What kind of trike

[ironhorse446]

Hi everyone! I am a below the knee amputee on the right side and have just surpassed my second anniversary of my new way of life. When I first lost my leg I sold me touring bike and really miss being in the wind. So now that I am feeling pretty comfortable with the prosthetic I am hoping to start looking for a new ride. I guess I am looking for either real life experiences or even opinions of what to get for a trike. I know it is probably personal preference and I know that I have to do some test riding but I guess my main question is conventional trike vs a Can Am Spyder. I see a lot of you are riding regular trikes and was just curious if any of you had looked into the Spyder before you went with your regular trike and why you made the choice you did? I guess I am just curious if one would be superior to the other and if any of you had made the switch from one to the other? I guess I am a tall guy and I wear a pretty thick liner under my prosthesis so I am looking for something that will allow me to keep my leg out in front of me because I have kind of a hard time getting my knee bent back under me because of the liner. Thanks for any opinions!

I really appreciate it!!!!

 

[Big Dog]

Have you given any thought to a Stallion? It would fit your needs.

 

[ride3]

I would think your best bet would be to test drive diferent trikes to see where you are comfy. Shopping is half the fun, good luck in your search!

 

[trikeleader]

Check out Renegade trikes, they can set up a trike to meet your needs. They have adapted their machines to meet the needs of any person. You will be able to keep your leg out front of you while riding. The throttle is the same as a regular motorcycle, it has cruise control, automatic transmission, and the brake peddle can be put on the left side to meet your needs. send me a pm or email me and I will send you photos of my Renegade. This trike draws a group of onlookers everywhere we go. It holds the road very well and it has doors like the jeeps have for poor weather. The v8 engine gives plenty of power.
Tell them that Tom Goettl referred you and they will give you a great price.

 

[tfdeputydawg]

Mine is a Wing/Hannigan. Would I ever get a Can-Am. After riding one, no I would not. To much heat off of the exhaust on the right foot! To high engine rpm's at hi-way speed and poor gas mileage!
To cure the bent knee, I ordered my Hannigan w/the weight bearing foot fairings. Took my OEM rider pegs off and rest my feet on the foot fairings. Very comfortable for me!
For consideration should be the Tri-Glide or the Free-Wheeler. Both have forward positioning foot boards + you have the benefit of a full factory warranty! Not as smooth riding as a trike w/IRS but, acceptable.

 

[adaptolife]

I converted a 03 Harley Road Glide to my needs. Added kliktronic shifter because my left foot won't operate a shifter. My left leg won't hold up a motorcycle, so I triked it out with Ghost Wheels, which hold up the bike while stopped, but give full 2-wheeler handling while under way.

 

[pcombe]

:Coffee: I just found out our member Wheels is at bike week but perhaps you can use the member search feature and send him some private messages?
Wheels lost both legs and logs more miles than any of us unless I miss my guess?
He would be the man to talk to and he's a real friendly and helpful soul though he would likely cuss me for having said so.

 

[roadking2]

I'm a left leg BKA, but I'm sure I'd have no more trouble if were my right. I rode a Harley Roadking with no modifications for several years after losing my leg until 2013 when I converted it to a trike. What I'm having a little trouble understanding is why you can't get your leg under you. What type of prosthetic do you currently have? Is it vacuum or a pin or what? I started on a pin, but now I have a vacuum which is much more comfortable in my opinion. You are "new" so you will probably go through several sockets before all is said and done because you will continue to lose soft tissue necessitating the need to add socks and bulk until you get a new better fitting socket. My first few years I went through a lot of sockets before I finally stabilized and you probably will too. Back to the topic. I did not even consider a spyder or anything but what I ended up doing which was getting a conversion kit for the king.

I loved the Roadking and I love it just as much as before now that it's a trike.

I still have zero mods to accommodate my prosthesis. Standard heel and toe shifter, and no clutch or brake mods. If you can sit in a chair with your feet under your knees, you should be able to ride a regular trike without much trouble. I do need floorboards though. Anything with pegs is out.

 

[cavie]

If your having trouble getting you leg under yourself you can forget about a Wing or a Spider. Both have foot back riding position. I would go with Harley Conversion or a Triglide. I don't drive a Wing because I don't like the foot back position. If somebody would slide the seats and handle bar back I'd have one. I have a Honda VTX conversion.

 

[ironhorse446]

Thank you all for your relies so far. I really appreciate it! To answer some of your questions the reason I have trouble getting my leg back under me is just for the reasons you said Roadking2. My leg has changed so rapidly and in the past two years since I lost my foot I am in my 8th socket so far. Most of this has been do to losing 140 lbs since that time. So that being said I have been dealing with the loose skin issues on the residual leg so I have to wear quite a thick liner and several plys of socks so it gets kind of bulky and bunched up behind my knee and thus not comfortable when I have to bend my knee back under me. I too started with the pin lock but now I am in the vacuum suspension system as well. So to be most comfortable at this point I kind of need something where I can keep my leg out in front of me. And I agree on the wings and the only Spyder that might work is possibly an RT or maybe the new F3. But even the RT is a little straighter sitting than I prefer.

I used to have a 1500 Goldwing before I lost my foot and that is the reason I got rid of it was because of the foot back position.

I am also quite a tall guy at 6'6" so that sometimes too makes for a little tougher fit on certain bikes. Like I say I know I need to sit on some stuff and hopefully ride some trikes to see what fits me but I do appreciate all opinions from you that have already gone through this situation. And for me too other than the trike I don't think I will probably need much else for mods I don't think. Really for being fairly new to it yet I get along pretty good with the prosthetic.

 

[roadking2]

Ironhorse,
Some of that will correct itself over time, but it could be a lot of time. I'm in my 16th year so I'm pretty stable at this point, but it took a long time before I got to this point, like years and years and I'd hate to see you having to wait 5 10 more years before your done losing soft tissue. I'm sure you can find something that will get you back in the wind because there sure as heck are a lot of choices out there.

 

[wheels]

Ironhorse, I'm coming up on my 49th anniversary, however unlike you, I have "picked up" a pound or two here and there. ;-) . As mentioned, things will change with weight on weight off, exercise, atrophy of tissue/muscle, and the like. The need for "flexibility" will always be the order of the day. I have not tried the Spyder, but have ridden an Ultra and of course now my Wing. I suspect that over time you will have this mastered given that you "want" to do it.

I might suggest that if you can, try and get to the Wing Ding http://wing-ding.org/
this year. If things go like last year, many of the major trike companies provide opportunities to take test rides. This way, you could not only try out the "kits" but also different models of bikes as they will have BMW's, Hondas, Harley and other brands there with kits on them. As mentioned, the Honda does require the rider to place their foot "back" a bit, however, if you went with floor boards, from a manufacture that makes weight bearing boards, this might help to meet your needs as you could then place your foot where you need it, yet still get to the brake.

This year, the Nashville Road Kill Ride In (Trike gathering) will be held at the same time, and there will be well over 40-60 trikers there. I am planning to go and would have no problem with you taking my trike for a spin. This could be a good chance to do a little "one stop shopping". Give me a holler if I can be of any help, or answer any questions. Best of luck and welcome to "our" exclusive club. All the best.

 

[pcombe]

Cycle World - COMPARED: Three American V-Twin Touring Baggers This article compares the three top v twin cruisers and talks about rider heights seat and handle bar reach, It may be a consideration if thinking about a conversion?

 

[rrunner]

I have a friend I call Stumpy, he was 6'9" but is now just over 6'. He is a double amputee below the knee. His ride of choice is a v8 trike with an automatic tranny. He has made no mods other than seat position to accommodate his needs. He just gets on and rides although he does take some time to mount up having to detach and reattach his prostatic but once he's under way he is fine. Maybe having a trike built to your needs like Stumpy has is what will work for you. Just my 2 cents worth.

 

[headheaded]

hat are you guys doing to keep your feet on the floor boards ?

 

[Red59]

hat are you guys doing to keep your feet on the floor boards ?

I'm a right above knee amputee and made this from a piece of 2" Aluminum angle iron, keeps my right foot from sliding / vibrating off the floorboard.
Red