Trike kit installation

The first part of the trike installation is to remove some of the rear end parts. We had almost a month to wait for the trike kit to arrive so we did this here and there. I took the saddlebags and rear fender off when we removed the InstaTrike for resale. The only tricky part was figuring out how the latch cables disconnected, but it ended up being trivial. I took the trunk off during the EZ Steer project. There were quite a few connections but it was a straightforward removal. John came over one day and buttoned up some loose ends on the front. While we were piddling around we took off the saddlebag guards, passenger floor boards, and the mufflers. The next night I decided to make some of the required frame mods. Here the saddlebag frame is cut off. The rear trunk mounts are trimmed. A relay bracket is bent up 90*. The bank angle sensor is removed and the wiring to it is modified. Both sides of the rear fender are trimmed, then a slit is made in each side. I used an air saw. The plastic fender is heated with a heat gun, then pulled up and zip-tied to the crossbrace. Armed with a 12mm and 14mm socket it took about 30 minutes to remove the rear brake caliper, rear wheel, the final drive, and the shocks. Next comes the battery, battery box, and the reverse resistor assembly. The reverse resistor assembly was probably the hardest thing to take off. The four 10mm bolts are a little difficult to get to. The reverse resistor mounting bracket is cut off. The left swingarm bolt has a slotted locking ring. The outside of this ring was exactly 1 1/2". I found that a 1 1/8" was this size, so it became a new tool. Took about 10 minutes to do this with a cutoff wheel. It fit the slotted ring well. The swingarm bolts themselves require a 17mm Allen head socket. I had one of those. The swingarm is off. Step 3.5.d of the instructions cryptically said to bend up a two-position tab, but didn't say where it was. It ended up being the bracket that holds the brake line above the swing arm. A couple whacks with a hammer and it was bent up out of the way of the new swingarm. The parts removal is officially over. Now we're waiting for the kit. Back to trike main page.