My two cents... It all boils down to what is affordable. For one guy, a brand new Triglide with all the bells and whistles or a new Gl1800 with premium conversion is the ONLY answer. If the conversion is done right, you will have many trouble free miles. Problem is, you are looking at perhaps $35K or more. I find this spending insane on my budget. I am a retired Federal employee with a small business and just can't afford a big ticket item like that. I have learned over time there are MANY recreational vehicles sitting in garages all over the country that folks have purchased but find they don't really want.

Going into the winter season you can often find some real big values out there where someone else has taken the bite getting the kit installed and eating the depreciation. Get a used trike and check it out carefully. You will also hear on this board that this conversion or that conversion is the best. Right... basically what a person is saying when they make that claim is that their buying decision reflects their intelligence so you will seldom hear folks who have experience no major problems wishing they had gone is some other direction as far as kits go. There are probably a lot of folks who will argue what the best platform for a trike is. It used to be the Goldwing was THE touring standard but the late model Harleys are no longer gutless and with the improved frames of the past several years will also be just fine.

Both Wings and the touring HDs retain their value. Another thing to consider is that the Triglide is a factory beast and if you decide to sell and trade, it can be financed a whole lot easier than a Wing that has been converted with an aftermarket kit. Last, don't be in a hurry. Research the platforms and kits and factory 3 wheelers. Then mooch a test ride on those that make the short list. I have owned every touring bike except a BMW and just bought another Goldwing trike with a Champion conversion. I HAVE test ridden a very similarly equipped wing and was totally happy with the performance. It was a solid axle conversion but rode great according to my passenger who has MANY miles in pillion. We owned a Roadsmith IRS wing conversion at the time and it rode just as well as far as comfort but handled a bit better (The Champion conversion that is).

Test ride a Can-Am Spyder RT... make sure it is a 2014 or newer with the bigger engine and 6 speed. Lots of folks like these trikes for their sportiness. Hannigan is coming out with a two-in-front conversion that is ready to be rolled out and will be more cost effective and more sporty than a two-wheel in the rear conversion by all accounts. Last bit... I was torn between a 2008 GL1800 Champion conversion with 6K miles and a 2007 Royal Star Venture Hannigan conversion (IRS) with 20K miles and I can afford either. I got the Wing because the basic bike will retain value better and have a bigger resale market when I sell. I love Ventures and my wife and I put 60K miles on one in 2001 and was sorely tempted by that conversion. Since I buy and sell frequently I had to be realistic regarding which was the smartest buy as I was unlikely to get more for the Venture conversion than I put into it after a year or two if I sold it.