Cost of Owning/Riding Harley Trike

[TrikerKal]

Just before my back surgery last June, I bought a 2010 FLHXXX Street Glide trike from my brother. The surgery went sour...(7 months of bone infection and antibiotics, pain that won't go away entirely...sleeping in recliner since July of last year). My trike now has about 1700 miles on it, and I really do enjoy the time I spend in the saddle.

This is my first Harley, and my first trike. It really looks great sitting in my garage waiting for me to fire it up and ride it, and when I do take it for a ride (usually to physical therapy), or with my wife as passenger, I truly enjoy it.

We're on a fixed income, and we don't have a substantial amount of assets. Each time I get on the trike to ride, I can't seem to lose this feeling that I won't be able to afford to take care of this truly beautiful ride as the miles add up.

Can anybody with Harley ownership experience give me some idea as to how much it will cost (excluding fuel costs) for me to ride and maintain my trike, assuming 5,000 miles ridden per year? I won't be able to do the wrenching on it myself, given my physical limitations.

Any information/help with this would be greatly appreciated.

Andy

 

[delta]

Here's a link to a dealer in New Hampshire list of services. I would think that the pricing. The biggest service expense comes when you have to have the fork oil changed when done in conjunction with the 20,000 mile service. I would definately go with a synthetic oil as that increases the interval to 5,000 miles. http://www.heritageh-d.com/fckimages/file/Storage%20menus%202012/fl%20trifold%20menu%20inside%20only%201-12-2012%20web.pdf

 

[10rhrk]

Andy, if I were you I would stay away from Dealer's if you can. Find a good honest Independent Harley certified mechanic in your area. You will save a lot of money. My wife is on her second Trike. Her first was a 2010 FLHXXX. I've been doing my service for years. It's not hard to do! I don't know where the above poster got 20K for changing fork oil from, I still have the 2010 Service manual for the FLHXXX and it calls for fork oil change at<br />
50K miles. That's why I recommend staying away from Dealer's. Buy a service manual even if you don't plan to do your own service.

It will save you a ton of money. Dealer's are very different in their pricing and the service they recommend. A lot of cost depends on how the owner rides it. If he's aggressive and hard on the brakes and throttle, it's going to cost you more.my wife's 2010 was not expensive to maintain because she didn't baby it or mistreat it. She had 23K miles on it when we traded and she still had the stock brake pads front and rear. Good luck with your Trike.<br />
<br />
Ron

 

[delta]

Good catch on the fork oil change. Didn't have my manual handy and was relying on the flyer in the link, which is for touring bikes. By all means you can do better at an indy. Just wanted to post what a typical dealer charges up here.

 

[10rhrk]

Good catch on the fork oil change. Didn't have my manual handy and was relying on the flyer in the link, which is for touring bikes. By all means you can do better at an indy. Just wanted to post what a typical dealer charges up here.

That's the main reason I suggested he not use a Dealer if possible. My experience with Dealer's in various states I've lived, some have very different
services at different mileage they recommend. I always go by the intervals in the motor company service manual. The SM for 2010Touring bikes cover's all of them. I had to buy the Trike supplement along with my 2010 Touring SM.

 

[10rhrk]

Here is the 2010 Trike models service intervals for the OP or anybody who don't have it.

 

[TrikerKal]

Thanks for your helpful replies Ron and delta. I really appreciate it. I'm in a difficult place right now...I don't know how this health thing is gonna play out, and I just don't know how much of my maintenance I'm gonna be able to do when things settle down.

My right knee surgery day before yesterday seems like it's going to heal without problems, and as far as the nerve and bone damage done by 3 spine surgeries...well, I just don't know.

What I do know is that there's a part of me that just wants to get my wife and I on the trike, and take a road trip somewhere and leave our medical stuff in the mirrors.

I had the 1000 mile service done at a local HD dealer (just under $300), and since my brother in Illinois left the original battery in the trike over the winter in an unheated garage without any charging or running of the engine for the six months before I had it shipped down here to Alabama, I also bought a new HD battery ($182).

I guess that's what's been making me uneasy about my ability to keep the trike running well over the miles.

I know that Harleys can be just like any other machine as far as reliability goes, and I hope that (beyond routine maintenance) this one will give us some carefree miles.

And Ron, my riding style is pretty laid back...I like to watch the scenery roll by, and enjoy the experience. I'll look for a good independent mechanic down here like you suggested. I've accumulated some tools over the years, except for a lift. If I heal well enough, I'll get a hold of a manual and supplement, and see just how much of the maintenance I can do.

Thanks again for your help.

Andy

 

[BlueTrinity]

Andy, I'll just echo what Ron said. You don't have to have the dealer do the routine stuff and you'll be better off financially if you find a good Indy that you trust. Caase in point, just look at your invoice for the 1,000 mile service and what they actually did for that $300. That's not to say you shouldn't have taken it there, but the rate for what they performed will astound you.

Another point from your post; unless you are enamoured with the Bar & Shield and insist on having it on everything you buy, you can save a ton with the Indies there too. Most of them won't even have a battery in the shop with a $180 price tag on it. Heck, you can get an EverStart at Wally World with a better warranty for under a hundred bucks and since its out of sight anyway, you're the only one who'll ever know.

All this carries over to the bangles and baubles too. I don't have a need to have 400 Harley logos on my trike, so I buy the chrome goodies from a generic cycle shop or online. Even if you buy aftermarket parts from the dealer, you'll pay 10% to 20% more than elsewhere.

And don't even get me started on the price of Harley oil.

I really like my dealer, but I am a free-market capitalist. I believe he has the absolute right to charge whatever he wants for his products. But I also have the absolute right to buy where I feel I get the best value for my money.

 

[screwball]

Wife rides a trike because Chemotherapy caused her to loose the feelings in her hands and feet. After my 2nd heart attack and aortic valve replacement I sold my E-Glide and bought a trike too. She drives the '11, I inherited the '09

Sometimes, no matter how many times you say it, people on these boards will keep telling you that you can do the routine maintenance. You and I probably could, I choose NOT to do it. I'm old, bending over really hurts, and getting back up is a real chore. It is worth the couple of hundred a year to let someone else do the bending. You didn't mention if your trike is still under any kind of extended warranty. You may want to look into that. The trikes are our 7th and 8th Harley. Never had any trouble with any of them.

We live in Southern California on the high desert, so we ride year round. Rarely use the cars if we don't have to. Ours have been around the Grand Canyon twice, and all over California, Arizona, Nevada, and Utah. If you use it, keep it and enjoy it. It is going to cost you 3 or 4 hundred a year in service and other maintenance costs... all Harleys do

 

[msocko3]

I had the 1000 mile service done at a local HD dealer (just under $300), and since my brother in Illinois left the original battery in the trike over the winter in an unheated garage without any charging or running of the engine for the six months before I had it shipped down here to Alabama, I also bought a new HD battery ($182).

I guess that's what's been making me uneasy about my ability to keep the trike running well over the miles.

I know that Harleys can be just like any other machine as far as reliability goes, and I hope that (beyond routine maintenance) this one will give us some carefree miles.

A lot of good advice given by others, if your only going to put 5,000 miles per year on then your cost shouldn't be terrible. You shouldn't have needed a new battery, if you not going to ride the trike for a week or longer you should invest in a battery tender. In most cases the HD dealers have been installing the plug for the batter tender, it should be dangling on the right side by the starter.

Reliability is a mixed bag with any product and seems like HD's in general. Some folks have been having great reliability and others have had a few problems here or there. Since I split my riding between my 2 wheel Ultra and my Triglide I only have a shade over 17,000 miles on the Triglide. Since owning it the only things I've had happen is the start button shorted causing the starter to stay engaged, and I had the recalls on both the rear brake light switch and the front fuel tank mounts.

 

[oldtimer]

Andy, you're getting some good advice here. Like screwball, I cannot get down and back up again cleanly enough to allow me to do my own maintenance any more-nor do I really have any desire to. Those days are hopefully behind me. I did it for many years but wasn't really good at it and didn't enjoy it. Although I could likely build a small block Chevy motor from memory, I find Harleys difficult to work on in spite of only having two air cooled cylinders. Invariably I'd be doing something seemingly simple like putting on an air cleaner only to discover that unexpected parts had to come off to access a bolt, or you had to have a special tool or something. That's just me and everyone's different, but I just find Harleys frustrating to work on even given reasonable mechanical knowledge. Others will surely differ.

Second point is that I have found nothing works as good or lasts as long as a genuine Harley battery, but only if you use a Battery Tender as M3 says above. A Jr. model will work just fine for about $30.00. It's the first thing I'd buy.

Lastly, you boys sure are getting some cheap dealer service fees. I just paid $386.00 for the 1K on an '11 Dyna and they're telling me there's a minimum 1 hour surcharge to touch a trike. That's more than one dealer in Greater Atlanta.

 

[TrikerKal]

BlueTrinity,

Like you, I really don't have a need to have every part/accessory on my trike say "HD". Over the years, I've seen too many OEM parts and "authentic" brand accessories made overseas, or by a manufacturer that makes parts for a dozen different brands of bikes, cars, or trucks.

I did look for a cheaper alternative to the $180+ battery, but had no luck finding one that cross-matched with the HD part...probably because of my lack of familiarity with HD machines. And as I'm looking at the work order ticket for the 1000 mile work I had done at the HD dealer, (6 qts SYN 3 @ 11.95/qt), and 2.5 hours of labor @ $80/hr), I can't help but wonder if they really did all the stuff that was on the schedule.

But, the trike was still under warranty, and I didn't know then that I wouldn't be able to ride it a whole lot last year, so I just bit the bullet with the cost.

Except for the Tour Pack, reverse motor, cruise, and Mustang touring seat that my brother or I have put on my Street Glide, I don't think I'll be adding much to those. Earlier in my life I'd probably be spending a lot of time and dollars on aftermarket doo-dads, but at 64, and with the pain, stiffness, and other health stuff I've got now, I don't know how long I'll be able to ride, and so can't really justify spending too much more.

msocko3, I did use a battery tender on my other bikes over the past 14 years, but the thing's circuits fried, and a friend suggested a Schumacher XM1-5 1.5amp automatic maintainer for about $20. I didn't know that the Harley dealer might have installed a charging harness on my 2010...to be honest, I don't have a clue where it's located. And besides, when I installed the new battery, I also installed the Schumacher harness on the battery. Don't know how this compares with the 'Tender' that I had, but I guess time will tell.

screwball, I'm sorry that your wife now has neuropathy in her hands and feet. After my first back surgery in 2008, my right leg went numb, with sensation coming back only as far as the foot. The surgery I had in June of last year was supposed to correct that, but now the numbness/pain is worse than before. This lack of sensation was one of the reasons I bought my brother's trike...because if I had to ride in the dark, and couldn't orient the bike's position visually, I knew I'd eventually lay a 2-wheeler down, but not a problem with the trike. I stupidly rode to a physical therapy appointment wearing walking shorts about a month ago, and didn't know my right leg was touching the exhaust until the pain went through a layer or two of skin. It's just about healed now.

My Street Glide's 2 year warranty expired last March, and I'm surprised nobody at HD tried to get me to extend it.

And oldtimer, I too find it harder to climb around household and garage jobs that were so much easier earlier in my life, but I'll try to do as much as I can.

Well, sorry for this long, dreary post...I just wanted to thank you all for your replies, help, and encouragement.

--Andy

 

[WalterM817]

I agree with the rest of the folks here pretty much. Get a Battery tender and change the fluids at the recommended intervals and you should be fine. I have not had any problems that seem to indicate any huge maintenance costs down the road. Using these things regularly seems to help them rather than wear them out.Unless you have a huge chrome addiction or a gotta go faster thing happening.