Originally Posted by
25hz
If your butt is resting on the tie rod, it wouldn't be surprising to find out you've bent it. Bending it will change your toe-in measurement and THAT will affect your steering. Your toe-in should be about 1/8", you need to make sure your tie rod is straight (or at least not bent any further) and you need to adjust things so that your butt does not rest on the tie rod.
This was my reaction too.
However, how much experience do you have riding trikes and how do you stter? They don't handle the way a lot of people expect. Many people will pull on on lever while pushing the other. I find that at speed, this has a very destabilizing effect. When I'm moving down a hill, I just push gently with the opposite hand against the lever and let the other hand just follow.