from those of you who ride in the wet or have been caught out in it, how does the HD trike go in the wet? any behaviour issues?
wet weather riders
- Thread starter oneup
- Start date
Rode about 900 miles in the rain on our way back from Boise, ID to Jamestown, ND. Ran into rain north of Rexburg, ID the first day heading back and had rain all the way to Bozeman, MT. Next morning it was rain from there to Miles City, MT. We pulled off I-94 there due to heavy rain and pooling of water on the roadway. Ditches and fields had water standing, decided it was best to pull off. The trike did just fine but did on one occasion do a little skitter in water on the roadway. Lasted about a second. Just kind of felt the rear wheels hydroplane a bit. The last day from Miles City we had rain all the way to Bismarck, ND. Ran out of the rain about 2 miles after stopping in Bismarck for gas and lunch. Had the final 96 miles home on dry roads and a some sunshine. Not exactly a great ride home but really wasn't all that bad. Have ridden in thunderstorms as well with no problems and even on a couple occasions ridden on highways that have water over the roadway four or fives inches deep. One time it was on I-94 with markings for the roadway for about 500 feet and twice out in MT on I-90 with about 1/10 mile sections marked and highway patrol present. Drove thru those at about 5 mph and no problems.
I assume you are referring to a Triglide. My Harley Roadsmith has no problems riding in the rain but I don't make it a point to ride in the rain except accidentally.
Have rode in the rain quite abit and have never had any trouble.
I ride an 09 TG and have ridden many miles in the rain with out any problems. The TG is a very stable platform.
sprinkman
200+ Posts
Only ride through if it is a must. That being said have rode through a few good storms with no problems.
VaThumper
TOI - Virginia
Only problem I have had is one time in traffic my brakes were used quite a bit and I hit a puddle which splashed cold water on the Rotors which warped almost at once!
We ran in rain from Chicago to Washington DC for Rolling Thunder and I did not notice anything out of the ordinary except I could brake harder and not worry about skidding and going out of control and falling down. I love that assurance.
Never experienced rotor warping.
Never experienced rotor warping.
Been rained on, snowed on. Rode in sleet, hail, and high winds. Isn't that what motorcycling is all about?? Felt a good bit safer on the trikes than on 2 wheels, but got just as wet and cold. Nothing is more beautiful than riding through Zion National Park in a light snow storm. The Grand Canyon in the rain is more beautiful than on a sunny day. Just beating the thunder showers running across Montana in July is just plain unbelievable. I tell my friends, If you aren't sure about God, get a motorcycle and ride across the great plains, that will convince you.
Blondie Gal
Gone but not forgotten.
True fact.
Nice job Screwball, that last sentence is damn near poetic!!
What everyone else said. I drive it though water like its a car. Seems to handle about the same. Just rode through NYC in the height of that Tropical storm last Friday. Seemed like all the cars were having issues, but not me. It is a nice change from my years doing same on 2 wheels. Visibility is the only real problem I have when the anti fog stops working.
The few time I did have my TG out in a little rain the trike felt fine, even when hitting areas of standing water on the highway. While I didn't have any problems, I don't have that many miles in the rain and I'm sure I'll learn more with more miles. I have been out several times in high winds and I am very happy how my TG handled that. I had little to no problems with gusts of side winds, never felt that I would be blown into another lane or off the road. I think it helped that I could see what the wind was doing to vehicles in front of me and I could feel the gusts starting to hit me.
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I have had my TG out when there was lite rain, but no hail. The last time I rode when there was hail I was on my Springer and I was about to cry by the time I got home because the hail pounded the HE11 out of my hands!! SO, do you have a secret for hail on the hands or are you just tougher than some of us. I know that sometimes we can pull off to wait out the storm, but there are times we need to get somewhere, no matter what.
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I have had my TG out when there was lite rain, but no hail. The last time I rode when there was hail I was on my Springer and I was about to cry by the time I got home because the hail pounded the HE11 out of my hands!! SO, do you have a secret for hail on the hands or are you just tougher than some of us. I know that sometimes we can pull off to wait out the storm, but there are times we need to get somewhere, no matter what.
Last time we got caught in hail was on Rt. 89a between Jerome and Ash Fork Arizona. For the last part of that road, just before it merges with Rt. 66 there isn't anything but fields. You can ride in it, or sit on the side of the road and get hailed on. Fairing kept most of it off of us, was about pea sized.
I'd rather ride on my trike in the rain or wind anytime. last year coming back from Denver a big gust of wind almost blew me and the wife off the bike but the trike stayed true the whole time. The wind never effects it. It goes good in the rain also. Much better than 2 wheels. I love this thing. Just wish it takes bumps like a 2 wheel.
:Agree: On windy days the TG runs perfectly straight, but I get tossed around a bit. Guys riding behind me think it's funny seeing me rocking back and forth but the TG not. 
When it comes to pot holes etc. I try to hit them with the front wheel only, that way it's not so bad as if you hit them with the rear wheels. Front wheel can absorb the shock a lot better then the rear wheels.
Just my observation. If I can't avoid hitting it with the rear wheels, I'll stand up on the floorboards just a little. Makes a big difference to me.
When it comes to pot holes etc. I try to hit them with the front wheel only, that way it's not so bad as if you hit them with the rear wheels. Front wheel can absorb the shock a lot better then the rear wheels.
Just my observation. If I can't avoid hitting it with the rear wheels, I'll stand up on the floorboards just a little. Makes a big difference to me.
I drive in rain and snow, You just have to ride according to the conditions, And keep off the front brake, If you have to use it do it lightly.
11 T/G.
11 T/G.
I've been riding trikes 13 years and been rained on many times. I have hydroplaned 1 time. All I did was back off the throttle a little and came right out of it. My first trike was a 2000 Fatboy with a Lehmann kit then on to a 2007 Road King with a Motor Trike kit and now on a 2012 Triglide.
Should have mentioned we live in So. Cal. on the desert. Average rainfall here is 12 to 14 inches, so it doesn't rain here much. Most weather comes from the north-west so we have 2 or 3 days warning that a storm is coming. Most of the bad weather we have hit is in Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Utah. We carry very cheapo rain suits and have only used them once or twice. Dead of winter day time temps are in the 50's.
I did almost 600 miles in the rain a few weeks or a month ago, NH to NJ and back, ALOT more stable than on 2 wheels, at a few flat smooth sections I was hitting 75mph stable as can be...
I personally am looking for new tires for the rear. Was riding in a rain storm and several times my rear end was fish tailing and sliding out from under me.
kind of scary at highway speed! Other than that, my 2014 Tri Glide is one awesome machine...
When I had my 2010 I road in some nasty rain, a few times I was passing cars which slowed down because they couldn't see. I never had it do anything bad, my dad has 50,000+ miles on his 09 with a good many of them in rain with no issues. When traveling we have run 75 mph in rain with no problems, maybe we're lucky, or maybe we were running the right tire pressures for the situation. We both run between 23 & 24 psi in the rear tires on the Triglide.
:Agree:
I have just rode 500 miles in rain a couple of weeks ago and the 2014 trike was fine. The only problem I thought I had was coming into a rest stop off of the freeway and the brakes seem to fade a bit. Applying the brakes the second time, the trike brakes felt normal again. Now in NORMAL rain fall, the trike was no problem. But the brake problem I had was in rain that you could hardly see in front of you, I mean it was nasty. With that brake problem in mind, I didn't follow to close to anyone. Now for the wind, I give the trike a thumbs up. Been thru the same area on a two wheels and wind hitting from the side, I was leaning in the wind to to stay on the bike but the trike, pretty solid unit to ride.
A good habit to get into when riding in wet weather is apply the brakes way before you intend on using them, I've done this for years on 2 and 3 wheels.
What I always do when I drive through high water (1" or more) in my car - and - when I am riding my bike, is to lightly apply the brakes while riding through the standing water in order to keep the brakes somewhat dry. In normal wet weather riding I will occasionally apply the brakes and then again just before coming to a stop sign. I do not wait to the last minute to apply the brakes.
It's not a bad idea to test your brakes occasionally while riding at any time just so you know you do have brakes before you really need them. ThumbUp
It's not a bad idea to test your brakes occasionally while riding at any time just so you know you do have brakes before you really need them. ThumbUp
Thanks Garyd. Good info. First time trike rider here so I am learning as I go.
the only problem I have is: I get wet and I don't like it ! I will stop as soon as possible and wait a while for it to stop raining. others out there may not have as good a control on wet roads or their senses as I do so that makes it scary to me
I agree to a certain extent. If it's just a passing shower, that's fine, but if it's an all day rain, I can't afford to wait it out. I will pull under an overpass and put on my raingear and continue the trip.
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