Honda or Harley?

[ronbstewart]

I'm 70+ and own Harley Road King Classic (6 spd) and a 1800 Gold Wing Trike (Motor Trike Kit) Love the Harley when I want to roll on 2 wheels, it got the looks and sound rides great, but when wife and I want to hit the road in serious comfort the Gold Wing trike is the way to go, more power (6 cyl). cooler operating engine, bigger and wider seats. If you can afford it get both and go in style.

 

[hbrogan57]

I didn't know there was an age limit for riding a Wing??.....:laugh::laugh:

They both start with the letter H. I have an HD and a Victory trike, have always ridden HD-it gets in your blood after a few decades. This forum has edumucated me to appreciate all species of trikes. In two years I will be old enough for a wing-maybe I will buy one then!:wave4:ThumbUp

 

[zeman 1]

Test ride them both and buy what is best for you. Age old debate about which is best - I ride a 2005 HD Electraglide with DFT conversion and love it. Nothing like a HD.

 

[msocko3]

Up until last year I've owned only Harley's, I grew weary of the reliability of the 2010 Triglide I owned since it was new. I've done a lot of work on Harley's over the years and have to agree the Honda is less maintenance. From an oil change stand point, Harley you have 3 separate oil compartments, Engine oil, Primary and Transmission. If you fill all three holes to their rated capacity you will use 6 qts of oil, you have to keep track of your service intervals. Engine oil change every 5,000 miles, Primary every 10,000 miles and Transmission every 20,000 miles. The Honda has one oil to fill its 4 qts and the service interval is every 8,000 miles.

Up until my dad purchased his 09 Triglide and I purchased my 10 we had never had a lick of problems with any of our Harley's, we've never been stranded and had little to no mechanical issues.

My dads 09 Triglide has to date had 3 starter buttons fail, front wheel bearings, rear O2 sensor, broken front motor mount, a worn front motor mount link and the compensator failed. One of the start buttons failed while we were on a trip to Yellowstone, it decided to fail 1,000+ miles from home over the 4th of July holiday weekend which stranded us in North Platte NE for 3 days until the Harley dealer opened. To put icing on the cake it isn't a part many dealers carry so my dad had to pay the labor for them to remove one from a new bike or wait until they got one in which could have been a couple more days. He has just a shade over 36,000 miles on his trike right now.

My 2010 Triglide had a start button fail, fortunately while I was at home, it however came close to ruining a trip I had planned for that weekend. I got lucky and the dealer got one quick and installed it in the nick of time for me to take my trip. I had an electrical issue start while on my way back from the New England states, a good deal of the electrical system quit working while I was still 500 miles from home, I got lucky and it came back when I fiddled with the fused and cycled the ignition switch. The compensator was bad, the stator had started to leak so I decided it was time to move it on down the road.

A piece of information on the start button, when it fails the starter will engage and not quit running. It can happen while going down the road where you may not hear it running until a considerable amount of damage is done. I know of more than just me and my dad who have experienced this issue. One guy has had his starter and primary trashed twice. Another evil problem which can happen with the failed start button is the trike will start while in gear when the ignition is turned on. For some reason the neutral safety switch won't work correctly in some instances with a failed start button. When the button failed on my 2010 it would start in gear just by turning on the ignition switch. When one of my dads failed he turned on the ignition while in the garage which almost put him and the trike into the wall. Harley didn't seem to have much interest in these happenings, customer service has gone down hill over the years.

When I got rid of it I had just a shade over 21,000 miles on it. I looked at all the issues my dad had with his and the problems I was having, I figured sooner or later the electrical gremlin would rear its ugly head at an inopportune time so I got rid of the problem. I had always wondered how a Goldwing would be, they have a great reliability record and the engine is next to bulletproof. I don't know of many Twin Cam Harley engines with 250,000 miles on their top end or the whole engine. There are however plenty of Goldwings still roaming the streets with that mileage and more.

I now own a 2012 Gl1800 and have to say its a bunch or fun to ride, the power, smoothness and most of all cool running has made me a pretty happy camper so far. I have plans on triking it once I put together the funds. Since I've owning the Wing I have no doubt its going to make a great trike.

I will say the Harley Triglide is a great handling trike, from an ergonomic stand point it is pretty comfortable also. The ride isn't bad, I do however think a longer wheelbase IRS trike kit will ride smoother. Will I buy another new Harley in the future...Nope, I would however buy a nice used one if the price was right and it wasn't any newer than 2006.

My advice would be to try and ride any trike which is being considered before you buy.

 

[Bill Reber]

HD or Wing ,??? Both fine rides in the looks department and sound (stock pipes please) I'll take the HD . In the power department I will have to go with the wing. I ride a Wing 2010 with a Champion kit I do this because the wife fits the back seat better on the wing. If it was just me I would ride a HD again.

 

[americanbadass]

I didn't know there was an age limit for riding a Wing??.....:laugh::laugh:

Brogan....nuttin gets past you... you may need to park the "hogeater" for a few years now that you are aware of this phenominum.....

 

[hbrogan57]

park.....PARK????.........................

:AGGHH:***NEVER***:AGGHH:​

Brogan....nuttin gets past you... you may need to park the "hogeater" for a few years now that you are aware of this phenominum.....

 

[Skeet7373]

Just go out and ride every trike you can find, them make your decision. Do your homework and you'll pick the right trike for you and the missus.

 

[hbrogan57]

:Agree::Agree::Agree::Agree:​

Just go out and ride every trike you can find, them make your decision. Do your homework and you'll pick the right trike for you and the missus.

 

[bustedwing]

Welcome Traveler to the site from the U.P.of Michigan. As you can tell you opened up a can of worms by asking that question. You can raise as much cain by stating a certain brand of mc tire is junk. My personal choice is Honda Gold Wing, and for a lot of reasons already stated. My main reason I stayed with Honda was reliability. With the 1500 engine it has plenty of power with th trike kit and riding 2 up. It is a comfortable ride, beautiful trike my wife even likes it, shaft drive vs belt drive, no danger of a rock getting into the drive system. But as long as you are happy with whatever you are riding and are out on the roads enjoying yourself, that is all that matters. Pick what YOU want, then ride safe.

 

[Tango]

The Gold Wing Trikes are longer and wider than HD's. CSC, Hannigan and Roadsmith are with in a half inch in wheelbase of each other. They also have Independent suspensions for the most part. HD is a solid axle design and you will feel it! The Gold Wings are cooler running. The HD can be made to ride a little cooler for approx. $1500-$2000 in engine mods. The HD has the "cool" factor going for it. And a fit and finish that is the best in the business. Their paint is awesome! The most important decision is picking an installer. A bad install and you have big problems! Good luck and have fun. Questions? Fire away.ThumbUp Tom :Trike1:

 

[ben721364]

I recommend that you pay no attention to posts touting one brand of motorcycle or trike kit over others. Instead, I suggest that you test ride several different brands and types, including 2F/1R and 1F/2R trikes, to determine for yourself what works for you. Styling is one thing but there are many more things to consider. What fits me may or may not fit you. Don't be influenced by peer pressure. Do your homework.
Cheers. Ride carefully.

 

[hbrogan57]

:Agree::Agree:

what one person prefers might not fit your riding habits. ride what you can, research the different brands and base your decision on that.

Anyone's opinion is going to lean towards their preferences. Me? I have a Hannigan and couldn't be happier. Others prefer DFT, CSC, MotorTrike, Et al.

I recommend that you pay no attention to posts touting one brand of motorcycle or trike kit over others. Instead, I suggest that you test ride several different brands and types, including 2F/1R and 1F/2R trikes, to determine for yourself what works for you. Styling is one thing but there are many more things to consider. What fits me may or may not fit you. Don't be influenced by peer pressure. Do your homework.
Cheers. Ride carefully.

 

[seabiz]

This decision is both an emotional and logical one; and they can be at odds with one another. I have a TriGlide. For me the emotion trumped logic. I have a Honda Ridgeline P/U. No problems, runs like a top, but too unemotional; stepford truck. My previous vehicle, a 1st gen. Range Rover, was troublesome, expensive, but always put a smile on my face and I miss it. Is my Ridgeline a "better" vehicle, hell yes from logic standpoint; it gets me to work every day without drama. But it did not satisfy that part of me that the Rover did. When I saw the TG I fell in love. Look at both, rent both, pretend you bought one and and see how you feel not having the other. You will know.

 

[FRR]

I've already been cautioned about responding to comments like yours, so I'm just going to ignore it as an ignorant post. Nice try!

You should have been cautioned. This gentleman asked for opinions and everyone on this thread offered one, so don't call us ignorant just because you don't agree. Comments like yours detract from the spirit of this website.

 

[Mr Orange]

Ok I know the search parameter is "Honda or Harley" but let me get this out of the way. I obviously don't ride either one so I would ask have you looked at Can Am Spyders?

Now actually it should also be obvious that I like things that are different. So first have you thought about a Triumph Rocket III? I think it would make a killer platform for a trike. It definitely has the engine for it. If I decided to build a conventional trike this is what I would build.
This kit on a Rocket…

and I put this front end on it so I could a nice square tire on the front!

Ok so if your still stuck on Honda I'd go this route…for a Wing this one really speaks to me!

but if you want to stay conventional I'd go with this one…

the only Harley I would consider would be this one…

For me though no matter what trike platform or kit I used it would have a leading link front end on it. I just don't like the look of that skinny little motorcycle tire on the front. I want some nice wide sticky rubber up front!

 

[Livin2Ride]

You should have been cautioned. This gentleman asked for opinions and everyone on this thread offered one, so don't call us ignorant just because you don't agree. Comments like yours detract from the spirit of this website.

As do yours!

 

[orange winger2]

I like my Harley Roadsmith Trike it keeps me warm when it starts to get cool up here. I probably would not like the heat it gives off if I lived somewhere down south but I think this may be a fixable issue. As for price, my new Harley Trike cost more than a new Goldwing Trike. So if someone says that a Harley Trike costs less that may not be true. Look around, ride a few, then pick what you like, and if you ride with a passenger make sure they like it too.

Test road The new Harley trike in Sturgis this year. I'm not understanding (keeps me warm statement)? The ride weather was cool with rain sprinkles. Maybe there is aftermarket wings or some way to get the wind from coming around the fairing and on the rider. I'm not poo pooing the ride nice trike. Really liked the seat, nice pickup and go. But like riding in a wing tunnel, rain came over wind screen and blasted my head 95mph on freeway. Even at slower speeds I could feel the wind on lower body and hands. The wing with full set of baker wings has much less flying across the body. And why can't Harley put both turn signals in one button?:Shrug:

 

[lboos]

Just in the looking stage, but my wife and I are interested in purchasing a trike in next few months. Where we live, most rider's own Harley's, but for looks, we like the Honda the best. It looks like the Honda is longer which we think will make the ride smoother. :Shrug:Which bike do you believe is better? We are retired and will be using the trike to travel around the country. Thanks for any imput.

Hi traveler287,
I can solve your problem right now :wave4:, Buy the Harley, of course ThumbUp.
If you buy one of those bikes with a funny name you will be kicking yourself in the butt in two mo's. esp. the 1st time a Harley T/G passes you on the hi-way and you hear that great deep sound that only a Harley can make.
all the others sound like large elect. motors to me . and that is no way for a motor cycle to sound :Shrug:.

Just kidding :qpnmt:, They are all great bikes, and it sounds like you and your wife have already decided on the Honda [we like the Honda the best] then the Honda is the one you should pick, BUT!, test drive them both, the decision will be easy ThumbUp.

 

[msocko3]

Test road The new Harley trike in Sturgis this year. I'm not understanding (keeps me warm statement)? The ride weather was cool with rain sprinkles. Maybe there is aftermarket wings or some way to get the wind from coming around the fairing and on the rider. I'm not poo pooing the ride nice trike. Really liked the seat, nice pickup and go. But like riding in a wing tunnel, rain came over wind screen and blasted my head 95mph on freeway. Even at slower speeds I could feel the wind on lower body and hands. The wing with full set of baker wings has much less flying across the body. And why can't Harley put both turn signals in one button?:Shrug:

The wind is one of the 1st things my wife noticed when I took her for a ride on a Wing. I had her on the freeway running 80 mph and she could still hear the radio loud and clear. On the Triglide I had there was no hearing the radio for her at 80 mph, way too much wind blasting her.