The Automatic Goldwing Convertible Trike. A New Style of Goldwing Trikes.

Update 5/5/2021: Due to a change of the Honda Goldwing Top trunk on the new 2021 models and Hannigan’s trike body production, this Convertible option is currently unavailable.

We met Mike earlier this year when he came in with his friend James. They brought us a very cool project idea. Taking a brand new automatic Goldwing 1800 DCT and converting it to a trike, but making it so the top trunk would be removable so they would have the sporty F6B look - all while keeping the standard features of a GL1800.

This custom trike conversion project would consist of:

• Finding a new automatic Goldwing 1800.

• Ordering a Hannigan Gen III trike kit to install.

• 180 front end - fit, paint, and installation.

• Making the top trunk removable and finding a way to fill the ‘hole’ that would be left there.

• Custom rear wheel research and installation.

• LED lights to easily stand out at night.

• Upgrading the stock front speakers and custom installing speakers into the rear of the trike body for when the top trunk is removed.

He ordered a black 2019 Goldwing DCT. The Hannigan Gen III trike kit and accessories were ordered and once everything started arriving UNB got to work.

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We began by removing the rear body components and rear suspension and installing the new Gen III independent suspension. Check out our other blog posts for more on the trike kit installation process. After the trike kit is on we work on body alignment and fitment and the 180 front end package.

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The body goes on to be aligned with and without the top trunk. It also gets fit to align with the side panels, auxiliary gas tank filler, and the new top panel to fill the hole left by the top trunk. The upgraded speakers were installed in the front along with a new powerful amp. The new custom rear speakers were then fit, wired, and set up for installation in the body after painting. Once everything is fit, the body goes off for paint and the work on the front end begins.

The front end work started by a little extra customization to the DuoLever front fork by Hannigan Motorsports. It was painted black to match the bike for a better look.

After the fork was installed, the 180 wide front end package fitment begins.

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The 180 package comes with a wider front wheel, tire, and fender. As well as brake line modifications. The front fork allows for easier steering, the wider tire provides better handling. The wider tire also lasts much longer than the standard Goldwing front tire. Mike also added some chrome to the front end for some extra pop. Another extra detail accessory from UNB, was a custom-fabricated longer rear half of the front fender to cover more of the tire to protect the cowl.

The trike body, spoiler whale tail, and foot fairings were painted and more chrome and LED accessories were installed during the final stretch.

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Mike’s trike looks amazing at night! The Goldstrike LED Shock and Awe package can be operated from Mike’s phone.

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The rear speakers stay in the body at all times, but the ‘filler panel’ is removable, making it a convertible when the top trunk is removed. Mike also replaced his stock seat with a Saddleman seat.

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Congrats on your new ride Mike!

Goldwing 1800 DCT Trike Kit Installation Video - Building A Brand New Automatic Trike!

Louis and Pyong walked into our showroom looking to have a brand new trike built. They had their new automatic Goldwing delivered from Sport Cycles in Rockingham, NC, and UNB installed a Roadsmith HTX trike kit. Here is a video of the trike kit installation.

Many happy miles of comfortable travel awaits them. Welcome to the UNB Customs trike family!

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2008 Goldwing Trike Kit Conversion

Ric and Linda are ready to ride their new Goldwing trike this spring!

2008 Goldwing trike

They ordered a Roadsmith HTS1800 Goldwing trike kit. Customized with a triple tree steering kit, running boards, chrome wheels, a parking brake, and paint protection on the fenders.

Roadsmith trike kit installed on a Goldwing 1800.

A look under the body of a trike kit installed on a Goldwing.

The Roadsmith trike kit provides a true rear independent suspension. The trailing arm for each wheel allows for a longer wheelbase while absorbing each bump in the road smoothly and independently of the other wheel. The rear sway bar adds to the smoothness of the ride. The automotive differential, driveshaft cv joints, and disc brakes offer an extremely durable solution to the moving, wearable parts on the trike kit. These parts are all engineered to go on cars, so the lighter duty application of a trike makes them last much longer. They are a big reason behind Roadsmith’s impressive 3 year - 1,000,000 mile warranty. The Goldwing retains the original exhaust with extensions to move them out to be even with the body. You can see the 1 1/4” trailer hitch that comes standard on the Roadsmith trike kits is built right into the frame.

After we paint the trike body to match the Goldwing, we sand and buff the body for a final prep before installation.

Trike body installation on the Goldwing.

The taillights, trunk carpeting, hinges, and trim all go on the body during the installation. Then the top trunk gets put back on and we install the running boards.

Trike body and running boards installed on the Goldwing.

We brought the trike over to TNT Auto Glass for paint protection. They did a phenomenal job of installing the paint protection on the trike fenders and running boards. The paint protection is clear so it doesn’t take away from the looks of the Goldwing trike, while also being very strong to protect against road debris.

Paint protection on the Goldwing trike body.

Ric and Linda’s completed Goldwing trike

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Honda F6B Trike Conversion with a Custom Reverse

The F6B Is a beautiful machine. We were lucky enough to get to bring one back to life after a little dust up and it came back better than ever!

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Charles brought us his F6B wanting it to be a slick-looking trike that rode as comfortable as possible. So we pulled out all the stops.

• We went with the Hannigan independent suspension trike kit for a super smooth ride.

• The wider 180 front end rake kit for better trike handling and easier steering.

• Running board ground effects for keeping the weather off him and ties the look together.

• Added LED Lights for style & safety.

• Reused F6B saddlebag lights on the trike body as signal / running lights.

• Lighted Spoiler (brake light) on the back of the trike body for more visibility.

• Chrome wheels

• Trailer package - Tow hitch and receiver and tie-downs on the trike frame for easy transportation.

• Battery tender plug and a power accessory block for ease of adding more accessories later.

• Auxiliary fuel tank.

• A reverse that is not available on the F6B from Honda or with any trike conversion on the market.

The simple fact is trikes are large, heavy machines. Most riders park smart 99.9% of the time but there will always be that one time that you will need to back it up. Without a reverse to help, you will be pushing it! That is why UNB Customs works so hard to try to offer a custom reverse to trikes whenever possible.

UNB was able to custom fit a reverse motor in the Hannigan trike suspension. It was then set up to operate with a simple switch mounted inside the switch housing on the handlebar making it look factory!

Another detail we wanted to improve for Charles was the location of the trunk lock and how the trunk light activated. We moved the lock to the fins side cover instead of below the spoiler for easier key access. We also wired the trunk light to only turn on when the trunk door is open so it won’t cause any unnecessary draw on the battery.

We look forward to seeing more and more of these F6B trikes out on the road!

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Enjoy your ride Charles!

A Guide to Trike Buying in 2020.

What do I need to know before buying a trike in 2020?

Every year trikes are becoming more popular. The average age of motorcyclists is now “47. The median age of the typical motorcycle owner is 47, up from 32 in 1990 and 40 in 2009.“

With that shift, we have seen the popularity of the touring bikes take off. The Goldwing’s and Ultra Classic’s are amazing machines that are a blast to ride and take trips on. The luxuries such as saddlebags, tour paks, cruise control, and blutooth headsets have made touring on a motorcycle fun and relaxing. However, with the bigger motorcycles and additional options comes more weight. These bikes weigh close to 900 pounds. Worrying about parking, gravel or wet roads can ruin the fun that a motorcycle brings.

No one wants to quit riding. It’s fun, relaxing and nobody likes a quitter. That’s why we got started building trikes over 20 years ago. We’ve spent countless hours both building brand new trikes and repairing and upgrading used trikes. We’ve put together a guide for you to keep in mind when looking to buy a trike in 2020.

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Independent Rear Suspension.

The number one thing when buying a new trike, used trike or triking your current motorcycle is making sure that you are getting an independent rear suspension. The ride on an independent suspension trike and a solid axle trike do not compare. Many used trikes for sale on the market were built before most of the manufacturers made the switch to independent suspension trike kits. Keep that in mind when looking at a used trike. Most modern cars and luxury cars all use independent rear suspensions due to the more comfortable ride, better handling, and increased performance. Formula 1 race cars have used independent suspension for years and according to Hagerty, NASCAR will finally be making the switch and upgrading in 2021. UNB Customs has been a dealer for Roadsmith trikes for over 20 years, and have now added Hannigan Trikes to their line up due to the incredible ride their independent suspensions provide. You should never compromise the ride quality! The purpose of a trike is to ride in comfort and have fun!

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Belt Drive Trike Chassis

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Driveshaft Trike Chassis

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Trike installer.

The best trike kit in the world installed incorrectly makes for a terrible trike. Try to find out who built the trike if possible because there is nothing worse than buying something that was installed wrong and not having someone who can fix it. We recommend test riding everything before you buy and that includes dealerships! Go check out the dealer and see what their place looks like and if they encourage test rides. See if they are knowledgeable about trikes such as the benefits of a triple tree steering kit and if they are willing to work with your requests for accessories such as auxiliary fuel tanks for Goldwings. Do they go over how to test ride a trike? They are different from a motorcycle.

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Trike Steering.

Motorcycle trikes do ride differently than a traditional motorcycle. You need to turn the handlebars. Without the correct raked triple tree, the steering is very difficult. The triple tree changes the angle of the forks which puts the front tire at the correct angle against the road and reduces the effort needed to turn the handlebars by over 50%. This also eliminates the shaking of the front end that can occur around 25-29 MPH. This along with an independent suspension can really make or break your trike experience. Buying a trike without a steering kit is similar to buying a new car without power steering. You just wouldn’t do it.

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Maintenance.

The maintenance required for a trike will vary depending on motorcycle manufacturer and trike kit manufacturer. Learning what is required is essential because we all know how important routine maintenance is for keeping a machine running smoothly. The trike kits can have joints and fittings that will need to be maintained and lubricated periodically. Belt driven bikes will need to have the belt tension set and wear checked out. Some kits will have disc brakes while others use drum brakes. Drum brakes are a little harder to maintain and are harder to see brake pad wear. Rear tires on trikes can look misleading as the tread lasts a very long time on trikes because they are lighter vehicles. However, you should check the date code on the side of the tire. This will show the age of the tire which oftentimes expires before the tread wears out. Tire life expectancy is about 6 years. It is also a good idea to check the battery’s manufacture date. For the Goldwing 1800’s we’d recommend looking into the most recent service of the air cleaner as changing it is typically around a 3-hour job (which surprises a lot of first time Goldwing owners). For older trikes, you may want to take a look inside the gas tank for rust if it’s been sitting a long time. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

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Should I buy a new or used trike or trike my own bike?

This is probably the most common question we get when talking with people who are considering a trike. The real answer is: It depends.

There is no one size fits all answer to this. The most popular option is to have the motorcycle be on the newer side and in the touring family of bikes, such as the Harley Ultra Classic, Honda Goldwing and Indian Roadmaster. This takes care of the accessory requirements most touring riders have such as storage room, cruise control, reverse for the Goldwings, ample rider and passenger seating space, floorboard customization, and radios, etc. Having said that, Softail’s and Sportster’s are some of the most popular bikes we trike! Those owners could not be happier! It will depend on your goals and preferences.

As far as triking your own vs. buying new or used: It will come down to what your bike is worth to you. Most independent suspension trike kits cost around $16 - $17,000 professionally installed with a triple tree steering kit, reverse and painted to match. You will need to be comfortable investing that into your bike. A new trike kit will come with all the accessories you want and will be built to your specs, with a warranty. And you choose who installs it. In our experience if you already own a great bike, you will tend to trike yours because you know the maintenance was taken care of, it has the paint and accessories you love and it is ‘My Bike’.

If you don’t currently own a motorcycle and you’re looking to buy a used one, keep an eye out for the things mentioned in this article and don’t be afraid to ask questions! There are some great deals on used trikes out there now as they’ve become more popular over the years. But as the saying goes “if it’s too good to be true, it probably is”. Make sure you test ride! See you on the road!

Motorcycle owner age source

Have additional questions about trikes? Let us help!