Could use some advice from experience trike riders

[BubbleHead]

Hi everyone I'm Billy my road name is BubbleHead. I have been riding motorcycles since 1978 and just bought a new 2013 Harley Davidson Triglide. Right now I'm not happy with my trike but hope to get use to it soon. When riding with my brothers I just cannot keep up with them on curves or turns. I have been on 2 wheels with my trike more then I want to be. If you experienced Trike riders could give me some pointers it would be much appreciated. Ride safe everyone

 

[trikermutha]

Give it time..You may take them over soon..If not enjoy the ride..!!

Takes a bit of time to feel more comfortable on the trike..

 

[Lunchbox1983]

Welcome Bubblehead there are lots of posts on here about riding a trike. Push with the outside arm by locking your elbow, lean into the curve to keep YOUR (not the bikes) center of gravity lined up, push down with your inside foot. If you are getting your trike on 2 wheels you are going into the curves too hot to be safe.

Keeping up with others until you have experience will get you killed.

 

[rhino 2]

In my opinion if you try to keep up with experienced 2 wheeler riders your gonna get hurt, Now in the rain ,snow or gravel if they try to keep up with you they're gonna get hurt. :Shrug:

 

[Rosy]

I'll give you a hint:
Draw three large Ss on a sheet of paper..SSS, but make them look like a curvy road...as the center S is the center line of the road..
Start at the lower part of the S..like you were driving from bottom to top..
Start on the outside of the curve..look at the corner coming up and head towards the middle of the road.. As soon as you get to the middle of the S..start towards the outside of the curve.. Then repeat towards the middle of the S..Then head towards the outside..
SO..outside..inside..outside...inside..and when you get done you can almost draw a straight line through the Ss you have drawn on the sheet of paper...
Practice slowly on a less traveled road so if you cross the center line you won't hit anybody..take it slow and as you practice you will start to get the hang of it, then you can speed it up.. Remember TGs have a solid axle so the will lift if you head into a turn to fast as an IRS may not come up as easily.
Always keep looking ahead as you head into the turns in case you have to brake..Harley ever look behind you and be aware how wide your trike is as you make the turns..
Good luck and let me know how you make out..I'll tell you what, if you practice enough you will keep up with just about anything on the road, But, Never push it out of your Comfort Zone...then you will get hurt!

Regards,

Rosy
From NH

 

[BubbleHead]

Thanks everyone for the tips, guess I just need to be patient and take it easy for awhile. So hard to get the counter steering out of my head.

 

[Ozarkryder]

If you haven't yet checked out this thread, http://www.triketalk.com/forum/general-discussion-5/experienced-trike-riders-please-post-here-242/
you will find there is much good info you can use. After you get proficient on the trike you'll be able to run the curves just as, if not quicker, than cruisers and touring bikes.
The reason is that with the exception of sportbikes, almost all cruisers and tourers run out of lean and scrape hard parts before they run out of traction. No problem with that on the trike.

 

[screwball]

Ride that new Tri like it is a TRI, not a 2 wheeler. If your 2 wheel buddies are faster, so what. Sooner or later one of them will drag a peg, or a muffler and slide off the road. When they do, thumb your nose at them when you drive by. Think of all the sights you will see, smells you will smell because you aren't trying to impress anyone with your blazing speed.

 

[2002Trike]

Thanks everyone for the tips, guess I just need to be patient and take it easy for awhile. So hard to get the counter steering out of my head.

Welcome from Middle Ga

The best advice that I received was to push your foot down on the peg "opposite" of the turn you are making. So, if you are turning left, apply foot pressure to the right peg. Same is true for a passenger. Hope this helps.

John

 

[Rick Kay]

I always ride my own ride, but I have found that as I put on the miles, my confidence and riding skills increased. I think a lot of it was getting over the mental aspects of centrifugal force. Once I learned how to position myself on the trike properly, I didn't feel like I was about to be launched of the trike. Best of luck!

 

[stacebg]

Welcome Bubblehead there are lots of posts on here about riding a trike. Push with the outside arm by locking your elbow, lean into the curve to keep YOUR (not the bikes) center of gravity lined up, push down with your inside foot. If you are getting your trike on 2 wheels you are going into the curves too hot to be safe.

Keeping up with others until you have experience will get you killed.

i have seen this sort of recomendation so many times..... if you have to lock your shoulders and use the pegs for leverage...you need to think about some updates in the geometry of your front end and i you think this is normal you have never ridden a good handling trike... and if you dont belive that i offer you a short ride on one of mine...
i dont get why anyone would want to ride something that is comfortable and/or something you will be all beat up from a days ride spend the money and get it set up right...

simply how i see thing others opinions many vary

 

[msocko3]

In my opinion if you try to keep up with experienced 2 wheeler riders your gonna get hurt, Now in the rain ,snow or gravel if they try to keep up with you they're gonna get hurt. :Shrug:

When I owned my 2010 Triglide if a 2 wheel cruiser style bike tried to keep up with me they would get hurt because they'll run out of lean angle. Now bring on a sport bike and I'll let them have a nice ride while I ride my ride. Your right on the mark about rain, snow or gravel, love the trike in the rain vs 2 wheels.

At the end of the day a person needs to take their time and learn how to ride the trike and become comfortable on it. I don't advocate a new rider going out and riding beyond their abilities, it a good way to get hurt. A comfortable leisurely ride for me may be way more than some would care to do.

 

[FRR]

In my opinion if you try to keep up with experienced 2 wheeler riders your gonna get hurt, Now in the rain ,snow or gravel if they try to keep up with you they're gonna get hurt. :Shrug:

Excellent Advice, and well put!

 

[GARYD]

I have to agree with msocko3 100%

There's not a single member in my chapter that can outrun me in the twisties. In some cases I can pull away from them. Get comfortable on yours first as was said before - practice-practice-practice and use all the previous tips and you will be keeping up with them in no time - if that's what you want to do, just don't go overboard. As someone mentioned earlier - ride your own ride - don't do anything that makes you uncomfortable - you're suppose to ENJOY riding......give it time. ThumbUp

If I had friends that didn't take me into consideration on rides, I'd find some new friends. JMHO :Shrug:

Also look into the rear lift kit sold here by Dennis at tglidestuff.com
I believe it adds to a faster cornering experience. pepper

 

[Carbon_One]

All good advice by the gals & guys here. One thing I haven't seen mentioned is the bike itself. Now I haven't ridden a Harley Tri-Glide but I'll give a comparison between my current Yamaha Venture/Hannigan trike and the same bike (different year) Tri-Wing trike I had previously. The Tri-Wing had a shorter width and length as well as higher ground clearance. The Hannigan is wider, lower and longer. The Tri-Wing had a 4 1/2* rake while the Hannigan model uses a 6 1/2* rake. There is a world of difference between the two with, IMHO, the Hannigan easily out preforming the Tri-Wing.
Still even the Tri-Wing would allow me to keep up with others once I got some riding experience with it. Had that bike in trike form for 5 years and about 35-40,000 miles when I got "T" boned by a cager.
Larry

 

[ZanyCrazyGuy]

No two wheeler in my chapter can stay with me in a curve...period.
We ride staggered on rides and that sensation of inertia pulling you off the road on lefties and into the oncoming lane on righties isn't there on a trike.

 

[screwball]

You asked about trike hints. My favorite, don't get talked into something. Not everyone on the boards has removed their Catalytic converter, added super tuners, lifts, or saddle bags. Air deflectors, handle bars, or custom windshields. Super oil coolers, oil temp gages, or mounted a rear tire backward. Ride your trike, enjoy it, go places. Get caught in the rain, snow or wind. Go on over nighters or just out to dinner. You don't have to have a racer, you bought a cruiser. We have over 35,000 miles on our '09 and close to 20,000 on the '11. We have ridden all over the south west and north west on pretty near stock bikes. #1, first and always, ENJOY IT!

 

[rmrc51]

You asked about trike hints. My favorite, don't get talked into something. Not everyone on the boards has removed their Catalytic converter, added super tuners, lifts, or saddle bags. Air deflectors, handle bars, or custom windshields. Super oil coolers, oil temp gages, or mounted a rear tire backward. Ride your trike, enjoy it, go places. Get caught in the rain, snow or wind. Go on over nighters or just out to dinner. You don't have to have a racer, you bought a cruiser. We have over 35,000 miles on our '09 and close to 20,000 on the '11. We have ridden all over the south west and north west on pretty near stock bikes. #1, first and always, ENJOY IT!

Very well said! ThumbUp

 

[bikerbillone]

If you haven't yet checked out this thread, http://www.triketalk.com/forum/general-discussion-5/experienced-trike-riders-please-post-here-242/
you will find there is much good info you can use. After you get proficient on the trike you'll be able to run the curves just as, if not quicker, than cruisers and touring bikes.
The reason is that with the exception of sportbikes, almost all cruisers and tourers run out of lean and scrape hard parts before they run out of traction. No problem with that on the trike.

That link seems to have disappeared.

 

[John Luciano]

Try this post
http://www.triketalk.com/forum/general-discussion/242.htm

 

[DocnLou]

sorry, wrong thread