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.
