So what is the deal with the new Tri-Glide? The wife saw it on the HD page and already has her color picked out and the accessories she wants on it. I'll be keeping my two wheeled machine for a while but for her it makes sense. Anyone hear anything about them?

 

take a stroll over to the trike forum. lot o'people talkin about them over there.

i tend to keep quiet about them since they aren't really my cup o'tea. lehman seems to have come up with a nice chassis for them, though.

 

The only thing I've heard about them is that your wife really likes them, and that was from you. If she wins, and you get one, let us know what you think.

 

Wife rode one out at Sturgis(Rapid City Convention Center actually). Liked it. She had tried my wide glide, but was uncomfortable with it. When we got back, she ordered one. Due to be shipped the end of February. We were 3rd on the list at that time.

 

I'm in love with them. Saw one at the Ray Price dealership....not on the showroom floor, somebody owned it. My husband is not ready for a trike yet. I would love one for myself, but don't want to spend that much money on a bike for me....they cost over 30K all said and done. I'll have to be satisfied with my convertible and riding on the back of my husband's new Ultra. But gosh I love the Tri-Glide.....

I think there's a woman on this forum that has one. Maybe she will chime in when she see's the thread.

 

I also drove one is Rapid City during Bike week this year... Kinda Kool, not my thing for sure, but wanted to try it since it was new.
I like all the storage, but just doesnt handle like a bike and I could not get used to it... I felt the same way about the Spyder when I test drove that also

 

I'll throw my $.02 in regarding my brief experience with a trike. My mom has an 08 Lehman trike conversion (EGU). Well my wife has been wanting to take it for a spin, so we did a few weeks back. Here are my impressions:

• Gutless... And when I say gutless, I mean it! That thing can't get out of it's own way! Even accelerating at full throttle, small 4 cylinder cars driving at a normal pace were passing me. Granted, this trike only had the stock 96" motor, while the official HD trike has the 103". In addition, my mom's has a "custom" exhaust that is horribly loud and rough, so that may have something to do with the lack of power.

• Turning... Even with the "easy steer" that they had installed, it's still a bear to steer. Takes quite a bit of effort. I'm assuming that a portion of trike owners would be those in the "senior citizen" category, and I think the effort required for steering could be too much for some of the older folk.

• Handling... Every time I took a corner, it felt like it was going to tip over. I had to turn at a VERY slow speed to feel comfortable. It's probably just because I'm not used to riding trikes, but I really found it un-nerving. Also, as I understand it, their trike has a posi-traction rearend, so that would definately hinder it's turning nimbleness.

• Comfort... My wife (riding 2-up) says that she's never felt more comfortable and secure on a bike as she did on the trike. Lots of room for the passenger... As for the driver, I don't know if it's the seat or the handlebars, but I felt like I was way too far forward.

Again, these are just my opinions from a short 45 minutes with the trike. And it's coming from someone that got their first 2-wheeler at the age of 5.

 

I'd miss leaning into the turns too much, guess the Can Ams have em beat for that. Figured whats next four wheels, might as well get a car IMHO.

 

1) gutless - true. keep in mind that a trike is carrying around an extra 200-250 pounds of weight. unless you have some ***** in that engine it won't even come close to the performance of a bike. the fact that she had some crap exhaust didn't help matters either. my trike rode the same as until i realized that there was an extra 200 pounds of unsprung weight down there and compensated with a few slight engine mods.

2) turning/handling - true. i rode the same way as you when i first did my build. cautious, very slow and always felt like the thing was controlling me rather than i controlling it. the steering is very different and can mess with you if you aren't sure what to expect. As you gain confidence it will get much better. i still use body english when taking tight, quick turns though. if it does nothing else, it puts me at ease. this is something that gets better with time.

3)comfort - my girl misses two wheels, but since this is the only way she and i will ever be able to share a ride she deals with it. as for my own personal comfort, i feel fine. it's had a few minor changes to the setup that has made it extremely comfortable.

all that being said, trikes are certainly not for everyone and i don't think i would have ever ridden one if i hadn't been put in a position to where i have to. now that i have one, i am glad that they aren't the most popular thing out there. i dig the attention....well, i guess it might be the one-armed guy on the trike that is getting the attention, too.

 

STILL manage to kick and beat the hardtail. BUT I know the day will (hopefully) come, when it is time to move over.
I have ridden the Lehman trikes. Greg, a former BSMC patch, is a sup out at their Spearfish plant. Mac also works there now. They are good setups.

BUT IF I am gonna be able to buy one, then I am gonna go with the DFT. These things corner great. They cost a bit more, 'bout 11-12G jus' for the kit, if you wanna put it on. Or have them do it.
Someone PLEASE correct me, but if I remember right, one of the co-founders or partners, is the guy who has been building NASCAR set ups for years. That's why it handles like it does. And also why it costs a bit more, too. BUT it handles like it.
Here's one website that shows how it works.
http://www.thebikedoctorinc.com/services1.htm

And here's DFT's site, you can look at some they have for sale, customers rides, etc to get an idea of what they have.
http://www.dfttrikes.com/index.php






IMHO, the MoCo finally realized there are a few bucks to be made, so why not jump on the bandwagon.