looking for my first trike, been riding HDs since late 70's

5

5150Dome

Jul 10, 2022
10
15
Wellington, NV
Long time rider, but never had a trike. We ride 2 up 90% of the time, balance ain't what it used to be.

I'm looking at 2 specific trikes - 2016 Tri-glide (don't really want a M8) and the other a 2018 Honda GW with a Road smith kit. (I know, I Know)

Primary purpose for going with 3 wheels is my wife's comfort, and her not freaking out at my squiggles at 5 MPH coming to stop signs, and U Turns.

Please keep the HONDA snarky to a minimum, Thanks

We pretty much open to any trike, and If I'm making a mistake by not going with an M8, let me know. (all I hear is troubles with these)
 
5150Dome said:
Long time rider, but never had a trike. We ride 2 up 90% of the time, balance ain't what it used to be.

I'm looking at 2 specific trikes - 2016 Tri-glide (don't really want a M8) and the other a 2018 Honda GW with a Road smith kit. (I know, I Know)

Primary purpose for going with 3 wheels is my wife's comfort, and her not freaking out at my squiggles at 5 MPH coming to stop signs, and U Turns.

Please keep the HONDA snarky to a minimum, Thanks

We pretty much open to any trike, and If I'm making a mistake by not going with an M8, let me know. (all I hear is troubles with these)
Click to expand...

Paul.......Welcome to Trike-Talk ..:wave4::wave4:....
 
Take them for a test ride- bring the lady along( pro tip) . See which one YOU like. What anyone here thinks doesn't matter.Nothing wrong with the M8. Try one. Every HD motor has had some issues but not every one in every model line. My shovelhead is still a work in progress.
 
5150Dome said:
Long time rider, but never had a trike. We ride 2 up 90% of the time, balance ain't what it used to be.

I'm looking at 2 specific trikes - 2016 Tri-glide (don't really want a M8) and the other a 2018 Honda GW with a Road smith kit. (I know, I Know)

Primary purpose for going with 3 wheels is my wife's comfort, and her not freaking out at my squiggles at 5 MPH coming to stop signs, and U Turns.

Please keep the HONDA snarky to a minimum, Thanks

We pretty much open to any trike, and If I'm making a mistake by not going with an M8, let me know. (all I hear is troubles with these)
Click to expand...

Welcome to TrikeTalk- think you will find some great comments here.

Lots of us have moved to the Trike - like you, I have been riding since the 1970s and am now pushing 70 years old. Last year, wife and I divided to move to a trike.

This is not our first trike. My wife is also a rider and has had six bikes. When the kids were younger, she has a sidecar - and, as they got older, she moved to a trike. Both of her rigs were on a GoldWing, the trike was a MotorTrike. So, you'll not get a gigles from y about the Wing - we found it to be a nice bike.

We moved to Harley in 2004 and, have enjoyed them. In 2021, wife got me a 2021 Ultra for my birthday. That bike has the M8 and we have found that it is much smoother and powerful that our past Harleys. Unfortunately, I had some surgery and could not tide all of 2021 - bike had just 795 miles on it and, we decided to trike it with the CSC kit.

So, look around, take your time, ride a few different trikes - and comeback here with all of your questions. Great group of folks here.

Good luck

kAY6FK9.jpg
 
Welcome to Trike Talk, my buddy has both Honda and Harley trikes. He has a 2009 and a 2013 Tri Glide along with a recently purchased 2018 Honda automatic with a Roadsmith conversion. He likes the Goldwing I think more than the Tri Glides because of the ride and a lot less heat from the motor. Him and his girlfriend rode it from Cape Coral Fla to Dayton Ohio shortly after he purchased it, doing 808 miles the first day.

He is 70 years old and has many aliments from Agent Orange, he swears there would be no way he could have done that on either Harley. So my advice would be ride both, pick the one that rides the best for both you and your wife. The group of friends I ride with are all HD riders, but he is our friend and what he rides means nothing as long as he is with us. If you go with the Honda you won't be disappointed
 
Mykneesbehurtin said:
Welcome to Trike Talk, my buddy has both Honda and Harley trikes. He has a 2009 and a 2013 Tri Glide along with a recently purchased 2018 Honda automatic with a Roadsmith conversion. He likes the Goldwing I think more than the Tri Glides because of the ride and a lot less heat from the motor. Him and his girlfriend rode it from Cape Coral Fla to Dayton Ohio shortly after he purchased it, doing 808 miles the first day. He is 70 years old and has many aliments from Agent Orange, he swears there would be no way he could have done that on either Harley. So my advice would be ride both, pick the one that rides the best for both you and your wife. The group of friends I ride with are all HD riders, but he is our friend and what he rides means nothing as long as he is with us. If you go with the Honda you won't be disappointed
Click to expand...

Your 70-year-old friend seems to be in pretty good shape. Now way would I even consider 808 miles per pay. I am in the 300-mile range (LOL).

I might agree that the Wing would ride better than the 2013 TriGlide which has a single axel. Harley conversion kits from Roadsmith, CSC and others are independent suspension. Such, in y opinion, offers a mich better ride.

As far as the heat, this has not been an issue at all on my 2021 Ultra. My 2002 was hot, my 2011 was a little hot. When I moved to the 2014, the twin cam cooled function sems to help quite a bit. Now with my 2021, M* motor, we don't get any of that. When I triked my bike, I wanted the running boards - but sort of wondered if this would create some heat - nope, all is well.
 
We are Harley-Davidson owners for 18 years now. Had many metrics but at 40 I got my first Harley-Davidson, a 883C and rode it for 2 years. Then I got my dream bike 07 Electra Glide Classic. I still have it with 111000 miles on it. We last year bought a 14 Tri Glide. Actually wish i had a M8. But that’s neither here or there, I just got a good deal on the bike so I jumped on it. We’ve test rode a Goldwing with CSC trike kit on it and holy smokes that thing is stout.

But Mrs Notgrownup wanted a Harley-Davidson. We are visiting CSC at the end of the month to consider converting a bike later, maybe this winter or so. I am now considering selling both bikes and upgrading to a newer year. I really like what Others have done and I would tell you follow your own tastes and heart when shopping. I recently found out that a place in NC rents Goldwing trikes… I might try this before I make final decisions on the next plan.
 
Notgrownup said:
We are Harley-Davidson owners for 18 years now. Had many metrics but at 40 I got my first Harley-Davidson, a 883C and rode it for 2 years. Then I got my dream bike 07 Electra Glide Classic. I still have it with 111000 miles on it. We last year bought a 14 Tri Glide. Actually wish i had a M8. But that’s neither here or there, I just got a good deal on the bike so I jumped on it. We’ve rest rode a Goldwing with CSC trike kit on it and holy smokes that thing is stout. But Mrs Notgrownup wanted a Harley-Davidson. We are visiting CSC at the end of the month to consider converting a bike later, maybe this winter or so. I am now considering selling both bikes and upgrading to a newer year. I really like what Others have done and I would tell you follow your own tastes and heart when shopping.
Click to expand...

LOL - and to quote what you told me earlier, "You know the jingle"
 
First dilemma - Honda or Harley. That's an easy one imo. Harley is the only manufacturer offering a factory trike with a factory (or extended) warranty. Period, end of story. Triking a Honda (or a Harley two wheeler) will immediately void the factory warranty for the power train. Not sure about extended service contracts. I know the Harley sponsored ESP would be a no go. Third party ESP? You'll have to check on them.

No personal experience but I have heard / read of drive train issues with triked out Hondas. Probably not for many years / miles however. And I've heard / read many instances of Honda dealers not wanting to work on trikes. So for those reasons alone I'd favor a factory Harley trike.

Twin Cam vs M8. Yes there were some issues early on with the M8 - oil migration between tranny and primary and sumping. I've had three M8s and no issues whatsoever. And with the primary vent and the much redesigned oil pump the issues are totally resolved. I've had five different twin cams and will say unequivocally the M8 is a far superior power plant. More torque, cooler and no issues I've heard regarding cam bearings and lifters which are weak points for all the twin cams, especially so for the 110" motor but the 103s and 96s are not immune.
 
Mykneesbehurtin said:
Welcome to Trike Talk, my buddy has both Honda and Harley trikes. He has a 2009 and a 2013 Tri Glide along with a recently purchased 2018 Honda automatic with a Roadsmith conversion. He likes the Goldwing I think more than the Tri Glides because of the ride and a lot less heat from the motor. Him and his girlfriend rode it from Cape Coral Fla to Dayton Ohio shortly after he purchased it, doing 808 miles the first day. He is 70 years old and has many aliments from Agent Orange, he swears there would be no way he could have done that on either Harley. So my advice would be ride both, pick the one that rides the best for both you and your wife. The group of friends I ride with are all HD riders, but he is our friend and what he rides means nothing as long as he is with us. If you go with the Honda you won't be disappointed
Click to expand...

Thanks, My friend has an older Honda and she loves it! The ones I'm looking at are 2000 miles away, so that's an flight away just to try. Plenty of TG's here, so that and ability to service them is also on my list, Thanks again
 
ultrafxr said:
First dilemma - Honda or Harley. That's an easy one imo. Harley is the only manufacturer offering a factory trike with a factory (or extended) warranty. Period, end of story. Triking a Honda (or a Harley two wheeler) will immediately void the factory warranty for the power train. Not sure about extended service contracts. I know the Harley sponsored ESP would be a no go. Third party ESP? You'll have to check on them.

No personal experience but I have heard / read of drive train issues with triked out Hondas. Probably not for many years / miles however. And I've heard / read many instances of Honda dealers not wanting to work on trikes. So for those reasons alone I'd favor a factory Harley trike.

Twin Cam vs M8. Yes there were some issues early on with the M8 - oil migration between tranny and primary and sumping. I've had three M8s and no issues whatsoever. And with the primary vent and the much redesigned oil pump the issues are totally resolved. I've had five different twin cams and will say unequivocally the M8 is a far superior power plant. More torque, cooler and no issues I've heard regarding cam bearings and lifters which are weak points for all the twin cams, especially so for the 110" motor but the 103s and 96s are not immune.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Heat is one issue I was also looking at, all my older bikes we're built, strokers etc. Heat was generated for sure. I understood that the M8 was even hotter than the TC's? One of the reasons (in my old brain) for a 2016 was last year for TC's and also the Rushmore cooling which I've personally never experienced! Plus I really wanted a bike that would run OK with just a Stage 1, no more pouring $5G's to make it run right.
 
Old Road Dog said:
Take them for a test ride- bring the lady along( pro tip) . See which one YOU like. What anyone here thinks doesn't matter.Nothing wrong with the M8. Try one. Every HD motor has had some issues but not every one in every model line. My shovelhead is still a work in progress.
Click to expand...

Tks, I miss my shovels
 
5150Dome said:
Long time rider, but never had a trike. We ride 2 up 90% of the time, balance ain't what it used to be.

I'm looking at 2 specific trikes - 2016 Tri-glide (don't really want a M8) and the other a 2018 Honda GW with a Road smith kit. (I know, I Know)

Primary purpose for going with 3 wheels is my wife's comfort, and her not freaking out at my squiggles at 5 MPH coming to stop signs, and U Turns.

Please keep the HONDA snarky to a minimum, Thanks

We pretty much open to any trike, and If I'm making a mistake by not going with an M8, let me know. (all I hear is troubles with these)
Click to expand...

Welcome aboard from Texas! As a functioning 5150 🤪, and 5150X, spouse, we are curious about your moniker and background? At age 80, I transitioned to a Triglide because my wife wouldn’t ride with me on the two wheeler, said she wouldn’t ride with a dude who did the “fall overs” on the old “Laugh In” show!😁. Riding on three wheels; living the dream!

Al
 
I went from a 2018 Street Glide to a 2020 Tri Glide after being hit by a car. I found it had more than enough power to ride how I wanted and heat was not an issue. I even let someone from Texas who was visiting ride it around a parking lot. He wanted to check out my 10" handlebars he was thinking about for his trike. After the ride he called me several not nice names. He then explained how he had a 96" motor that was completely built and the stock 114" M8 motor made his trike seem like a slug. Now he was thinking about a newer trike as well as the handlebars. Go to a dealer and test ride an M8 trike before you write them off, you might be quite surprised as my Texas friend was. I would not get a 2017 but anything later would be great as they have the oil migration issues straightened out in the later models.
 
5150Dome said:
Thanks one of the Trikes we're looking at is in Dotham AL.....Long trek!
Click to expand...

Dothan is south of where we are by a long ways, we had a 2014 TriGlide and liked it but after the wife had back surgery that solid axle just road to rough. I did somethings to it and made it better but I knew if she was going to keep riding I had to get something with the independent suspension so we purchased the 2019 wing/csc now she is more comfortable than I am. As said before ride and compare and check out the folks at Complete Cycle in Rome Georgia I found out they are the ones that triked our bike.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

T
Looking to buy a used harley davidson trike
Replies
14
Views
15,439
Dixiejohn
D
4
Looking to make my trike sound loud with minimal dollars
2
Replies
31
Views
52,504
Trampas
T
RAHRAHJR
New trike looking for feedback
Replies
6
Views
9,244
Recycledteen
Recycledteen
wlibert
Looking for someone Oberon adjustable clutch and brake levers on a 2014 to 2016 trike
Replies
5
Views
11,353
wlibert
wlibert
N
Looking for trike info
Replies
12
Views
22,264
Crossroads Trikes
C
Z
Looking for Dynajet Power Vision mount other than Handlebar Mount
Replies
2
Views
3,658
Longbeard71
Longbeard71

Welcome to the Trike Talk Community

Join our vibrant online community dedicated to all things Trikes! Whether you're a seasoned rider or just starting out, this is the place to share experiences, tips, and stories about your three-wheeled adventures. Explore modifications, maintenance advice, and rides, all while connecting with fellow trike enthusiasts from around the globe

Register Log in

Forum statistics

Threads
55,371
Messages
804,498
Members
23,941
Latest member
dyno56ca
Register Log in

Share this page

155 wide Papa Zook’s Harley Rake Kits

photo 260e2760-d89e-45b2-8675-2bc26fb3d465.jpg

photo Trike-Talk-150-x-200.gif

photo DK Trike Talk Right side banner 19.jpg

photo 9796095c-0d4b-4a9b-88ed-efe4c498d084.png
photo f9866e4e-75c5-471a-86f5-5e72a446ecc3.png
Back
Top Bottom