Finally solved the Sunny reverse trike death shakes! By new2scootn (Read 5,253 times)

[new2scootn]

I'm not sure if anyone still has one of these reverse trikes, or if anybody cares, but for the last 4 years this 300cc hunk of junk has been a never ending source of frustration. One of the biggest sources of this frustration has been trying to get the "death shakes" out of this thing. At first they would only come in at low speeds(about 25 mph or less) and mostly when braking. Many wheel alignments later and no more low speed shakes but holy crap, if you ever needed to stop on a dime from highway speeds the whole front end wanted to jump in the next lane. The way the front end is designed, with the tie rods at a pretty steep angle instead of flat, when you get on the brakes hard and the front end squats, it actually toes in the front wheels a little and starts them shaking. The fix? A relatively cheap steering damper. Ok, there's actually quite a bit more to it than that, but the steering damper is what eliminates the shakes altogether. The whole fix? 1)Good quality tires properly balanced(I swear by Ride-On tire balancer and sealant). 2)Make sure the rear wheel doesn't have any side to side movement(the motor mount on these things sucks! I've had to have mine welded after it broke, and replaced all bushings with urethane). 3)Make sure everything in the front and rear suspension is tight. 4)Alignment, alignment, alignment! Getting this right is critical. The front wheels have to be parallel to each other and the rear wheel must be centered between the fronts. Also, to get it right it needs to be loaded with the same weight as when you're ridin'. I use two six foot I-beam style levels that I got cheap at Harbor Freight. Strap em to the outside of both front wheels then take measurments between them just behind the wheels and then at the very back. Levels are long enough that you can also measure the distance to the rear wheel. Once you've got the same measurements in front and rear and have the rear wheel centered between the two, your done. 5)Install an adjustable steering damper. I decided to go with a single damper centrally mounted to the bracket the tie rods are attached to. Definitely some red-neck engineering on my part with clamps and home-made brackets, but was able to get it mounted so that it has clearance even when she's leaned over. Dial in the amount of damping you need(just enough to control the shakes-too much makes the steering squirrelly), and then just sit back and wait for the next thing to break on this fine slice of scooterdom!

[cyborg]

Wow,,,what an ordeal,,,glad you got it right,,,it's been a long road,,,,there's a piston right there

[jct842]

A reverse trike seems to make a lot of sense until you factor in the bump steering. The Can-Am people have a decent product and have solved the problems.

I would like to see comparison photos of a can-am and the chinese trikes. When I have seen the can-am's in a parking lots it is hard to see their steering components. I would guess if the chinese copied the geometry they made a mistake.

[richardv]

Aren't the Sunny's much narrower than the Can Am? That alone could make a big difference.

[new2scootn]

I rented a Can Am before I got the Sunny trike and they are completely different machines(especially in quality-lol!!).The Can Am does have a wider stance but the biggest difference is that they don't tilt in the turns. So they ride more like a car than a motorcycle and that's what I didn't like about them. Leaning into turns just feels natural, like riding a bike. Feeling like you're gonna launch off the thing on turns without a seatbelt... not so much. Oh yeah, and I saved about $13000 buying the Sunny trike! Although if you factor in all my labor hours trying to keep the thing on the road...

[rks]

This talk about steering dampers takes me back to the 70's, and the old "Beetles" I used to have. The damper was an important part of their front ends also.

Today, I have a three wheeled Ural, it will never handle, what I consider to be good.....it's just the nature of the beast.... but I've had no problem with the telescoping front forks, and head shake...... Ural owners with the leading link style front ends do report having this problem. Many have installed the VW hydraulic type steering damper, to get this under control.

Glad you got your's worked out.

[dennis]

Another note the front and rear sit much to high. Bad geometry. Like jacking a truck up with out suspension mods. what did they do? to cope steering dampers. Next would be to get the control arm mounted correctly or lower the scoot to bring them just above level with the pavement. Spring rates for front and rear are not correct either but l have not calculated those yet. Lowering the trike will help it handle much better for many reasons but not good for of roading if thats what you want. I have not calculated roll center yet either so as can tell my scoot is a work in progress. I find your inputs very help as to what trouble to avoid.
Thanks to all.
Dennis

[elcamino121]

Hello everyone, elcamino121 here. I just picked up one of these Sunny trikes and am dealing with the shakes too. I would like to know where and what brand damper to get. Also some pics would be very much appreciated. 

This is a BIG change from my Goldwing, but I really enjoy the CVT and the better mileage.

Is there someplace to get a manual or any diagrams as the speedometer and odometer do not work. 

Thanks in advance,
Barry

[cyborg]

Any lite duty damper from an auto parts store will do the trick

[new2scootn]

Hey Barry, just by dumb luck I noticed your post. I haven't been on this forum in ages. Sold my Sunny pos after she almost killed me after hittin' a pothole with the left front wheel on an evening ride. Didn't see the hole till last second and couldn't steer after the hit, so down I went. Unfortunately I went down to the right but the trike decided at the last second that it wanted to go across the street to the left. My left leg did not take kindly to this trick and I ended up with a spiral fracture of the tibia from just above the ankle to just below the knee. That was in August of last year and I'm still workin' on gettin' it back to 100%. So enough about me and my words of caution. You've got yourself a headache and you want to make the best of it. Soooo... here's some pics(if I can remember how to get them on here) of what I did with a single universal motorcycle steering damper.








A few makeshift brackets and a little red-neck engineering and whalah... no more death shakes.

Oh yeah, and you mentioned the speedometer. The magnetic sensor is on the left side of the rear wheel. If you follow the wire back towards the front of the trike you'll find a connector near the motor mount. I suspect you have a bad/loose connection there. 

And you'll definitely want to become intimately familiar with the motor mount and check it for play often. This was most consistent problem I had with mine and if you go back through my threads you'll see that I replaced all the rubber bushings in it with urethane, then it broke in half, then I got it welded back together with reinforcements and finally had the stinkin' thing ridin' pretty damn good just before hittin' that pothole. So good luck, and be safe my friend and I'll try to keep a closer eye on the forums if you have other questions.

[chuckus]

dang this is the worse review of the sunny/defang reverse trike I have ever read I have talked myself into and out of buying one I wish a more reputable company made the same design they dont sell the tricity in the united states there are some MP3s but they are getting up in age and I am afraid I wont be able to find parts

[cyborg]

Machinists will be your friends

[stella68]

Why are the ball joints horizontal instead of vertical like on cars, ATV and everything designed by people that can read and count.........? Is there any updates on lowering the Sunny 300cc, or where to purchase the damper at and what size & brand?

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[jomama0867]

I've been riding a Sunny reverse trike for over a year now (the 50cc version, upgraded with an 80cc BBK), and solved the "shakes" problem the same way. Just like an old car, alignment is EVERYTHING!! I mainly use it to go to the local convenience store, mailbox, etc. I also agree with the ride height being too high! I found shorter shocks for the rear (too short, it turns out, so had to fab extensions), that lowered the ride height 2 inches . . . PLENTY! My only regret now id that it's still only 80cc's. I'm wanting to convert it to a 150/180cc. As most of us know, 139QMB's mount to the frame from the bottom of the motor, 157QMJ's from the top. Anyone have any suggestions?