New and looking

[rayg5102]

Hello,
59 Years old, Starting riding at 40 I have owned two Virago's, sold one, t-boned the other. Wife not interested in me havig a bike, but is ok with a trike.
I'm new to this site and looking at trikes. Over the last 2 months, I've ridden the following:

2012 Harley Tri Glide, 10K miles $28,000
2004 GW 1800, 900 miles $25,500
2005 GW 1800, 37K miles $23,500
1993 GL1500, 47K miles $13,000

Harley was nice, it's newest, but the heat from the engine was alot. Also the price.

Now all the GW's was a different class all together. Ride was fantastic. The 2003 is that Honda YELLLOW and I really hate it.

2004 was a great deal, but the guy was an ass and we could not come to terms on anything.

The 1993 was the best and smoothest ride of them all. Cost is also inviting.
Wife loved it too.

So here are my thoughts or questions.

1st is the noise thing..GW's being so damn quiet. I question if I would feel safer having some more noise around me when ridding.

2nd is repairability.
HD has service shops all over the world. Exactly where do you get the GW trikes worked on? Honda shop? Any bike shop? or only at a specialty shop.

Is the 93 too old? Too many miles?

Any thoughts out there?
appreciate any guidance from yu experienced trikers

 

[Gorilla]

welcome aboard. the 93 does not have to many miles barely broke in.

 

[hbrogan57]

Agreed. The 93 is barely broken in. As for the quiet. You will stand out like a sore thumb on a trike and draw a TON of attention. I have had cars actually stay at a stop sign and wait for me to pass even though they had plenty of time to pull out.

Enjoy the trike world and WELCOME!!!!!

 

[Tip Schwartzbeck]

RAYG,
welcome to the forum.I grew up (?) in Damascus.The '93 sounds good to me - I have a '91 with about the same miles.
For a little sound I installed a set of HD take-offs from an '11 HD.Nice sound but not loud like the Harley.If you decide to do something like this PM me and I can maybe give you a few hints.
What ever you decide "Have fun and Enjoy"
Tip

 

[Gold Rush]

2012 Harley Tri Glide, 10K miles $28,000
2004 GW 1800, 900 miles $25,500
2005 GW 1800, 37K miles $23,500
1993 GL1500, 47K miles $13,000

So here are my thoughts or questions.

1st is the noise thing..GW's being so damn quiet. I question if I would feel safer having some more noise around me when ridding.

2nd is repairability.
HD has service shops all over the world. Exactly where do you get the GW trikes worked on? Honda shop? Any bike shop? or only at a specialty shop.

Is the 93 too old? Too many miles?

Any thoughts out there?
appreciate any guidance from yu experienced trikers

Every one of these would be good choices. Your riding style and planed use will be very important. In cooler temperatures the Tri Glide would be nice. All the GLs are quieter and offer better rider/passenger protection from the elements. The 1800s have noticeably more power then the 1500 or HD.

As for service it really depends on the area. If you are fortunate to have a dealer/installer for the brand close by you are set. Nearly any trike shop can help with simple problems but we all know some brands have peculiar issues. The GLs require so little repair I would not fret over the maintenance issue. If you can't do the routine stuff yourself then I bet you could get it done pretty easily.

I have over 100K on my '06 1800. If you are happy with the 1500 then that mileage is nothing....

Good Luck and have fun shopping. BTW Welcome to the ZOO!!!!

 

[FRR]

You will never go wrong with a Wing trike. Don't worry about repairs; you probably will never need one. If you do, a Honda dealer can usually help in most cases.

My brother in law and sister has a Harley Triglide and has had to spend big bucks trying to cool the heat from the engine and beef up the CC.s so it isn't sluggish.

The Wing is very smooth, ( I've had 8 of them, one of them Triked and 7 Harleys) and you and your passenger will love the ride. Don't worry about mileage on the Wings. They run forever..Not unheard of for a Wing to have 200-250K on many of them.

No matter what you decide to buy, I think you will love the trike experience. I've ridden for half a century and only been triking for a short while, but I am sold on it. This site is great for help and advice and the folks are always there for each other.

 

[87Trike1200]

I recently converted my '95 1500 due to it's "low" mileage (46,980), overall good condition, and it "runs like a top". Great trike to start with, lower investment, and you'll probably not loose much $$ if you decide to go "newer" later on. JMO

 

[Chazzman]

After owning many motorcycles I purchased my first Goldwing in 2005. If you're looking for easy cheap maintenance, comfort, and a bike that will go a half million miles the Goldwing is the one.
I have owned several Harley's and like them, I really like the looks of the Tri-Glide and the paint quality, the engine heat is a problem for me.
I am new to trikes and the Goldwing was my choice.
If you decide on the 93 it would be a good idea to take it to a Honda Trike shop and have it thoroughly Inspected. You may need carbs rebuilt, tires may be dry rotted, along with others things from a 20 year old bike. On the other hand it may have been very well maintained and no issues, certainly worth checking IMO...

 

[John Luciano]

47,000 miles, you can still be running the original plugs. I have 69,000 and I am on original plugs. Change the oil every 3 to 50000 miles, new battery every 3 years. The 1500 is barly broken in. The 1500 has more room for your legs. What kits do they have on them? The trike Kits can make a difference.

 

[Bikerbozo]

Personally, I like my HD '10 TG. I usually ignore the heat (wearing shorts I feel it). Didn't do anything special to it. Good to have a dealer network that is easy to find around the country. Can't speak for Honda. You may want to check on-line locations of dealers across country. As far as GL being silent. Newer cars are so sealed up and sound insulated, I don't think most drivers even notice when straight pipes are in area. So, I don't think extra sound makes much of a difference. Go for ther one you and the wife like.

 

[rayg5102]

My wife and I noticed the huge amont of heat on the HD. They say its a result of the 108 engne. At first I thoght it might just be the air flow being blocked by the rear end, but it seems as though all the 108cc have the same problem.

 

[hbrogan57]

And yet again we run into that same issue. If Harley is aware of this, which I am quite sure they are, why isn't something being done. I mean instead of expecting the consumer to pay to have an issue fixed that should have already been cleared up.....

My wife and I noticed the huge amont of heat on the HD. They say its a result of the 108 engne. At first I thoght it might just be the air flow being blocked by the rear end, but it seems as though all the 108cc have the same problem.

 

[FRR]

And yet again we run into that same issue. If Harley is aware of this, which I am quite sure they are, why isn't something being done. I mean instead of expecting the consumer to pay to have an issue fixed that should have already been cleared up.....

Harley and Harley owners love that Y Twin air cooled engine. ( I own one myself). As long as they keep that engine there will always be the heat issue. I don't even ride mine in the months of June July August because of the heat. To fix the problem would mean a radical redesign for the bike.

 

[meredog]

had an opportunity to test ride a vtx 1800 ? good price---power of a mad beast----Harley competing sound--and the ability to use as much gas as the best of em

 

[hbrogan57]

You don't ride during the three months of prime riding time? Seems like a phenomenal waste of money to me. I see Harley riders out there during these months all the time. I even ride with a lot of them.

And the heat issue could, in fact, be fixed without a major redesign. For starters, the Cat could be moved further back. That's one of the first things that riders remove anyway.

Personally, I couldn't see spending that amount of money for a new bike and THEN having to dump MORE money into it to fix a heat issue. From what I understand that costs in the neighborhood of three grand. Aftermarket, of course.

Harley and Harley owners love that Y Twin air cooled engine. ( I own one myself). As long as they keep that engine there will always be the heat issue. I don't even ride mine in the months of June July August because of the heat. To fix the problem would mean a radical redesign for the bike.

 

[hbrogan57]

VTX 1800 makes a GREAT looking trike!!!!!

had an opportunity to test ride a vtx 1800 ? good price---power of a mad beast----Harley competing sound--and the ability to use as much gas as the best of em

 

[rayg5102]

47,000 miles, you can still be running the original plugs. I have 69,000 and I am on original plugs. Change the oil every 3 to 50000 miles, new battery every 3 years. The 1500 is barly broken in. The 1500 has more room for your legs. What kits do they have on them? The trike Kits can make a difference.

champion kit

 

[FRR]

Oh yes, I most certainly ride. I try to ride 10 or 11 months of the year. I just seldom ride my Harley in those Summer months; I ride my Wing about 12,000 a year and now that I have it triked that figure may increase.

 

[Bill Reber]

The heat is vital to a HD rider ..... how else are they going to heat there TV dinners ? LOL

 

[jackpoet]

I recommend the 93, if it is in good running shape. I have a 95 with 60,000 miles on it and a motortrike kit. I love it. Although the 1500 has carbs not fuel injected, it also has hydralic (spelled wrong) valves so you don't have to constantly have them adjusted. Has more leg room than any of the others. I really think this would be a great bike. As far as the bike is concerned, maintenance or repairs at any Honda shop. They are everywhere. Not knowing the make of the kit on it, can't help there.

Best of luck, go for it.

 

[Doug Nie]

I sold MY 2 99 Valkyrie Interstate a year ago and purchased a 95 GW/Roadsmith trike with 75,000 miles on it. The 1500 Gold Wing gives you more legroom, if you have long legs. As far as the mileage, a GW will run 150,000 miles or more.
What ever you purchase, ride it like you stole it.