FIRST RIDE ON MY FREE WHEELER - and DISAPPOINTING

[balloo]

Weather was finally good enough for my first ride.

Was like ridding a horse with each leg a different length.

Granted I only rode for 40-miles, and almost all was on the side roads/streets here - they are paved, but do have some bumps.

I thought I would get bucked off....

Coming from a Heritage, and ridding the same roads this was a big disappointment.

I road several miles on our local highway,. and felt every bump and grove in the pavement - - again nothing like ridding the Heritage

At this point, I consider it unsafe for me to ride this bike.

Have any of you had these problems, while getting use to the Free Wheeler ?

Bought the Free Wheeler used, but only 1100-miles -dealer did complete service and safety check. All noted Okay, which included a check ride by service tech.

Any and all input is appreciated -- would hate to have to sell it.

Thanks,

 

[rhino 2]

Larry, With 3 wheels on the ground its not like with a 2 wheeler where you can miss most of the pot holes....For some people ? there's a learning curve to get past with 3 wheels....You'll figure it out in time...Just don't have a death grip on the handle-bars.....:Shrug:..

 

[LadyonaMission]

Try letting a little air out of the rear tires. The dealer always over inflates mine. I can't imagine giving up after only riding it 40 miles so I hope you are not serious. I love my Freewheeler.

 

[1dn5up]

Tire pressure is a start. 22psi in rear , dealers jack them up to specs. Front, if Dunlop, 32psi.

Other recommendations should follow shortly . Ride safe.

 

[Zammy]

Howdy Larry, another thing to check is the air pressure in the rear shocks, don't know if you ride 1 or 2 up but start around 25 or 30 # and work your way up and down about 2 # at a time till you find the sweet spot.

I think Frank meant to say 36 lbs in the front tire if it's a Dunlop, if not, sorry Frank.

 

[pioneer11]

It took me a long time to get used to it. Like about 5,000 miles.

After that it had bucked me around so much with nothing bad happening so I have confidence in it.

 

[Ozarkryder]

Check out this thread for new trikers from experienced riders started in the early days of Trike Talk. (My gosh! It's from 2008, can't believe I have enjoyed being a member here for 12 years!) Lots of good info that will help with the difference from bike to trike, and what to expect. https://www.triketalk.com/forum/threads/242-Making-The-Switch-Bike-to-Trike-Great-Info!

 

[MDO]

Welcome from Missouri!

I run 22 psi in the rear stock Dunlop tires & around 20 psi in the rear shocks, but I ride solo. 36 psi in the front tire.

You will need a special low volume air pump to adjust the rear shocks. I got mine online.

 

[Fearless]

Tire pressure and shock pressure is everything in comfort in the three wheel world what the others have said it will be much better. there are better shocks available but pricey. travel safe Fred

 

[grizzzly]

Welcome to Trike Talk

Welcome Larry. Sorry to hear you're already thinking of selling. It takes a while to get used to the ride. Shocks and tires help as others have said. I have about 4500 miles on my 2018 Tri glide. I have not done anything to it yet, just got used to the rougher ride. Hope you get used to the ride or make some changes. Good Luck.

 

[Jack Klarich]

Welcome to Trike Talk, as others have already posted try adjusting your air pressure in the tires and rear air shocks

 

[balloo]

FIRST RIDE ON MY FREE WHEEL and DISAPPOINTING

Weather was finally good enough for my first ride.

Was like ridding a horse with each leg a different length

Granted I only rode for 40-miles, and almost all was on the side streets/roads where I live. They are paved, but do have some bumps.

I thought I would get bucked off.

Coming from a Heritage, and ridding the same roads, this was a big disappointment.

I rode several miles on the local highway, and felt every bump and grove in the pavement -- again nothing like ridding the Heritage.

At this point, I consider it unsafe to ride this bike.

Have any of you had these problems, while getting use to your free wheeler?

Bought the free wheeler used with only 1100-miles ( is a 2016) dealer did complete service, safety check. All noted okay, which included a test ride by the service tech.

Any and all input is appreciated - - would hate to have to sell it.

Thanks

 

[pioneer11]

Weather was finally good enough for my first ride.

Was like ridding a horse with each leg a different length

Granted I only rode for 40-miles, and almost all was on the side streets/roads where I live. They are paved, but do have some bumps.

I thought I would get bucked off.

Coming from a Heritage, and ridding the same roads, this was a big disappointment.

I rode several miles on the local highway, and felt every bump and grove in the pavement -- again nothing like ridding the Heritage.

At this point, I consider it unsafe to ride this bike.

Have any of you had these problems, while getting use to your free wheeler?

Bought the free wheeler used with only 1100-miles ( is a 2016) dealer did complete service, safety check. All noted okay, which included a test ride by the service tech.

Any and all input is appreciated - - would hate to have to sell it.

Thanks

Isn't there another thread about this?

 

[rhino 2]

Isn't there another thread about this?

Yes he is new to the forum......And posted on two threads....The moderators should combined them into one...:Shrug:..

 

[paws]

Larry... don’t pull the trigger too fast! Hang in here with it for a bit and try the suggestions already posted...these guys are seasoned FreeWheeler owners, appreciate their ride, and willing to offer their experiences with whatever concerns you may have with your trike.

Then, if the FreeWheeler is not for you - go test ride other trikes and see if you find one that suits you better - different brands and different trike kits do ride differently but keep in mind that a bumpy road will yield a bumpy ride on ANY 3-wheeler...for instance, I just had the shocks lowered on my Gold Wing trike from stiffest to middle setting - I too was griping about the bumpy ride on bumpy roads - this lower setting has improved the bumpy road ride... wishing you the best...

 

[ol' school]

Larry, don't give up. As has been stated, it takes some time to make the transition from two wheels to three. I probably had 500 plus miles on our trike before I was happy I made the change to three wheels. And with three tire tracks you will not always miss the rough patches in the road. At some point you will begin to wonder why you waited so long to switch to a trike!

 

[Lee H. Mann]

Weather was finally good enough for my first ride.

Was like ridding a horse with each leg a different length

Granted I only rode for 40-miles, and almost all was on the side streets/roads where I live. They are paved, but do have some bumps.

I thought I would get bucked off.

Coming from a Heritage, and ridding the same roads, this was a big disappointment.

I rode several miles on the local highway, and felt every bump and grove in the pavement -- again nothing like ridding the Heritage.

At this point, I consider it unsafe to ride this bike.

Have any of you had these problems, while getting use to your free wheeler?

Bought the free wheeler used with only 1100-miles ( is a 2016) dealer did complete service, safety check. All noted okay, which included a test ride by the service tech.

Any and all input is appreciated - - would hate to have to sell it.

Thanks

Larry, Welcome to Trike Talk from West Virginia.:wave4:

There are posts all over the forum about different initial setup opinions.

This is just another:

Air pressure is part of the suspension. The rear tires should be 20-22psi to start. The front tire 36psi to start. The stock Harley air shocks 15-20psi to start. Improvement in ride quality can be made from these starting points.

It will never give you the thrill of a 2-wheeler but most of us consider the alternative of not riding.:Shrug:

 

[Fearless]

Larry, Welcome to Trike Talk from West Virginia.:wave4:

There are posts all over the forum about different initial setup opinions.

This is just another:

Air pressure is part of the suspension. The rear tires should be 20-22psi to start. The front tire 36psi to start. The stock Harley air shocks 15-20psi to start. Improvement in ride quality can be made from these starting points.

It will never give you the thrill of a 2-wheeler but most of us consider the alternative of not riding.:Shrug:

Thank you very well said...:good: ride safe Fred

 

[balloo]

Larry, Welcome to Trike Talk from West Virginia.:wave4:

There are posts all over the forum about different initial setup opinions.

This is just another:

Air pressure is part of the suspension. The rear tires should be 20-22psi to start. The front tire 36psi to start. The stock Harley air shocks 15-20psi to start. Improvement in ride quality can be made from these starting points.

It will never give you the thrill of a 2-wheeler but most of us consider the alternative of not riding.:Shrug:

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR INPUT - - today I lowered the rear tire pressure to 22 - this helped a bit. Then I took bike to the dealer - - they will adjust shocks to between 10 & 20 PSI as I do not have the special tool.

Rode the bike on a freeway at between 55 and 65 MPH - still not a comfortable ride. And on the rough road from my house even with lower rear tire pressure, nothing ike my Heritage on this road.

Will continue to do some test rides after dealer makes adjustments -- but rain forecast again so may be a while.

It is nice to belong to a group like this, and all of your experience and input is really appreciated

Will post after my next ride.

Cheers,

 

[Gorilla]

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR INPUT - - today I lowered the rear tire pressure to 22 - this helped a bit. Then I took bike to the dealer - - they will adjust shocks to between 10 & 20 PSI as I do not have the special tool.

Rode the bike on a freeway at between 55 and 65 MPH - still not a comfortable ride. And on the rough road from my house even with lower rear tire pressure, nothing ike my Heritage on this road.

Will continue to do some test rides after dealer makes adjustments -- but rain forecast again so may be a while.

It is nice to belong to a group like this, and all of your experience and input is really appreciated

Will post after my next ride.

Cheers,

Larry keep working at it. The idea is to get the ride as comfortable as possible for the trike it is. Things to think about, NO TRIKE will ride as good as your heritage. Your 2 wheeler went down the road pretty much with BOTH tires in the same track. A trike has 3 tires of which NONE is in the same track as the other 2. So you have 3 times more road to feel then on the 2 wheeler.

So things to keep in mind. As far as road feel independent rear suspension will feel better then straight axle. The longer the wheel base will make for a better ride. Independent suspension will not handle the twisting roads as well as a similar straight axle.

TRI glide/Free wheeler have had many members make changes to them to improve the ride over stock. Riding a trike takes at least 400 to 1000 miles for the new rider to get a true feel for it. If you still think you want better go to DK Customs (ad this web site) Kevin has done extensive testing of ways to improve the ride on the Harley Trikes.

Good luck give it a chance to grow on you.

 

[FreeJoe]

Don't give up.. in time you will find it to be a blast to ride. Purchased my wife's Freewheeler used as well. My first impression riding it was much like you but quickly got used to it. The wife loved it the moment we got it. Since then, like others have suggested, lowered the rear air pressure and it made a difference. But the biggest improvement was getting rid of the crappy air shocks and installing the DK custom Convertible Comfort Lift & Pro Action Shocks. Not only did I immediately notice a huge ride improvement, the wife was thrilled with the "New" trike. DK will set the shocks up to your specs before you even install them so no needing to adjust thereafter. Huge improvement!!! look them up, currently running a sale on the combo kit!

http://www.dkcustomproducts.com/combo-package-14-harley-trike-series-shocks-comfort-lifttm.htm

 

[LadyonaMission]

THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR YOUR INPUT - - today I lowered the rear tire pressure to 22 - this helped a bit. Then I took bike to the dealer - - they will adjust shocks to between 10 & 20 PSI as I do not have the special tool.

Rode the bike on a freeway at between 55 and 65 MPH - still not a comfortable ride. And on the rough road from my house even with lower rear tire pressure, nothing ike my Heritage on this road.

Will continue to do some test rides after dealer makes adjustments -- but rain forecast again so may be a while.

It is nice to belong to a group like this, and all of your experience and input is really appreciated

Will post after my next ride.

Cheers,

I traded my second Road King for my Freewheeler, at first I did think about how much I missed my Road King, then I realized that was pointless. Kinda like telling your wife your first girlfriend was really hot.

Embrace the new adventure and soon I hope you will love your Freewheeler and have fond thoughts of trips you have taken on it to go along with your Heritage memories. I have also found many new friends in the world of three.

 

[chester]

I traded my second Road King for my Freewheeler, at first I did think about how much I missed my Road King, then I realized that was pointless. Kinda like telling your wife your first girlfriend was really hot.

Embrace the new adventure and soon I hope you will love your Freewheeler and have fond thoughts of trips you have taken on it to go along with your Heritage memories. I have also found many new friends in the world of three.

Should have done more research!

 

[pcombe]

Weather was finally good enough for my first ride.

Was like ridding a horse with each leg a different length.

Granted I only rode for 40-miles, and almost all was on the side roads/streets here - they are paved, but do have some bumps.

I thought I would get bucked off....

Coming from a Heritage, and ridding the same roads this was a big disappointment.

I road several miles on our local highway,. and felt every bump and grove in the pavement - - again nothing like ridding the Heritage

At this point, I consider it unsafe for me to ride this bike.

Have any of you had these problems, while getting use to the Free Wheeler ?

Bought the Free Wheeler used, but only 1100-miles -dealer did complete service and safety check. All noted Okay, which included a check ride by service tech.

Any and all input is appreciated -- would hate to have to sell it.

Thanks,

My friend you are experiencing the learning curve from two to three wheels and that is all you know about your trike.

May i explain?

first you want to make sure you have the max air pressure in your front tire. and maybe around 26 lbs in your rear tires?

Tire pressure helps to steady the trike on road grooves etc, wind affecting your steerage and other factors.

Next you must understand the basics of a trike vs two wheels.

Your trike is and exercise in push and pull on the handle bars, Learn to push in a corner by straightening the arm you push with using your shoulder and upper body to push the handlebars.?

Much less effort and better control.

next it will be much better to run your trike in a gear where the engine is pulling at all times, If you lug it you may experience whats called head shake on the front end which is frightening at any time.

running your trike in a gear where it pulls a little, throttle or a bit of braking brings it out of that.

next?

learn to shift your butt in a hard corner, planting your foot more steadily on one foot board giving you a better stance, planting yourself more securely on your seat in a corner.

I guarantee you my friends on dressed two wheelers cant even keep up with me in corners.



Its a just a learning curve, nothing more than that, you haven't made a mistake.

its your problem, not the trikes.

try it and see how wonderful it really is?

 

[Mykneesbehurtin]

I traded my Road Glide for my first trike in 2016 because my wife could no longer get on a two wheeler and my knees where getting bad and to be honest i just hated the trike and it took me a good 2500 miles to get comfortable with it.Once i got thru the learning cure it was a whole other ball game,fast forward to 2020 and the trike was the best thing for the wife and i.By taking advice from folks on this site on tire and shock pressure along with the way i turned the trike and stance has made a huge difference.Just hang in there and give yourself at least a 1000 miles before you make a decision.

 

[Burnerboy]

Back maybe 5 yrs ago, I test rode a Trike while at Sturgis rally.................I HATED IT! IT TOOK THE WIND RIGHT OUT MY SAILS...........



Well fast forward the five years, till present, I got real sick two years ago while riding the Tail Of The Dragon...[ I had a Major seizure ] and to be helicopter out and get to hospital fast...

Doctors told my wife that no more M/cycle riding for me... (Well, I then decided to trike my Goldwing out) instead of giving up completely......

It took a few 100++ miles to get used to it......(yes! It's a total different ride) BUT once I got used to it, you can not pry those handle bars out of my hands

.....riding is different, yes, but more thrilling, .................

Remember when you first started to ride a bicycle, and keep falling over, and you thought, "I can't do this"..........BUT once you learned and got used to it, I bet you were like the rest of us kids making jumps and doing tricks........and placing baseball cards in the spokes to make an engine noises ..LOL ( those were the fun daze)

ride on with a smile, it does get better, (I promise) ...BUT not smoother, you'll have to get used to the bumpy ride.............

Ronnie

 

[Kmark]

Another thing that helps me to smooth out my ride is to go ahead and hit manhole covers with your front wheel. Not nearly as jarring as running over it with a single back wheel. You'll get used to the ride in no time and by the time you are use to it, you won't want to get off of it. My wife and I had a Goldwing trike back in 2006 and for some reason we went back to two wheels. All was well until I broke a leg in 2018. It was a very bad break and healing took forever. Long story short, I picked up my new Triglide a week before the 2019 Trike Talk rally in Maggie Valley. In the last year and a half I have put almost ten thousand miles on it. Good luck.

 

[Old Road Dog]

The OP has been posting the same smack on every forum in the Milky Way. Trikes arnt for you. Sell it and take up golf.