Landing Gear

[agedbikeman]

After my friend droped his new Goldwing DCT for the 3rd time, he showed me a website in France selling Landing gear, made in China but looks quite sturdy.
So we went to Paris and saw it attached to their demo bike, has 6" wheels with solid tyres that look replaceable, electrically operated through a reduction gear with limit switches, when folding and unfolding it resembles a bird's wing.
However we were impressed and both bought one each, cost 3000,euros.

Not fitted it yet but my friend has, and he says it's ok.
Although I have a bolt on trike kit fitted, I yearn for 2 wheels.

I'll do an article on it once fitted and tested

Alex

[rider1939]

How about a web sight on this "landing gear".

[kwthom]

There's a couple of different companies that have developed; one is in Türkiye, and another is out of South Korea. Not sure which version the OP was trying to discuss; there's YouTube videos on both variants.

[agedbikeman]

Tamoto.fr is the website it's the one I bought, it's a Chinese copy of the Korean one,.as I said, when it's up and running Il do an article on it.

[Rambozo]

Thanks for the link. They seem to work pretty good, but I'm not sure I could bring myself to ride a bike with training wheels.
I will be curious to see how they do on uneven ground like pot holes, speed bumps in parking lots, and gravel roads and driveways. Those have provided me with a bit more excitement than I care for, especially at low speeds.

[agedbikeman]

Hi Rambozo, you're not actually suposed to ride with the wheels down unless you're crawling along in a traffic jam, you lower them a few seconds before you stop and raise them a few seconds after pull away, it's for rideres that would normally have to give up riding because the bike is too heavy which only applies to stopping, when you're rolling, no problem.
Alex.

[Rambozo]

I'm aware of that. But the videos only showed pristine pavement. I was wondering if there was any kind of height compensation for uneven pavement. Like stopping on a gravel driveway or walking speed in a parking lot with pot holes and speed bumps. Or even a roadway that isn't level.

[quickeningray]

I have a 2009 GL1800.

Following a pillion dismount pulling the rig over I installed a set of GLK FlexGear wheels in August 2023, purchased direct from GLK in South Korea (en.flexgear.co.kr).

The advantage of these wheels is that they are only deployed manually using a switch and do not consume pannier space. I use them all the time when slow-maneuvering or stopping to dismount. My wife is much more confident now and can mount the bike whether I'm on it or not.

However, within a year of installation the left-hand wheel would not deploy or retract fully so I dismantled both units, cleaned and greased all bushes and mating surfaces, and reassembled them. They are now working correctly.

I found that most chromed aluminum parts were beginning to corrode so I contacted GLK to alert them to a problem with the anodizing and/or electroplating of the parts.

GLK responded saying that such corrosion is to be expected and would not replace the defective parts, suggesting that I need to clean the assemblies more thoroughly!

The GLK product is excellent in all respects other than the quality of the finish, and I suspect longevity.

I am very disappointed with the poor level of service during the warranty period given that it is a very expensive product.

Cheers Ray

[Rambozo]

So how do they work on uneven ground or something like a gravel driveway?

Thanks for the link. The English manual answered most of my questions, but I would still like to hear the take of a real user such as yourself.

#5, 6, and 11 seem like dealbreakers and the most likely time for me to drop the bike.
I don't really have any issues when I'm on perfect pavement.

[quickeningray]

Hi Rambozo

Each wheel assembly has a rubber buffer which allows for lateral flexibility on uneven ground.
With the wheels deployed on sloping ground the rider must lean towards the high side to prepare to balance the bike before raising the wheels.
I have a gravel driveway and deploy the wheels before turning in to or out of my garage.
The rider needs to be careful when riding slowly on changing grades with the wheels deployed; the wheels change the steering dynamics very quickly.