Any help is great By 1sttime (Read 782 times)

[1sttime]

Hello

I hope I am in the right place for my question!
I am new to scooters, but being a retired guy I would love just to tour around where I live
My problem is that I a bad sense of balance and therefore would need a 3 wheeled scooter. Most of the roads around here are 80 Kpm (~50 MPH), so I believe I would need about a ~250 to 300cc
I have looked on the internet and there are a few different 3 wheeled scooters, but not a lot of good information about them. I have also seen several scooters with the 2 wheels in front which look interesting, but seem to come from China and not good reviews.
Has anyone tried or seen one of these?
Any advice or suggestions would be most welcome
Thanks to everyone
Cheers
Steve

[cookees]

Only one place to go..... Rapid Repair. Click on the banner ad above.

[adamhoyer]

Haven't bought a trike from this company just a scooter and it still runs, 6k miles. www.motobuys.com/trikes-3-wheelers.html

[cyborg]

I second Jim at rapid repair,,, good deals and the chops to back it up with great service with a very knowledgeable real live mechanic

[jct842]

Most of the reports I have heard about the chinese trikes with the two wheels in front relates to bad handling. No problems with conventional trikes though.

[rapidjim]

Thank you Cookie and Cyborg!

As far as the reverse trikes are concerned (2 wheels up front) ,manufactured by Dong Fang, quite frankly they are a mess and very difficult to get parts for. Years ago, Ice Bear ( manufacturer of the conventional, 2 back wheeled trikes) , use to sell the reverse trikes for another company, they had nothing but issues with them and even as a distributor they couldn't even get warranty parts, which left their dealers and consumers in a dilemma, so Ice Bear dropped them like a hot potato. The biggest mechanical issue with them is the front alignment and steering mechanisms. I have worked on a couple and I was not impressed at all. One of them, we spent 2 hours adjusting and readjusting the front end alignment to get it right, only to have it come back 3 days later out of alignment again. Dong Fang tried to copy the Ca Am and didn't do a good job of it. I have over 45 years of wrenching behind me and over 22 years of owning my own shop, we pride ourselves on working on anything and normally have great results, when it comes to the reverse trikes, I would rather not even try, especially considering what seems to be the non existence of parts.

The conventional Chinese Trikes by Ice Bear (Huzhou Daixi Zhenhua Technology Trade Co LTD) is a trike of a different color. They have a US patten on their machines and they have learned over the years what it takes to make a good machine. They listen to their Dealers and do modifications to make their machines better. I have to say that they are the best distributor I have ever worked with. Being a wholesale only company, they do not deal directly with the end consumer, only their dealers, kinda like GM in Detroit. I have yet to have an issue getting information, warranty parts or standard replacement parts. They even take care of shipping damage claims for you and get the parts to you right away. Mind you, there are times when the warehouse is out of stock of a part and they have to wait for a shipment from China, but that is becoming more and more rare. They just moved into a new warehouse allowing them to carry more parts and machines. Dealers also have to option of pre pay back ordering a part, usually in the States between 30 and 45 days. Their machines are well built and will give many miles of service, as long as they are PDIed and set up correctly from day one, then maintained. No different than anything else, don't set it up right, don't maintain it, and abuse it, you will have issues.

1 sttime: Be somewhat cautious of what you read on the net about different machines. Pay close attention to when the article was written and read between the lines. If the article is old and was written about Ice Bear, there is a great chance that the issue no longer exists, because it was taken care of in a mod. There are several threads I have written on the boards showing what mods they have done. In 2012, they stopped production of their 300 to do a very large mod. and the end result was worth the time. Also, keep in mind there are dealers out there that could care less about their end customers once they have your money. This also causes negative comments from consumers because they are frustrated. To do the speeds you want to do, you will need to have a 300cc trike. If you want more information or just want to ask questions, feel free to contact me at the shop or email.

[1sttime]

Hello All

Just wanted to thank everyone for your help and advice.

I can now start looking at scooters with a least a some good advice

Thanks again

Cheers

Steve

[davec]

I know I'm chiming in late, but it's cause I'm old.
But, I got my 300cc Ice Bear Zodiac from Jim, and it's still running strong.
Gotta recommend it

[bountybuddy]

It would be a good idea if you and your wife or girl friend take a trike safety course.  It will enable you to learn many things about it and make riding it much safer for you.  Ride safe my friend.  

[royldoc]

Looks like I'm late to this party. Several of us here ride trikes for various reasons. Jim at rapid repair is good people and will go above and beyond the other dealers. I bought my first trike from him. When the time comes I will get the next one from him. He pretty much summed it up for you. If you do decide to go with another dealer be sure to check them out good with better business bureau ect. The 300 size trikes should suite your needs as far as speed requirements. I currently own two trikes one is a 50cc size that i modify and tinker on a lot. I use it for cruising around the neighborhood 25 mph limit and short errands. The 300 I use for longer trips where I will have to travel on faster roads. Like Jim said with proper set up and maintenance these machines will give you many miles of service and joy. Plenty of information can be found in the trike section. If you can't find what your looking for just ask and we will help you to the best of our abilities. There is a lot of good knowledgeable people on this forum. Oh and we like to have some fun also.

Roy