Originally written by gregbenner on 1/24/2008 10:13 AM
There are a lot of responses re: the "need" for a reverse. Sort of like the need for more power. I would totally agree that reverse is not "necessary". I want it because I like it and think it looks way more cool to back out of a parking spot rather than pushing the sidecar. I live in a very large city where convenient parking is usually not available. To me, $1600 or so is not at all unreasonable if it works (a new Harley rig is $30K ++). Claude, do you have any experience with the Champion reverse? I have talked with several Lehman Trike dealers, and they all say they work fine. I have a call into Lehman itself, curious as to what they have to say.
Greg, No, I have no experience with the Champion reverse. No doubt that reports from those who do have it or have experience with it will vary. Human nature usually prevails. If someone had trouble with th einstallation for whatever reason they will probably be negative. If someoen paid th eprice for one and didn;t like it they may still say it is great to justify the money spent. If someone has one and uses it daily like th eguy who just posted who is a parapalegic then, yes, I woudl tend to lean towards his report.
With that being said and if I was to want a reverse on a Harley sidecar I would probably run one off the sidecar wheel instead of getting into the tranny. Due to the harley having no suspension on the sidecar this type of thing is a lot less complicated than on other sidecar rigs. Would this work as well as the tranny modification? Under most circustances I would say yes. Under some conditions the answer woudl be 'no' due to the sidecar wheel not being able to provide as much traction as the rear wheel of the bike would due to weight loading etc..
We recently did an electric revere on the rear of a K100 and it worked well.It relies on a friction connection between a rubber wheel off of an electric winch motor and the rear tire of the bike. Seems to work well even when wet. We were able to climb the bike over a 2x4 with it...lol.
Oh, as far as the $15 parking ticket went that was quite a few years ago. They are much more today buit I do not intend to find out how much the hard way. 🙂
Well folks, thanks for all the replies. It is one expensive option, but so was the sidecar, and I don't have the poop anymore to push half a ton plus of motorcycle uphill. I am off to the harley dealer tomorrow to talk with the lads and get their opinion as I believe they have already installed one. This aging thing ain't what it's cracked up to be !! If I come back with anything new, I'll post it.
Don
Don, if you do get the reverse, I'd really appreaciate your comments after you get it.
the Champion reverse for Harley will only work with stock head pipes.
fly
Originally written by Fly on 1/28/2008 5:47 PM
the Champion reverse for Harley will only work with stock head pipes.
fly
Not true,...on my custom 88'softail I cut the stock shift lever off 2inches from the tranny took a piece of aluminum tubing made several bends to position it exactly where I wanted it and it shifts in and out pefect,..no probs.
My '08 Ultra is waiting at the dealer for the installation of the Sidecar, so I had reverse installed before delivery and I certainly hope I don't have the problems I've read about here. This is being installed on the 6-speed transmission that they now include, so it's not exactly the configuration you metioned.
I know that some of the earlier models had issues, but to my knowledge it does not require that you turn of the engine to put it into reverse. I'll post my thoughts after I actually have a chance to work with it, and hopefully that will be within a couple of weeks.
It is not necessary to shut the engine off to engage reverse on the 5 speed version and I imagine the same is true for the new 6 speed kit. Just make sure you are in neutral!
Cheers,
I have taken delivery of my rig and the Champion reverse gear works just fine.
Now, I have to say that the salesman, mechanic and the instructions all warn against putting it into reverse without first confirming that it's in neutral. This could quickly chew up the reverse gear and cause other problems, so they were very adament.
In that regard, I must have tapped my foot control while putting it into reverse and my attention was drawn to the right side; and when I tried to back up, the engine just slowed down as I engaged the clutch. I knew something wasn't right, pulled back on the clutch, and started the sequence over. That time it worked and I had no problem.
It is also emphasized that this is not a system that you can use for long distance driving or coasting backwards. If you just coast backwards down hill in reverse, the gear tends to pop out of place and begins to click.
All this said, I've not had any problems, and I have to back out of a 40 foot driveway from my garage to the street. Once you get the hang of the reverse lever, it all comes quite naturally.
Now I need a little warm weather.
Originally written by skaeser on 2/12/2008 4:58 PM
I have taken delivery of my rig and the Champion reverse gear works just fine.
Now, I have to say that the salesman, mechanic and the instructions all warn against putting it into reverse without first confirming that it's in neutral. This could quickly chew up the reverse gear and cause other problems, so they were very adament.
In that regard, I must have tapped my foot control while putting it into reverse and my attention was drawn to the right side; and when I tried to back up, the engine just slowed down as I engaged the clutch. I knew something wasn't right, pulled back on the clutch, and started the sequence over. That time it worked and I had no problem.
It is also emphasized that this is not a system that you can use for long distance driving or coasting backwards. If you just coast backwards down hill in reverse, the gear tends to pop out of place and begins to click.
All this said, I've not had any problems, and I have to back out of a 40 foot driveway from my garage to the street. Once you get the hang of the reverse lever, it all comes quite naturally.
Now I need a little warm weather.
It sounds OK as long as you are careful and don't forget about the limitations. What is needed with a reverse on a motorcycle is an interlock. The Goldwings, for example, will only permit the reverse to engage when the bike is in neutral.
I hope it works out for you.
Thanks. It's a good system, given that it's an add-on from a third party manufacturer. Giong back through the posts in this thread there are several that have the Champion reverse and I think we all agree that it works fine. An interlock would be nice, but perhaps when the tranny is redesigned for the new production Trikes that HD and Lehman are working on.
Originally written by skaeser on 2/13/2008 2:31 AM
Thanks. It's a good system, given that it's an add-on from a third party manufacturer. Giong back through the posts in this thread there are several that have the Champion reverse and I think we all agree that it works fine. An interlock would be nice, but perhaps when the tranny is redesigned for the new production Trikes that HD and Lehman are working on.
Harley-Davidson could easily build a modern transmission with reverse but there would have to be sufficient demand for the trikes and the sidecars in the future. It's possible that demand might increase when fuel hits European levels in the U.S. Harley had a reverse in the past but it was done with a handshift which prevented engaging two gears at once. Reverse was all the way forward with neutral, first, second and third to the rear of the shifter gate beginning in 1947. Earlier bikes were opposite in order on the gate.
The Panheads I rode when I was a kid delivering blueprints in Chicao had three and reverse with handshift on the left fuel tank and they worked perfectly.
i would SERIOUSLY like a hand shift on my ultra - but true handshifts were not rachet tops - they were fixed drums with a rod to the shifter. & the reverse trans had a gate on the shifter to prevent going into reverse accidentally.
there is a casting availiable that is a copy of the early 70's handshift bracket that could be made to fit a modern ultra very well
and there are a number of ways to do the clutch [with a sidecar the true locking motion would be nice but not required] but getting the transmission to work right - that would be a chore
and of course the big bugaboo - it all has to be reversable so that when the bike is sold its back to stock [5 to 7 years]
*sigh*
to
Originally written by timo482 on 2/13/2008 12:58 PM
i would SERIOUSLY like a hand shift on my ultra - but true handshifts were not rachet tops - they were fixed drums with a rod to the shifter. & the reverse trans had a gate on the shifter to prevent going into reverse accidentally.
there is a casting availiable that is a copy of the early 70's handshift bracket that could be made to fit a modern ultra very well
and there are a number of ways to do the clutch [with a sidecar the true locking motion would be nice but not required] but getting the transmission to work right - that would be a chore
and of course the big bugaboo - it all has to be reversable so that when the bike is sold its back to stock [5 to 7 years]
*sigh*
to
HD is only going to build items that sell in volume. Right now they are on a marketing kick with six-speed transmissions. The fact is that Harleys don't need six-speed transmssions but that's what everyone wants now.
If HD made a 4 or 5 and reverse with a lockout that would replace present equipment for trikes and sidecars, I think they could sell them. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
If the Motor Company's trike venture takes off they will probably address the reverse gear again with an in box version.
The trike conversions are a big buck item and may warrant revisiting the reverse if the market is there. Or they could use current vendors.
Regardless, most trike buyers will want that reverse gear.
Lonnie
Some dealers are already testing the waters and have put together Trike and Sidecar packages for their showroom floor. The Frederick, MD Harley Dealer installs Champion Trike conversions, and had a V-Rod Trike last Fall. Now they have a new 2008 Ultra Classic w/Ultra Sidecar for about $32K, and I expect it won't stay on the floor long. Neither of these models had a reverse gear, but I suspect if would be offered as an option after the sale.
