U-turn diameter for my RG3 trike
#11
Today | 02:58 PM
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From: NC
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#12
Today | 02:59 PM
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From: From the Burgh to the turd of N.E. OH
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Uncle Larry (Today)
#13
Today | 03:05 PM
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From: NC
Tough crowd. Tends to discourage a guy who took the time to learn something useful, wanting to share it with others who might find it useful too. I did not know that we could u-trun our trikes on a 2-lane road without needing to do a 3-point turn using reverse. A simple u-turn is MUCH faster and also safer. Maybe I should stop trying to do my share of CONTRIBUTING and just CONSUME info from the forum.
Jim G
Jim G
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John Harper (Today)
#14
Today | 03:11 PM
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From: From the Burgh to the turd of N.E. OH
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Goose_NC (Today)
#15
Today | 03:20 PM
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From: Lethbridge, Alberta Canada
#16
Today | 03:32 PM
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From: Central Iowa
#17
Today | 03:39 PM
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From: On the Big Blue marble
Ya know what Jim - GET OF YOUR HIGH HORSE. Quite frankly - youre not that important and me especially, I do not GIVE a rats *** on gas milage or turn radius BUT we're respectful. YOU ARE NOT that important. Dont like us, theres an exit ramp here too. . BUT no one made fun of you. NO ONE mocked your posts.
AGAIN - NO ONE MADE FUN OF YOU OR YOUR POSTS. Time to cry in your soup...
AGAIN - NO ONE MADE FUN OF YOU OR YOUR POSTS. Time to cry in your soup...
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#18
Today | 03:39 PM
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Joined: May 2017
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From: Coastal Carolina
I have wondered for a while how wide a roadway I need at a minimum to be able to do a u-turn without using a 3-point turn - just holding the handlebar at full left lock. I suspected it would need to be a wider road than what is needed to do a u-turn on a 2-wheeler, since the trike can't lean. Leaning would reduce the diameter slightly as the tires are then running on the inside of the tread versus centered.
So, today, I packed a 25 foot tape measure and visited a large casino parking lot that was almost empty. The lot had parking lines spaced consistently exactly 9 feet apart. I was able to find that the u-turn diameter for my 2023 RG3 with OEM tires, at full left lock, was exactly 25 feet.
So yes, this IS a larger diameter than many HD 2-wheelers have been measured to require.
It's also just about one foot more than the "standard" width of 2-lane highways built in the last few decades (before that, the standard was 20 feet (2 ten foot wide lanes).
Fortunately, most highways have at least narrow grass shoulders, and most have paved shoulders. So, a u-turn CAN be done on a standard 2-lane highway if I need to do so, provided there are no curbs. This is much easier, and much faster to do, thana 3-point turn.
More importantly, unlike a 2-wheeler, such a u-turn can be done without risk of falling. And if you stall the engine with the clutch action, no problem. Just re-start and continue. And if it's raining, again no problem (Gets kind of tricky on a 2-wheeler).
Now this is for my "unmodified" 2023 RG3 trike. Different models and different years, and trikes that have non-OEM wheels or rakes may have different turning diameters.
Still, good to know what is possible.
Jim G
So, today, I packed a 25 foot tape measure and visited a large casino parking lot that was almost empty. The lot had parking lines spaced consistently exactly 9 feet apart. I was able to find that the u-turn diameter for my 2023 RG3 with OEM tires, at full left lock, was exactly 25 feet.
So yes, this IS a larger diameter than many HD 2-wheelers have been measured to require.
It's also just about one foot more than the "standard" width of 2-lane highways built in the last few decades (before that, the standard was 20 feet (2 ten foot wide lanes).
Fortunately, most highways have at least narrow grass shoulders, and most have paved shoulders. So, a u-turn CAN be done on a standard 2-lane highway if I need to do so, provided there are no curbs. This is much easier, and much faster to do, thana 3-point turn.
More importantly, unlike a 2-wheeler, such a u-turn can be done without risk of falling. And if you stall the engine with the clutch action, no problem. Just re-start and continue. And if it's raining, again no problem (Gets kind of tricky on a 2-wheeler).
Now this is for my "unmodified" 2023 RG3 trike. Different models and different years, and trikes that have non-OEM wheels or rakes may have different turning diameters.
Still, good to know what is possible.
Jim G
I'm back safe at the beach on flat-land... limited u-turns in my future!
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John Harper (Today)
#20
Today | 05:36 PM
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From: South Carolina