Spyder or Tri-Glide?

[greggpj]

Hi,

After giving up on two wheels a couple of years ago due to health issues, I am now researching trikes. Other than a devotion to the Harley Davidson brand (I used to own an Indian, so I totally get that), what re the pros and cons of the Tri-Glide over the Spyder? I would love to hear opinions pro and con.

Thanks!

Gregg

 

[rhino 2]

Hi,

After giving up on two wheels a couple of years ago due to health issues, I am now researching trikes. Other than a devotion to the Harley Davidson brand (I used to own an Indian, so I totally get that), what re the pros and cons of the Tri-Glide over the Spyder? I would love to hear opinions pro and con.

Thanks!

Gregg

Greg, welcome to Trike Talk

I had a Spyder and if you just want to ride on three wheels and not get the motorcycle feel The Spyder is probably a better choice it has better acceleration smoother ride a true reverse better brakes..but if you wanna keep that motorcycle feel and you have to ride on three wheels then the Triglide or the Free wheeler is the way to go Riding my Triglide is the closest thing to riding a motorcycle that I’ve had since I got off a riding two wheels in 2017 ..

but like Buying any product do you research on that particular dealership a lot of Spyder dealers are problematic…

 

[molokaimike]

I'll second what Rhino said, I also had a Spyder which I bought for my then wife. It was a blast to ride, tons of power, 106 HP stock, very smooth ride, good breaks and lots of other pros, the main con was that everything was controlled by computer so there was little the owner could do except change the oil. When she stopped riding I traded it in for an Electra Glide so we could ride together. After my accident I found that it was getting harder to hold up that heavy of a bike so I traded it in on a TG. But to make the ride more comfortable I had to spend the money to upgrade to an IRS system. My now girlfriend has a Spyder model that has the saddlebags and tour pack. The Spyder is a good bike IMO unless you just miss the sound and feel of the Harley.

 

[Jack Klarich]

Hi Gregg, :welcome: to Trike Talk and your first post

To be fair it sounds like a test ride might help you narrow down your decision

Good Luck and keep on posting

 

[David792]

Hi Gregg, :welcome: to Trike Talk and your first post

To be fair it sounds like a test ride might help you narrow down your decision

Good Luck and keep on posting

Yep, test ride. The dealership where I bought my 2018 was happy to let me go for a test ride. I was almost instantly sold. From the seat of my TriGlide I almost (90%) feel like I'm on two wheels. I love the look and the convenience of the trike. The most common complaint is the hard ride ass end. Even the best shock setup will not completely fix the ride. I have learned how to ride the trike and how to mitigate the rough ride.

You might want to check with Hannigan trikes. I have seen some sweet Hannigan GoldWings. Probably the smoothest ride you could get. They will pretty much take any Bike and turn it into a nice trike. I think they also have some stock on hand.

 

[JTJersey]

Hi, After giving up on two wheels a couple of years ago due to health issues, I am now researching trikes. Other than a devotion to the Harley Davidson brand (I used to own an Indian, so I totally get that), what re the pros and cons of the Tri-Glide over the Spyder? I would love to hear opinions pro and con.

Thanks! Gregg

Harley Trike all the way, '21 Freewheeler in my case. I don't ride two up for touring so I have no need of the extra luggage space provided by the TriGlides. I'm afraid I can't come up with any Pros for the Spyder. Seems that most people who buy them play with them for a couple of years and then end up parking them in their garage, which is exactly what happened to a couple buddies of mine who bought them. They spent all their money on every useless accessory they could buy and found they couldn't sell the thing. Now they don't ride at all.

I have a friend who sells them down in Florida tell me the same thing. Even here in TrikeTalk you can check the forums and see that most of the posts date back two or three years then there's virtually nothing. People seem to just loose interest in them. The TriGlide and Freewheeler/RG3 forums are active daily and have been for years. The Spyders may be fun to ride, but so what? So is a go cart. They're not a motorcycle.

Hell, the bigger ones have bucket seats and steering wheels. The thing is Harley got into the trike business almost 90 years ago and they've developed a classy looking reliable touring vehicle or just sporty bar hopper, if you prefer. Despite what some YouTube boobs say I've never had another Harley rider snub me or look down on me because I'm on a Harley Trike.

Most of them are more more than willing to ask questions and chat. Basically if you want a motorcycle that your going to use for 100,000 miles get the Harley. If your just going to zip around town and then call it quits on riding next season get the Spyder. I’m a bit opinionated on this I guess. Does it show?

 

[My Turn]

Go ride both of them. You will know pretty quick which one is for you. I test rode a Spyder a couple years ago to see what they were like. I knew in about a mile it was not for me. They are quick as hell (but so is my FLRT ). They ride over the bumps way better than any HD trike ever will, but they are totally different.

I'm not trashing them, I know several people who like em. To each their own.

 

[cycle7447]

Great info here.

There is a third option you may want to consider - a trike (Harley or someone else) that has a conversion package. Un my opinion, this is the best of both worlds. Bike look and smooth ride.

Still, you should take the time to ride all of these before making your final decision.

 

[Old Road Dog]

Plenty of cats and kittens go to bed at night dreaming of a Harley Trike. An arachnid- not so much.

 

[Rogue1]

I concur with the Harley trike. Ride both but I think you would be happy with the trike.

 

[rhino 2]

Spyders are the Rodney Dangerfield of Trikes…. They get no respect . Unless you are at a Starbucks…-…..

 

[14TG]

Before I recently bought my Tri Glide, I too was looking very hard at the Spyder Limited. It did look unique and also had saddlebags & a tourpack… but I was so used to owning Harley’s, I just had a hard time converting over.

What made my decision to definitely stay with a Harley Tri Glide was the closest Spyder dealers were a couple hours away and those dealers did not get the best reviews either.

as with any bike, trike or motor vehicles…. Every one seem to have their own “demons” and inherent problems.

I got a great deal on a 2014 that only has 6,000 miles, and I’m glad I stayed with a Harley.

The spyders are unique in their own way, and although steering and braking are better than a Tri Glide, personally when I looked at my options, it was the right choice to stay with a Harley.

Your situation may differ and it’s all in what you like and want.

Keep us posted on your decision!

 

[SmittysTrike]

You need to ask yourself what kind of riding do you intend to do. If you just do short (less then a day or 3) trips. Stay pretty much near home. Don't care what anyone thinks. Get the Spyder. But if you're gonna do some long distance riding where you'll be gone a week or four and care that if you break down and have to fly home because the Can Am dealer can't fix you Spyder this week do to parts...We did have that exact issue on our recent 4 corner ride this year.

Please remember there are HD dealers all over the country. Not so much Can Am dealers. And I doubt very much you could find an Indy that would even know where the battery is on a Spyder. The Spyder is very complicated. Yes it might ride nicer, brakes better, handles better, is faster (you in a race?) and also has lottsa storage space. But one thing it doesn't have is...soul. If you're coming from the Yamakawahondazuki world you might not notice. Those who know...just know. It does have a learning curve though. Just taking it for a ride probably wont win you over. Take your time deciding. Take everything into consideration for your riding needs and style.

 

[greggpj]

Hi Gregg, :welcome: to Trike Talk and your first post

To be fair it sounds like a test ride might help you narrow down your decision

Good Luck and keep on posting

No doubt about that. I am going to do that, but I also want opinions of Tri-glide owners as well.

Thanks!

 

[Jack Klarich]

No doubt about that. I am going to do that, but I also want opinions of Tri-glide owners as well.

Thanks!

I have the hot rod Freewheeler Harley trike

It is a blast to ride, I would not trade it except for a newer model

If you want a Harley, go test ride one, beast of luck shopping

 

[gtrb]

Good luck on your new ride. Just got my first trike last year, it was the only one I looked at. One of the guys in our riding group has a Spyder and he really likes it. He was going to give up riding until he found it. For him, it was more about what he could afford. They both have there good and bad points but the Harley will hold it's value better than the Sypder will.

 

[Pegasus1300]

I guess I will be the lone dissenter here. I had a Goldwing conversion trike and put 40,000 miles on it. It just never felt right, more like a 3 wheeled car. I bought a Can Am Spyder in 2015 and never looked back. I have traveled all over the intermountain West to the tune of nearly 80,000 miles. I change oil, and other fluids on a regular basis. I get 40,000 miles out of a set of tires, it is very comfortable, powerful, fast, takes the corners very well and feels like a 3 wheeled motorcycle.

So if you say it doesn't feel like a Harley Davidson, you are right. But it does feel like 3 wheeled motorcycle. It gives all those motorcycle feels we look for, straddle a seat, feet on pegs, knees in the breeze, hands on handle bars, mild engine sounds(mine is a VTwin). I am in the open not enclosed in a body like a Vanderhall, or Slingshot, and the passenger sits behind me. My Spyder has heated grips, adjustable windshield, onboard navigation, satellite radio, ABS brakes, air adjustable suspension on the fly, traction control, balance control. I added BT connectivity to take infotainment to my helmet and stream music from my phone. Heated seats are available for the newer ones. The biggest drawback as others have said is a lack of dealer service centers, but it is getting better.

 

[Warped]

I bought a new 2022 Tri Glide in Nov. of 2022

I live in AZ. so I ride in the "winter"

Got rid of it in Feb. 2023

If you want to spend lots of $$$$ to make it almost ridable then buy a Harley Tri Glide

If you want to just ride buy a Goldwing conversion or the Spyder

The Harley

You will spend $ on tank lifts, air deflectors, suspension lift kits, trunk relocators

Cooling fans for the engine ect. ect.

I bought and installed all the above listed stuff and the trike still wasnt as good as my 20 year old Goldwing with a Champion conversion

Plus the Harley break in scheduled maintenance is ridiculous and after the break in the normal maintenance is also

Read all the threads on here about all the FIXES on here from D K there is dozens of them trying to polish a turd

The DK stuff is good quality stuff and reasonably priced and does what they claim but you shouldnt have install all the stuff just to make a trike rideable

 

[JTJersey]

I bought a new 2022 Tri Glide in Nov. of 2022

I live in AZ. so I ride in the "winter" Got rid of it in Feb. 2023 If you want to spend lots of $$$$ to make it almost ridable then buy a Harley Tri Glide If you want to just ride buy a Goldwing conversion or the Spyder The Harley You will spend $ on tank lifts, air deflectors, suspension lift kits, trunk relocators Cooling fans for the engine ect. ect. I bought and installed all the above listed stuff and the trike still wasnt as good as my 20 year old Goldwing with a Champion conversion Plus the Harley break in scheduled maintenance is ridiculous and after the break in the normal maintenance is also Read all the threads on here about all the FIXES on here from D K there is dozens of them trying to polish a turd The DK stuff is good quality stuff and reasonably priced and does what they claim but you shouldnt have install all the stuff just to make a trike rideable

Sorry to hear about your TriGlide problems. None of those things you've mentioned doing are a necessity. I've got 25,000 miles on my '21 Freewheeler without ever doing any of those mods and I love it. Not sure why the maintenance is "ridiculous" it's just a change the oil, check the tires and if you want to, replace the plugs. Pretty typical stuff even Spyder owners have to do. If you buy the Goldwing at average $30,000 then drop another $20-25,000 for the conversion kit and pay several thousand dollars for installation you've got $60,000 in your trike. Which is fine. If you have the money to spend God bless. Did you eventually purchase the Spyder after selling your TriGlide? I didn't see a mention of it.

 

[Warped]

Sorry to hear about your TriGlide problems. None of those things you've mentioned doing are necessary. I've got 25,000 miles on my '21 Freewheeler without ever doing any of those mods and I love it. Not sure why the maintenance is "ridiculous" it's just a change the oil, check the tires and if you want to, replace the plugs. Pretty typical stuff even Spyder owners have to do. If you buy the Goldwing at average $30,000 then drop another $20-25,000 for the conversion kit and pay several thousand dollars for installation you've got $60,000 in your trike. Which is fine. If you have the money to spend God bless. Did you eventually purchase the Spyder after selling your TriGlide? I didn't see a mention of it.

Its not just change oil "see link below"

Also your Freewheeler doesnt have the fairings that trap the heat like a Tri Glide does

That makes a lot of the stuff needed mods

https://www.stonewallhd.com/Service/Maintenance-Intervals