Sherry and I were at our local dealer today and decided to test drive a Freewheeler. Here are some thoughts about the experience.
My first thought as we were taking off was that 1st gear could stand to be a little shorter as a little extra clutch slippage was required to get moving. Power-wise,I was pleasantly surprised as it felt as strong as our 2011 Street Glide w/103",even though the trike is obviously heavier. Engine performance was definitely a plus. Our demo unit had some Screaming Eagle mufflers installed and it sounded pretty good as we cruised around.
As for ride quality,it was better than we expected although our Boss Hoss w/Arnott air ride kinda spoiled us in that respect. I wasn't able to check the tire and air shock pressures on our test trike so it's possible to see an even better ride quality with a little chassis tuning. One big negative that we will both have to get used to on our own FW is the rear end's side to side rocking. I know it's the nature of the beast with solid axles but the Freewheeler's narrow rear track seems to aggravate this tendency even more.
I was also pleasantly surprised with the ease of steering. It really went where I pointed it and felt very precise. Only downside to the quick steering at slower speeds is some twitchy behavior at higher speeds but it's a good trade-off,at least for me.
I drove on some twisty roads during the test ride and was pleased with its performance. On one particular sweeper w/45mph speed limit,we went sailing around it at about 60 and lo and behold,a local county mounty was parked on the side of the road. Guess he liked the trike too because he just waved at us when we zoomed by him. :laugh:
In stock form,a Freewheeler is going to need some mods before my wife will give it a passing grade,comfort-wise. Sherry is a veteran rider/passenger but was a little spooked by the trike's spartan passenger accommodations. Our FW had the stock seat w/optional backrest assy. She was not impressed with either and the rear running boards being set in the highest position only made matters worse. To be blunt,lateral support for a passenger really sucks on these trikes,in stock condition. I'm pretty sure it would've been a lot better if we could have lowered her running boards to the lowest setting but the stock seat will have to be modified by Mean City Cycles. That little backrest pad won't work for her,either.
Personally,I found the stock seat fit me pretty well. I'm 5'8",205lbs,and have a 29" inseam. Our test trike had the optional 20" windshield mounted and it worked well except at highway speeds. Driving down the freeway at 70-75mph,I was kinda shocked at how hard the wind was hitting me. When we buy our FW,I'm going to look harder at the Memphis Shade batwing fairing,instead of the H-D CVO 16" smoked windshield that I was originally considering.
I'll add more thoughts as I think of them.
My first thought as we were taking off was that 1st gear could stand to be a little shorter as a little extra clutch slippage was required to get moving. Power-wise,I was pleasantly surprised as it felt as strong as our 2011 Street Glide w/103",even though the trike is obviously heavier. Engine performance was definitely a plus. Our demo unit had some Screaming Eagle mufflers installed and it sounded pretty good as we cruised around.
As for ride quality,it was better than we expected although our Boss Hoss w/Arnott air ride kinda spoiled us in that respect. I wasn't able to check the tire and air shock pressures on our test trike so it's possible to see an even better ride quality with a little chassis tuning. One big negative that we will both have to get used to on our own FW is the rear end's side to side rocking. I know it's the nature of the beast with solid axles but the Freewheeler's narrow rear track seems to aggravate this tendency even more.
I was also pleasantly surprised with the ease of steering. It really went where I pointed it and felt very precise. Only downside to the quick steering at slower speeds is some twitchy behavior at higher speeds but it's a good trade-off,at least for me.
I drove on some twisty roads during the test ride and was pleased with its performance. On one particular sweeper w/45mph speed limit,we went sailing around it at about 60 and lo and behold,a local county mounty was parked on the side of the road. Guess he liked the trike too because he just waved at us when we zoomed by him. :laugh:
In stock form,a Freewheeler is going to need some mods before my wife will give it a passing grade,comfort-wise. Sherry is a veteran rider/passenger but was a little spooked by the trike's spartan passenger accommodations. Our FW had the stock seat w/optional backrest assy. She was not impressed with either and the rear running boards being set in the highest position only made matters worse. To be blunt,lateral support for a passenger really sucks on these trikes,in stock condition. I'm pretty sure it would've been a lot better if we could have lowered her running boards to the lowest setting but the stock seat will have to be modified by Mean City Cycles. That little backrest pad won't work for her,either.
Personally,I found the stock seat fit me pretty well. I'm 5'8",205lbs,and have a 29" inseam. Our test trike had the optional 20" windshield mounted and it worked well except at highway speeds. Driving down the freeway at 70-75mph,I was kinda shocked at how hard the wind was hitting me. When we buy our FW,I'm going to look harder at the Memphis Shade batwing fairing,instead of the H-D CVO 16" smoked windshield that I was originally considering.
I'll add more thoughts as I think of them.
