3 Wheels and a late-life crisis?

[Boone]

Went out for an almost 2 hour ride today. Much more enjoyable with padded jeans and a mesh jacket. Had a couple real bikers pass me at over 100 mph on a 50 mph speed limit winding road - with cops on their tails. Learning to feel comfortable on winding roads at 50+... really enjoying this so far. Several of the mods I bought have proven to be more technically challenging than I feel comfortable managing. Going to see if my dealership is willing to install aftermarket mods. May also eventually add a side bag. There is a very small 'frunk' (trunk in the front above the engine) but it's really only good for my paperwork, owners manual, and a few tools. Have a rear bag that can hold a backpack's worth of stuff. But thinking a saddle bag in back is probably going to be worthwhile for when I have more than that to transport.

I am *personalizing* it - so far I've got an Eagle, Globe, and Anchor USMC hood ornament, a couple of distressed flag decals, and a gold queen bee decal. Will be adding the UVa logo, a Charlotte Football Club decal, Felix the Cat decal (my kid's favorite growing up), and a just ordered BGO logo vinyl sticker (that one's for you SkinsOrlando).

Thanks to Brother Miles Monroe for his advice and also walking me through a couple of modifications I was struggling with. Good thing you don't live nearby Pete, I'd have your ass over here helping me for a steak and a couple of beers!

 

[Chris]

I see your 3 wheels, John, and raise you 1.

 

[Boone]

 

[Boone]

So, about a month in, feeling pretty good about my progress. I'm pretty comfortable on the bike. Not TOO comfortable though. One thing I've noticed is that it seems to take forever to get anywhere, and I think that's because unlike when in a car or truck where you are daydreaming half the trip, on the bike I am very focused. Did an overnight trip to Charlotte this past week and that was a little different - being on a 6 lane highway with speeds up to 75-80. Did fine with it, just very wary of where I was on the highway and the vehicles around me.

I have added a few mods - mostly simple stuff like end caps for my axles to keep water out of them. One thing I am not a fan of is the stock mirrors. I added stick on convex add-ons, but the issue I have is that the mirrors tend to move around at high speed and the last thing I want to be doing is screwing with repositioning mirrors at high speed, especially when if it's the right mirror, I have to take my hand off the throttle. I ordered another set of mirrors that actually attach to the handlebars and supposedly give you a larger view.

When I bought the bike, I had them install a small bag behind the seat. It's great for little stuff and even a minimal amount of groceries. But I'll need something more for longer trips. I looked at permanent saddlebags but I haven't found anything I loved. I decided not to overthink it and bought a pair of fake leather saddlebags I can just drape over the seat. Perfect solution as I can pull them off for the 90% of the time I don't need them, and throw them on when I am doing a longer trip.

One cool thing - the blue tooth helmet I got allows you to listen to music, answer phone calls, and even place phone calls with speed dial. I am so deaf from my USMC days though, I can barely hear music even at full volume, and I am not sure I will be able to hear well enough to use the phone feature. I have hearing aids that I can use for that purpose, but I don't see that working well with a helmet on. The bluetooth is nice for connecting to my phone in order to be alerted to GPS directions though.

There is a lot of aesthetic potential with Can-Ams so although I love my all-matte black bike, I decided to add some neon green Tufskins accents... just enough to give the bike a little color. I have a few more mods to do before I'll be satisfied... a parking brake lock (to prevent someone from taking it out of park and rolling off with it), a pair of footrests that bolt onto the foot peg, and few other minor things.

 

[Chris]

A tip of the cap for the highway forays. I haven’t even considered that for years. Down here it’s a combination of crazy town and the wild west.

 

[Boone]

 

[Boone]

Went to a 2 day 3 wheel motorcycle class over the weekend at a community college near Charlotte. The 2 instructors were pretty amazing, a transplanted Brit and a 70+ year old woman. The were both very funny, patient, and had a ton of lifetime riding experience both on 2 and 3 wheelers. The bulk of the time was spend on a driving range with some classroom time as well. Added some confidence with lots of practice with higher speed emergency stops, and learning to swerve under control. Definitely worthwhile. The class consisted of myself, a 40 year old male, and 6 black women none of whom had ever been on a 3 wheeler before. It was a great group and there were a lot of laughs.

Great experience.

 

[Boone]

I have been working on adding some modifications to my bike, mostly safety related, some comfort/convenience. Keeping in mind I am not 'handy' - I just wasn't raised with a lot of skills in that regard. I'm usually able to figure most stuff out and You Tube makes it easier in some instances. Things I've successfully done.

- Brake modulator so when I hit the brake it shows mulltiple bright flashes, not just one steady brake light (thanks Pete for that suggestion).
- 'Brake Free' add-on for my helmet that flashes crazy LED lights when it senses I am braking or slowing.
- Blue tooth tire sensors to tell me my tire pressure and send me alerts for each tire based on my preferred limits.
- Reflector tape around all 3 tire rims and rear seat (black and unnoticeable in day, but reflects with headlights)
- Quad Lock phone holder on handle bars with vibration dampener
- Installed upgraded lithium battery
- Replaced shitty handlebar end mirrors with handlebar mounted aluminum ones that are a lot more substantial and don't constantly get moved around
- Hand guards and deflectors (keeps hands warmer in winter)
- Weighted end caps on handlebars to reduce vibration
- Jockey shifter to move between forward and reverse. Stock bike uses a foot pedal which I'd actually gotten good at using, but the jockey shifter is cool and since I bought it and it was a fucking challenge to install, was determined to use it.

I have bought two mods which I am not going to attempt - one is a set of LED Fog Lights. I watched the 'install' video and it's pretty complicated. The other is replacing the stock reflectors on the front fenders with LED versions that actually show turn signal as well. The install for those was straight forward but I got to the part where you pop out the reflectors and pop in the LED lights and I couldn't figure out how to get them out (and was worried I'd break something). I am going to see if the dealer I bought the bike from will install when I take it in for it's first servicing.

I worked yesterday on installing some LED strips that also go on the front bumper that increase visibility both day and night (as they are bright AF). Got the wiring all done but I didn't leave enough slack in the wiring to allow for a sharp turn and I ripped the wires out of one of the strips. So hopefully get it right on my 2nd attempt when a replacement gets here.

Only other thing I have planned other than some aesthetic stuff is to swap out the cheap stock plastic/rubber end links on the sway bar with some quality aluminum ones which is supposed to make the ride a little less bumpy.

There are a lot of rabbit holes you can go down with these things. I am guessing it is that way with all motorcycles and that is probably what makes them so fun - in adddition to, you know, actually riding them

 

[Boone]

Decided to add a little color to the bike. The 'Neon Lime' is a little closer to yellow than I was envisioning, trying to get used to it...

 

[Boone]

Some minor upgrades today. Replaced the plastic stock 'parking brake' with an aluminum one. Bolted on a larger brake pedal with better grip on it. And replaced the stock yellow halogen headlights with bright as hell white LED ones.

Miles Monroe - I have a set of aftermarket LED fog lights and I think I have the wiring all figured out, but when I went to bolt the brackets on to the front axles I could not even budge the bolt I have to remove. I imagine it is torqued on there pretty good for obvious reasons. I think I may try slipping a section of pipe over the socket wrench handle to give me better leverage but still not sure I'll be able to loosen them by hand. Any suggestions? I may have to go to a mechanic and at least have them put the brackets on for me with hydraulic tools.

Thinking I'll take the trike today as I head to Charlotte. Being on a 4-6 lane highway for 90 minutes is a little different from driving to work. I've done it twice now, but figure it's good experience.

 

[Boone]

Miles Monroe - Nevermind on the torque question. I was able to finally put my HS Physics lessons to work and using a short length of pipe slipped over the socket wrench handle, was easily able to loosen those axle bolts. Now we'll see if I can install these foglights without fucking it up

 

[Miles Monroe]

Miles Monroe - Nevermind on the torque question. I was able to finally put my HS Physics lessons to work and using a short length of pipe slipped over the socket wrench handle, was easily able to loosen those axle bolts. Now we'll see if I can install these foglights without fucking it up

So, all went well I'm assuming

 

[Boone]

Yeah except instead of sending me mirror image brackets they sent me two of the same. I installed anyway. One of the foglights is maybe an inch behind the other as a result but they work great.

 

[Boone]

I installed heated handgrips yesterday which was fairly involved but got it done. Decided to change the look up some. Let me know what you think…

 

[Chris]

I like the carbon fiber look of the hand shields.

 

[Boone]

One thing I quickly realized about the Ryker and that's that it doesn't have much storage. There's a tiny 'frunk' you can put some tools, your owner's manual, etc... in, but that's about it. When I bought mine, I had them install a 'Lin-Q' mount which allows you to swap out a couple different options for a top case (centered behind the seat). I started with a small case, then got a larger backpack-style you can take off and use as a backpack once you arrive at your destination, and finally moved to a larger more permanent top case, but it still doesn't give you a lot of capacity. So I decided to add saddlebags. When I started looking, there were no 'Lin-Q' dual saddlebags available. And the saddlebag systems I could buy and fit to the bike were $300-$500 just for the bags, and another $100-$200 for a mounting system.

Then I stumbled on a You Tube video made by someone pretty clever, and stole his idea.

I found a pair of nice leather saddlebags at Cycle Gear on sale for $99. Then I went out and bought a $10 vinyl-covered wired closet rack. I trimmed the rack with wire cutters so it was just a simple long rectangle. I took off my top case exposing just the Lin-Q mount (basically two posts that the top case slides over and latches down on). I centered the rack over the Lin-Q mount and bent it to the shape I want, Cutting out holes for the two posts so the rack sat flush and the top case could still be mounted on top of the rack. Next, I took my rack and gave it several coats of Plasti Dip, a rubber spray product that puts a removable layer of rubber/vinyl on whatever you are using it on.

Once the Plasti Dip was dry, I placed it where I wanted it on top of the Lin-Q mount. I then focused on the saddlebags. The type I bought had a wide leather strap connecting them. I placed the saddlebags over the rack, and again cut holes in the leather so that the posts would fit through them and the saddlebag strap was flush with the Lin-Q mount.

I then put my top case on, locking it into the Lin-Q mount and securing the saddlebags. I connected the saddlebags to the side of the rack using zip ties. Did some touch up on a couple spots with the Plasti Dip and that was it. Super happy with the results, especially considering I probably spent 20% of what it would have cost me to have someone else do it.
Some of you guys could probably come up with this on your own and knock it out in the blink of an eye, but not being a 'handyman' or raised with any relevant skills, it was very satisfying to be able to do this myself.

 

[Boone]

It's been 3 months since I ventured down the path of buying a 3 wheeler. Today I installed the last major modifications, a new upgraded sway bar and end links, and a steering stabilizer, the combination of which has made the bike much more stable and steady at higher speeds. There is almost nothing more I can do to enhance the bike. One of my friends told me that the Can-Am Ryker is a 'gateway drug' and that it's only a matter of time before I get the itch to upgrade to Can-Am's higher end trikes, the Spyder (of which there are a number of models).

I suspect he's right on that front. Maybe when I retire But until then, I'm going to enjoy the hell out of my ride.