SAIA only carried the bike to Tennessee and then handed it off to a UPS contract carrier.

Initial thoughts
 

Well after waiting out the heat and a short rainstorm I took the trike out for a test ride. First off the CV carb sucks, throttle response is very slow, but the kit I'm buying comes with a performance carb that isn't vacuum operated.

I am impressed at the amount of torque the bike has and it accelerates quickly to 45mph, but then it starts running out of gear and rpm. So it creeps up to 50, and eventually 53mph on the flat road. And a steep incline will bring it down to 40mph. I realize it's not broke in yet but stock I don't see those numbers getting much better. Just for $#its and giggles I took it out to a gravel hill that's so steep I have to lock in my Toyota 4x4 just to climb it, and mind you it's about an 1/8th mile long. By the time I reached the top I was only doing 19mph, but it made it. I also took it down a long pavement hill and achieved 64mph, which felt a little sketchy.

The digital cluster seems to be fairly accurate, but the fuel gauge is not. When you get down to half a tank the gauge is flashing empty. The hydraulic disc brakes are outstanding, and the rear works better than the front on gravel because that's where all the weight is and a huge contact patch. The mirrors suck, they give you a good view of your shoulders and not much else, so some aftermarket ones are in order.

Now on to the handling. Let's just say it's a singular sensation. Because of the solid rear axle it doesn't like to turn, AT ALL, and requires both hands on the bars to negotiate a curve. That being said it is surprisingly stable even taking a curve at 45mph, and on a straight stretch it requires very little steering input.

On to the suspension. The front forks are plush and handle pot holes well, and don't dive under heavy braking. The rear shocks however are a different story. I've got both of them set at the lowest preload and it still feels like riding a hard tail Harley Davidson. They barely compress when my 260lbs climbs aboard and if you catch a pothole with one of the rear tires it's bone jarring. A shock upgrade is definitely on the list.

Rider comfort. I'm a little too big for the thing, so some handlebar risers are needed, and I'm gonna fab a bracket to attach highway pegs or floor boards to.

Wow factor. I stopped at a couple of buddies houses and they had never seen anything like it. The fit and finish is on par too. The metallic burgundy looks great with the polished aluminum rims. In person it's a sharp looking machine. :)

Looks good Frank. :tup: As far as the rear shocks, If it's anything like my ATV they will soften up once they get broke in. When i first got the ATV i couldn't even budge the rear or front springs. After a few off road trips they are about perfect now.
Power gets a little better once broke in as well. You need to find a god GY6 forum and see what those guys are doing. I've never fooled around with the weights in the CVT but from some of the videos and stuff i've read there is a big improvement once you get the right combination.

www.rollingwrenchdenver.com has everything I need.

Another interesting thing is it actually had good oil in it! It's got Rotella T4 15w-40 in it now, but an oil change wasn't necessary. I think once you get over the $2,000 mark ($2,525) the quality of China bikes goes up.

And the manufacturer had a misprint on the weight. The the total was 420lbs with the crate and pallet so instead of 570lbs dry I think it's actually 370lbs.

I haven't done the valve adjustment yet but you can hear them tapping so I know they're not screwed down tight.

Terrible. Few years ago they knocked over or dropped a full dressed marine big block with a gear on the back of it. They fixed the crate and tried to say it was already damaged and concealed.

They also put a fork through my kayak and packing tapped the hole in the bag it was in...

One of our branches still insist on using them and has about 5x the claims.


Put a hurtin on any power scooters yet?

No, it only has one birthmark, the paint is scratched on the front fender in between the forks. But you can tell it was done during assembly and really cant be seen without looking for it.

As i said this was years ago. When it was locally owned they were probably the best around. After the owner Johnny Saia past away and was sold off everything went down hill.

Cousin Jay took the Trike out yesterday for about an hour and a half. He concurred riding it is definitely a singular sensation, and it's not like riding an ATC200X because the wheel base is much longer. Said it was fun but takes some getting used to in the curves, and he kept putting his feet down at stop signs. :hehe: Loved the brakes and hated the rear suspension.

And the gas gauge is completely wonky. He filled it up at the station and it read full, but as he was pulling out of the station it dropped to 3/4 tank reading. I wouldn't even be concerned with it but the bike doesn't have a reserve. Being that he weighs 120lbs less it takes off even faster with him and it carries him up steep hills at 47mph (about 40mph for me). But top speed for him is also 53mph, so that tells me the bike is just running out of rpm and gear.

And at both stores he stopped at it drew instant attention, questions, and compliments. After he brought it back he fired up his Hawk and took it out for a few hours, he wanted me to tag along but I'm not gonna ride it again until I get tags and insurance, still waiting on the MCO.

The Trike came in a much heavier built crate than the Hawks and TBR7 did, so I used the angle iron to repair my toy hauler trailer gate. I got it fixed and about halfway painted. :tup:

Today I finally received the MCO for the Trike after 9 days. The ones for the other 3 bikes showed up up in 3 days from TXpowersports. It'll be interesting to see what they say tomorrow at the title office because the manufacturer is listed as DIAX, which I'm sure isn't in their system. It's also listed as a motorcycle, rather than a scooter or trike.

Do both rear wheels drive ?..




.

Yessir, solid rear axle, which makes it a bear to turn.

The Knight Rider, a shadowy flight into the dangerous world of a man who does not exist. Michael Knight, a young loner on a crusade to champion the cause of the innocent, the helpless, the powerless in a world of criminals who operate above the law. 🤠

I think she broke in today at the 340 mile mark. All of a sudden it ran and idled better, wanted to run 50mph at half throttle, and the top speed went from 53mph to 60mph (needs to be geared a little higher).

I gotta say I'm not disappointed with this thing, it gets to 50mph with a quickness, and even climbing a hill you definitely can feel when you roll on the throttle. And for exploring secondary roads I find myself letting off the throttle and grabbing the exceptionally good brakes alot more often than I expected.

Ice Bear makes a quality product. Nothing's come loose, all the fasteners I've checked had loctite on them, and the fit and finish of the plastics is amazing. And it came with quality oil in the crankcase, I wouldn't have had to change it. But keep in mind after tax tag and title it was almost $3,000.

She's looking good Frank. :tup: Have you rode two up on it yet? If so, what speed will it run up to? I have a freind and his wife looking to get one of these. They would probably only ride 45-50 mph max and both are pretty small people. About equal to one Frank. :p

This afternoon the girlfriend wants me to take her for a spin. She weighs about a buck ten so that will put us just under 400lbs. I'm guessing it'll pull 2 people around just fine.

I'm really loving all the storage compartments, the one under the seat is huge. And the glove box in front of your knees is really handy for your phone, cigarettes, and a 1 liter bottle of pop.
I'm gonna order a 1500ml fuel bottle to keep under the seat. I figure that will make up for not having a reserve.

Out ripping and tearing on the mobility scooter today, there were old lady's trembling in fear and young children staring in awwe.. After a few hours of exploring gravel roads it was time to purdy her up at the car wash. 🤠