I'll chime in here. I just today test rode 99 1500 IRS and 05 1800 solid Motortrikes. Both are fresh triked used bikes. The 1800 pulled like grandpa's mule but the 1500 rode better, the diff in price is 6K. I don't know which is more important to me power or having the little woman more comfy, she liked the 99 best. I'm a V-Twin kind of guy, right now I have a 07 1600 Vulcan Nomad I dearly love but have to admit the wings have a great history of reliabilty.
Not comparing apples and oragnes when comparing the trike kits, as they are the same brand, sort of comparing Granny Smith to Delicious apples, but you found the difference in ride between MT's IRS and the ladder bar suspension they have. Put a MT IRS under the 1800 and you would combine the nice ride with the power.
Some of the price difference is the kit, the IRS has more parts and is more complicated to install/maintain, but the biggest price factor is that the bike part (motor, tranny, most electronics, etc) of the 1500 is 13 years old, the 1800 is only 7.
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
Hey wg .. Sounds like you got a nice 97. Deb and I started out early last year on a 95 GL1500 Roadsmith and I actually bought it for her but because of her 3 back surgery it did
not work out, so to keep us both riding, sold it and got my 08 GL1800HPNA converted ..
Needless to say, it has every option available and love it .. I did like the 95 and it did really
well. Did not have aux tank, but had everything else on it ... Was a fun trike .. Enjoy
G. Marshall Gammon (USN-Ret)
New Bern, NC
2015 Can Am Spider RT S