well in the simplest terms the head locking clamp is not snug up to the back of the bearing set located at the bottom of the steering head. This is an easy fix. First off lower the bars to their lowest position and flip the Trikke upside down so that the front fork can be removed. Loosen the 2 bolts holding the fork assembly and remove the fork. Now the next clamp you see is the silver steering head clamp. You have a couple ways of doing this. First off make sure that the gooseneck is supported on something preferably not on the bars. Put a 4×4 or something like that to rest the neck end on so that the blunt force you apply will be solid. You may need a second set of hands to hold the Trikke as you complete these steps. Next loosen the clamp bolt a hair (not all the way loose) and then use a hammer and punch or screwdriver to work your way around the clamp tapping downward towards the steering head. Snug the bolt a little tighter and repeat pattern. Do it a third time and make sure the bolt is tight on the clamp when last attempt is complete. I actually use the end of a transmission yolk which slides over the steering end and proceed with the same routine as before. You may have a pipe piece or something of that nature to do this. Reinstall the fork assembly and tighten the 2 bolts.
Your steering should now be tight. The factory compresses these columns to 175lbs of pressure and then they secure the bolt. I have seen T12’s on occasion missing the compression ring to center the bearing. At this point you need that compression ring. You can also purchase a Column Compression tool which we sell from Jeff over at MidWest Trikke. I really like this tool since you can gauge the force applied more easily.
Tagged with: clicking • column • column tool • loose steering • tools
