High Times Freedom Fighter!

by Captain Joint
(Brownville Me., 04414)

The High Times Freedom Fighter Trike was built by Arizona Custom Trikes. I ordered a high end package of the trike and trailer. I paid around $24,000.00 cash up front and got a pile of shiney trash from them. I flew to Arizona to find the trike I ordered had a 17 inch cycle salvage honda wheel on it, not the 21 inch custom/chrome with drum brake I paid for. Also, the two 5.5 up under gas tanks somehow became a box of gas hung under the rear axel with spot welds. This tank hung so low it hit speed bumps and did finally catch on a manhole cover that was high in the street and wrecked the trike. The drive home with it I was fixing it all the way and went over the serria mountains in california with faulty brakes, both front and back.

The trike was built as a 2005 Scorpion from Arizona Custom Trikes, was ridden almost to Conn., when the back wheel bearings blew out. Inspection of the damage by mechanics gave me the news that this very expensive pile of parts was built with a VW back wheel system that the old and warn wheel bearings had not been replaced and my new trike had wheel bearings that looked to be from the factory and were as old as the 72 VW ass end that was used by Arizona Custom Trikes.

The small front wheel finally caused a serious accident that almost cost my wife her lower leg and laid me up with leg injuries and a crushed hand. When the guy fixing the trike called for parts and info the Arizona trike owner said to him the accident was most likely caused by the small front wheel as it eas wrong for the trike. They were not a lot of help with getting the trike fixed and had to send parts back and forth because they couldn't even match parts, pad and seat colors, or the paint colors that were used.

I worked for years after the accident hoping to again put a plate on it and enjoy it. That never harrened. My wife was so afraid of this mechanical nightmare she insisted I sello it and will ride on a new one if I build it, because she would never again trust a trike built by someone else.

I had worked hard to get the trike street safe, and ready for registration, but ended up selling it to a real nice guy from Ohio, and I was hoping he would enjoy the hell out of it. Today not even a week after the sale, he is having problems on the few parts I did not go overf and change or fix.

I guess the message here is know who is building your trike, or do it yourself...

I am already building my next one. I hope the problems that the new owners are having are simple, because I truly did believe I had fixed it so it was safe, and did not want to even accidently screw anyone like Arizona Custome Trikes screwed me.

I will be back to post pics of the one I am now building.