Do you ride your TRIKE on dirt roads??

[Captron1052]

If you were ride'nn and came across a dirt road, would you turn around and go back, OR brave the dirt??


Ronnie
1/26/25

 

[hardwickbv]

Interesting question. Not to many truly dirt roads around here but do have gravel roads. If I am out riding and come across and intersection with gravel as a choice I will avoid it. I have had gravel get caught between belt and the housing, put a groove in the belt.
With that said I do live about 1/2 mile back a gravel road so I have to ride it to get home, keep the speed under 10 MPH an made a custom front fender skirt that is 2" lower to keep the gravel from being kicked up by the front tire.
If it was a true dirt road it would depend on how wet it is and if I want to be on the other end of it.

Bob

 

[cycle7447]

I am like Bob - in most cases, I will turn around and find a different route.

When I travel, I always set my GPS for "no unpaved roads"

 

[PosseRider]

If you were ride'nn and came across a dirt road, would you turn around and go back, OR brave the dirt??


Ronnie
1/26/25

just slow down & see what happens

 

[wlivin2]

I've road on just about every kind of dirt gravel even a few going back on the farm you just slow down and watch the for ditches

 

[Ironhorse54]

Before I converted, I was getting very nervous and anxious about riding on gravel, dirt grass, etc. etc. Now that I have triked over, I will ride on anything if it gets me to where I’m planning on going. Lol.

 

[pwhoever]

On a bike, nope after a truly bad experience. I have done several gravel or dirt roads but prefer paved. And I would rather dirt over gravel. The gravel does tend to get kicked up a bit and had left missing paint and small scars on the front of the running boards. Also if it hasn't rained in a while, both the dirt and gravel riding tends to get a bit dusty.

 

[Marc H]

I have before and will again.

 

[BikerG]

Nope. I’d turn around. Wouldn’t want any rock chips or damage to my drive belt.

 

[Motorcycle Mike]

A well maintained dirt road, sure.
One with deep ruts, mud, etc., no.

 

[RoadRunner18]

In my past travels, I would keep on going - with limitations. I would certainly not ride the Dalton Highway in Alaska on my Trike.

 

[cycle7447]

My preference is to get off that road and/or, go around.

If, for example, I am going to a pack. The pavements ends but the pavilion is just a short distance - then yes.

Another example, a road pretty close to me is gravel. If I take it, it is a bout 5 miles long. That gets me home. If I go around, it is about 10 miles. I always go around. In fact, I do the same thing in my vehicles.

 

[BIG DENNY]

A well maintained dirt road, sure.
One with deep ruts, mud, etc., no.

Hell yes you only live 1 time so go for it . Im 80 years old and I stall ride on them no big dell just slow down

 

[Phu Cat]

It's my understanding the whole rear frame section has to be removed to replace the primary drive belt making that job pretty costly. Since our 2012 Tglide didn't come with a belt guard (do any Tglides?) I added a mud flap to the bottom of front fender that rides 4" off the ground. It'd be my luck to break a drive belt in the middle of "God's country", not know the name of any of the roads in the area, and not have a cell connection on top of it.

 

[pwhoever]

That's one advantage that at least with CSC trikes have with the GL1800'S. They have a driveshaft instead of a drive belt. There is also a gravel pan that sits under the driveshaft almost from front of driveshaft back to rear end to hel protect from underneath.

 

[JTJersey]

Interesting. Where do you guys go that require gravel secondary roads to get to? I have a Jeep for that kind of stuff and even Rt. 95 through the Carolina's and Georgia is pretty much paved, sorta, in spots.

 

[Motorcycle Mike]

Interesting. Where do you guys go that require gravel secondary roads to get to? I have a Jeep for that kind of stuff and even Rt. 95 through the Carolina's and Georgia is pretty much paved, sorta, in spots.

Not so much anymore, but I used to take ANY road just to see where it went.
Used to drive Shirley nuts but we found some really cool spots.
I quit belts and chains years ago and went to shaft drive, liquid cooled bikes.

 

[Bill J. from Austin]

I rode my two-wheelers -- rigid shovel, FXRS, BMW R1100R -- down every dirt road, gravel track and washed-out goat path I could find, and loved it. Dropped the FXRS in a slick-as-owl-snot low water crossing, but other than that, never had a problem.

In October, I took my Freewheeler out to my brother-in-law's ranch south of Bandera, Texas, so I could attend a motorcycle rally in Medina. Most of my travel to and from the ranch was on a combination of caliche, gravel and shyte 'pavement' that probably dates back to the Depression Era. The trike took it just fine, but was a beast to handle on those sections of washboard, and I still haven't gotten around to washing off the 58 pounds of dust I picked up along the way. I would avoid dirt roads simply to reduce the amount of time I have to spend cleaning my trike.

For reference, over the forty-six-plus years I've owned her, I've only ever washed my rigid shovel when I was going to work on it, and sometimes not even then!


This photo was taken before I rode the hour and some to Medina. Look how much dust had already accumulated.


No shots of the road itself, but this is my brother-in-law's driveway (about a half-mile long) on one of its nicer stretches. There are spots where I could have bottomed out my taco box if I weren't careful, and that fine caliche dust gets in every damn thing!


The R1100R on a gravel/caliche road north of Fredericksburg, Texas.


My rigid shovel on a back road outside LaGrange, Texas, home of the 'Chicken Ranch' brothel made famous in Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. The high that day was 47°!

 

[Down South]

I avoid dirt and gravel roads on my bikes and do the same with the trike.

 

[mdi]

Two wheels, go for it. Three wheels, sloooow down.

How difficult would it be to put a skid pan under a trike? Protect belt and pully...

 

[Motorcycle Mike]

Two wheels, go for it. Three wheels, sloooow down.

How difficult would it be to put a skid pan under a trike? Protect belt and pully...

I have one on my Venture.
It bolted right on. It was made specific to my brand/model by a member on another forum.

 

[PosseRider]

why not ????? ya won't fall over lol

 

[TwistedKarma]

Yup, pa moutains, f in stones, hit, ting, ting, geeez

 

[pwhoever]

I know quite a few Goldwings owners including myself that use thin aluminum bellypans like the Show Chrome one that installs under the engine. They run from just under the front cowl to just past the motor. On the 2001-17, it does somewhat help protect the motor from random highway junk getting knocked up towards the engine. But Mother Honda in her infinite wisdom placed the coolant reservoir down low and behind the engine and it is very susceptible to the road trash. The belly pan does a great job of protecting that reservoir. I'm sure it also helps when traveling down a gravel road to an extent. Now on the newer 18+ GL1800's, their engine walls are a lot thinner and a thicker bellypans was designed by Traxxion because of this. Several have had major damage taking a hit from debris.

Then like I mentioned above, CSC has a gravel pan that starts about there (behind rear of engine) to just under the front of the rear differential. And it is actually called a gravel pan by them. But luckily as far as the GL1800's, we have a driveshaft and not a drive belt that could get ruined.

 

[JTJersey]

Both my '59 Pan and '78 Shovel had steel skid plates underneath them from the factory. There is nothing like it available for Harley Trikes that I could find, so I ended up making one out of heavy duty plastic, but it only covers the area underneath of the oil cooler fan where the electrics are exposed and stops short of the crank cases. I suppose a full length one could be fabricated, but I don't know what the consequences of that may be. Heat build up maybe? I know the one under my oil cooler has kept that area clean with no problems I've been able to experience.

 

[Rogue1]

Only if it is unavoidable.

 

[DandyDoug]

If you live in Michigan and avoided dirt/gravel roads you would never get anywhere . Might as well stay home "-)

 

[pwhoever]

If you live in Michigan and avoided dirt/gravel roads you would never get anywhere . Might as well stay home "-)

My last time riding through S/W Kansas as well as some southern Missouri sections, it was pretty much the same thing.

 

[Tonto]

I do every time I ride! My driveway is over 900 ft of gravel and dirt. Where I live, there are many dirt/gravel roads, but only go down them when required to reach my destination. Let’s just say, I do a lot of washing!

 

[Notgrownup]

I wouldn’t let a dirt road stop me anymore compared to when I was on my Electra Glide. That said, if it’s easier to find another route, I will.