Harley Trike Cornering Video

[ND Jon]

Been watching & reading everything I can locate on doing curves on a Harley trike. Came across this video this morning, It's the best I've seen showing taking curves on a Harley trike. The rider videos he on his trike and a couple buddies on two wheeled bike in front of him as they ride the Needles Highway and the Iron Mountain Road.

He has the camera mounted behind him on his trike so you can clearly see him twisting and shifting his weight into the curve (he calls it leaning) at the same time you can compare that to the bikes counter steering ahead of him. You can't see him from the waist down but I will bet $100 he has his high side foot planted firmly on the board and his high side knee pressed into the tank. You also get to see a couple of the prettiest roads to ride in all creation. Personally, I will happily ride the Iron Mountain Road in a loop all day. Well worth a look.

 

[TonkaDriver]

A rider crashed on a twisty road during our Eastern Arizona gathering last year. Kevin of DK Custom Products did a very good analysis of the cause on his YouTube Channel. He also did a video about cornering and trail braking. You can find threads on this forum as well detailing aggressive cornering techniques.

Safe riding,

Kurt

 

[Ray55]

Kurt

No ride this year?

 

[ND Jon]

A rider crashed on a twisty road during our Eastern Arizona gathering last year. Kevin of DK Custom Products did a very good analysis of the cause on his YouTube Channel. He also did a video about cornering and trail braking. You can find threads on this forum as well detailing aggressive cornering techniques.

Safe riding,

Kurt

I watched that video several times. To be honest, how that crash happened baffles me. It looked like an entirely manageable curve until it suddenly went to hell. Maybe the rider entered hotter than it looked (although he was tail-braking as he entered)? I suspect he was unfamiliar with the road, entered the curve a little hot, and got behind the bike because of inexperience. At that point he became a passenger on the bike, not an operator in control of it.

There's a lightly travelled highway out here that runs parallel to I-94. It has about a mile or so of twisties made for bike practice. I ran them 8 times yesterday morning. It was a great practice session.

Due to severe under-staffing (I'm working 60-84 hrs a week), I probably won't get down to the Black Hills this summer. I was lucky to be able to schedule myself last Sat & Sun off.

 

[TonkaDriver]

Kurt

No ride this year?

We are going to take a year off

 

[Jack Klarich]

Being that the Freewheeler is not as top heavy as a triglide is it is more nimble in most corners

 

[ISP-FL]

An experienced Harley TG rider can keep up pretty well on the tight twisties with 2-wheel baggers. There is a point where you are maxing out your cornering and that is when the inside rear wheel is slightly leaving the pavement. You have to have a feel for taking your trike to that maximum point.

I think another factor some riders fail to realize. A day of riding sharp curves aggressively will shorten the life of that front tire significantly. When you are at max speed on those tight turns your front tire is scuffing. Last month when our group rode in the mountains for a week, I'm guessing I cut the life expectancy of my front tire in half. The other two Trikes experienced the same front tire wear. Mine was more noticeable because it was new prior to the trip.

I guess what I'm saying is that when you are truly maxed out on running twisties, with the front tire scuffing and one rear wheel either leaving the pavement or hardly touching, there is zero room for mistakes. A little too much throttle or aggression could easily cause a disaster.

 

[ND Jon]

Being that the Freewheeler is not as top heavy as a triglide is it is more nimble in most corners

Never considered that, but it makes sense.

 

[ND Jon]

An experienced Harley TG rider can keep up pretty well on the tight twisties with 2-wheel baggers. There is a point where you are maxing out your cornering and that is when the inside rear wheel is slightly leaving the pavement. You have to have a feel for taking your trike to that maximum point.

I think another factor some riders fail to realize. A day of riding sharp curves aggressively will shorten the life of that front tire significantly. When you are at max speed on those tight turns your front tire is scuffing. Last month when our group rode in the mountains for a week, I'm guessing I cut the life expectancy of my front tire in half. The other two Trikes experienced the same front tire wear. Mine was more noticeable because it was new prior to the trip.

I guess what I'm saying is that when you are truly maxed out on running twisties, with the front tire scuffing and one rear wheel either leaving the pavement or hardly touching, there is zero room for mistakes. A little too much throttle or aggression could easily cause a disaster.

I didn't spend a lot of time throwing sparks with the floor boards on my Heritage Softail (except when I took an advanced motorcycle course, pretty much the same as Ride Like A Pro). As such, I'm being very cautious learning the Tri Glide.

 

[ND Jon]

The type of cornering that is really evading me is how to take those sweeping curves found on I-94 out here in the west. There are a number between Dickinson and the Montana line. Normal traffic flow on I-94 is 75-85MPH. Using both lanes isn't an option. I've never tail braked at those kind of HW speeds but it doesn't seem like a good idea. Right now my instinct is to downshift to 5th, enter under full control with a steady throttle at 60-65mph, then speed back up to 70-75 as I exit the curve. This does not endear me to the cagers and semi's doing 75-85, though...

 

[ISP-FL]

The type of cornering that is really evading me is how to take those sweeping curves found on I-94 out here in the west. There are a number between Dickinson and the Montana line. Normal traffic flow on I-94 is 75-85MPH. Using both lanes isn't an option. I've never tail braked at those kind of HW speeds but it doesn't seem like a good idea. Right now my instinct is to downshift to 5th, enter under full control with a steady throttle at 60-65mph, then speed back up to 70-75 as I exit the curve. This does not endear me to the cagers and semi's doing 75-85, though...

If a posted speed limit on a federal interstate highway is posted at 70mph for example, it has probably been designed to be safely driven at 75mph or even 80mph by any vehicle. There is no reason I can think of why you could not negotiate any gradual curve on I-94 at 70-80mph on a Trike, unless it is posted at a much lower speed.

If you were to slow down when approaching an interstate curve to 20mph below normal flowing traffic, that would be creating a hazardous condition IMHO.

 

[Notgrownup]

I rode pretty aggressively in the NC twisties with my 14 TG and it was a chore. I can do it easily and my wife leans a bit with me, it makes a huge difference contrary to popular belief. We use to take curves in the hills with the Electra Glide with ease and rode for 15 years in the hills on 2 wheels. The best advice I can give someone on a trike is slow down. Don’t be afraid to lean and instruct your passenger to do so as well, it makes taking the curves a lot easier.

 

[DK Custom Products]

Here are a few videos that show how to ride a HD Trike aggressively, AND Safely.









Kevin