Handling Pt 2 - More Early Impressions

A week or so after the last outings, I had purchased a cheap motorcycle intercom system (Amazon.com), and fitted the two headsets into Anne and my helmet.  The intercom fitted in my pocket and allowed us to chat easily at and below cruising speed.  There was a bit of bad contact crackle at first but I fiddled with the plugs and it went away.  The system only cost around $40.00 so I'm not expecting perfection, and it does work well enough for the two of us.  It may get noiser when we get above 50mph or so.

We went for a nice 30 mile outing, stopping off a our local Perkins restaruant on the way.  Anne is tall and with her sitting high on the back I could occasionally feel us swaying slightly in the breeze.  Once again, I had to remember to keep my weight off the handbars to prevent any driver induced oscillations.  Other than that, I soon felt comfortable, even when crossing the occasional badly patched section on roadway.  We travelled around the local Lake Manawa, and out into the countryside.  I had to run for a mile or so on a faster highway and pushed the speed up to 50mph to fit in with traffic.  As I'm still running the engine in, I didn't want to push it too hard for very long, but it certainly has no problem getting up to speed.  The trike seems stable at speed, but I am still wary of it as I get faster, as other trikers had complained of handling problems above 30mph.  Maybe its the way the different trikes are set up, or maybe it is just that it feels odd?  I'm taking my time getting used to the feel and the handling, but so far, I'm good at up to around 40mph or so.

I fitted a saddlebag on the left side, and so far it works well, with no problems. We now have somewhere to put water bottles, snacks , some clothing, etc.   I ended up modifying the saddlebag set up as I didn't want it rubbing on the rear fender.  I welded up a frame to hold it away from the fender.  You will be able to see details on the Modifications and Add-Ons page.

 I've ridden the MC-95 several times to work in the last month and I really enjoy the ride. The trike seems  to have a top speed of a little over 50mph.  Most of my journey is on 30-40pmh limit city subsrbs, with about 2 miles of 50mph interstate (I480 in Omaha, NE). Those two miles require the full throttle and I can get through the traffic without slowing them down, but I'd not want to try it on faster roads, as it would be a lane blocker.  This is NOT a long distance cruiser.

The ride is challenging, with the different surfaces, pot holes, drain covers, road patches, etc. trying to throw it off-course, and so it is like off-roading - you have to stay awake and keep in control!  I love it and the trike actually handles the bumps and holes really well, but you must not hang onto the handlebars or you end up weaving.  I grip with my knees, and keep my arms relaxed to avoid twitching the handlbars on changing surfaces.  The trike does not deviate on good surfaces at all, and the bad ones would also probably cause a car to move around (but you probably have power steering and so don't notice the adjustments you are making), so attention to what's in front of you, and maintaining a relaxed grip is vital if you want to stay in your lane. If you are blessed with good flat even roads then you are lucky as the trike is great of good surfaces.

My MC-95 runs really well.  I'm currently riding in 70-90F temps and the water temperature gauge usually sits below 90F except when on the fast roads where it goes up a bit more, but never close to overheating. The two vents on the sides in front of the legs do put out a lot of heat.

Response off the lights is excellent and going up and down the hills is no problem as the trike seems able to hold the speed

The sensation of speed is strange in that you do feel that you are going really much faster that reality.  The speedo is of little help as it is often way off, especially above about 35mph.  Mine will show about 75mph when I'm actually doing about 50mph, and it seems to jump around.  I GPS is the best answer.  The engine revs make it seem that you are going fast, and that you need ot chage up a gear - if you had one.

The suspension is still firm after 300+ miles and so there is a tendency to be bounced by the pot holes, sunken manhole covers, and rough surfaces, so lifting the bum off the seat is occasionally necesary and the knee gripping is required.

If you don't like a challenge then stay away from trikes, but if you want to have lots of fun when riding then this could be your thing! I really look forward to the days i can ride the trike to work.  Do make sure that you maintain the trike, and set it up properly in the first place.   Most of the problems I've heard about are either replated to shipping  - broken front turn indicators, loose nuts, crossed threads, overtightened blots, wheels not aligned properly, toe in incorrect, and loosly fitting electrical connectors.  Set the trike up properly and it hands well.  I bought it to have fun when riding and it certainly provides that experience!

 Practicing in a local disused car park.

For more Videos go to Videos of the Reverse Trike in Action 

 
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