Thinking about getting a trike

[sawdust]

I have an 06 street glide now and I'm thinking about getting a trike. I was wondering what things you don't like about having a trike? If anything. Figured I'd ask the people who have ridden them for awhile. Thanks in advance.

 

[Lucky]

Welcome sawdust! Glad you joined us. The main thing I don't liked about having a trike is not having time to ride as much as I want. RIDE SAFE

 

[1550vt]

My wife was thrilled when we got a trike. I had dropped her in about every state and once in Canada on 2-wheelers. A trike does not have a bad habit of falling over when you get off of it.

Seriously though, it is a more stable platform for 2-up riding, can carry the wife and all her baggage as well as pull a trailer without you ever knowing it's back there. Besides looking cool....if it is properly set-up, you can take a curve with any 2-wheeler. It is also more visible that a 2-wheeler.

 

[berngren]

Welcome Sawdust. The one thing I don't like about a trike is that I have to get off it to do other things.

 

[Hoghead]

I have an 06 street glide now and I'm thinking about getting a trike. I was wondering what things you don't like about having a trike? If anything. Figured I'd ask the people who have ridden them for awhile. Thanks in advance.

Buy it, You will like it!!!

 

[rwhgme]

Hey Sawdust, I live in Shawnee,KS. Once you get a Trike...you won't want to go back! I work at Merriam Home Depot. Stop by

 

[harvey]

90k on my trike half with a trailer of some sort behind. the only problem I have is my cheeks hurt from smiling all,of the time.

 

[Gorilla]

welcome aboard sawdust. Nothing not to like.

 

[screwball]

Wife liked her '09 so much that we bought her a new '11 and I inherited her 'old one. After a little experience, you won't want to go back to two wheels. Good Luck!

 

[msocko3]

I haven't found anything I don't like about a trike.

 

[ladyff1481]

My husband says he doesn't like that everyone stops me to talk and ask questions about my Trike. You know how women like to talk and once you get me going about my Trike, well you know the story.....

 

[GARYD]

I traded in my 2010 Limited for a 2012 Tri Glide 2 weeks ago. I won't say I hate anything, but I will give it a negitive mark. Gas milage, trading a trunk for the saddlebags and not being able to lean way over in a high speed sweepers are about the only 3 things. Saddlebags were a lot more convienient.

I do have fun quickly switching lanes though - that is worth the price of admission.
Can't comment on the heat issue since I only received the trike 2 weeks ago. Have to wait till summer for that. Otherwise it's really a fun vehicle to ride.
It's way different then going from one 2 wheeler to another 2 wheeler. It's like driving a VW bug all your life and then getting a Corvette - it's a whole different world.

If I had to discribe riding a trike in one sentence, it would be. "It's putting HAVING FUN back into motorcycling".

 

[clivegap]

I have had my 2012 triglide for 3 weeks. Have 2300 miles on it and can't stop grinning. These East TN mountains are calling. Out to the trike.

 

[ssw1]

We love our 2011 TriGlide.........Traded our 09 Ultra and now ride two-up all the time. Now, wife is taking safety course this weekend so she can drive it.......Maaaaaaan!

 

[wiltat2]

We love our 09 TriGlide.

If I was to say there is one thing that is an annoyance it would be the fact of having 3 points of contact with the road, so it is more difficult to dodge the rough spots in the road.

But that definitely does not keep us off of it. Over 22,000 miles on it an over 9,700 miles on our 10 EGUC.

 

[PCMike]

I have a 2012 Triglide and here are my thoughts. The good things are stability at slow speeds and unstable riding surface, e.g. sand. The bad is a decrease in stability when cornering. You have to go slower in a curve than the two wheeled friends you are riding with. Also, more effort to drive since you can't lean to steer. It is a rougher ride than my Electra Glide. But the main thing is the "hot foot". Your right foot and leg are going to be very hot all the time.

 

[Cybyrd1]

I have put nearly 3000 miles on my 2012 Tri Glide. It does get a little hot on the right side, especially on the hot days, but not unbearable. i haven't had any trouble keeping up with my friends on their 2 wheelers, but their is a learning curve to riding a trike.

 

[msocko3]

I have a 2012 Triglide and here are my thoughts. The good things are stability at slow speeds and unstable riding surface, e.g. sand. The bad is a decrease in stability when cornering. You have to go slower in a curve than the two wheeled friends you are riding with. Also, more effort to drive since you can't lean to steer. It is a rougher ride than my Electra Glide. But the main thing is the "hot foot". Your right foot and leg are going to be very hot all the time.

I haven't experienced a decrease in stability when cornering, I ride both the trike and a 2 wheel touring. I can corner harder on the trike than I can on the 2 wheeler, on 2 wheels I run out of lean angel and start dragging things like running boards, I don't on the trike. If your dragging behind your 2 wheel friends it because your still getting used to the trike. Once your get used to it I'll bet you push your friends through the corners then. The Harley hot foot, to think Harley Davidson didn't even charge extra for this luxury.

 

[10rhrk]

I have a 2012 Triglide and here are my thoughts. The good things are stability at slow speeds and unstable riding surface, e.g. sand. The bad is a decrease in stability when cornering. You have to go slower in a curve than the two wheeled friends you are riding with. Also, more effort to drive since you can't lean to steer. It is a rougher ride than my Electra Glide. But the main thing is the "hot foot". Your right foot and leg are going to be very hot all the time.

I agree with you PCMike, I like my wife's 2012 Triglide, but their's no way it's as comfortable as my 2010 RK. She had a 2010 SG Trike and put over 20K miles on it. The only time I road it was when I did her routine service so I didn't really get used to it. When we traded for the 2012 we were going to ride two up. It didn't take me long at all, I was missing my two wheels. They are totally different in handling. My advice to anyone thinking about getting a Trike after riding two wheels, go rent one for a day or two to see if that's really what you want. As for my wife, if she didn't have a bad left knee, she would be on two wheel's today. JMO

 

[Roundabout]

If your dragging behind your 2 wheel friends it because your still getting used to the trike. Once your get used to it I'll bet you push your friends through the corners then.

Agreed.
It took me several hundred miles or more before I would say I was really used to the trike, especially in the curves. I can now easily do twice the speed I used to go if I want to. The very first time I test rode a tri-glide it felt like I was trying to steer an old truck with manual steering. That's how much of a difference experience can make.

 

[msocko3]

Agreed.
It took me several hundred miles or more before I would say I was really used to the trike, especially in the curves. I can now easily do twice the speed I used to go if I want to. The very first time I test rode a tri-glide it felt like I was trying to steer an old truck with manual steering. That's how much of a difference experience can make.

They are different to ride, I go back and forth between the trike and my 2 wheel Ultra with little to no problems once I got used to how the trike handled. The only problem I have ever run into is when I forgot my Ultra didn't have 3 wheels and got off without putting the jiffy stand down, the very first time I ever dropped a bike.

 

[adaptolife]

I wanted to ride, but did not want a trike. I found out about Ghost Wheels, and knew they were for me. When I take off, about when you pick up your feet, I flip a switch with left thumb, and hydraulic rams that hold the bike up de-energize, and I am riding a 2-wheeler! The wheels stay on the ground, but support no weight. You don't know they are there. When I stop, about when you drop your feet, I flip the switch, and the hydraulics lock up into trike mode. Simple, safe, and cool as hell!

 

[screwball]

Hey Greg, nice to see you are still around. Haven't seen you on the 'other' board in a while.

 

[GARYD]

Yes, I looked at all those trainning wheel type gizmos (5 different types) and was really thinking about getting one, but I was always worried about a malfuntion on the hydraulic operated units. Of course that malfuntion would happen in front of a large group of hot women.
I'm sure the odds are against it, but I'm not willing to take that chance.

That's the main reason I bought a trike.

 

[adaptolife]

Thanks screw. I still visit that site. Been cutting back on web life. You ok?

 

[M.A.T.]

Let's see, what are some of the negative aspects of owning a Trike........

Uhhhhh negative thing, Hmmmmm, negativvvveeee, uhhhhh, there was this one time, uh no, uhhhhhhhh, hmmmmm, Oh there was, no, not that time, uhhhhhh, Hmmmmmm........

Oh yea, nope, never mind, Can't think of anything......:Shrug:

Just Love Ours.
Rob

 

[GARYD]

M.A.T., you forgot the main negative aspect of owning a trike, according to real bikers = It's not a motorcycle!!!

 

[M.A.T.]

HAHAHAHAHA! Yea GARYD, you are right and it made me remember a incident. While we were at Delmarva Bike Week on a group ride (over 100 motorcycles), somehow the leading bikes turned into the event area instead of going to the designated road further away to make the first turn. Once we got to our final destination and were all enjoying ourselves, there was some talk about how chaotic it all was etc, and this one guy at the table said something to the effect of "yea, we all pulled into there and I knew it was wrong bla bla bla.... then I saw that TRICYCLE and the guy was giving us the turn around signal........yada yada yada".

Now, not that I was offended or even upset but, well, ok, maybe a little upset, I was like "that's funny, and I am the guy on the TRICYCLE".

He was red in the face and that was good enough for me.

It was the same way when I had my 82' custom XLS Roadster. Even though in no way did it resemble a sportster everyone still referred to it as a "Dirt Bike". You just laugh to yourself, and roll with the punches I guess.......

So ok, here is one negative I can think of, people that are jealous may tend to let that emotion show.....

Rob

 

[WILDBILLPHIN]

I put 30,000 miles on my 2011 tri glide first year...,love it....there are only two things that you can do with a two wheeler that you can't do with a trike.... lean it in turns and drop it !!