MIniTrike/InstaTrike By Tressa (Read 2,065 times)

[Tressa]

I ride a Helix with a TowPac MiniTrike kit. Been riding it for over 5 years and love it. Was always afraid I'd drop a bike (have twisted my knee several times in the past so I'm never sure when it will fail me), or loose control in the loose gravel we frequently have on the roads here. So I never rode any distance on a scoot before getting the kit. Rode for 27 years as passenger with my husband on motorcycles and scooters before getting my own. We still ride together, just on separate scooters.

At STO 2008, my husband rode an 1100 V-Star with a TowPac InstaTrike kit. Before STO 2009, he traded the V-Star for a Burgman 650 and kept the kit. TowPac's official stand is that you cannnot put an InstaTrike kit on a scooter. InstaTrike is for motorcycles, MiniTrike is for scooters.

So what to do when you have already paid over $3000 for a kit? Spend another $300 for a bracket kit to install a MiniTrike kit on a Burgman 650, and use it to attach the InstaTrike kit to the Burg. The InstaTrike kit frame lacked 4 holes for attaching brackets, otherwise everything worked fine. Rather than drilling 4 holes in the solid 1" square metal kit frame, and weakening it, he welded the brackets on instead. He has everything else bolted tight, everything is lined up, and he's put over 100 miles on it. Works fine, is solid and safe.

Now who says you can't put an InstaTrike kit on a Burgman 650?

p.s. For those not familiar with these products, they bolt onto a motorcycle or scooter, giving you the stability of a trike. The rear wheel of the bike continues to be the drive wheel, so you actually have 4 wheels. The InstaTrike has a receiver hitch and is easily removed and reinstalled. The MiniTrike lacks the receiver hitch, making it lighter weight, but harder to remove.

[Tressa]

Here's a few photos of the Burgman 650 InstaTrike. The fender and wheel on the right in the first photo is part of my scoot, the kit isn't THAT wide.

[Tressa]

After getting the kit on the Burgman 650, I rode it some (yes, hubby left the key for me). Decided I would like to have a little more power than my Helix MiniTrike provided. Now I have a Burgman 400 with a MiniTrike kit. Sold the Helix.

TowPac has changed their kits over the years, and parts of the "Custom Bracket Kit" they sent for my 2008 Burgman 400 did not work with the kit we already had off a Helix. Hubby had to fabricate spacers and brackets to make everything fit the wider scooter. Took a lot of work, cutting, drilling, wrenching, and even some welding, but he said it was all worth it to see the smile on my face after the first test ride.

[fubar05]

with the kit installed on the 400 ,how much speed do you loose?
as i am thinking of getting a 400 berg and may need to do this for it

[Tressa]

Fubar05, I really can't say how much top end speed is lost with the kit on the Burgman 400. The 250cc Helix only lost around 5mph with the kit. There is a little loss in gas mileage as well, but not much.

The Helix in your photo is my neighbor's. If I'm not mistaken, your other photo is of Diane Larson's Majesty.

The TowPac kits are expensive, but there are other brands of kits available that are even more expensive. The Danson kit for example is very attractive, but much more expensive than the TowPac.

Installing and lining up the wheels properly is very important. Mine had over 10,000 miles on the kit tires, and they are still in good shape, showing some wear, but still have a lot of miles in them. I know of a kit where the wheels were not properly aligned, and the tires did not last l,000 miles.