tow pac or voyager kit

imported post

I had a Voyager installed a couple of years ago on my 93 GL1500 at Bike Week in Daytona. It cost around $4300. After riding it for a couple of years, I still enjoy the freedom of not having to put your feet down when you stop and trying balance the bike. I dropped my bike a couple of times when my foot slipped when it was wet. Not Fun.
You loose ground clearance with the Voyager. This has been a problem going over high speed bumps. I also had trouble loading the trike on a trailer because the ramp angle was too steep. I ended up building a ramp extension so I could load it in my toy hauler travel trailer.
I had a scare when riding my "trike" on the Natchez Trace Parkway last summer. I hit a monster chuck hole in a construction zone and the Voyager Kit came loose from the rear hangers. My bike leaned over drastically and I thought I was going to loose it. I was only going about 20 MPH when it happened. I was lucky I didn't loose it. The next problem was trying to reconnect the rear trike suspension back in the hangers which are mounted to the rear of the swing arm. I had to remove the trike kit entirely then reinstall. It was nearly impossible because the sholder on the side of the road was not level. Two guys stopped and helped me. If it wasn't for them I would have had to call a tow truck. I don't think the Voyager is 100% safe. If my wife was riding with me her extra weight would have caused us to crash. I called Voyager and they said there was nothing they could do correct the problem and they still feel the kit is safe.
I am still riding my trike. Riding the Voyager Trike Kit has several safety advantages expecially when riding in the rain. IT IS NOT 100% SAFE.

The most important things to realize when looking at a convertible trike are longevity, handling, and safety.

The Voyager is the only kit tested by an independent engineering firm because we care about longevity and safety. If you have a kit that hooks up to a Goldwing's bag bars, it's only a matter of time before there's a failure in strength.

Weak connection points are a cause of less safety and constant maintenance.

For handling, you need a trike that will keep you upright and stable. If a convertible trike has independent wheel suspension (on each outrigger wheel), turning will be more difficult. This is because we going around a curve, the outside wheel suspension will give forcing you to lean more to the outside of the curve as compared with the Voyager trike. This gives you the sensation of being on a boat and makes curves more difficult. The Voyager will keep you more upright and keeps its preload on the road making turning the easier.

Also, for the best possible handling, you need to make sure the outrigger wheels are within 3" of the motorcycles rear axle. If it is outside of this, you will feel a drag and looseness in turns.

Tow Pac is about 90 miles south of me, so when I became interested in doing a conversion, I went down there and talked to them at length and ultimately bought an Insta Trike kit... I had also recently test ridden a bunch of different trikes at Niehaus Cycle in Litchfield, Illinois, so I had a great basis for comparison...

No doubt that a full conversion handles better and offers other amenities, but a full conversion is realistically 15 grand or more... My Tow Pac cost me 3K (demo model) and another 400 bucks for paint...

There are a myriad of adjustments on an Insta Trike kit and it is important you understand how to do the adjustments and how they interact with each other... I have had several conversations with Jeremy at Tow Pac and have made some adjustments and I am quite satisfied with the way mine handles...

Yes it steers harder in the turns but once you have your adjustments dialed in, it is a pleasure to ride... And, it is 1/5 the cost of a full trike conversion and it comes off in about 5 minutes for riding on 2 wheels again (which I still do)... Given the fact I spent significantly less than 15K, I can certainly live with the increased steering effort...

My legs are not what they used to be and neither is my upper body strength and the Tow Pac Insta Trike was great solution for me... It's not for everyone, but worked well for my solution...

Les

This might be out of line and off-topic?

This set-up is listed on Spokane Craigs List on a 1500. I don't think it is made by either of the companies the original poster asked about, in fact I don't know who built it. It does not mention it in the listing.

I was wondering if anyone knows what it is and what the handling characteristics are compared to the two mentioned. This one looks to be mounted mid-ship.

Is it a home-made? I don't have a 1500 so I can't imagine the mount set-up, or if it's cobbled together.