2016 FLHTCUTG TRIKE having drifting issues

[Oregon Lady]

​HELP

I bought a 2016 FLHTCUTG trike with under 400 miles on it two days ago from a dealership.

On the ride home on the freeway with new pavement I put the cruise on, took my hands off the bars to zip up my jacket and it drifted to the right bad.

The dealership is trying to blame it on the road conditions or tire pressure.

I live over three hours from the dealership.

What else could be causing this issue?

 

[Gorilla]

Welcome Laura. First most of us hardly ever let go with both hands. Drifting is common because you only have one wheel in front that reacts to the road easily. That being said if the dealer aired up the tires to what most dealers do then the rears will have to much air in them. Most Tri riders run 22 to 24 lbs in the rear tires. The front 36 to 40 depending on how you like the feel. The lower pressure will help with the drift a little because more rear tire will be in contact with the road and it will give you a much better ride. Try it see if it helps

 

[Jack Klarich]

Hi Laura, :welcome:to Trike Talk

If your trike still drifts bad ( most of them do drift a bit) have a dealer check the rear axle alignment

I can take my hands off the bars on my 17 Freewheeler trike for a few blocks, but it does want to drift slightly to the right

 

[Fearless]

Like Gorilla stated never well almost never take both hands off bars. Check tire air pressure get them down in rear and make sure the front is close maximum pressure. Keep us posted. Ride safe Fred

 

[TonkaDriver]

Welcome to triking. The crown of the road will make your trike move to the right if let go. For a trike to go straight the road has to be perfectly level. You came across a really good deal finding one with 400 miles.

Kurt

 

[rhino 2]

​HELP

I bought a 2016 FLHTCUTG trike with under 400 miles on it two days ago from a dealership.

On the ride home on the freeway with new pavement I put the cruise on, took my hands off the bars to zip up my jacket and it drifted to the right bad.

The dealership is trying to blame it on the road conditions or tire pressure.

I live over three hours from the dealership.

What else could be causing this issue?

Welcome to Trike-Talk..........You will not have reoccurrence by just ''Not'' taking ''Both'' hands off the bars.....

 

[1dn5up]

:welcome:Laura , road crown , ride safe. :wave4:

 

[LadyonaMission]

Laura, welcome to the world of 3. Nice to have another Lady aboard.

 

[Philip R]

Welcome to the forum. Keeping your hands on the bars is a good habit. Be safe

 

[paws]

Hi Laura! WELCOME!!!

On a decent road surface, at highway speeds and no immediate traffic, I too occasionally let loose of those handlebars to very briefly stretch my arms or need to make a quick adjustment to something I can’t otherwise reach. Sometimes I do it just for funsies. But its not often I find a road surface and traffic just right.

Recently a trike friend driving behind me was aghast I did that...said his trike would have darted immediately off target no matter what the road condition. I laughed and told him it must be a tough suckerbill to have to wrestle with just keeping that trike ON the road.

By the way...I have Ride-On in all 3 tires and no wheel weights. Don't know if that has anything to do with it or not...some people like it...some don’t...like everything else.

 

[Wmitz]

Welcome, I would add that older tarred roads have a slight rise in the middle of the lane. That can play havoc when first starting out, it did with me. It can cause the bike to drift left or right depending where your front tire is riding. It can also make the bike feel a bit unstable, until you get used to it. Set your tire pressures, get used to the trike and enjoy it.

 

[bdtmd1]

Welcome to the forums from Middle Georgia Laura!

 

[DK Custom Products]

Welcome to the Forum, and Congratulations on your new ride.

Like others have stated, the crown in the road, or a crosswind, or unevenly inflated tires, all those will cause the Trike to drift. It's not like two wheels where you can shift your weight to steer.

But, with the Trike set up well, and with a flat, good surface, you can go straight for a bit with no hands.

Somewhere in Wyoming-

But those surfaces are few and far between. I've gone well over 20 miles no hands (I was bored in Kansas) on a 2 wheeler, but I doubt I've gone more than 1/2 - 3/4 of a mile no hands on the Tri Glide.

Kevin