What do you like about your Roadsmith Trike?

I got my 1st Roadsmith in 2009 when we converted my 2007 Sportster. My local motorcycle mechanic built it for me and I was thrilled with the end result. Never had any problem other than breaking the reverse motor accidentally but that was covered under warranty and my mechanic was really pleased with the support Roadsmith gave him during the build as he had never built a Roadsmith before. So in 2011 when we were at The Trike Shop they had my 2011 HD Ultra Classic Limited Trike on the showroom floor and the rest is history.

Now I know there are lots of guys on here that can give their thoughts on all the mechanical aspects of a Roadsmith Trike but as a woman with no technical knowledge all I can comment on is the basics. I know I love the way my trike handles. With my hand trauma the fact that my trike rides smooth makes for a comfortable & pain free ride for me. I love the way it looks & so do others because an awful lot of people stop to ask questions about my trike. But one of the best things is that in all the hundreds of Roadsmith Trikes that are sold, the people at Roadsmith have known and remembered the details of my Trikes. That's important to me especially if I should have an issue with it.

That simple detail makes me feel like the folks at Roadsmith are truly invested in the company and care about the Trikes they sell.

So how do I really feel about my Roadsmith? I love it!
 
Thanks to everyone (so far) that took the time to share thoughts and experiences about their Roadsmith trike, and the people they've dealt with here at the company. For over 40 years, we have worked hard to build the very best trikes we can, while at the same time taking care of the people who buy them from us. That formula appears to be working and we hope to continue for at least another 40 years in the future. Thank you again for your support and enthusiasm, you make us proud to work for such a great company!
 
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Thank you RS for that fine response. When I went to the Daytona Trike Shop to get an aux tank replacement on my RS conversion, none other than Dick Lindholm himself came out and chatted for about thirty mins to give me a brief history of the RS development, and apologize for the aux tank failure. Not his fault, but just one of manufacturing flukes. How cool was that?
 
We have an 08 Goldwing w/2012 Roadsmith kit. Have ridden it two seasons now with one trip to South Dakota, from s.e. Mo. and another trip to Myrtle Beach. Found every curvy road possible including Deals Gap. Had some Harley riders ask me how it was possible that i could take the curves so fast. Have had absolutely zero problems of any kind. Wife loves the smooth ride. I compare it to driving a sports car. This will probably last me until I can't ride anymore, but if I need another trike, it will definitely be a Roadsmith. Hi Bazooka, see ya at Eureka.
 
Trike Talk Readers
My Roadsmith trike is a 2011 Kit installed on a new 2010 Yellow GL1800 level I in March 2011 with 5 miles on the bike now we have about 18,000 miles on this great machine. Hoping to go West on long trip in two years from now so opted for all options extra tank, Accuride Sup., Boards, 5.5 Rake with heavy springs,.

This is our first Roadsmith but third trike with a total mileage logged about 50,000 miles and would say that we think that this is the best one in the market place today, the ride, the handling, the storage, and eye appeal is just unbelievable. There have been no problems with the trike and we would recommend Neosho Fiberglass for the install located in Neosho Mo. Now Niehaus Cycle Sales in Lilchfield Il. also has RS. kits and they are good to.
 
2001 GL1800 with what used to be called a trike shop kit, now being called a Road Smith. Construction is super and the added five gallon tank is great for long trips(if your butt holds out).The bike was in illusion red and a very tricky color to match but they did it perfectly. Bought the trike in Rapid City SD this past fall while out there for a motorcycle trip with my wife who was riding a Suzuki at the time. Took her bike in for a new tire and left with the trike.

It only had 61K on a 12 y/o bike and had a chance to meet the previous owner right after purchasing the trike. We left it at the dealer to be detailed and went back the following day to pick it up only to discover the old owner was there to get it back as the Cam Am he traded for, did not suit his liking and he was demanding his old trike back, even tho he had made the trade 2 months earlier and had 2,600 miles on the Cam Am.

They did not want to trade back even and we did not want to give up this rare find. Rode it back 1,000+ miles to OK w/o any problems and its been running great. I own another brand of trike kit and each has it's good points. The only thing l wish they did was to put self opening hinges on the truck as it did require two hands to open it.

I switched out the OEM hinges for self opening chrome hinges.
 
Got mine about 15 months ago and can't say anything bad about the Roadsmith kit except the side covers don't fit as well as they should. That could be the installers fault. My advice to anyone that was looking for a Trike kit to go with the Roadsmith but check and double check the installer and then check again.

I wasn't at all satisfied with my installer but did get it fixed after taking it to another installer and he fixed it the way it should have been. The side covers still don't fit correct but he said he didn't know how they supposed to be as this was his first Roadsmith to work on. My paint is thin and has a lot of trash in the paint but at 10 Ft. it looks decent. Again, check your installer.....that is the main thing. Roadsmith makes a great kit. My Trike is a 2012 GL1800....
 
I can't personally comment on any experience related to Roadsmith however I will say they seem to build a quality first rate kit. I have checked out their engineering and construction and it is quite impressive.

And they are a Minnesota company so how could the possibly not be the best ThumbUp
 
The easy answer for both my wife and I is "everything!". We have owned and ridden our '06Wing with the RS trike kit installed since January of 2011 and have traversed something over 20000 miles in that time. Not a lot by some standards, but quite a bit for us and our available travel schedule. The majority of these miles have been travelled on "trips, most of which involved somewhere around a thousand miles, give or take. We have travelled in most all kinds of weather, perhaps less rain than most and much more really serious wind than most, due to where we live and ride here in the desert southwestern US, mostly in New Mexico and Texas.

We had a GL1500 with a CSC solid rear axle kit installed which we bought used from a neighbor and rode for between 2 and 3 years prior to our present machine. We truly have not had any kind of a serious complaint about our RoadSmith experience. I spent a good deal of time researching trike kits prior to purchasing this one. I come from a background of a dryland farm boy where I had ample opportunity to operate and maintain all kinds of mechanical farm machinery and learned early on to understand the benefits of good design and engineering.

I was positively impressed with the design and engineering of the RoadSmith trike kit. It is pretty simple with parts easily accessed from any well appointed parts store if needed, and it appeared to me to be designed to work and to work well without complicated suspension parts likely to give problems. I liked the driveshaft construction and design as well. We thought we would like the extra wheelbase it provides and we were right. The ride for both of us is very comfortable and predictable and instilled great confidence in both of us after we got acquainted with it. The kit has the RS 5.5 degree rake kit installed, and it has been a pleasure to operate in all conditions. We have ridden for more than 9 hours with a gusting wind from the side of in excess of 40 mph gusting to well over 50 mph. We were whipped at day's end, but we were never worried. It just required constant attention with no time to relax as we might on a less windy day.

We don't have the floorboards on ours because I like to get closer to the trike to mount and also to be able to put my feet down to back up. It's pretty much flat where we ride, and I seldom use the reverse option. We tow an Aluma MCT trailer everywhere, and it creates no problems for us. We have plenty of room when we do ride on occasion without the trailer for some reason. The trunk lid fits well and latches well. I agree that the side panels on the bike portion fit pretty snugly against the rear fenders of the kit and that it takes a bit of caution to remove and replace them, but that doesn't happen very often and has not been a problem for us.

I have strongly recommended the RoadSmith kit to anyone who will hold still for it. I believe the company knows what they are doing based on all the many years they have been in business, and I believe they stand behind their product. I am acquainted with several other owners of these kits, and they have had the same experience that I have had. The only complaints I have heard from anyone, either in person on on the forums I frequent, have to do with personal preferences rather than any mechanical or design problem with the kit.

Sorry this is so long, but I like to let you know what my opinion is based on and where I'm coming from. I know there are other good trike kits, but I know few of them that have not had some serious issues along the way. We, nor those we are personally acquainted with, have had any. I am able to give my qualified highest recommendation for the RoadSmith trike kit. I've not had experience with the later models that have become available since our kit was installed, but ours has been exemplary. It's ready to go when we are ready to go, and we go with the highest confidence that we are not likely to have serious problems away from home with the kit itself, and the Wing is also a trouble free platform on which to install the kit. We are very happy owners!!
 
We bought our 97 GL1500 Roadsmith trike from KD Cycles in Alabama. I followed the advice of quite a few and tried several different type trikes from different manufacturers and my wife claims that not having her seat sitting atop the rear axle makes a big difference. Build quality is very good. Our trike came with the EZ Steer installed as well as the Aqua Shields (aka running boards). We later had an auxiliary gas tank installed. Gas mileage on the 1500 hovers in the low 30s and a trip out west of where we live will not have many gas stops available. A couple nit picks... The non-stick stuff applied to the aqua shields doesn't stick as well as it could. I think a sprayed on non-stick would work better.

Second, I have never completely gotten the rear trunk latch to stay latched 100 percent of the time. Just can't seem to get it perfectly adjusted. Last nit pick is that the fuel filler tube for the aux tank doesn't allow the auto shut off in a gas pump to work based on how it is angled (my theory). Not really a nit pick but when we picked up the trike, the suspension pre-load was on the softest setting and the ride and handling were pretty poor. I figured this out fast and now the pre-load on the rear shocks is on the 4th position and ride and handling are fine. I would be interested in higher quality rear shocks if such were available. We love to travel on the trike and it has a more secure feeling for me compared to the 2006 GL1800 we traded as I am getting a tad older. Rain isn't nearly as scary as the trike tracks really well in the wet and I have been down many county caliche roads that I never dared when on two wheels.
 
A good and thorough post, a good read. I echo your thoughts and opinion. Don't have a trailer, still with the compression bags for now, if I get one, probably a Unigo, totally surprised at the price of those little one wheel things. Like you, I avoid using the reverse when I can, seems it works so very hard and cannot be good for the starter, in my opinion.
 
I had a 2006 Kawasaki VN2000 which I put 60K miles on and traded for a new 2012 GL1800 in April 2013. I had two bad knees and knew when I purchased the Goldwing that I would trike it, however I wanted to ride the Smoky's one more time before I did. I put 4300 miles on the Goldwing and then had it triked at Meadows Bike & Trike Shop in Rutherford, TN. I was fortunate that he had several different brands of Goldwing trikes and let me ride them all. I chose a Roadsmith because, in my opnion, it rode and handled significantly better than the competition. I had him order a 2013 black/silver HTS1800. Meadows did a great job on the installation and the price was right. I love the HTS design, everything fits perfectly, the paint job is magnificant. The handling is super stable and the ride is very comfortable. It will rock along at 100MPH steady as a rock. I don't recommended it, ... but I had to test it, didn't I?

I have since had total knee replacement on both knees and could go back to two wheels (Meadows sent all the parts he took off home with me) but I have come to appreciate the advantages of a trike and I'm stickin' with it. Everywhere I stop the trike draws a crowd with comments like, "that thing is drop-dead gorgeous", "where can I get one", "how much do they cost", and the ladies all say, "I could ride one of those" and the men say, "I bet my wife would ride with me if I had one of those". I've never had a bike that got reactions like that!
 
Well, let me start by saying that I have very little experience with my Roadsmith trike - so far. In fact, my motorcycle experience had almost a 50 year break, before I got my trike. And to get to that point, it took almost 4 years of working on my wife, before I could wear her down enough, to let me get a bike. Then, as I was shopping for a 2-wheel Goldwing, when she saw some friends of ours on a Spyder she decided she wanted to double up on a three wheeler as well. Go figure. Boy, did that blow my motorcycle budget!

I was very interested in the Spyder, and even drove one a couple of times in the three wheel class I had to take to get my three wheel endorsement, required in Washington. But it just did not appeal to me, even though it had a lot of advanced technology that I wished the GW had. The sex appeal was not there. And I had been wanting to get a Goldwing while I was thinking about getting into biking again. I did a lot of research on the different trikes, even demo'd a Champion trike. But from what I could determine, it looked like either the Roadsmith or the Hannigan was the way to go. There weren't a lot of used Hannigan's to choose from, so I chose to go with Roadsmith.

I bought an '08 GL 1800 with a '13 Roadsmith trike kit on the 2nd of January. The trike had 12k+ miles on it. It was delivered on the 20th of January, the night we got 2" of fresh snow. It was a couple of days before I could get a short ride in the neighborhood. That first ride was very intimidating. It is a HUGE machine. Now, after several hundred miles, and 7 or 8 rides, I am getting comfortable on the trike. I don't even mind going the speed limit! :laugh:

The trike is everything I hoped it would be, at least so far. It is a beautiful piece of machinery. It is solid. It rides extremely well, at least to this novice. I am very happy with all of the positive posts I have read in this thread from current Roadsmith riders. It reinforces my belief in my choice. I am looking forward to lots of miles and trips as the weather starts to warm up. And hopefully, my wife will be with me!

(One of the things that I find amusing about the trike, is that almost every time I start to go for a ride, the trike feels so big, and so much like a car, I keep thinking I should buckle up my seat belt! How long before that goes away??!?)
 
Hey Everyone, just another friendly reminder that we will be opening the doors to the Roadsmith factory on Monday, June 30th here in beautiful White Bear Lake, MN! We've got a lot of things planned for the day and hope that anyone headed to Wing Ding in Madison, WI (or anywhere else for that matter) will stop by to see us.

You'll be able to take a tour of the factory to see how our trikes are made, meet some of the great people "behind the scenes," pick up a cool t-shirt, eat some world-class food and even watch a stunt motorcycle demonstration! In the afternoon, we'll be organizing a caravan of riders to head over to Madison, WI for Wing Ding. It's the perfect start to a fun-filled week! You can register and get more information at www.roadsmithtrikes.com. Hope to see you there:)
 
bikerbillone said:
Sure wish I were closer I really like to tour that facility, central FL is just way to far from the RS kit production facility.
Click to expand...

Same here living in Central Virginia. Would really like to tour the plant as well.

Hey,,,, how about opening another plant in Virginia???!!! lol :D
 
Great idea, Rich, I could visit with the Virginia plant. After all, I lived in the Dale City area for some time, some fine riding up on the Skyline, and other parts as well. However, I'm thinking that RS ain't gonna build a new plant just to keep us happy....
 
I've had my 2010 Goldwing Roadsmith HTS trike for about two months and have put around 700 miles on it, I love it more every time I ride, the ride is unbelievable, it handles like a 3 wheel sports car. I have to give cuddos to Roadsmith's painter, the finish is flawless and Heartland Honda was a great dealer/installer, two very minor issues right after I picked it up and they took care of it immediately. With all the brand choices out there I would recommend a Roadsmith to anyone wanting a trike.
 
I met with the owners and they are super nice people, very down to earth and what I would call small town friendly. They also make a point to stand behind their work.

Now if they would just put the wheels where they belong.........
 
I have an 08 Goldwing with a 2012 Roadsmith. Have ridden over 25K miles now with ZERO problems. Wife loves the smooth ride. The construction of this trike is very trouble free. Paint job was flawless. Had it done by Horizon Trikes down in Clarksville, Ar. They were great to work with, but don't really talk to them much; which is a good thing, nothing has gone wrong. lol Fantastic trike and willl never use any other brand.
 
I'm going on 2 1/2 months now on my Roadsmith HTS blue/silver trike converted on my 2012. Looking over (and under) the Roadsmith trikes at the Madison Wi. Wing Ding and comparing other brands, choosing Roadsmith was a no-brainer for quality, ride, and all around function especially when so many trike Co's in one area are trying to convince me their product is better.

Then I found a installer and his wife that made my choice even better with their honesty and experience with their own Goldwing trike, Larry and Mary Daul in Freedom Wisconsin. In fact buying and choosing a Roadsmith and the installer was a better experience for me then buying my Goldwing from the Honda dealership.

In my opinion, there isn't much Roadsmith can improve on...............ThumbUp
 
mgwtrike said:
I'm going on 2 1/2 months now on my Roadsmith HTS blue/silver trike converted on my 2012. Looking over (and under) the Roadsmith trikes at the Madison Wi. Wing Ding and comparing other brands, choosing Roadsmith was a no-brainer for quality, ride, and all around function especially when so many trike Co's in one area are trying to convince me their product is better.

Then I found a installer and his wife that made my choice even better with their honesty and experience with their own Goldwing trike, Larry and Mary Daul in Freedom Wisconsin. In fact buying and choosing a Roadsmith and the installer was a better experience for me then buying my Goldwing from the Honda dealership.

In my opinion, there isn't much Roadsmith can improve on...............ThumbUp
Click to expand...


Thank YOU sir, we sincerely appreciate you choosing Roadsmith. We got your back down the road ahead :)
 
I just had a guy drop by who had a new GL1800 / Roadsmith trike and I have to say it did look pretty sweet.
They to quality work for sure. ThumbUp
 
Like

I like the ride and I have a Motor Trike kit,,,I just put over 6 hundred miles on a RoadSmith of a friend ,,I like the Ride and how it handles,,,,would trade my ride for a RoadSmith
 
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