In looking for a raked triple tree for my '97 Springer with a Motorvation Spyder sidecar, I have found that there is a big difference in prices. J&P Cycles sells a Paughco 6 degree trike tree for around $500 and Liberty sells their own 5 degree tree for $950 + shipping and owner-supplied fork legs. Both say they fit a 1997 Springer. I have also found several others that fall inside this price range.
Obviously I'm not very knowledgeable about these things. If you change the triple tree, are you required to change the fork legs also? Since the trail of the '97 Springer is a relatively long 6.5", would 5 degrees vs. 6 degrees of rake make a lot of difference, i.e. would 6 degrees reduce the trail too much? I realize that handling feel is highly subjective, but could one degree cause the trail to be reduced an excessive amount so that the steering would be unsafe?
Since neither the Paughco for the '97 Springer nor the Liberty for the '97 Springer come with anything else except the triple tree, are there other components that one must buy to complete the conversion to ease the steering forces?
Can there really be a 100% difference in the quality of the manufacturing of a triple tree that the difference in price reflects or am I missing a lot that shows my lack of knowledge about this conversion?
Thanks for any information.
Hey Esau, I can't answer your questions re: the Springer, but take a look here for another perspective: http://www.sidecar.com/mbbs22/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=9832&posts=13&start=1
Lee
MB5+TW200+CRF250L+GTV300+INT650
XL883R w/Texas Ranger Sidecar
Zuma 50F + Burgman w/Texas Sidecar<Mrs. SwampFox
Lee, that is an extremely interesting link. In my "other" life, I was a pilot for the USAF and the airlines (all jets) plus a short stint of 1.5 years flying Beavers (tail-dragging prop) for the Army Nat'l Guard during one of my airline's protracted strikes. I had a working knowledge of the aircraft I flew and their onboard systems as well as the theory of flight, but I was always in awe of the ingenuity of the design engineers, the manufacturing companies and especially the mechanics who kept the machines I flew working properly. I have nothing but the deepest respect for men who can think up ways to make things work and then use their hands and tools to actually create what they have in their mind and, on top of that, will actually take the time to share their knowledge on websites like this. I appreciate the link you sent; it's difficult to ferret out all that has been written here about how one might get his rig to handle "better."
