I’m having the same heat problem that ALL Tri-Glide owners are having! The difference is some owners know that there is a heat problem and others don’t.

Some owners assume that don’t have a heat issue solely because they are comfortable and their leg dose not burn when they ride. This could be because they ride in a lower outside air temperature (OAT) climate or they don’t have a cross wind blowing the heat of the engine across their leg! Several owners have documented 140 degree I.F readings on their jean pant leg.

The fact of the matter is; the only way to determine how hot your engine is running is to install an engine oil temperature gauge! Regardless if you’re comfortable or not, your 103 is running hotter than it should and is doing long term (long term = after expiration of warranty) damage to your engine!

 

Maybe you need to vent to H-D. This gets really tiring listening to the cry babies. Solve the problem for the tri glide and post it here. Then everyone will be happy!

 

KRW, have you elevated yourself to forum Gestapo, determining who posts here and what they can and can not say?

I’m sorry if you’re tired of my posts and I sincerely urge you not to read them in the future because I guarantee that they will make you weary!

As to “venting” to Harley-Davidson, I have sent Customer Service and the Chief Executive Officer several registered letters, to which I have received not much more than polite replies.

As to being a “cry baby”, I prefer vocal disappointed consumer but you are certainly entitled to characterize me anyway you choose. I am defiantly more disappointed with MOCO’s attitude than I am annoyed with the Tri-Glide heat issues! You’re very naive if you think that MOCO and their dealers don’t monitor this forum and extremely naďve if you think that public perception does not resonate with them!

Rather than feuding amongst our self’s, if we owners would stand together and collectively besiege MOCO with registered letters; maybe…just maybe we may get our heat issue resolved. I suspect that they would never admit that it was resolved as a result of our efforts…but who cares, as long as it is resolved!

 

+1 KRW,people come here like myself every day.I'm here for the whole story,what farkels I want,how to ride it.What to look for in buying a trike and some fun etc.The same old same old hot ,leak,gas milage,hot leak,mileage b**chin is getting old and my Triglide isn't even here yet.

Change bikes or change diapers please.If I have a problem I know how to go about fixing it or living with it.Whining from my dog or my OL or someone on this thread gets old.

How's that for an intro?I'm new here haven't picked up my TG yet but it won't be long.Delivery maybe in a week or so.Sunglo w/reverse no security.Getting off my 07 Ultra cause I have a slight balance issue.

I live in Ohio summers and S.Texas winters mostly to ride I think.Have had most brands and most types.Just like riding meeting folks and talkin bikes.I sell bike related stuff at rallies and bikers are the best folks.Hope to broaden my knowledge and interest in trikes and enjoy my bike.if I don't enjoy it it'll go.Just ask my ex's.

wolfshead1

 

While I understand jim's position, I agree with krw, in that I think it is important to keep things in the proper perspective by focusing on how we feel about the TG, bottom line.

For instance, some keep making the point that all TG's must be running so hot that engine damage is inevitable. I think that overstates their case. Some apparently do and some don't. Ours, for instance, has only gotten up to 260 degrees once, and 280 degrees once (oil temp in the pan), and that was when the temps were in the mid 90's, riding two up, in stop and go traffic right after highway speeds. At all other times, including mountain riding heavily loaded, it stays near 180 or 190, and always below 230. Those two temperature excursions were transitory, by the way, lasting only 5 or 10 minutes.

Does the engine heat up our legs? Yes, but we find that wearing leather chaps and using the highway pegs helps a lot. My wife actually seldom resorts to using the highway pegs to avoid the heat, while riding solo. It bothers me more than her, but even I can deal with it.

My "bottom line" point is this: we really like the TG and try to focus on the enjoyment we get from having it, and just deal with the heat. By way of analogy, we live in a really humid climate, and we hate that, but rather than letting that get us down, we focus on the fact that we really like the local cajun food and the great people we have met. It's the same "bottom line" philosophy.

I don't mean to trivialize the problems anyone is having with their TG, but I truly believe that we should either focus on the positive, while dealing with the problems, or get rid of the trike.

Said with all due respect to every member.

 

It seems that we have gotten a bit off topic. I think I can sum things up pretty well for both sides of the fence. The Triglide is sort of a home run for Harley Davidson, it looks good, rides great and handles well whats not to love. It just has a couple black eyes they need to address. There are those which I'm one of them which feel we didn't get 100% of what we paid for. I'm a firm believer in getting a value for my hard earned dollars and since this is my 4th brand new Harley I expect nothing less than my moneys worth considering this is their Premium motorcycle. They come with a 2 year unlimited mileage warranty which I don't think is long enough considering some of the issues folks who truly ride these things will have. There is no way the top piston ring is going to withstand the constant high temperatures which it is being exposed to from the lean mixtures they are running to comply with emissions standards. For some of the folks who put lots of miles on this will result in a top end rebuild some time in the future, there will be some that luck out and have no problem. I could be wrong but I don't see this as a 100,000 mile engine, I think the top end will be used up before that. When your rear cylindar head is running at 389 degrees on a 73 degree day its not healthy for the engine. Aside from the mechanical issues there are the comfort issues. I'm the person with the 140 degree pant leg, thats inexcusable and painful. I don't wear chaps, heck I don't own them and I ride in temperatures into the 20's. I don't expect to use band aides to fix or mask something which the Moco should have addressed. To me at the very least they should acknowledge some of these issues and offer either 3 more years of warranty or $1,500. There are some of us who could be called Whiners and I'm sure I could be put into that category but I prefer to think of myself as someone who expects something for the $30,000+ these things cost and I hold the manufacturer to those standards.

 

Jim,
Since you talk to the Factory reps, why don't you put it in writing your concerns and their answers to you and have them sign it, and have it witnessed stating that it is normal to run hot and up to 300 degree temps. Copy it and send a copy to MOCO.

 

Well so much for the MC jack question.Thanks to all for the info.Looking at past posts people many people come here post a couple of times and never return.Why do they do that?The TG warts and all is popular and all are spoken for from what I see.What forum do most participate in?I'm asking that cause I want more from a TG forum than I get here.

It's great that people expose the heat,leak,mpg issues with the TG and I'm sure MOCO views this forum but some sound like they would blame MOCO if they rode in the rain and got wet!

Every owner I have talked to loves the 09 with the exception of the trunk leak,every used one seems to sell for more than the new price why?

People here with issues should post and post often by starting a thread and not stomping on each thread with the same ole same ole.

Heres and example,if a rider posts about fog lights and another posts about exhausts and I reply by discussing my hemorrhoids that isn't cool.

When a simple jack question gets derailed into this situation some have to change for the forum to benefit it's members.Simply post all the gloom and doom you want just don't trample on anothers post we can all get along and grow in numbers.The greater that number is the more MOCO will do to correct a situation such as the heat.

 

Terry

I have a red jack very similar to the Sears unit... and love it. The jack will do anything I want it to do on all of my bikes. On my softails you have to ride the bike up onto two short 2 x 4's to get enough clearance but once it's under the bike... up she goes.

When it comes to using it on my trike.. well, that's a little different. I limit my budget to more simple things so I put the trailer ball bar in and lift the rear of the trike with that. It will lean to one side but gives me enough room to put jack stands under the axle then I let the lift down. I then take a 1 ton jack and lift the front end via the frame and roll the MC jack under the front tire and lock it down.

Even with three vertebra in my back and two in my neck that need to be fused I can still get under the trike to do what ever maintenance I need to do and cleaning the under side is easy.

Wifey wants me to get a air lift for the trike but being the way money is right now... I'm fine. Yes, it takes me a little longer to use what I have but if it works, don't fix it.

Cheers

 

Joan,

That is a good suggestion but unfortunately I did not do that; however, I’m not sure that would even matter because “its normal” seems to be the official company line. I have spoken to Customer Service several time and others have posted here too that the standard answer is “that’s normal”!

The next time I talk to Customer Service, I will ask them to put that in writing just to see their response.

Thanks for the constructive suggestion!