Ill second the use of a back rest. Heck, on my trike it's the same position as sitting in my lazy boy recliner.

 

I didn't know about locking my elbow. It's gonna rain for a few days- I'll try the elbow lock this weekend.
Thanks

 

My wife and I have both found that, when riding her TriGlide, if we stay within 5 mph of the yellow signs posted on curves, we can go around the curve with just a gentle nudge on the handlebars. If you are going into a curve too fast, the reason you have to push so hard on the bars is that you are basically trying to push the front tire sideways down the road. The rear tires have a lot more traction than the front, and they want to go straight. We do lean slightly to the inside, but that is mostly to facilitate straightening the outside elbow. I doubt that the lean itself has much effect on the trike. Locking the outside elbow allows you to sort of "lock in" a given amount of handlebar movement, thereby making your path around the curve a little more controlled and a little less jerky. Also remember to keep your head up, just like when riding your panhead, and look as far around the curve as you can.

When you pull away from a stop, with an immediate turn, and accelerate hard, that is the time you are most likely to lift one of the rear wheels off the ground, I think. Fortunately, though, this condition will correct itself when you lose a little traction, and the wheel will sit down again. We haven't done this ourselves, but we have seen it happen on a friend's trike.

The best advice, though, is what others have said about riding your own ride. This is always good advice, but it is especially true when getting accustomed to your trike.

 

I use the same method on known roads and just having fun, downshift going in and power out, on unknown roads try to stay about 5 miles above the posted speed limit and brake going in If I have to. I am no Evil Kneval, but have slid out the rear of the Trike twice. Once on a gravel road and it was a much better experience than I have had on gravel with two wheelers. Once on wet leaves in a turn! In the early fall in the mountains the sun angle is low and you sometimes find yourself riding out of bright sunlight into dark shadows under the trees, the straight away was dry but back in the curve under the trees the road was damp and had wet leaves on it. Your eyes don't have time to transition to the darkness sometimes and I missed them going into the curve. The backend broke lose but you steer just like a car to correct, steer into the skid or in the direction your back end is sliding. If you have any skill at winter driving and have done this manuver you can pull it off without overcorrecting!

Avoid gravel roads if possible because even though three wheel drifting is a lot of fun, the tri does not have a belt guard. I don't like the thought of a gravel getting up in that belt drive. Wet leaves in the mountains are something the natives are aware of, when riding in the fall in the mountains try to be aware of them.

I called guinness to see if I was the first to three wheel drift, have got no response yet! Am trying to start a Trike drifting fad down here but am waiting for some other people to do it. My first two experiences told me it's not my cup of tea!

 

Time in the saddle is the only way to learn to ride. Everyone on this thread has given you good info. Stay away from the idiots that want to fly down the road. You didn't buy a trike for speed but for cruising, so cruise at your comfortable speed.

My wife has a DFT kit on a Fatboy. She loves it. I have ridden it quite a bit and it will corner better than the Ultra two wheeler I had at the time. All you need is some time in the saddle. My only advise is this. Learn to downshift before going into a corner so the trike is not going to bog down while in the corner. Trying to shift while pulling on the left handlebar is a real trick, its easy to pull the clutch but how do you turn it loose while turning left and pulling on the handlebar?????

Give it time and you will be running the baggers off the road soon enough!

 

Dave, your recommendation about being in the proper gear prior to attempting to negotiate a left turn advice is good information for a beginner trike rider. Likewise the same is true about braking when making right turn. A new rider should be certain that while making a 90 degree right turn; their speed is at a point were the trike can safely negotiate the turn with the possible use of only the rear foot brake; for the same reason as you sited regarding the clutch/left turn operation!

I also absolutely agree with your last paragraph; I think most people under estimate the performance and handling of a well set up trike and that certainly includes the TG! Once I figured out what I need to do to handle the TG safely and aggressively, I then started riding with my 2-wheel buddies. The first time out they tried playing this “loose the guy on the trike game”; after I passed some of them up… they don’t play that game any more!

 

Thanks for all thesuggestions. I put another 100 miles on it this weekend with the locked elbow method. Much better. Also the little yellow sign method helps. I feel much better now.
Thanks