I really like your dark color in the photo. Is it very dark blue or is it black? Looks better to me than the HD online webpage photos. Notice also the way the rear tire in the foreground looks much larger than in real life? See post no. 57 in:
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/tri-g...e-3-tires.html

to understand why!

It's a real issue with photographing any of the HD trikes.

 

I installed a number of additions to the RG3 chariot yesterday:

- Installed the Siren II , which gave me an audible security siren AND provided the signal a remote pager can detect. The install went MUCH better after I abandoned trying to understand the HD instructions, and just watched a YouTube video posted by another owner. The HD instructions were mystified by attempting to cover every bike model HD could think of, which made an easy job into an incomprehensible one. The video avoided all the confusion and showed how easy the install could actually be. HD should hire the Youtube author to replace their paper instructions department!

- Mated my existing pager from my prior bike (the 2023 Breakout 117) to the chariot. This pager is the model that can run on either internal battery or 120 volt, so it can be "on" 24 hours per day (The battery-only model has too short a battery life to enable that). Again, the mating to the new chariot went MUCH better after I just watched a YouTube video posted by another owner.

- Since I already had the Rinehart slip-on mufflers and Heavy Breather Extreme air cleaner instaleld by my HD dealership, I added the HD Stage 1 tune for the trike via the HD Bluetooth tuner. This tune install went a LOT easier and a LOT faster than when I did the tune install on the Breakout 117. I have no idea why they should be that different, but they were. The Breakout installation had kept getting interrupted by a "battery voltage too low" message, even though the battery was fully charged AND also on a "smart" Battery Tender 10 amp charger. That was just a few months ago, so maybe HD improved the installation software since then. In the very detailed and controlled testing i did after the Breakout install, the Stage 1 software tune very notably improved the throttle response, fuel mileage, and power, so I am hoping similar benefits will be achieved in the chariot.

The Rinehart mufflers have freeflowing intriguing "spiral pattern" baffles that generate a nice LOW frequency rumble at idle and moderate throttle openings, and then change over to a higher frequency "racy" sound when the throttle is opened further. The Heavy Breather "Extreme" model is MUCH larger than the regular Heavy Breather AND instead of a metal front end on the cone, has an inverted cone fabric element that forces more air in at highway speeds, so it passes more air into the engine. This photo illustrates its size:




The moderate torque-oriented cam in the M8 114 configuration in the RG3 probably doesn't need that extra air, but heck, it doesn't hurt. (That filter will apparently support over 150 hp in other applications). And yes, I've ordered a rain cover for the air filter, not so much to keep rain out of the air filter, but to capture the bugs trying to fly into that inverted cone front end!

The Bluetooth tuner also enables a "Smart Tune" functionality, where I can "record" engine performance at a very large number of different engine rpm and throttle opening combinations (as many as 150 combinations inan rpm vs throttle percent table if I have the time and patience!), to optimize the tune for my specific engine cam, exhaust, and intake. I filled in a large number of those combinations in the table on my Breakout, and I believe that is why I got results as good as I did.

The other big benefit of the Bluetooth Stage 1 tune is that I can now use my iPhone on a vibration-resistant QuadLok mount to display my choice of 5 realtime engine performance gauges while I ride. The Bluetooth Communication Interface ("BCI" in Harley-speak) transmits actual current engine parameters to my iPhone. For my testing, I use it to display road speed, engine rpm, engine temperature, front cylinder timing advance, and rear cylinder timing advance on the iPhone as I ride, and I am able to capture the instantaneous readings of all 5 gauges by simply taking iPhone "screenshots" while I ride:




Then, I can analyze them at home after my ride. It is actually possible to have 3 different groupings of gauges on standby in the iPhone, so again, if I have the time and patience to set and then "photograph" via multiple screenshots, I can capture and analyze data that is pretty specific (e.g. fuel injector duration under specific operating conditions).

This morning, I am going to check what rear shock setting the dealership delivered the chariot with, and also install the anti-vibration QuadLok for the iPhone. I'll also see how easy or hard it will be to back the chariot out of the garage, through a single-vehicle garage door, and turn the trike around on a slightly sloped but wide driveway, using the electric reverse! Lots of new stuff to learn with a trike.

Jim G

 

The trike is Vivid Black and a combination of overcast and the high quality iPhone camera ... (not so much) gave it that "indigo" shade. Taking snap shots with a telephone is certainly less than ideal. I photographed sports professionally for several years with top quality cameras and lenses. To me ... the "camera phone" is a disgrace but we as a society should be more careful about what we wish for.

Changing the angle of your pic will help to compensate for the lacking depth that the telephone (so far) does not provide.

 

A couple of interesting angles for snap shooting your Awesome Trikes ...

 

I did a tire pressure check testing 80 km ride this morning on my 2023 RG3 with tis low profile tires. Because I am in "metric" Canada, my tire psi numbers display in Kpa, not psi. But here is what the test results showed:

HD's recommended cold psi = Front 248 Kpa / 36 psi Rear 179 Kpa / 26 psi (Note: 6.88 multiplier from psi to get Kpa)
Actual cold psi from dealer = Front 244 Kpa / 35.5 Rear 182 Kpa / 26.5 psi
Actual Hot after 80 km = Front 260 Kpa / 37.8 Rear 188 Kpa / 27.3 psi

% increase from cold to hot = Front 6.5% Rear 3.3%

Given that most tire experts say that a 10% increase in tire pressure when hot versus cold generally gives the best tire performance, it would seem, that at least for a lone rider without passenger or luggage, both the front and rear recommended tire pressures for my 2023 RG3 are too high, with the rear being particularly too high.

The ride did not feel harsh this morning during this tire pressure test. But, on the other hand, it did not feel plush either, and some road bumps DID feel pretty hard.

I wonder how how much lower I could go with the tire pressures without the TPMS warning lighting up.

Jim G

 

On this morning's tire pressure checking test ride, the lack of the fierce wind on the ride home from the HD dealership 2 days ago, and the installation of the Stage 1 tune, combined to produce noticeably better fuel mmileage, but still not very good:

With 297 km = 184 miles on the odometer, the chariot averaged 6.11 liters / 100 km = 38.5 miles / US gal. The "range" reading right after the tank fill-up was 408 km, which means the chariot was projecting 5.56 liters / 100 km = 42.2 mi / USgal.

I can excuse this current mediocre mpg, even with the Stage 2 tune installed though because:

1. I am STILL riding the chariot in "break-in mode, which means not going above 3500 rpm, and not using HIGH throttle openings, BUT proactively decelerating and accelerating multiple times per mile to help the engine's piston rings wear in properly (no glazing). Once I stop doing that, which will be soon, I will expect significantly better fuel mileage.

2. I have not yet done the "Smart Tune" enabled by the HD Bluetooth tuner, which I intend to do in as much detail as possible, like I did on the Breakout 117 that ultimately produced 58 mi / US gallon when cruising at 100 kph = 62 mph on a regular basis. Getting that fuel mileage on the Breakoiut required filling in the majority of table entries possible in an rpm versus % throttle open table, but I was patient and did a good job on that.

I'll see what sore of fuel mileage the chariot with its bigger wind profile and 70% greater weight will get with its Stage 1 mods when ridden similarly!

The Sage 1 has already improved the throttle response noticeably. The chariot does not jump as much as the Breakout did when I applied sudden throttle, but that's because it starts out with about 10% less power and the 70% greater weight. It's still pretty impressive given the weight.

Jim G

 

You will also find the gear ratios are different from the Breakout along with the tooth count on the front sprocket and final drive sprocket.

 

Yes, those angles make the photos much more dramatic too!

Jim G

 

Yes, you are correct. The Breakout pulled about 2150 rpm at 60 mph. The chariot is harder to read accurately, being an analog guage with needle versus the Breakout's digital display, but the chariot looks like it is turning at about 2400 rpm at 60 mph. So, the chariot is pulling about 12% more rpm, which helps it to accelerate, but nowhere near enough to compensate for the 10% less power and 70% more weight.

Jim G

 

Looks like you put a TriGlide rear body on your RG3. I like it.