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Where to Ride Trike
Is there a best place to ride a trike on road? Front tire right in middle of lane or off to one side? Does it make any difference in front tire wear riding in middle of lane?
2002 GL1800 with CSC trike kit
I don't think the ware rate would be that much higher but there is a lot more debris in that area so I try to limit my time there. I ride with the front tire just on the left edge of the normally unused center area. That gets me well into my own side of the road and so far I've not picked up any debris... JMHO ......Originally Posted by rhino65
Jerry "Gold Rush" (aka: "SPOOK") San Angelo, TX
2015 GL1800/Roadsmith HTS1800
TOI - IBA #23804 (SS1K & BB1.5K)
I'm like an old race horse..... I can still run the race -- Just ache more at the finish line and need more rest between outings.
+1... do the same here. It also seems to help the trike track a straighter line because it moves the right rear wheel away from the hard crowned right edge on two lane roads.I don't think the ware rate would be that much higher but there is a lot more debris in that area so I try to limit my time there. I ride with the front tire just on the left edge of the normally unused center area. That gets me well into my own side of the road and so far I've not picked up any debris... JMHO ......
"I don't need a map. I still have a road in front of me!"
I also don't feel TIRES ware worse wherever in your lane My preference is front tire to the right of center. The center is usually ROUGH. RIDE SAFE
Yep' thats the way i ride' And the same with my two wheelers... And never if i can help it on the right of center' And there is a reason for that' Its called protecting your lane. If your too far to the right some yahoo in a car will try to share the lane with you...And that only leads to bad feelings all around...I don't think the ware rate would be that much higher but there is a lot more debris in that area so I try to limit my time there. I ride with the front tire just on the left edge of the normally unused center area. That gets me well into my own side of the road and so far I've not picked up any debris... JMHO ......
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Sometimes a Cigar is Just a Cigar.....
2019 Tri-Glide.......
Good point Rhino! I was going to edit that into my post after I thought about it more and when I looked back into this thread you already added that point into the conversation.Yep' thats the way i ride' And the same with my two wheelers... And never if i can help it on the right of center' And there is a reason for that' Its called protecting your lane. If your too far to the right some yahoo in a car will try to share the lane with you...And that only leads to bad feelings all around...
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"I don't need a map. I still have a road in front of me!"
So far I've logged 300+ miles since getting my new to me GW trike last November. Been riding off to one side or other of middle strip on 2 lane. Middle strip on interstate seems a bit smoother than 2 lane highway.
2002 GL1800 with CSC trike kit
since I have two wheels up front it can be a challenge on some roads. most of the time it's not a problem.
if your worried about tire wear I suggest making sure your air pressure is constant. I installed the FOBO TMPS on my Spyder and I really like it. works off blue tooth straight to your mobile phone. has alarms for if the tire is too low or too high. sure beats having to get down on the floor to check your air pressures.
https://my-fobo.com/product/fobobike
you can get them on Amazon as well.
When i had a Spyder i would try to keep the rear wheel off the center to the left, Other wise as the wheel drops off the center it would get the tail wagging the dog action......
Sometimes a Cigar is Just a Cigar.....
2019 Tri-Glide.......
Notice the dark strip down the center of the lane? That's the slickest part of the road and I put my front tire just to either side of it. Depending on how heavily traveled that road is, one of my rear tires will be right next to or in the slick part of the lane. So I guess this is one of the drawbacks of riding a trike. But considering how much faster this Triglide stops than all the Electra Glides I had before it I'll take the trade off.
PC
Beware of liberals posing as Americans.
Not sure about down in Florida but here in the Midwest there's no dark strip anymore. The number of cars that leak oil now compared to 40 years ago is miniscule. I ride in the center of the lane with no worries.
2010 Goldwing W/2015 CSC Cobra XL Trike Conversion
If it is raining, I try to stay away from the middle of the lane. Most people out here squeeze the center line so I usually ride a little to the right. Jim
US Army Retired, Command Sergeant Major
No longer riding, memories, memories
I like to ride with the front wheel on a "traditional" trike to the left of the center line of the lane. As noted above, this helps protect your lane. SOP for 2 wheelers. (An old, wise rider told me many years ago, "Protect your lane, but don't defend it.")
Riding there also gives you somewhere to go if someone strays into your lane.
Junk on the road gets swept away by car and truck wheels and tends to congregate between traffic lanes and in the center of the lane.
Also, due to the crown in roads trikes have a tendency to pull to the outside of the lane. Most roads, to a greater or lesser extent depending on age and use have slight depressions where the car and truck wheels have worn the road surface. When riding with the front wheel of the trike to the left of center the front wheel is effectively being pulled "downhill" to the left into the wheel rut, and counteracts the pull to the right due to the crown in the road.
Don - 2004 GL1800 Champion trike, 2018 Can Am Spyder RT Limited
2 wheeler: 2013 Triumph Bonneville T100
FORR Local 11, AMA, MRF, Mid-South MILE Committee
Actually the best place to ride is TEXAS. Come on down!!!
My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. – Maya Angelou
I have found that the best place to ride my trike is that place which, in general, allows me to:
- stay within my lane
- avoid potholes (or other hazards)
- if avoidance is impossible ... to minimize the harshness / bumping
If the situation is such that both #1 and #2 aren't possible, as I prepare for #3 ... I consider briefly if an alternative lane is available ... and if so:
- is said other lane clear (of traffic and pot holes, etc)
- will said other lane remain clear (if an oncoming lane, can I see there's no traffic coming the other way and make sure no one is passing me)
By now, I have either slowed and encountered the pothole or avoided it. Trikes use three tracks, often it's impossible to totally miss a big pothole or pothole infested area that you'd maybe ride through smoothly on a two wheeler.
In either case .... whether I ride through or around .... I or "Wife Unit" will endeavor to point out the pothole(s) (or other hazard) to any riders behind me.
Keeping my options open is why no one rides beside my trike or bike within my lane, (and very rarely even at a traffic light if I am on the trike).
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