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OK, we have the rear parts that make up the basic running gear of our Trike. This is the time to decide what you want for a front end. And get the front end that you plan to use. These two items make up the basic rolling chassis. I used a complete front end off a Suzuki 550 street bike. Just for the record. Some will say you need at least a 750 front end, or a big beefy Harely. Not a big deal. This 550 front end has worked very well with no hint of flexing or being to small to handle the job. Most Trikes are a bit light in the front, so a heavy duty front end is not needed. Use what you can get for a reasonable price. I paid $200 for mine. Next you will want to decide how long you want your Trike to be. You will also want to decide what rake you will place your front end at. I used wood to fix a mock up of my project to get a good feel for the length I wanted and to see how my front end would sit with the rake I wanted. I set my rake at 60 degrees. This created a trail of about 8 inches. For those of you who don't know about rake & trail and how that will effect your steering, I'll explain a little here. On a Trike, rake is not importent but trail will make a big difference. My steering was fairly hard at speeds above 30 mph, but not real bad. But after about 6 months of using my trike this way, I built a front end and set it up with 1 1/2 inches trail and a nice 42 degree rake. WOW! what a difference.The best trail will be anything from 0 to 4 inches. Anything over 4 inches your steering will become harder and harder. Standard motorcycle fronts will work best if you keep them close to the rake they had as a bike. You may not like the look as well, but you will enjoy the ride much more if your steering is easy. But you build yours your way.
