1000 miles impressions on 14 Triglide

[Alan Oakley]

I suppose the debate will be endless on the merits of an Independent Rear Suspension vs. a Solid Axle. I sold my 14 Limited because of my age and the need for three wheels. Like most of us, I researched to the point of even greater indecision. I finally decided that I wanted the Harley warranty and I wanted the 14 Triglide....it was important to me but I understand how that might not be important to everyone.

After the first 1,000 miles I can say that there have been zero issues mechanically, no puking coolant or any other issues. I am getting 30-32 MPG riding solo. The infotainment system is working as advertised with no issues. My mechanic told me the seat on the 14 Triglide is different than the seat on the 14 Ultra. The Triglide seat seems slightly softer and fits me well. (6' -220) I am reaching forward just a little more than on my Limited to reach the bars so I have ordered the 2" pullbacks from my dealer to be installed in the next week or two. I left the stock exhaust. I added the Amp (what a difference!), CB and XM - all works great.

I will say that if you are considering the new Trigllide please don't expect it to ride as smoothly as an IRS....I had an 09 Wing with the Motor Trike IRS and it was silky smooth but the Wing and I just didn't fit well. I could have gone with another Motor Trike kit on my 14 Limited but I just wasn't willing to take a chance on the warranty.

I live in Texas in a Rural area and our roads are usually the last to get maintenance....I will say that I am not at all comfortable riding aggressively on these roads as the Trike is not real forgiving on rough surfaces. Most of the time, however, the ride is very comfortable and enjoyable and, as is often the case, when going from two to three wheels, the more I ride the less I am concerned about the solid axel. I run 36 in the front tire, 30 in the shocks, and 26 in the rear tires. I also added the DK Custom comfort lift kit that my dealer installed.

Think of it as the difference in the ride of a luxury car or a stiff suspension sports car. They both have their merits. Bottom line, If I had an older Harley I wouldn't hesitate to go with IRS.....I really am however enjoying the Triglide, solid axle and all, with the added peace of mind of the Harley warranty. Just my 2 cents. Ride safely

[msocko3]

My mechanic told me the seat on the 14 Triglide is different than the seat on the 14 Ultra.

Nice write up, your mechanic might want to research his parts before he makes a statement. The seat on the Triglide PN 52000033 is a made in mexico seat shared by both the Ultra Classic and Ultra Limited.

[irmagoo]

nice write up Alan,,
good look'n trike!!
magoo

[azbob09]

Yes, good write up/report. Glad your enjoying your new TG & keep us all informed as you get more miles on it.

[chiefbuc]

Hi Alan, my wife and I have rode our 2014 Tri Glide now 750 miles. The only thing I don't like is the excessive heat on my wife's right leg. The water cooled stuff on the new TG didn't help in that area. I am looking forward to the 1000 mile mark so I can change all the fluids especially the engine oil. I am finding it hard to get used to the new braking system but works well. It's hard for me not to grab that front brake. I will probably replace the entire exhaust this winter removing the cat and dyno the thing with the new tuner. On my 2010 TG this really helped the heat problems.

Have a fun summer riding.

[John Luciano]

Alan . Drop the rear tire pressure down to 22lb
if riding one up with your weight I would even go to 20lb!

[rap47]

Ya, if you are riding single, 10lbs in the shocks works great for me. If riding two up, 28lbs is the sweet spot for us.

[Sloufoot]

Alan . Drop the rear tire pressure down to 22lb
if riding one up with your weight I would even go to 20lb!

If you get too low on pressure in those rear tires, Remember, they aren't glued on those wheels ! If you end up getting into an emergency situation you might loose a rear tire. Or hard cornering might cause the tire to come loose also. You can't bet that none of those things might come up while riding. Just this morning I ended up locking all three wheels up from trusting a cage to do the proper thing.
Not to mention the poor tread wear at those low pressures !
24# is as low as I would go. And yes just a few pounds could save you a lot of grief !

[tgboy]

I now have 1300 on my triglide. I have not messed with the air in the tires or shocks. Still as set up by the dealer. I wanted to wait till I got the lift from tglide stuff to adjust things. This is my first trike never rode one before the test drive. while it handles much better than I figured it would, it is a little like riding a buckboard. I live in rural eastern Washington and can relate to the road maintenance (or lack of) that you mentioned in rural Texas. The trike rides much better when my wife is with me. This will be a fairly rare occurrence as she bought a 14 softail at the same time. The only issue I've had is the radio not working for a while after I backed out of the garage. After it sat for about 1/2 hour it worked fine and has since. I have the lift kit now and will be putting it on soon then I can dial in the air pressures. Hopefully it will smooth out the ride for me. I put the 3m clear stick on stuff on the top of the lowers so I can put my leg up there. Have arthritis in my hip and having my leg up and as straight forward as i can helps immensely. The highway pegs help as well just not as much. As for the trike I love it! It is averaging 31.5 mpg and it is getting better as I get more miles on. The info I have found here on the site has been very helpful and I thank all of you.

[rap47]

tgboy....The reason your trike rides better with your wife is because of the air press in the shocks. You might want to check the shock press and lower it for when you ride by yourself. BIG difference!! Remember, when you lower the air the shocks, always pump them up about five pounds first. Then lower the pressure to your liking.

[waynerid1]

Hi Alan, my wife and I have rode our 2014 Tri Glide now 750 miles. The only thing I don't like is the excessive heat on my wife's right leg. The water cooled stuff on the new TG didn't help in that area. I am looking forward to the 1000 mile mark so I can change all the fluids especially the engine oil. I am finding it hard to get used to the new braking system but works well. It's hard for me not to grab that front brake. I will probably replace the entire exhaust this winter removing the cat and dyno the thing with the new tuner. On my 2010 TG this really helped the heat problems.

Have a fun summer riding.

you well find changing that exhaust well make a lot of difference for i have a 2010 tri glide and it made a lot of difference and i don't have water cool system although kinda wish i did cause living here in Arizona gets mighty hot in the summer

[GARYD]

I just brought my '14 TG in for the 1K service. I pretty much agree with the above comments. I do think the exhaust is a bit too loud for me - nice rumble, just too loud. I can't imagine anyone wanting to make it louder.
Only difference is my ITS (I gave up calling it the Infotainment System - too long for me so I shortened it to ITS).
On a trip to Indiana Saturday the ITS went out on me. The display stayed on - I couldn't turn it off or on - none of the buttons worked and no music or GPS - NOTHING. Dealer thinks it needs the current update. I hope so because I'm going to Rolling Thunder in a couple weeks. Thankfully I kept my Zumo 660. Hooked it up to the TG and it worked flawlessly.
I have the Road Zepplin seat and wouldn't leave home without it.
They gave me a '14 Street Guide as a loaner. What a difference going back to 2 wheels - for one thing the SG is awfully hot compaired to the TG. I guess the water cooling really works. Loved leaning into the curves again.

Alan, you said you have the amp and the CB???? You are the 3rd one to say that. I tried to get the amp and CB installed on my TG, but the dealer said the amp won't for if the CB is installed. Could you post the dealers name and person to contact so my dealer can contact them and see how they did it? I already gave them the other 2 dealers names. I did get the updated speakers at least, but I really want the amp too.

[JJTRIKER]

Well guys I now have 1300 on mine and went with the road zeppelin seat wow what a nice ride. I removed the cat last week and added the race tuner with a standard down load. I have to say this trike kicks butt im up to 33mpg I really don't see me going to any other pipes or anything else except a k&n filter and that's probably it.

I get second gear scratch as it is what else could I ask for. After trading in Big Bird I was skeptical but not anymore. I just wish I had more time to ride.

[woody]

Alan you stated you had the new handle bars, when you have them installed let us know what has to be changed.

[riden2low]

I too am curious of the amp and cb together

[HDB0B]

We have over 2K on our 2014 (5 weeks) and lately I have been getting 38-40 mpg putting around the hills of Eastern PA riding dual with the wife. We are visiting select Harley dealers to get our 17 Dealer stamps for free stuff at York Open house in September. Dealers also give us $10 off shirts with their name on the back. We are getting a nice collection. EVERY Dealer is different in what they have on hand in clothes / parts / bikes / etc. We are having fun on Roxy!!

Bob