Been riding Harleys since '68. A 48 Pan for 12 years (rigid), a '78 shovel for 7 years Wow! A real suspension!), an '85 Evo for 24 years, and bought my 2010 FLHXXX in 2011. I don't have any medical challenges, nor was I uncomfortable with 2 wheeling. Fact is, I got into triking simply because I wanted something different to ride and also because I thought that the FLHXXX was the coolest looking trike I had seen up to that point (and still do) and that I could have a great time customizing it. After 3 years and 40,000 miles on my trike I have made many changes to it and love every minute on it!
I opened my first custom shop in my home town of Traverse City, MI in '72 called Gemini Custom Cycles. That was back when if you wanted something custom you usually had to build in yourself, including extended springers and frames. I got into custom painting around '75 and still do a bit of it from time to time.
When I purchased my trike in '11, I was quite a minority. I hardly saw another trike all day. But now, just a few years later the roads are full of them. And not just old-timers getting back into the wind, but newbies who are just getting into the wind for the very first time. Cool! I enjoy talking to all trikers, but especially factory Harley trikers. That's because I'm beginning to understand some of the Harley trike quirks, which, by the way, no prior year of Harley was without them, and to expect something different from the factory would be like expecting the sun to shine differently. But I've been able to sort out a few of the head scratching quirks and can offer the new triker some help from time to time.
I love riding my trike, tinkering on it, spending money on it, cleaning it, getting it dirty, cussing it out, making up to it, and then riding it some more. My wife and I spend winters in and around the Daytona Beach area. We attend all the Bike Week and Biketoberfest rallies, and as a matter of fact, I started putting on a trike show at the Broken Spoke Saloon that I called "Triketoberfest." Things were really starting to catch on and then the owner of Broken Spoke decided that he wanted to sell the Saloon. Oh well, on to the next venture.
When asked why I ride a trike I respond "Because I can!" When asked how I like my trike I respond: "I don't like it at all... I love it!"
Gotta go... time to clean up the trike for tomorrow's ride into town to do some Christmas shopping. Merry Christmas y'all!
I opened my first custom shop in my home town of Traverse City, MI in '72 called Gemini Custom Cycles. That was back when if you wanted something custom you usually had to build in yourself, including extended springers and frames. I got into custom painting around '75 and still do a bit of it from time to time.
When I purchased my trike in '11, I was quite a minority. I hardly saw another trike all day. But now, just a few years later the roads are full of them. And not just old-timers getting back into the wind, but newbies who are just getting into the wind for the very first time. Cool! I enjoy talking to all trikers, but especially factory Harley trikers. That's because I'm beginning to understand some of the Harley trike quirks, which, by the way, no prior year of Harley was without them, and to expect something different from the factory would be like expecting the sun to shine differently. But I've been able to sort out a few of the head scratching quirks and can offer the new triker some help from time to time.
I love riding my trike, tinkering on it, spending money on it, cleaning it, getting it dirty, cussing it out, making up to it, and then riding it some more. My wife and I spend winters in and around the Daytona Beach area. We attend all the Bike Week and Biketoberfest rallies, and as a matter of fact, I started putting on a trike show at the Broken Spoke Saloon that I called "Triketoberfest." Things were really starting to catch on and then the owner of Broken Spoke decided that he wanted to sell the Saloon. Oh well, on to the next venture.
When asked why I ride a trike I respond "Because I can!" When asked how I like my trike I respond: "I don't like it at all... I love it!"
Gotta go... time to clean up the trike for tomorrow's ride into town to do some Christmas shopping. Merry Christmas y'all!
