Harley Tri Glide versus Everyone Else

[GARYD]

IMO if Harley Davidson ever introduces a Trike with independent suspension, they will have a more appreciated product? I ride a Street Glide with CSC conversion. My wife and I both test rode the TG, but our Trike is just more comfortable to ride. Ride Safe!

If they do and charge another $5K for it - they will sit in the showroom forever......IMO
I don't really see the need for IRS - that's just me.

I test rode a DFT IRS equipted Harley and a TriGlide a couple years ago before eventually buying the TG. I could not justify the $5K price for the kit. They also had a "replacement" kit for the TG for less money.
Yes, the IRS is great on bad bumpy roads. Since I don't ride on bad bumpy roads I see no need for IRS. Riding down the highways there is absolutely no difference between the IRS and solid axle.....IMHO.
Some riders "HAVE" to have an IRS.

That's fine - pay for it. I just don't want to pay for one if Harley decided to change to a IRS.
I'm 72 and love the perceived roughness of the Harley. Always have, always will.

 

[clint44]

Most of the trike conversion companies charge less than $1,500 for their IRS option,if it's not already standard equipment. Champion only charges $1,100.

We really wanted IRS so we got it. In our opinion,it was money well spent.
Different strokes for different folks.

 

[Capt.Bob]

Rode the TGU over to Panama City Beach yesterday before the Spring Thunder Beach Rally this coming week and hung out at the Indian/Slingshot/Victory dealer to look at their new offerings. I fired up a 111 cubic inch Indian with really nice paint and overall fit an finish and realized that if Polaris decides to trike that bike with IRS that Harley is going to have some very stiff competition in the factory trike category. The thick look of the chrome on the Indian's reminded of a bygone era in terms of plating technology and made my Harley chrome look a bit flat and certainly lacking in depth.

Now to the really funny part and my total realization that the Harley trike at this moment was clearly the right choice and my only choice for a factory trike ride. It was a Sunday and there were these two 60 something guys on matching white Can-Am Spyder RT Limited's that were leaving a Walmart parking lot wearing kaki pants, white shirts and white 3/4 helmets that looked like they were either Mormon kids on their age 21 missionary assignment or were Jehovah's Witness out ready to strafe a neighborhood with their message. I am not knocking either religion but just pointing out that they were essentially in "uniforms" and that coupled with the matching white Can-Am's created a real visceral experience ). Right then and there, I realized that I fit into a completely different demographic that favors denim or leather over kaki when I ride which is also a uniform of some kind but very different. I also have been doing extensive reading on a Can-Am forum and realized that the dealer support network does not appear to be nearly as robust, uniform and well-trained as Harley's which is no small issue given that I like long rides across the country.

Well, with nearly 6k miles on the clock after 6 months, I am now very content about my decision making earlier in the year and appreciate all of the folks that have contributed to this interesting meandering into the reasons some of us picked a TGU or Freewheeler over everyone else.

 

[GARYD]

Most of the trike conversion companies charge less than $1,500 for their IRS option,if it's not already standard equipment. Champion only charges $1,100.

We really wanted IRS so we got it. In our opinion,it was money well spent.
Different strokes for different folks.

That includes labor also???

Like I said DFT wanted $5K 4 years ago to convert my '03 Ultra. They also just came out with a TG conversion kit for (I think) around $3K. I don't believe those prices included installation.

As long as Harley makes it an option, I don't mind. I won't pay extra for IRS because I don't NEED it.

 

[trikermutha]

That's funny I don't wear Kakis or drive with matching outfits.. Reminds me of the other day when I just seen a bunch of Harley riders wearing Leather vests and jeans.

Sure sounds like stereotyping to me the reason to ride a certain bike..

 

[Capt.Bob]

That's funny I don't wear Kakis or drive with matching outfits.. Reminds me of the other day when I just seen a bunch of Harley riders wearing Leather vests and jeans.

Sure sounds like stereotyping to me the reason to ride a certain bike..

Come on Trikermutha, of course bikes and marketing have been targeted to specific audiences. I don't remember recent Harley ads like Honda used to have where they say you meet the nicest people on a Harley. I think Harley has tried to cultivate a brand approaching somewhat of a bad-boy image but is trying to migrate from that to pull in Millenials. However, having been a long-time prison psychologist and having worked with literally thousands of documented killers and bad dudes and some bad dudettes, some of whom were real 1% biker types, I kind of laugh when I see my fellow RUBS trying to look like 1 percenters with all of the leather and a couple of tats that they had to get their wive's permission to get.

When I was over in Panama City Beach, I did see a 1%er wearing his colors and riding a sort of ragged out TriGlide. It is possible that he had a hell of a biker's limp (like some of my buds) from bygone days that may have driven him to a trike?

It does seem to me that Can-Am is targeting late start, fairly well to do riders of both genders with little riding experience that want the pleasure of the open air without having to learn how to keep two wheels upright or shift gears which is a very cool thing for those folks. I think some of that thinking is pulling in folks on both models of Harley trikes. My previous 95 or 96 bikes (that isn't a typo)<g> were all of the two-wheeled variety that included sport bikes, dirt bikes, cruisers, baggers and whatever as long as it had two wheels and a motor (most of those different types of bikes had specific clothing associated with them, some for safety, some for style).

I didn't mean to disparage any particular group and hope you could tell by my initial post on this thread that I was seeking input from all types of trikers. I just realized through this thread and continued reading and thinking that my TGU is probably the best bike for my needs at this time. However, brand loyalty aside, if Indian comes out with a really tricked out factory trike with that ultra deep chrome, IRS and all of that swoopy body work, I suspect that I will have to take a hard look at that puppy. That 111 c.i. mill seems very sophisticated and amazingly smooth. Fit and finish were also pretty amazing on the 2016 Indians I looked at and Polaris seems to have ironed out their earlier factory paint problems in a big way. OTOH, I am pretty impressed with my wet head Harley 103 trike for the time being.</g>

 

[trikermutha]

I will agree with you on the Indian if they came out with a trike version with IRS that would be one nice Trike. I know there are conversion kits now for them that look pretty sweet..

One thing you didn't mention as for those of use that ride a Trike that they are the old folks rides..Heck I been riding a trike since my 30's and have noticed since that time how many more Trike riders are on the roads since that time. Every year Trikers are growing. Doesn't matter to me what they wear,how many Tats,vests with pins and patches,or how old you are.


Whatever brand bike it is from the hardcore Harley crowd to the Polaris,Indian,Honda etc.

As long as we all have fun with our rides that's all that matters. ThumbUp

I have met all kinds of nice people with all different rides and backgrounds while out on my Trikes over the years.

Side note: The one thing that I do see alot these days are the individuals that have to have the phone while driving..Put the dam thing down.:AGGHH:

 

[Capt.Bob]

I will agree with you on the Indian if they came out with a trike version with IRS that would be one nice Trike. I know there are conversion kits now for them that look pretty sweet..

One thing you didn't mention as for those of use that ride a Trike that they are the old folks rides..Heck I been riding a trike since my 30's and have noticed since that time how many more Trike riders are on the roads since that time. Every year Trikers are growing. Doesn't matter to me what they wear,how many Tats,vests with pins and patches,or how old you are.


Whatever brand bike it is from the hardcore Harley crowd to the Polaris,Indian,Honda etc.

As long as we all have fun with our rides that's all that matters. ThumbUp

I have met all kinds of nice people with all different rides and backgrounds while out on my Trikes over the years.

Side note: The one thing that I do see alot these days are the individuals that have to have the phone while driving..Put the dam thing down.:AGGHH:

+1 ThumbUpThumbUpThumbUp

 

[bigfish_Oh]

I can't get past the ugliness of a can am, I don't even want to be seen near one. We saw the Slingshot's at Sturgis and had to ask, "Where the storage"? !!!! You could not pack a helmet size bag, The TG will carry so much more . End of any discussion. Besides talk of some states not considering side by side a motorcycle.

 

[clint44]

We saw the Slingshot's at Sturgis and had to ask, "Where the storage"? !!!! You could not pack a helmet size bag, The TG will carry so much more . End of any discussion. Besides talk of some states not considering side by side a motorcycle.

One of the last states to allow the Slingshot to be sold was Texas. When they were first introduced,I was seriously interested in buying one of them but the long wait kinda dampened my enthusiasm. I kinda look at them now more like a three wheel Deuce Hiboy roadster,rather than a three wheeled motorcycle. Still would like to test drive one,though.

 

[Capt.Bob]

An older riding buddy of mine who owns a 2015 TGU went over to the Thunder Beach MC rally in PCB yesterday in his convertible car and went to a vendor venue where he saw his first Indian trike. He was not sure who the trike kit manufacturer was but he was really taken with the looks and comfort of the Indian trike that he sat on. He remarked that the IRS really appealed to him because he was kind of getting beat up with his TGU's straight axle. I will be finding out which conversion he was sitting on latter today. He also said that Harley had had some difficulties with earlier trikes rear bushings crapping out and the transmissions getting damaged? I am not aware of what he was talking about?

As much of a die hard Harley fan that he is, he said his first motorcycle was a 1948 Indian 45. He said he would likely very much jump brands to Indian for the swoopy looks and IRS of a trike if Indian comes out with a factory trike. I was very surprised to hear how easily he seemed to be swayed. I mentioned to him that the Thunder Stroke 111 is a very smooth engine.

I wonder if and when Indian is thinking about offering a factory trike?

Harley seems to have done quite well in terms of sales with their Tri Glides and now Freewheelers.

 

[chiefski76]

IRD conversion for TriGlides?

KRUZR, The straight rear axle of the TGU reminds me of a ghastly time I experienced when the lights came on in a bar at closing time, not as pretty a scene as one might like.

I can relate to your feelings about the straight rear axle of the TGU!

Does anyone know of an IRS conversion for TGUs?

 

[Zammy]

Couple of pages here:

http://www.triketalk.com/forum/thre...nsion?highlight=harley+independent+suspension

 

[geezerglide11441]

I look at it this way as long as your happy with your Trike that's all that matters. ThumbUp

Have owned Honda,Yamaha,Harley and Now the Spyder. They all have there pros and cons.but I will say paddle shifting and no hand lever to pull is a blast to drive.ThumbUp As I get older I appreciate the easier things that make my rides more enjoyable.

The HD would beat the crap out of me in an hour and couldn't stand it anymore. I may have still own the HD but the parts were garbage and needed constant attention..:AGGHH: I got real tired of wrenching the POS.

Anyway enjoy what you have!

Other than that, how do you feel!!!!!!! :gah

 

[Mykneesbehurtin]

3 Years ago I was in Maggie Valley NC with a bunch of my buddies and they were having a Can Am rally there,all of us are HD guys so we were curious so we test rode them,i rode a manual shift up then switched with my buddy and rode a auto back.My opinion is that the heat on your feet was unbearable,hated the foot position,didnt like the seating position and didnt like the high reving engine just seemed to buzzy for my tastes.Now with that said a couple of my buddies liked it,its all about personal taste.I now have a 16 Tri Glide and at first i was really missing my 12 Road Glide but i now have 1500 miles seat time i have grown to like it.

 

[DJFaninTN]

tried them all out before we purchased our first Spyder in 2013. the wife hated the rear seat on the HD. the 2010-2013 had the 998 engine. the 14's brought the newer 1330 engine and it is much smoother, more horsepower and much better mileage. we bought a 2015 RT Limited and we average about 13k miles a year and always riding two up.

if you ever go and take a Spyder out there are a few things you have to retrain your brain on. first off don't over grip. this will cause you to feel a little squirrely. once you put a few hundred miles on it you will fully understand. second is the single brake pedal.

Spyder's have Brembo ABS brakes that will stop on a dime. third is very little leaning is needed. if you want to lean, you lean the same direction you are turing. it's amazing how tight these bikes will turn. we've run with some Goldwings in some serious twisty's and they are blown away that we will leave them in the turns.

overall they are great bikes and if you don't want to follow the crowd, you should give them a serious look.

one of the funniest things we find is if we are out on the bike and there is larger crowd of HD's or whatever, they won't even look at you. now if you find them in a small group or one on one, they will talk your ear off and want to know everything about the Spyder. we have flipped several folks from their HD's over to a Spyder and have yet to hear anyone who wanted to go back. i even know of one HD dealer that will tell people that if you want a trike, you really owe it to yourself to go look at the Spyder.

 

[missedem]

tried them all out before we purchased our first Spyder in 2013. the wife hated the rear seat on the HD. the 2010-2013 had the 998 engine. the 14's brought the newer 1330 engine and it is much smoother, more horsepower and much better mileage. we bought a 2015 RT Limited and we average about 13k miles a year and always riding two up.

if you ever go and take a Spyder out there are a few things you have to retrain your brain on. first off don't over grip. this will cause you to feel a little squirrely. once you put a few hundred miles on it you will fully understand. second is the single brake pedal.

Spyder's have Brembo ABS brakes that will stop on a dime. third is very little leaning is needed. if you want to lean, you lean the same direction you are turing. it's amazing how tight these bikes will turn. we've run with some Goldwings in some serious twisty's and they are blown away that we will leave them in the turns.

overall they are great bikes and if you don't want to follow the crowd, you should give them a serious look.

one of the funniest things we find is if we are out on the bike and there is larger crowd of HD's or whatever, they won't even look at you. now if you find them in a small group or one on one, they will talk your ear off and want to know everything about the Spyder. we have flipped several folks from their HD's over to a Spyder and have yet to hear anyone who wanted to go back. i even know of one HD dealer that will tell people that if you want a trike, you really owe it to yourself to go look at the Spyder.

Glad you like your spyder.

I saw one of them when they first came out years ago down at a gas station in Utah. Man the acceleration on that thing was insane. First I saw him and then blam he was gone.

I will stick with my freewheeler trike. Fits me perfect. Still takes my full attention to push it though the curves hard which I love to do. I can ride it 80 - 90 MPH all day long where appropriate. And I can not get past two wheels in the front of the spyder.

Just does not work for me. I have a buddy who is hoping to get a spyder. I hope he can , he really wants to keep riding.

He is a vet on a fixed income. I wish he could find away to get the money to get one. He is a good dude.

 

[consitter]

Glad you like your spyder. I saw one of them when they first came out years ago down at a gas station in Utah. Man the acceleration on that thing was insane. First I saw him and then blam he was gone.

I will stick with my freewheeler trike. Fits me perfect. Still takes my full attention to push it though the curves hard which I love to do. I can ride it 80 - 90 MPH all day long where appropriate. And I can not get past two wheels in the front of the spyder.

Just does not work for me. I have a buddy who is hoping to get a spyder.

I hope he can , he really wants to keep riding. He is a vet on a fixed income. I wish he could find away to get the money to get one. He is a good dude.

I'm the same way...two wheels in the front just ain't right to me. However, I don't mean to put anyone else down that chooses that. Us trike people are an odd bunch whether the 2 wheels are in the front or the back. I like being odd.

 

[clint44]

I really want to ride one of these. http://can-am.brp.com/spyder/spyder-f3-fitment.html
However,if I had it to do over again: https://www.bosshoss.com/view_bike.asp?x=BHC9Gangsta

What can I say? I love trikes,almost all of them.

 

[HDB0B]

If I had a spare 100K to part with, I'd buy a Taurus BMW powered trike. > http://thekneeslider.com/gg-taurus-bmw-powered-reverse-trike-is-coming-to-the-usa/

 

[clint44]

If I had a spare 100K to part with, I'd buy a Taurus BMW powered trike. > http://thekneeslider.com/gg-taurus-bmw-powered-reverse-trike-is-coming-to-the-usa/

Way overpriced but sure looks like fun. That article was almost two years old,though.
The new F-3 CanAm will soon be available with a turbo motor.

 

[Capt.Bob]

6022 miles! 6022 miles in 15 days with stops at three groups of peoples homes across the country with my 2016 TGU. What an absolutely fun machine! Had some riding days that approached 800 miles (actually 785 and 760 respectively on a couple of days). My route from Tallahassee to Ranier, Washington took me through the high plains. Made it from TLH to Broadus, Montana in three days of riding which was about 2 hours past Sturgis, South Dakota. Then into Coeur d'Alene, ID to see family and then onto Ranier, WA for my furthest point West.

The TGU only used 23 ounces of Syn 3 for the entire trip! It is a totally stock motor with stock pipes. There were only a few places high up in the mountains where the cruise control would kick out because the trike could not maintain the set speed going up these really long grades. What was really fun about riding the TGU out West was that I had a chance to run it at 80+ mph for 1400 miles with the posted speed limit being 80. The trike was steady as a rock and essentially impervious to the high winds I experienced on the high open plains. At times, the temperatures were hitting or exceeding 100 degrees and it did not phase the trike in the least. Of course it made me hotter than hell but the trike handled the condition with ease and the coolant levels never budged off the full mark.

What was difficult to get used to was taking sweepers at 70+ mph and at times even tried it at 80. Very strange feeling but the trike seemed to handle it quite well.

I think this ride on the trike was my longest single solo ride in my 50 years of riding bikes and my 67th birthday is next week. I just retired 3 weeks ago and decided that I needed to really air out the trike with my new found open schedule. What is really strange is that I felt as if I could service/clean the trike, wash my clothes and head out for another adventure with only a couple of days of rest. As I mentioned on another thread, I got to figure out what I think was every feature on the GPS which took most of the trip, and in the 6k miles, the GPS was spot-on for the ENTIRE trip. Not one false instruction and it worked flawlessly in reducing my workload in terms of navigating constantly in strange areas. Very highly recommended that you experiment way beyond just reading the manual. The manual seems to be lacking in making effective use of the GPS in some instances.

I can now say without reservation that I am delighted that I decided to get a 2016 factory Tri Glide. It performed without any drama. The only negative was that at high speeds and high altitudes, my fuel consumption bordered on horrific with some runs only getting 24-25 mpg and I was riding solo. I guess that is the price you have to pay for comfort and a large mass of stable machinery?

 

[GARYD]

Sounds like you had a really good trip. You are very lucky - or - Harley has finally fixed the $#@% GPS. I went out for just a 120 mile lunch ride to Racine, Wi. Of the 4 destinations I programmed, 3 took me to an entirely wrong address - not even close. For the last 3 years it has sent me to at least 5 wrong H-D dealer locations.
Last year we did the Route 66 trip (7 days) and then on the ride home I did an Saddle Sore 1000 - just to se if I could do it. Successfully completed. ThumbUp

Last month I did the Dragon with a couple of Limited's and I kept up with them most of the way. Very invigorating to say the least. epper:

People that haven't really rode the TG for any length of time, don't know how much fun it really is.

Good luck with your TG, glad you had fun. That's what it's all about.

 

[Capt.Bob]

Sounds like you had a really good trip. You are very lucky - or - Harley has finally fixed the $#@% GPS. I went out for just a 120 mile lunch ride to Racine, Wi. Of the 4 destinations I programmed, 3 took me to an entirely wrong address - not even close. For the last 3 years it has sent me to at least 5 wrong H-D dealer locations.

Gary, I would suggest spending the money with your Harley dealer and having your GPS flashed to the latest version. As mine was delivered in 2016, it had the almost most recent release. I think they have had another revision since I got my trike and I am not sure that the updates were that significant? It sounds like you would greatly benefit from an updated operating system since yours is more than a couple of years old which is ancient in programming time. Bob

 

[GARYD]

ThumbUp
I'll look into that. Although I have had all the updates done as soon as they're available.
Sure glad I kept my Zumo 660. That's my main go to on long vacations - has never let me down.

Harley's GPS is usually good to go from point A to point B, but that's about it.
I usually put in 20 to 30 destinations on my vacation trips and some of those are locations on a highway (county signs) - try putting those in the Harley GPS - damn near impossible.

 

[Capt.Bob]

ThumbUp
I'll look into that. Although I have had all the updates done as soon as they're available.
Sure glad I kept my Zumo 660. That's my main go to on long vacations - has never let me down.

Harley's GPS is usually good to go from point A to point B, but that's about it.
I usually put in 20 to 30 destinations on my vacation trips and some of those are locations on a highway (county signs) - try putting those in the Harley GPS - damn near impossible.

Gary, I am with you on the limited features of the Harley GPS vs something like the Zumo 660. It is odd that Harley didn't just pay the company that makes Zumo's to make up a GPS for them. It was funny to see messages like the GPS will be in some uncharted areas during the route, whatever that meant? Hell, with 8-12 satellites operating, I couldn't for the life of me figure out how it could be in uncharted regions? Anyway, for my relatively simple routes, it was very easy and intuitive to operate. I didn't try and plan complex routes with it which I can see would have been a pain.

Keep the shiny side up and your feet on the floorboards! Capt. Bob

 

[GARYD]

"Keep your feet on the floorboards" = ROTFLMAO ThumbUp

I help my dealer each year with the demo truck. I usually end up being in charge of the trike testers. Every single rider, after watching the required video and being told "KEEP YOUR FEET UP" over and over, will put their feet down as soon as they apply the brakes. I can't yell at them because I did the exact same thing when I attempted to ride my first trike.
I guess after 54 years of riding 2 wheelers, it's impossible not to put your feet down when you apply the brakes.
Thankfully after a couple weeks, you lose that urge. epper:

 

[MikeyTX]

Looked at sat on .......Meh !

I find it rather interesting that I see any number of Can Am's traded at Harley dealers for Tri Glides. The only way I would ever own one is if I lost the ability to shift my hog.

 

[clint44]

They must be a lot more reliable than we give them credit for because they are becoming very popular,all over the country. Every time I go out on the highway,I see one or many more on the road.

A friend of mine,Lamont Bryden,runs the SpyderLovers website.

 

[MikeyTX]

They must be a lot more reliable than we give them credit for because they are becoming very popular,all over the country. Every time I go out on the highway,I see one or many more on the road.

A friend of mine,Lamont Bryden,runs the SpyderLovers website.

I see a lot on the road too .......... They make great pot hole filler ...........:laugh: