I have a 1999 Kawasaki Vulcan Drifter with a Motorvation Spyder hack. I am seriously considering a Steerite conversion for the triple trees before the riding season rolls around here in Minnesota. Has anyone had this conversion done? Was the company relible? Is it a good quality product? And, most importantly, how did the handling on the finished product improve? Thanks in advance for the info.
The company is well known for a quality product. My only hesitation with one of these is that nearly everyone I know that has a Leading Link front fork started by buying a triple tree conversion, then spent the money for a new stock tree and full leading link.
Personally, I've never found either necessary, though at one time when I was doing a lot of low speed city riding I considered one for the Valkyrie.
A leading link front end is not an option on the Drifter. I don't think the Indian style fully valanced front fender would have enough room for a leeding link front suspension. My ultimate goal is to "lighten" the steering. The combo is heavy and can be tiring to ride for lengthy periods.
How long have you had a sidecar? If you are new you may want to give it some time. But if you go with Peter Smith's product you should be happy.
http://www.sidecars.ca/news.htm
As far a reducing trail actually helping the handling of a rig it will not do much. It will make the steering easier no doubt but that and handling are really not one and the same. If the rig pulls or anything like that it can be traced to setup. easier stering can mask a bad setup somewhat as it will be easier to handle even if the setup is off some.
I have ridden bikes for 20 plus years and sidecars for the last 7 or 8. My first rig was a Ural and I loved it but was looking for something I could take extended cruises on the interstsate without worrying about the reliability of my machine. I loved the looks of the Drifter and found one I could afford. I have solved some of my handling problems adjusting the lean, but still feel that the handling is "heavier" than I think it should be. I'll be honest, I have not had a lot of experience setting a rig up, and am still trying to figure out what my next move is. The handling of the bike is not terrible, but I feel it can be improved. I have spoken to the Motorvation folks about riding it down to Iowa and letting them check my setup but have not yet got it done. I might let the Motorvation folks look at my setup before I start modifying. Thanks for the responses.
I had Pete do my Honda 1100T, the work preformed was fantastic, I have 35 years in the metal trades and I know about welding and the job done by them was as close to prefect as it could be IMHO, Peat is a great guy to deal with, he will explain what he's going to do and for the most part how he's going to do it, when I installed it everything fit like it should except the windshield I had to move the clamps a little because of the more forward rake of the down tubes, handling wise the improvement was really good, I still have to put pressure on the bars to turn it and that's the way I wanted it, it's not like power steering but darn close to it, you won't go wrong having him do the job and while it is expensive it's *well* worth it, makes the enjoyment of your rig a LOT nicer,,,a lot nicer, in fact you may find yourself going into righthand corners a little too fast and going into 2 wheel mode 🙂
Originally written by shoelu on 1/21/2009 11:51 PM
I have ridden bikes for 20 plus years and sidecars for the last 7 or 8. My first rig was a Ural and I loved it but was looking for something I could take extended cruises on the interstsate without worrying about the reliability of my machine. I loved the looks of the Drifter and found one I could afford. I have solved some of my handling problems adjusting the lean, but still feel that the handling is "heavier" than I think it should be. I'll be honest, I have not had a lot of experience setting a rig up, and am still trying to figure out what my next move is. The handling of the bike is not terrible, but I feel it can be improved. I have spoken to the Motorvation folks about riding it down to Iowa and letting them check my setup but have not yet got it done. I might let the Motorvation folks look at my setup before I start modifying. Thanks for the responses.
Okay then you didn't jest recently get into this sidecar stuff. It would not hurt to still have Motorvation take a peek at things. They are great folks to work with. If it can be improved you have lost nothing. If you still feel the steering is harsh you can still add th etreee conversion...or just do both now and be done with it 🙂
Two years ago my son and I installed a Motorvation Spyder on my Valkyrie with a lot of help from this board, Hal Kendall's cd, and David Hough's book. We learned a lot. However, when all was adjusted, I found that I could not live with the heavy steering due to my age and arthritic wrist. I bought a triple tree, modifed by Steerite, from someone in Frisco. He had never used it, after having it three years. It didn't fit!
I talked to Pete (Steerite) and he told me to return it as they had some trees that were heat treated wrong and went out of spec. He repaired it and returned it to me at NO CHARGE! Wonderful people at Steerite.
To sum it up, I would not be without this triple tree mod. The steering is 'way easier. Will it solve all the problems that a rig can have, No.
For me though, it was one of the answers that I needed.
Solo1
I have an '05 Vulcan 2000 with a Motovation FormulaII. I put a Steerite conversion on the big Kawi and what an improvement. IMHO Pete Smith is a great guy and does very good work. He stands behind his work. If you are going to get anyone to modify your trees, I highly recommend the Steerite. Best Regards........Helmetmike.
If the motorcycle is to be dedicated solely to the sidecar, then a modified set of trees is certainly a good idea. One must remember that solo riding with the modified trees would be unusual to say the least.
It's too bad that the manufacturers of the trees don't make them adjustable like the older Harleys.
Hi:
I have Steerite on my VTX1300s. After 10,000 miles I got tired of wrestling the rig. I ruled out leading links as I didn't wish to change the retro-look silhouette of the bike. The steerite conversion made a positive notable/significant change in handling. Cornering became a lot easier. Consequently, cornering speeds increased. This may or may not be a good thing. LOL 30,000 miles later, I have no complaints. I have driven rigs with leading links - they are pretty nice, but they do change the look. ... With Steerite, be aware that you may have to make some adaptations to the mounts for your windscreen and or running lights. .. In my limited experience, if I were not concerned with changing the "look", I would seriously consider leading links. With my current bike, the Steerite conversion has served me well and I would not give it up for a second.
Good luck with your decision.
gail
Thanks for all the great responses and advice, especially from those that have "been there done that". It sounds like everyone who has used Steerite is happy with the results. I may try and get my bike to the Motorvation folks to tweak my setup. If that doesn't solve my handling issues I will let the Steerite folks have my trees with the confidence that they have a quality product. Thanks again.
What some folks do is to source a second set of trees from ebay or wherever and get them 'done up' instead of using th etrees on the bike. This gives th eoption of 'going back' if desired at some point and also cuts out 'down time' for the while waiting for th etrees to get modified.
Just a thought.
Shoelu:Hi,just to mention that the Honda dealer in Rice Lake Wi.obtained and installed the fork kit in my wing seemed to know what he was doing but don't know if he does other brands!They are big impropvement!!Wish I had bought one of those like the Indian look!!Especially since I have restored Indians have most of the various accessories for theIndian that would have looked good on the Vulcan!
It sounds like you have the electric lean control on your Spyder, so be sure to have Motorvation Engineering check out the setup. I have a Motorvation Formula II LTD on my '81 GL1100. I bought the hack from a private party and hauled it to Sibley, IA to have Motorvation mount it. They did a great job while we waited. Mary Sondag and crew have also fixed some wiring problems caused by furry rodents. We have done quite a lot of Interstate highway travel and it handles well except when in a very strong crosswind.
