Roadglide, to trike or not to trike

[blutru]

Due to bad knee and broken and weakened foot I am thinking about triking my Roadglide. I searched the web and want some personal experience instead of sales hype.
I have a 2011 FLTRU. I found the bike on C/L and flew from Richmond to New Orleans and rode it home. I want to keep it for a long time if not for ever.

My questions are solid or independent suspension, is there a brand you recommend or ones I should avoid. Should I trade in for a factory Triglide? Any comments are appreciated. Your experience is recognized and valued in this expensive decision.

 

[tom w]

beat the bushes, do some test rides. I personally have a converted 2008 ultra. used a motor trike gladiator (irs) kit . very happy with it but miss my bike. At least we are still riding.
find a event that Harley has the demo trailer at. Free rides are always good.
good luck.

 

[JJTRIKER]

personally I would trade for the new triglide which is what I did. I spent 15k on a motortrike irs kit and sent the bike to texas and had the professionals install it LMAO
3 rear ends 2 belts and a compensator I traded for a TriGlide 2014. These have been the happiest days of my lengthy trike history not to mention cheaper and have warranty bumper to bumper. The belt on the roadglide are not heavy duty enough. Its only a 1 inch I think and the gearing would be 32/68 as apposed to 30/70 which is why the belts and rearends didn't preform. You will have many dollars spent to make the rg preform like the tg and the tg is standard. Kind of a no Brainer.

 

[Gorilla]

blutru I had a 2007 that I made into a RoadGlide/Champion. Rode her for 4 years and 60k miles. Loved it. Since September I now have a TRI-Glide. Just turned 13k on her. Love them both. Both were straight axle. On both I have gotten rid of the air shocks and and replaced them with standard coil over shocks. Ride has been great on both. I do only ride solo the wife has her own Stallion trike. I weigh 220 and carry a full tour-pac and trunk. TG vs Conversion have a lot of plus and minuses. PM me if you want to set up a phone call.

 

[Rick Kay]

I was in a similar position to yours; I loved my 2006 FLHTI, I had owned it since new, personalized it, and it had no issues or problems. I looked at kits, and really liked the CSC and Roadsmith conversions. The deciding factor was the installer. My local Harley dealer is a CSC dealer, and did the conversion for me.

As you can see, I favor the IRS over a straight axle, like the TriGlide. That's a personal preference. I also liked the styling of the CSC a tad better than the Roadsmith. The money on trading and buying a new TriGlide was the same as converting my existing bike. Many would prefer the factory warranty, but, as I said, I knew the bike very well, and had no qualms as to its longevity. I also like the wider stance and extended wheelbase of the conversion better than the TriGlide. I feel it gives a better ride and handling. Also, during the conversion process, I was able to customize to my heart's content, powdercoating and painting many pieces, as well as upgrading the power on the motor, and adding a mechanical reverse. I feel I came out ahead money-wise, as the TriGlide would have been a blank slate, so-to-speak.

Hope this helps with your decision.

 

[FLTR2008TRIKE]

I love my Roadglide with a Motortrike Trog kit. Had a batwing fairing for 15yrs. The Roadglide fairing makes riding the trike less physical because the wind is not pushing on the fairing.

Plus I like the look of the Roadglide.

 

[DK Custom Products]

Due to bad knee and broken and weakened foot I am thinking about triking my Roadglide. I searched the web and want some personal experience instead of sales hype.
I have a 2011 FLTRU. I found the bike on C/L and flew from Richmond to New Orleans and rode it home. I want to keep it for a long time if not for ever.

My questions are solid or independent suspension, is there a brand you recommend or ones I should avoid. Should I trade in for a factory Triglide? Any comments are appreciated. Your experience is recognized and valued in this expensive decision.

I was going to do a conversion myself, but after test riding a Tri-Glide I went with that.

It is a very expensive decision, and probably the best way to make it is to spend a little time and money test riding different Trikes to see what best suits your riding style and roads you'll be riding on.

Kevin

 

[pcombe]

I purchased my 1989 Harley tour glide ultra new and have kept it all these years, Basically because Harley quit making the tour Glide and it was my favorite of all the Harleys.
They came out with the road Glide and I found myself in a position that I could not afford a new one because I am on a fixed income.
I would have kept that old tour Glide regardless.

Two winters ago Bazooka (forum owner/administrator) helped me to find a conversion kit that would fit a bike as old as mine, The choices were Champion and Frankenstein.
The Champion kit had a much cheaper initial investment than the Frankenstein and I have to admit I like the looks of the champion much better. (to each his own, there are lots of quality kit manufactures out there, the trick is to purchase quality to begin with)
Zook got me a substantial discount on the kit and champion delivered it to my door which some manufactures wont do.
I also bought a 5 degree raked triple tree from zook (hog halter brand) at about half the cost of other manufactures and the tree is real quality.

I did the conversion myself and as a result I have around $8,000 total into building my trike. Please understand that the quality of your trike depends entirely on the integrity of the builder, doing it myself gave me complete control of quality.
I am a fair bike mechanic but by no means a factory certified tech.
And folks on the forum were free with tech. advice when I asked for it!
Also Zook and champion went out of their way to help me with any questions I had.
The tires are exact match for the tri-glide.
I went with the straight axle kit because it is the most straight forward and simple set up to do yourself, Also the tri-glide is a straight axle and if it was good enough for them I reasoned it was good enough for me.
I will admit it rides a little rough on our city's crappy streets but when I get it on the highway (which is what I built it for) it smooth's right out and is a pleasure to ride.
I have a friend with a tri glide and my trike rides every bit as good as his, has more rear ground clearance and steers much quicker than his, also I have the huge fairing that the batwing style just cant compare with for protection from the elements.
In short, I like it better than the tri-glide!

I am powered by a new (last winter) 80" evo with an E-27 cam (same set up I had before) for a bit of extra uhmmh. I had 91,000 trouble free miles on the old one with just regular maint. and it still ran just fine (had an oil leak under the cylinder and found a brand new engine cheaper than I could rebuild my own) The 80" evo is damn near bullet proof and does the job very well two up and pulling my small trailer thank you very much. I am a believer that the more you fool with an engine the more you have to
I will be honest in saying that even if I could afford a new tri-glide I would be loath to ever let my 25 yr. old tour glide/champion go I love it that much.
be careful what folks talk you into?

For pictures of the conversion google-pcombe library/photobucket.

I can assure you that converting your newer road glide would be technically much easier than doing my 1989 tour glide ultra. There are many steps that would be eliminated including beefing up the upper motor mount.

A piece of advice?
Unless your a painter yourself let the factory do the paint for you I doubt you can have it done cheaper. I wish I had done that.

If you have a good rear tire the same size as the current front tire save it to mount on the front with a backward rotation and see some incredible mileage from that tire with no adverse handling issues., after two years and around 10,000 miles on the conversion the tire still looks great.

 

[pcombe]

Also I have had zero problem with the champion kit itself or the triple tree.
A 1" belt really shouldn't scare you in my opinion.
If you set your trike alignment up correctly to begin with and check for belt play periodically I would think you could do a 1" belt, Belts are pretty darn tough. ( I check mine every time I do a service on it.)

As i said before the difference between a good trike and bad one depends entirely on the man doing the work.
Out here there is no one who really knows a damn thing about trikes, The folks at the Harley dealer seem to be parts changers for the most part with a real mechanic lightly sprinkled into the sauce.

In all the years I have owned my tour glide I replaced the belt once after 22 years and 87,000 miles and made the mistake of buying an aftermarket belt that came apart on me in one season but still didn't leave me walking.
I dug a little deeper when I built my trike and went with a Harley O.E.M. belt
and checking it when I do service I find no stretch and no damage, no reason to believe I will have any either.

Just my opinion and others will have theirs im sure!

 

[roadking2]

I see you took the advice given on the "other" forum and checked this place out. I already told you what I like and why. I hope the advice you have been given helps you decide what you are going to do, but regardless of whether you get a tri or convert your Roadglide, Straight axle or IRS, you will not be disappointed with a trike. Whole lot of fun and you get to stay in the wind. Once you get a grip on the differences between 2 wheels and 3, they corner and handle far better than those that don't have one think they do. You will probably be slowing down for them.

 

[blutru]

Thanks guys, When I loose my cast, hopefully in a month, how do you find someone to "let you test drive" their trike? I do not know of any local trike dealers. I live in Chesterfield, Virginia. I sat on a triglide Saturday in a Harley dealers showroom, they have a 2011 for sale. It seemed smaller them my Roadglide. I seem closer to the windshield and it feels like if I put a backrest on the seat I would be riding on the tank. I need to ride one to make a decision on the TG. If I trike my bike I would have to finance that along with my bike payment. Harley would finance a triglide.
I am getting scared I will not be riding and will just sell the bike. Who knows, I have too long to think and not able to do it on two, or even three wheels. The bike is where I do my thinking and reset my brain.
I see God best from the view behind my handlebars.

 

[tom w]

took my first ride at the Harley demo trailer at a hog rally at southern thunder Harley about 3 or 4 years ago. had to watch a movie and get checked out by the staff there , then took a guided ride.

 

[Rick Kay]

I don't know Virginia geography very well, but my mapping program says that the California Sidecar factory is about 90 miles from you, in Arrington, Va. I believe they have demo bikes on site. Their number is (800) 824-1523. www.californiasidecar.com Good folks!

 

[pcombe]

Thanks guys, When I loose my cast, hopefully in a month, how do you find someone to "let you test drive" their trike? I do not know of any local trike dealers. I live in Chesterfield, Virginia. I sat on a triglide Saturday in a Harley dealers showroom, they have a 2011 for sale. It seemed smaller them my Roadglide. I seem closer to the windshield and it feels like if I put a backrest on the seat I would be riding on the tank. I need to ride one to make a decision on the TG. If I trike my bike I would have to finance that along with my bike payment. Harley would finance a triglide.
I am getting scared I will not be riding and will just sell the bike. Who knows, I have too long to think and not able to do it on two, or even three wheels. The bike is where I do my thinking and reset my brain.
I see God best from the view behind my handlebars.

I had to finance my trike build also.
Admittedly, I did not have a bike payment to boot. That might have been a game changer for me.

Champion wanted half up front and half when the kit was shipped.
I was very reluctant to just electronically send that much money to someone I only new from an internet trike site. (I been burned on the internet before).
I arranged to send two cashiers checks to Zook to pay for my kit and so was able to develop a trust that way. I then had no qualms about just directly paying for my Hog halter raked triple trees or ordering from the sponsors on this forum. Any problems I had were addressed to my satisfaction.

Lets get down to the brass tacks ok?

1. Bazooka and the sponsors cant afford to burn the trike community.

2. You always know where to find Zook, he cant hide. He also has a real name and is a bike business owner the same as the other sponsors.

3, This site is very informative and fun but sales are what keeps the forum operating, Everything needs a source of funding. It's not even close to being cheap to operate trike talk.
Besides we can find discounts on parts and services through the site for goodies we want and inside input from folks who ride and work on trikes. Supporting the sponsors becomes a win/win situation.

4, When someone gets burned out there by some unscrupulous dealer he hurts himself because the dis-satisfaction MAY be reported on the forum and it reaches thousands of trikers.

 

[cavie]

Find a dealer that rents 'em. Lot's of 'em in Florida.

 

[roadking2]

When you ride that trike remember it isn't a 2 wheeled motorcycle. It handles different, corners different, and definitely feels different. Keep the front in the center of the lane because you are wide now and if you get it to far left or right of the center of the lane, you are in the other lane or off the road with the back end. Ignore the side to side rocking which is really hard to do till you get used to it. It isn't going to tip over and keep your feet up! When you get the hang of it, it's really fun.

 

[tbear]

I have the Tri-glide (straight axle). If I had to do it over again or Hope that HD puts a IRS on their bikes, I would go with that. IRS is a lot smoother ride especially if your roads around your area aren't the best. I live in Michigan and they have bad roads for the most part.
Cornering with the IRS isn't as positive as the Straight Axle but you would get use to it by not being so aggressive during your turns. I have driven both setups but had the Straight Axle before doing so. Hitting the roads around me have just irritated my back but feels great if I get onto nice roads all day. that's when I love riding my Trike!
so you can take what I am giving. But do test ride both, if you can....my 2 cents.....:Coffee:

 

[blutru]

I have ridden 3 wheelers on dirt. I know that is nothing like the road. I am looking forward to being able to try one out.
Does anybody have experience with roadsmith? I have some info from them. CSC I a couple hours from me.
I do want to try the independent suspension. I think it would be better on the bumpy roads around here.

- - - Updated - - -

I have four more weeks before the next x-ray. Hope to be in a boot after that. This is the second go round on this foot and I will not rush it.

 

[roadking2]

Don't have a Roadsmith, but I tested one and it was really nice. My personal problem with it in general is the length of it. Like the CSC it's a pretty long trike, but it was a smooth ride, welll made, and handled well. You might want to go way to the bottom of the forum and look in the brand specific Roadsmith section and see what owners of them have to say. There are brand specific sections for all the major players at the bottom.

The added length makes it a smoother ride. Like having a long wheel base on a car. In general, longer and wider make for a better ride.

 

[FLTR2008TRIKE]

Motortrike offers a Independent Suspension with their trike kit. It's called the Gladiator


http://www.motortrike.com/trikealltrikes.aspx

 

[2234ME]

Thanks guys, When I loose my cast, hopefully in a month, how do you find someone to "let you test drive" their trike? I do not know of any local trike dealers. I live in Chesterfield, Virginia. I sat on a triglide Saturday in a Harley dealers showroom, they have a 2011 for sale. It seemed smaller them my Roadglide. I seem closer to the windshield and it feels like if I put a backrest on the seat I would be riding on the tank. I need to ride one to make a decision on the TG. If I trike my bike I would have to finance that along with my bike payment. Harley would finance a triglide.
I am getting scared I will not be riding and will just sell the bike. Who knows, I have too long to think and not able to do it on two, or even three wheels. The bike is where I do my thinking and reset my brain.
I see God best from the view behind my handlebars.

IMHO rent one Put some miles on it. Don't Know about VA. Harley of Myrtle Beach rents them for about $150. for 24hrs of fun well worth it. Good Luck.

 

[Texan]

........The money on trading and buying a new TriGlide was the same as converting my existing bike. Many would prefer the factory warranty, but, as I said, I knew the bike very well, and had no qualms as to its longevity......

I had a low mileage 2010 Ultra that I considered converting. Checked ALL the conversions and compared the cost of buying a TG verses a conversion and the cost of upgrades to my Ultra (triple-tree', big bore, reverse and so on). Figured out to be, cost wise, the same as a new TG, maybe just a little more. Then I compared value and deprecation using NADA and KBB figures. WoW ! A no brainer, went with a new TG.

8~\o

 

[Rick Kay]

I had a low mileage 2010 Ultra that I considered converting. Checked ALL the conversions and compared the cost of buying a TG verses a conversion and the cost of upgrades to my Ultra (triple-tree', big bore, reverse and so on). Figured out to be, cost wise, the same as a new TG, maybe just a little more. Then I compared value and deprecation using NADA and KBB figures. WoW ! A no brainer, went with a new TG.

8~\o

Honestly, the KBB valuation never entered into my strategy, as I plan on keeping the trike until I take the dirt nap.

 

[Postal Trucker]

blutru, if you would like to trike out the Road Glide check out DFT (or is it DTF). They have a rounded rear kit that goes great with the RG fairing. I saw one in St Louis about 5 years5 ago and it looked fantastic. I believe the back rest for the passenger is about the same height as one with the tour pack. It also has a very large trunk.

As for the suspension (Independent vs straight axle), there are many different opinions. The independent is better for the bumps and the straight is better in the curves or twisties. I think the straight axle is cheaper than the independent. So it comes down to your preference and riding style.

Hope this helps (if Harley comes out with a TriGlide with the Road Glide fairing, I may be trading mine).

 

[RickDeVon]

We are wanting and can afford a new Tri Glide but we are torn between it and Hannigans new flh kit...and I live close enough to Zook to let him build it...So if we can not let the 15 white and blue or the solid mysterious red call our name in the fall we will do the kit in the spring...

 

[Casper]

Having owned three converted Gold Wings and two Tri Glides, I'll say this, quality of any kit comes down to one big thing, installer, installer installer! All the major kits are good, the installer will make all the difference in the world. I prefer the California Side Car Daytona kit for a Harley, I just like the looks of it...road smith, Hannigan, Champion Dft and all the major players make a great kit, get the one that's makes you smile. I know Hannigan and CSC will give you a tour and test ride. Call ahead and make an appointment.

We now have a 2014TG and hopefully it'll be our last trike ( getting to darn expensive and I want to retire)
My perfect Trike would be a 2014/15 Road Glide Ultra with a 120 motor built by someone that knows his stuff , hot white pearl color, and a color matched Bushtec trailer...ok, I can dream can't I?

 

[Shriner Jim]

Far too many variables. Having been there, take my word for it. Sell the RG and buy a HD TG. You'll be miles ahead.

 

[Texan]

Far too many variables. Having been there, take my word for it. Sell the RG and buy a HD TG. You'll be miles ahead.

Don't know what Shiner's word is worth but he's echoing what I said. I agree 110% with him !!

8~\o