Harley has come a long way with their Tri Glides and now the Freewheeler...Trikes in general have been around for a long time...IMO Harley has made them more popular...I sure see a lot more of them on the roadways than I use to...Just Saying...
Tri Grides...Seven Years Later
- Thread starter RickDeVon
- Start date
DK Custom Products
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True that!
Every year I see more and more on the road.
I was at a couple of Dealerships in the last week...All the Freewheelers are sold before they hit the showroom floor in our area. Don't see many Tri-Glides on the floor these days either.
Kevin
For me, first, a trike was an old mans solution to riding. Hanging on to being a young man. Kind of like an obvious comb over. Yes, there were those whose health didn't permit them to ride on two but you know what I mean. You rode a bagger, it was a geezer glide and a trike was worse. It had three freaking wheels like a tricycle.
And who can afford to lay out upper 20's for a new bike then ship it off to a second group to put two more wheels on it while killing your factory warranty and taking another 8-9k out of your billfold at least? ? So trikes were a RICH OLD guys ride. Not something some young (like me) good looking (like me) not rich (like me) guy would ride.
Mother Harley saw where the population was going and watched the number of kits that were put on Wings and how much fun people were having. They saw a whole group of us Boomers who soon would be grey if not already. SO they dialed up Lehman and said, hey, you interested in making some money? and they learned Lehmans technology and improved on it all the while keeping the Harley sould and brand and mystique.
Price is less than an ultra with a Lehman kit and the whole is much better too. From riding my buddies first year in house trike to my 14 is years apart. I look for Honda to follow suit with a stunning trike with independent suspension and everything including a latte maker with about 200 hp. If only it didn't look like a Tupperware convention ! When custom bike builders really begin to build trikes, they will really take off. Until then.....let's just keep it our little secret..shall we??
And who can afford to lay out upper 20's for a new bike then ship it off to a second group to put two more wheels on it while killing your factory warranty and taking another 8-9k out of your billfold at least? ? So trikes were a RICH OLD guys ride. Not something some young (like me) good looking (like me) not rich (like me) guy would ride.
Mother Harley saw where the population was going and watched the number of kits that were put on Wings and how much fun people were having. They saw a whole group of us Boomers who soon would be grey if not already. SO they dialed up Lehman and said, hey, you interested in making some money? and they learned Lehmans technology and improved on it all the while keeping the Harley sould and brand and mystique.
Price is less than an ultra with a Lehman kit and the whole is much better too. From riding my buddies first year in house trike to my 14 is years apart. I look for Honda to follow suit with a stunning trike with independent suspension and everything including a latte maker with about 200 hp. If only it didn't look like a Tupperware convention ! When custom bike builders really begin to build trikes, they will really take off. Until then.....let's just keep it our little secret..shall we??
Our frist Davis Rally was in 1994, and there was a section of the campground called "Trikers Row" with between a dozen and 2 dozen trikes. Most of those were VW based, some homebuilt, some from the Trike Shop, Stires, Arizona Trike, etc and maybe a V8 or from Ecstacy and such. There were a very few conversions by Lehman, TriKing and a couple of others. Once in a great while you would see a Servicar. We had a sidecar on the Harley (now ridden on 2 wheels) which was also unusual. Fast forward to the Davis Rally this last year, we did an unofficial count and estemated that about 40% of the bikes there were no longer bikes, but conversions or Tri-Glides, Spyders and a few more V8 based trikes from Kopavi, Boss Hoss, and more. A lot of the reason for trikes is rthe aging of the riding population or other physical reasons, but in talking to the trike conversion makers it seems that the aveerage age of the trike rider is falling. One told me the age of thier clients in in the low 50's, and a lot are new riders that want to be in the wind but don't like the prospect of falling over, dealing with sand, gravel, and grass. Plus, as was mentioned, Harley coming out with factory trikes helped raise the cool factor. As for Honda coming out with a factory trike, the scuttlebutt is they won't/can't after the 3 wheel ATV ban years ago.
I believe it is a business decision as it is probably cheaper for Honda to sell a new 'Wing for $30,000 and let the customer convert it than come out with a factory trike of their own.
I believe it is a business decision as it is probably cheaper for Honda to sell a new 'Wing for $30,000 and let the customer convert it than come out with a factory trike of their own.
Strohkr
100+ Posts
Well - all I can say is...
I just LOVES my Tri-Glide!
Now trying to make room for a Free Wheeler!
TRIKES FOREVER!
epper:
I looked at tri glides for 4 years while riding 2 wheels. I just couldn't justify the cost. Then the wife who didn't ride with me said she would if I bought a trike, that was all I needed to hear. Found one after several tries to make various deals. Happy that I did. My plan is to keep this a few years then trade up to new. Plans change all the time so who knows I may keep this one as long as I ride.
I've enjoyed my 4 1/2 years on a trike. But HD has annoyed me one too many times. Thinking of getting something else when warranty runs out. For me, with travel, its got to be repairable on the road. Maybe Chevy engine. Seen a couple that look good and seem well made. None being manufactured any where near me, though.
Yaffe has, he modded the heck out of a Triglide. Russell Mitchell also did a ground up trike build. Yet the target audience for a trike is older people and ladies, maybe with more time it will change.
DK Custom Products
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I gotta tell ya; I just love the heck outta that Silver one! but it can't ride smooth with those tires (what tires). Nice Trike though.......retired old HotRodder...ThumbUp
Yep, seeing more and more of the trikes. I live here on the Oregon Coast next to highway 101. Our place looks down on the highway from one our decks here and you can hear the roar of Harleys as they come from a distance heading into Lincoln City or Touring South on 101. And in the last few years, I have seen more three wheelers coming thru here. Alot of them pulling trailers. And yep, I own one too.
now this would cause a problem. I like the second one but the wife would disagree.
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