A few TriGlide questions

[MADHOG]

I just sold the Limited (couple of reasons). One of them was because I want to jump into a TriGlide. Overall I wanted something a little easier/comfortable for 2-up riding. The OL has bad knees/lower back and me the lower back thing. After owning the Limited I’m thinking of staying with HD however I’m having mixed feelings about the heat issue problems/ stage 1 & 2 upgrades that so many complain about. Why is it the TriGlides get so hot? My limited had the same engine, trans, etc. except for the added weight of the TriGlide and it got hot but I don’t remember it getting “that hot.” I guess my concerns are I didn’t want to spend around $30K on a Trike and immediately have to dump another $2-3K into it for the heat thing and also to get more power.

BL, what has been your experience? Have you bought a stock TriGlide and it has worked out just fine or is it your opinion that it’s going to take $2-3K to make the thing suitable?

 

[eagle1]

try & get a '09 t/g. they came without a CAT . if your rideing 2 up you need a better cam. like the S&S 510 gear cam. the older t/g's rear brakes are bad IMO. i upgraded tp performance machine stage 1 rear brake kit. great. the '09 came with a 32 tooth trans sproket. i hear the newer ones have a 30 t. this makes the 6 gear a-lot better at cruising
and passing other vehicles. any way looks like you'll have that 3-4k in upgrades. i would look for a used t/g. there are some out there. l band you need 2" pullback handlebars asnd a back rest & a lift kit from TGlidestuff.com. a taller curver windscreen.too.
see how fast the $$ add up.

 

[trikermutha]

I would recommend to ride one first and make your own conclusion. Or rent one for a few hours and give it a good ride and make a decsion from that point.

Good Luck

 

[MADHOG]

try & get a '09 t/g. they came without a CAT . if your rideing 2 up you need a better cam. like the S&S 510 gear cam. the older t/g's rear brakes are bad IMO. i upgraded tp performance machine stage 1 rear brake kit. great. the '09 came with a 32 tooth trans sproket. i hear the newer ones have a 32 t. this makes the 6 gear a-lot better at cruising
and passing other vehicles. any way looks like you'll have that 3-4k in upgrades. i would look for a used t/g. there are some out there. l band you need 2" pullback handlebars asnd a back rest & a lift kit from TGlidestuff.com. a taller curver windscreen.too.
see how fast the $$ add up.

Thanks.
Did you mean "30" tooth on the newer ones? I'm thinking used as well; cheaper than the stealer and private party in Nevade there are no sales tax. I'm keeping my options open for now, doing some research and trying to fugure things out...

 

[MADHOG]

I would recommend to ride one first and make your own conclusion. Or rent one for a few hours and give it a good ride and make a decsion from that point.

Good Luck

Actually I was thinking about renting one for a few days. Dang they are expensive for renting the TGs…:AGGHH:

 

[Sloufoot]

You need to use it in the heat also. A little hard this time of year. The reason of most of the heat problem is the fact there is a body blocking the flow of air like on 2 wheels. The 103ci engine does create a lot of heat though. I found 318*+ oil temps in the summer was way too high for me. Harley says that's normal. I found it curable.
The other heat that is felt, can be handled quite easily by wrapping header pipes, and if you can getting rid of the cat. Can be spendy, but doesn't have to be.
You will find that some Trikes run cooler than others. Or some folks don't think the heat is a problem, & have done little to cool it. They are very happy with theirs.
As said before, you need to spend a little time riding one to answer your own questions. Make a run down to Baker Cal. for a run up & down those hills ! No one knows exactly what you expect......
Ride Safe
Merry Christmas

 

[donjack]

I ride a 2011 Ultra and have not experenced the heat problem as have others, or at least it has not brothered me, and the back seat driver has made no complant concerning heat build up. Guess it's an rider kinda thing. Just open up all the air vents and let them flow..

 

[Copasetic]

I believe most (but not all) would agree you will spend $2m to $3m, if not more.

 

[screwball]

Wife and I both ride trikes. Me an 09, her an 11. I've got over 30K on mine, she has around 15k. They are pretty much stock, no tuners, cats still in, stock header pipes. Both are fast enough for us, so there isn't any engine mods in the future, just lots of miles. I put oil temp gages on both. Both have spiked at 300* oil temps after long 6% upgraded in 100+air temps, but came back down when going flat or down hill. So did my Ultra before the trike. We ride the poo poo out of these trikes, just like we did with the Ultra and Deluxe before them. We are old (60 and 67) and don't need to go 100 mph. We don't ride 2 up and actually pack pretty light for our trips. I got beat up pretty bad on another site because I questioned all the problems everyone there seemed to be having with heat, pinging, steering, muffler dragging, reverse motors falling off, trunks leaking, breaks failing, and a myriad of other "issues". All I can say is our trikes run great, haven't failed... yet (except the radio on mine) and have hauled us all over the South-West. IF you get one just remember it won't be as fast as your old 2 wheeler cause it weighs more. It doesn't handle as well as your 2 wheeler in the twisties, cause it has another wheel. It rides harder than your Ultra cause it has a lot less suspension. It is a lot more comfortable to ride, wind and trucks don't effect it as bad as a 2 wheeler. In a sentence, WE LOVE OURS!

Oh, if you try to do a 'wheelie' you will probably break the drive belt, and if you lift a rear wheel going around corners, you are going way too fast and will probably die soon.

 

[Gorilla]

Madhog the rental will be money well spent.

 

[msocko3]

Lots of good suggestions here, the best is ride one before you buy one. I agree with others renting one is the way to go, make the time to ride the snot out of it while you have it. You will be better able to see if your going to want to make any modifications for heat or power, if you do there is lots of information here to help formulate a game plan.

 

[GARYD]

I agree with screwball and msocko3.
Just remember everyone has a different tolerance for heat. Some don't do anything to their TG's and others spend thousands of dollars and still aren't happy. So do as you're told young man(lol) and rent and ride the $hit out of it.
I also traded in my 2 year old 2010 Limited for this TG and haven't looked back. I really really really enjoy the $hit out of it. ThumbUp ThumbUp

MOST IMPORTANT THING IS - REMEMBER TO KEEP YOUR FEET UP!!!!

 

[icebite1]

Actually I was thinking about renting one for a few days. Dang they are expensive for renting the TGs…:AGGHH:

Some dealers will rent them and if you decide to buy one within a reasonable amount of time they will deduct the rental cost from your purchase cost. You just have to ask befor renting if that will be acceptable

 

[ssw1]

+1 with Screwball. Ours is an '11 and engine/ exhaust all stock. Living in north Florida it does get hot here in the summer and if you spend a lot of time in stop and go traffic you will feel the heat. Once you are moving, not that big a deal. Now if you really want to cook that engine and get it really hot, participate in a parade. Did our City Christmas Parade again this year with the HOG Chapter and tried using the "Engine Temperature Management System". When it kicked in, it sputtered, coughed and the engine "pinged" like hell. I stayed above 1,200 rpm so it would not kick back in until I could turn it off. Thought I was going to throw a rod! Other than that, we love our Trike just the way it is. For 2-up, it's perfect.

 

[icebite1]

Just food for thought, when the EMTS kicks in it is reducing heat , i know it sounds like crap, and the worse thing you could do is overide it by increasing rpms. . Either shut it down (and push off to the side or down the street till it cools a bit) or get some air moving past the cylinders.

 

[jimgpayne]

I traded my 2012 limited for a 2013 triglide after major ankle surgery.

I absolutely love it! It is a different feeling to ride then the Limited, but still a joy to ride.

I'm much more relaxed in traffic and at stops. Even though it was ungodly expensive it is well worth it.

Everything's stock right now. But I may add an auto tuner as spring comes on.

 

[gamechngr]

Lost my 2012 from Sandy. Was just getting hang of it. Like knowing how hard one can push it in a turn without experiencing wheel hop.
If you have a passenger get the Kuryakyn passenger armrests.
Heat for me was a issue. Removed lowers in summer big help.
So 2013 will be ordered soon.

 

[Sloufoot]

Lost my 2012 from Sandy. Was just getting hang of it. Like knowing how hard one can push it in a turn without experiencing wheel hop.
If you have a passenger get the Kuryakyn passenger armrests.
Heat for me was a issue. Removed lowers in summer big help.
So 2013 will be ordered soon.

Have you looked at the new arm rests out from HD ?

:Trike1:

 

[flynng]

http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/a...est-electra-glide-and-tri-glide/part/AMA-2024


Top of the line, all billet. No association with me what so ever. Just a cool product.

 

[Beorn of Ga]

I am NOW extremely please with my 2011 Triglide. But when I bought it, it did run so hot that the right leg of my jeans would start smoking in stalled traffic. I eliminated the catalytic converter with new pipes/muffler, installed and setup a tuner, and went to a screaming eagle intake. If you look through threads you will see articles by "Mr. Wizard" on doing these changes for less $ than having a dealer do it (I paid a dealer). I am not happy with having to pay to have the trike comfortable to ride, but not sorry I did it. I have been riding for 50+ years and this is the best ride I have ever had.

 

[Sloufoot]

http://www.cruisercustomizing.com/a...est-electra-glide-and-tri-glide/part/AMA-2024


Top of the line, all billet. No association with me what so ever. Just a cool product.

These look real nice, but I would be afraid of mounting something this size,& load bearing attachment to the side of a tour pac ! It needs to be supported from under the TP.
Also very misleading in their description !!! Harley, & Kuryakyn both make armrests for the TriGlide Ultra Classic !!

:Trike1:

 

[wobray]

Just buy a Honda and forget about all of the afore mentioned problems!!!!!
Plenty of power with MINIMAL heat.

 

[luzierg]

I have a 2011 with 40,000 miles. We( wife and I - 2 up)have toured most of the country and I love it.:10: I did go the extra money with most of the modifications but its well worth it. We have 50 years of riding and the trike will give us 50 more ( I HOPE). The only major trouble that we have had is the stator and regulator.:AGGHH: (Covered by warrenty)....

Gary

 

[flynng]

I would bet that when they added that line, they were ahead of the pack, and had an answer for the Triglides ahead of the rest of them getting out new advertising. I have seen the Kuryakyn units. The are not load bearing. You can rest your arms on them but don't use them to help yourself stand up, you will be replacing them as the tubing will bend and the chrome will crack. A friend had the Kury units, his wife loved em. When she was not on the back, they would swing in the wind. He added a bungy cord between them when she was not with him. Also, If the left one was swung out and you tried to open the tourpak, another conflict with physics. None of these arm rests are made to be load bearing, just a resting point. I just like the way these are built and with them mounted down low on the tourpak with a sandwich plate on the inside, plenty strong enough to rest your arms.
I DON'T like that you have to drill holes in the tourpak.

Regards

These look real nice, but I would be afraid of mounting something this size,& load bearing attachment to the side of a tour pac ! It needs to be supported from under the TP.
Also very misleading in their description !!! Harley, & Kuryakyn both make armrests for the TriGlide Ultra Classic !!

:Trike1:

 

[Sloufoot]

I had a set of Kuryakyn on a road glide, and you couldn't hurt them. But they were a different mount from the tour pac rack. the new ones have a plastic mount. The pivot point is adjustable for tension. None are made to support the full body weight. What I have seen with the tour pac is it is too fragile for much anything extra.
Take a look at the Harley new arm rests. not bad looking.
But you can be the test bed for these on the Trike, & let everyone know what they work out.
Ride Safe

 

[DTR 11TG]

Just buy a Honda and forget about all of the afore mentioned problems!!!!!
Plenty of power with MINIMAL heat.

You may not understand the concept of this thread, it is about a HD Tri Glide and I don't think MADHOG is interested in a 2 wheel honda and honda does not make a trike. We understand if you just don't get it.

 

[Trent]

Corbin makes a backrest with extended arm rests for the passenger. They do not extend out as far as the Kury and HD arm rests, but you dont have to drill any holes or mount them either. Just fits where the stock backrest does. I didnt get the Kury for the same reasons as above...didnt wanna drill any more holes or add any more stress to the tourpack. My Co-pilot loves the Corbin backrest and is good for all day rides. Go to their website to check 'em out. They added studs to match my Mustang seat for no xtra charge also.

 

[jimgpayne]

Just buy a Honda and forget about all of the afore mentioned problems!!!!!
Plenty of power with MINIMAL heat.

Honda doesn't make a trike.

If you want a trike with a 100% end-to-end manufacturer's warranty, the triglide is your only option. Everyone voids their manufacturer's warranty with a conversion.

I'm not a mechanic ( far from it ) and cannot afford a "warranty doesn't cover your issue" experience if I break down out on the road.

 

[screwball]

I'm not as polite as the others, take your Honda and stuff it. I'm sure the Emperor is happy you chose a Japanese toy and will spend your money with great joy.

 

[grapenuts]

If I had rented a tri-glide for a few days, I wouldn't have bought one. It took me longer to really appreciate it for what it was. Best time on it ever was heading west on Hwy 50 out of Ely, NV. All alone except for Elvis on the XM radio to keep me company.