Hard time transferring from Bike to Trike?

[RidingThree]

Has anyone else's Wife or Girlfriend rode with you for years on your bike and then get on your New Trike and feel terrified?

Best passenger ever on my other Harley's, forget she was even back there. But now she feels like she's going to fall off.

i understand the physics in difference between the 2, I just wonder if she will get use to it. Only rode 3 miles and she wanted to go back home.

This was with the Stock Seat and Accesory Backrest.

I have now bought a Sundowner Seat, which has a much wider and flatter passenger pad, but she hasn't rode on it yet. Hoping that and her putting in 2 or 3 hours on it and get in "the groove", she would change her mind.

Any other suggestions or thoughts? (Besides Divorce).

 

[roadrunner1800]

Sorry to say but you don't want to go to divorce...and we all understand it was said in jest. Being married she already owns one half of the trike...during divorce court the judge will award her the other half and you'll be out there riding an old 1975 Sportster with an oil stained rear wheel. Sorry guys that's the first ride that popped into my head !:Shrug:

You should suggest to her that you two take a ride to one of her most favorite destinations....take it casually slow and even throw in a few stops to let her gather her thoughts and get used to the new ride. Don't go blasting down the road trying to impress her as that may have a very different result than you were hoping for.

 

[RickDeVon]

My wife loves to ride...and I mean all day and ready to do it again the next day...only thing she has said riding the trike is she is having to plant her feet firm in the curves...sometimes she reminds me to keep Miss Mysterious on three and not two...

 

[RidingThree]

Sorry to say but you don't want to go to divorce...and we all understand it was said in jest. Being married she already owns one half of the trike...during divorce court the judge will award her the other half and you'll be out there riding an old 1975 Sportster with an oil stained rear wheel. Sorry guys that's the first ride that popped into my head !:Shrug:

You should suggest to her that you two take a ride to one of her most favorite destinations....take it casually slow and even throw in a few stops to let her gather her thoughts and get used to the new ride. Don't go blasting down the road trying to impress her as that may have a very different result than you were hoping for.

No blasting down the rode here, too old for that. We like to soak up the scenery. We are going to ride tomorrow after work and hopefully she will get more accustomed to the change.

 

[knob]

Does your trike have arm rest for your bride? They seem to give the passenger an extra bit of security sometimes. I guess you could never turn but that would make for a really long ride. Good luck to you both.

 

[RidingThree]

Does your trike have arm rest for your bride? They seem to give the passenger an extra bit of security sometimes. I guess you could never turn but that would make for a really long ride. Good luck to you both.

Im not not aware they make one for the Freewheeler??

 

[MB1953]

For my wife it was just the opposite; she loved to ride herself, or behind me, but there was always a little bit of the "what if?" She actually suggested the trike, and once she got to ride on one, was so happy... I have a riding partner for life. Give it a brief adjustment period, I think anything new takes time.

 

[leo3wheel]

I've ridden as a trike passenger only once, and it was unnerving. Of course, driving a trike took quite a while before it became second nature. Still when driving hard on twisty roads I find myself digging in with my boots. However, the overall trike experience is very positive. Trike tracks very well and is not affected by crosswinds and many road hazards. On vacation recently, heard this loud scratching noise from under trike. Didn't feel anything. Other bikers pointed out the loose gravel. On two wheels I may have gone down. Hope your wife gives it time.

You will be happy in the long run.

 

[knob]

Im not not aware they make one for the Freewheeler??

My bad, I didn't catch that detail. I don't know if they are available either. I asked the wife about her first experience on the trike and she said she kind of felt like she was going to fall off also. I think over time your wife will adjust. Again, good luck with your new ride.

 

[Peter A.]

My Wife tried mine out.......now has her own and REFUSES to ride behind me any longer.....so that's one solution......and we LOVE OUR TRIKES!
:clapping:

 

[Moe55]

It will take her some time to adjust from 2 wheels to 3 just like it took you. Do what you can to make her feel more comfortable. Along with the better seat do you have a back rest can you lower the tire or shock pressure to smooth it out some?

My wife told me she felt like she was going to come flying off on curves at first. Slowed down until she got the hang of it now she is happy and loves the trike.

 

[cavie]

Im not not aware they make one for the Freewheeler??

these will fit ANY Sissy bar.


http://www.motorcyclereararmrest.com/ I have them on mine

 

[DK Custom Products]

Has anyone else's Wife or Girlfriend rode with you for years on your bike and then get on your New Trike and feel terrified?

Best passenger ever on my other Harley's, forget she was even back there. But now she feels like she's going to fall off.

i understand the physics in difference between the 2, I just wonder if she will get use to it. Only rode 3 miles and she wanted to go back home.

This was with the Stock Seat and Accesory Backrest.

I have now bought a Sundowner Seat, which has a much wider and flatter passenger pad, but she hasn't rode on it yet. Hoping that and her putting in 2 or 3 hours on it and get in "the groove", she would change her mind.

Any other suggestions or thoughts? (Besides Divorce).

I know exactly what you mean. Mary has about 60,000 miles as a passenger on a TG and there are trade-offs for her. On a 2 wheeled bike she will regularly take a nap back there...that is how comfortable/relaxed she is.

She rarely falls asleep on the TG. The one thing that helped her, more than anything else, to stay centered on the seat is the Adjustable Passenger Pegs. When she sees a curve, she pushes her feet against them, pushing her back into the backrest, and that keeps her centered on the seat.

So that pretty much cuts out the naps, but on the other hand, she can ride on the TG much longer without fatigue than on a 2 wheeler.

Here's a LINK where you can see more about the adjustable pegs.

Pic of her with her feet on them-

Kevin

 

[dirtdobber]

My wife loves riding on one of our 2 wheel HD's
but she has a problem on the trik. You have to realize a trike does not lean so when in the curves there is a lot if G force from the sides. A goldwing has hand rails and I have arm rests. She doesn't like the g force. Slow down in the curves, get either a arm rest or handrails. HD has them that mount under the seat.
Believe me I really do understand.

 

[Springman2007]

I think you all are missing the simple and obvious answer here:

SEATBELT...........:clapping::clapping::clapping:

(sorry, just had to through it in)

Have you had her spend any time on the luggage rack? I think after that, she will appreciate the passenger seat a lot more........

(I'm BAD!)

Springman

 

[leo3wheel]

Hmmm... Seatbelt is an interesting idea. Maybe airbags...

 

[Rick Kay]

Has anyone else's Wife or Girlfriend rode with you for years on your bike and then get on your New Trike and feel terrified?

Best passenger ever on my other Harley's, forget she was even back there. But now she feels like she's going to fall off.

i understand the physics in difference between the 2, I just wonder if she will get use to it. Only rode 3 miles and she wanted to go back home.

This was with the Stock Seat and Accesory Backrest.

I have now bought a Sundowner Seat, which has a much wider and flatter passenger pad, but she hasn't rode on it yet. Hoping that and her putting in 2 or 3 hours on it and get in "the groove", she would change her mind.

Any other suggestions or thoughts? (Besides Divorce).

We had a similar situation when I triked the FLHTI. My wife described the situation on the back like this: on two wheels centrifugal force was her friend, it pushed her into the seat. On three wheels, centrifugal force tries to throw her from the trike, like being at the end of the line in crack the whip. Once she spent some time on the rear of the trike, she felt very comfortable; it was a matter of learning to use her legs through the turns. I hope this helps.

 

[DakotaTG]

My wife is just the opposite. She prefers the three wheels over 2. She didn't like to ride on two wheels as she didn't like the lean on the corners. She was scared the bike would tip over or something. Anyway the very first time she rode on the trike after we purchased it she loved it. She has mentioned that on corners she felt like she was going to slide off at first but learned to push down with her feet on the floorboards and I did install the adjustable footpegs as well and she really likes them. Her biggest concern is that she might fall asleep and fall off. On a few rare occasions during of our long distant trips I have had to pull over so she could get off and walk around a bit to fight off falling asleep. I did put on the armrests as well and she really likes those. Partially to rest her arms on them as well as having a drink holder and the little side bag for her lotions, tissues and that.

2011 Merlot and Black TG

The best things in life are not things.

 

[Trent]

Got my BOB { Babe On Back } one of these extended arm backrests from Corbin. Solved her issue of feeling like she was gonna get thrown off. Along with the Kury adjustable passenger pegs, which is something every TG should have for their Sweet passengers. You can see it in my avatar photo too. Corbin also added studs so that it matched my Mustang seat. Just go to their website and look at the possibilities and variety they have.


Update: Oops.. I guess you have a Freewheeler. Nevermind.

 

[bikerbillone]

My first experience I almost ran out into the opposite lane of traffic from the RS parking lot, stopped short, put my feet down. Man, those RS people were laughing. Those hundred miles home was a good learning curve. It all gets better as someone posted. Hang in and love it.

 

[Rick Kay]

Got my BOB { Babe On Back } one of these extended arm backrests from Corbin. Solved her issue of feeling like she was gonna get thrown off. Along with the Kury adjustable passenger pegs, which is something every TG should have for their Sweet passengers. You can see it in my avatar photo too. Corbin also added studs so that it matched my Mustang seat. Just go to their website and look at the possibilities and variety they have.


Update: Oops.. I guess you have a Freewheeler. Nevermind.

I never noticed your backrest, Trent. It's awesome!

I know that will be on our list of "must haves".

Thank you for posting the info.

 

[roadking2]

My very first ride on a trike was terrifying, but after some miles I got to loving it. Maybe all she needs is a little more saddle time......hopefully. My limited experience tells me that MOST people feel more secure on a trike whether it's a passenger or the rider.

 

[clint44]

I must be an exception because it felt completely natural to me when I rode our Boss Hoss trike for the first time. Only thing that took a little getting used to was the clearance issues entering a toll booth or gas station. After riding a trike for the last six years,I find transitioning back to a two wheeler is causing me a few anxious moments. To be honest,the only thing that concerns me about converting our Street Glide to a trike is the huge cost.

 

[GARYD]

So far I have no issues with going to/from 2 wheels or 3 wheels.

It's like never forgetting how to ride a bike or roller skate = When I go to get on my TG, I close my eyes and remember when I was 3 years old. epper:

 

[BinIdaho]

Yeah, the OP didn't mention Freewheeler instead of Tri-Glide!!! Big difference folks. Buy your passenger her own trike or leave her at home....NO WHINING!!!!!

 

[Beorn of Ga]

My wife rode with me on 2 wheels for 50 years, and now on 3 for 5, she loves our Triglide and says it the best ride ever.

 

[RidingThree]

My wife rode with me on 2 wheels for 50 years, and now on 3 for 5, she loves our Triglide and says it the best ride ever.

We went for a short ride yesterday, 20 miles or so and it seemed to have gotten better with the change of seat to the Sundowner and just riding for a few minutes. Going to get some more time with her Saturday hopefully.

 

[Scratch]

My better half had a similar first-trike-ride experience. Said she was very uncomfortable in the curves. I replaced the sissy bar with a trunk and molded backrest combo and she now loves it. She claims the molded backrest made all the difference in the world...