2014 TriGlide Handeling

[consitter]

zbear "I was trailing a couple friends on their bikes a couple weeks ago through some twistees. Hitting one corner about 85, I didn't realize how flat it was. I just slid over and throttled it through the corner."

I can't imagine running 85 MPH into a corner if riding in an area of "twisties" on a trike or bike. You must have a great talent for riding bikes and trikes, not to mention a big set of Balls!

The only place I could imagine myself ever running 85 on my trike into a curve would be on a nice wide interstate with long curves just to get around some trucks or something.

I admire your talent and bravery.

PS. Don't miss any life insurance payments!

I have a hard time imagining doing 85 when I’m on the interstate!!

[MDF48]

I have a hard time imagining doing 85 when I’m on the interstate!!

I agree totally. I am too old and to "experienced" for 85 MPH stuff anymore unless absolutely necessary! I usually try too run 70-75 on the interstate. However, if trucks and other traffic is riding my butt I will slow down to 65 and let them all go by, then speed up to 75 again and wait for the next bunch of fast folks too come up behind me and do it all over again.

[rhino 2]

I have a hard time imagining doing 85 when I’m on the interstate!!

Two hunting seasons ago the DEC Paid us a visit....And they wanted to check out the gut pile of a 10PT Buck one member shot way on the other side of our property ...[looking for corn in the pile, there was none] And to get the ''A''Holes off our property as fast as i could....I said follow me in my Rhino and i'll take you there through the paved road..3 miles +...So i had the Rhino floored, And i went around a sharp curve that i normally won't go over 35MPH.....And looking at my speedometer it said 65+

When i got got back to the clubhouse, I realized that i had lent the Rhino out earlier and my Buddy had the speedometer set to KM....And not MPH...And here i thought the Rhino was acting like an Animal to show off to the ''A''Holes behind me......

[DK Custom Products]

Hello...I only have about 100 miles on a 'new to me' 2014 Tri Glide. I did the DK comfort lift..still have stock air shocks.

Going around right hand curves is a piece of cake...Left hand curves bother me a lot...right side seem to squat and I'm scared of lifting the left tire...Is this 'normal' for a left hand curve to feel this way?. The Tri GLide is like new condition with only 5,000 miles. I'm not a speedster at all...at almost 70 years old, speed limit , plus 5mph if pushed, is fine with me. Going to Americade again this summer. We take RT 22 most of the way from MA. to #149...to 9. Am I going to be holding up traffic as I worry my way through left hand curves? I'd appreciate any advice/info...Thank you, Charlie

It should handle left turns exactly how it does right turns. The variable is probably you. If the trike truly does handle differently in left than right turns, something is awry with the trike and it needs to be fixed. (possibly alignment?)

Go to a big empty parking lot and do some S turns, same radius left and right and see if it is really the trike handling differently, or if it is the (usually) wider left turns and right turns that have you feeling differently.

OH, and make sure that both rear tires have the same PSI in them. I recommend 22 psi. It is much more stable and comfortable at that psi than at 26.

Here is a '14 Tri Glide in left and right turns, going at a good clip-



Kevin

[consitter]

It should handle left turns exactly how it does right turns. The variable is probably you. If the trike truly does handle differently in left than right turns, something is awry with the trike and it needs to be fixed. (possibly alignment?)

Go to a big empty parking lot and do some S turns, same radius left and right and see if it is really the trike handling differently, or if it is the (usually) wider left turns and right turns that have you feeling differently.

OH, and make sure that both rear tires have the same PSI in them. I recommend 22 psi. It is much more stable and comfortable at that psi than at 26.

Here is a '14 Tri Glide in left and right turns, going at a good clip-



Kevin

Honestly, I think it may be a psychological thing, because I too have had that ‘butthole puckered’ feeling when doing left turns in twistys. I think it may be about the thought of drifting into the oncoming lane that is the holdback. Going around to the right, your only danger is going over a 1000 ft cliff. Even on a 4 lane highway, if I’m riding in the left lane, I sometimes get that sensation when turning a fairly sharp curve to the right, because of that back of the head fear of drifting into the other lane.

I reckon it’s the thought of over-correcting that might be the culprit. And yes, that would fall back to the individual rider.

[rhino 2]

It should handle left turns exactly how it does right turns. The variable is probably you. If the trike truly does handle differently in left than right turns, something is awry with the trike and it needs to be fixed. (possibly alignment?)

Go to a big empty parking lot and do some S turns, same radius left and right and see if it is really the trike handling differently, or if it is the (usually) wider left turns and right turns that have you feeling differently.

OH, and make sure that both rear tires have the same PSI in them. I recommend 22 psi. It is much more stable and comfortable at that psi than at 26.

Here is a '14 Tri Glide in left and right turns, going at a good clip-



Kevin

I dropped my two wheeler banking left [Cb750]...Back in the early 70's and smashed my left elbow, And to this day every time i lean hard Left i tense up.......

[Firewrench22]

I can't believe nobody else has said this: Take a trike & sidecar class!

They will have you do stuff you wouldn't normally try. Like lifting the inside wheel in a turn. Actually, it was going around in circles around a cone. You will learn a lot, the pucker factor will be greatly reduced, and in my case, I got a 5% discount on my insurance.

[consitter]

I can't believe nobody else has said this: Take a trike & sidecar class!

They will have you do stuff you wouldn't normally try. Like lifting the inside wheel in a turn. Actually, it was going around in circles around a cone. You will learn a lot, the pucker factor will be greatly reduced, and in my case, I got a 5% discount on my insurance.

If somebody around here offered a class, I’d take it in a heartbeat!

[Firewrench22]

Bummer that you don't have a class available locally. When I brought my Tri home, yeah the first few turns were a little pucker-y. I had 3-wheeler ATV's back in the '80's, so I was fairly comfortable on the Tri, but you can't kick the ass end out on the turns like you can in the dirt. After going thru the class, I was feeling a lot better. They had a couple loaner bikes, one was a Ural with sidecar. It was fun flying the sidecar around the circle. With the ATV's we got so we could ride on 2 wheels a long ways, the big fat tires made it easy. Ain't trying that on the Tri...

[ShapeShifter]

Bummer that you don't have a class available locally. When I brought my Tri home, yeah the first few turns were a little pucker-y. I had 3-wheeler ATV's back in the '80's, so I was fairly comfortable on the Tri, but you can't kick the ass end out on the turns like you can in the dirt. After going thru the class, I was feeling a lot better. They had a couple loaner bikes, one was a Ural with sidecar. It was fun flying the sidecar around the circle. With the ATV's we got so we could ride on 2 wheels a long ways, the big fat tires made it easy. Ain't trying that on the Tri...

I took the Three Wheel Riders Course last summer, it was sponsored by Can-Am. Just went to their site, then choose my state and select a location closest to me. What was nice was for registering with Can-Am they gave a hefty discount. Two day course only cost me $75.00.

We has a session on leaning (always heard ya didn't lean on a trike).... we road a oval course right to left, then left to right, four laps ever increasing speed and we had to lean aggressively to our left and right. What a hoot! Completely surprised me, but it works. That's not how I ride day to day, but nice to know there's a technique I can use if the situation calls for that. I certainly got my monies worth and then some.

[Douglas44]

It should handle left turns exactly how it does right turns. The variable is probably you. If the trike truly does handle differently in left than right turns, something is awry with the trike and it needs to be fixed. (possibly alignment?)

Go to a big empty parking lot and do some S turns, same radius left and right and see if it is really the trike handling differently, or if it is the (usually) wider left turns and right turns that have you feeling differently.

OH, and make sure that both rear tires have the same PSI in them. I recommend 22 psi. It is much more stable and comfortable at that psi than at 26.

Here is a '14 Tri Glide in left and right turns, going at a good clip-



Kevin

I was told by a motorcycle instructor that this turning problem comes up a lot in his training classes. He and some other instructors think it may have something to do with being right or left handed . He couldn't give me any actual science based data, but said that he has seen it enough to get a feel for it from his students.

In racing school they talk a lot about looking through the turn as far as you can , never look down . Another thing they teach are ways to avoid "Target Fixation" Meaning looking at an objector not looking far enough through a turn. The only thing you can do is practice, go slowly and think about where you want to go . Then add speed as your comfort level improves. Please remember , "the public road is not a race track" .

I personally took some sort of refresher training every two or three years , and believe firmly that it saved my bacon .

One of the best classes I took was "Ride Like a Pro" . Taught by a former motor officer .

Good luck and keep practicing.

[Cagmo]

If somebody around here offered a class, I’d take it in a heartbeat!

Absolutely. The State of Illinois has a good program of free rider courses throughout the state. I have taken the experienced classes every three years when I was on two wheels and always came away a little smarter. Plus the insurance break was nice, too. That said, Illinois no longer offers trike/ three-wheeler classes because they can't get even 5 people to sign up for the course. I guess all of us graybeards are just too knowledgeable. Old dogs and new tricks. Cagmo.

[Douglas44]

Absolutely. The State of Illinois has a good program of free rider courses throughout the state. I have taken the experienced classes every three years when I was on two wheels and always came away a little smarter. Plus the insurance break was nice, too. That said, Illinois no longer offers trike/ three-wheeler classes because they can't get even 5 people to sign up for the course. I guess all of us graybeards are just too knowledgeable. Old dogs and new tricks. Cagmo.

Here's a possibility; When I wanted to take the Ride Like a Pro course , I got several of the guy's I rode with to commit, contacted the guy who runs the program to register all of us , got a slight discount . The class we took was in Fl. led by Jerry Palidino , the originator . Good class, I also found out he was setting up franchise owners . You might contact him and see if anything is available in your area.

Another tip; our local city ( Winston Salem) has a motor unit, they put on a one day seminar then a ride to evaluate the students. Pretty cool , 10-12 riders all escorted on a "Brisk paced" by them . Got lot's of stares , and looks by the public. All in all a fun day with local motor officers.

[Nbaque1]

I find that in right hand curves if I push steering with left arm and vice versa it helps me with staying seated then pulling with right hand on right hand curves and vice versa.

[paws]

Hey Nick! Welcome to TrikeTalk from west Texas!

I have ridden the Cloudcroft and Ruidoso area for many years...always a pleasure.

Post often and ride a lot!

[consitter]

I find that in right hand curves if I push steering with left arm and vice versa it helps me with staying seated then pulling with right hand on right hand curves and vice versa.

Yep. You can use centrifugal force to your advantage. Use less of your strength that way.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

On my first trike ... i caught myself "looking" at the front end rather than where the trike needs to go ... I figured out that after so many years on two wheels ... it really freaked me out to "see" the front end turn ... I was hypnotized by it. Once I realized that and looked through the turns, I quickly got used to the trike. I even cut corners like I did on two .. LOL ... Paws ... shhhhhhh

[ShapeShifter]

Charlie, If you're interested in taking a Three Wheel Riders Course, it's available at a course near you in Westfield, MA. You would need to register with Can-Am, then sign up for the available date that's best for you. Some location and course dates are in the snapshots below. Hope you're enjoying the Tri Glide!

[Charlie2014]

I did go to a parking lot to see how Trike handled in all kinds of turns etc. The Trike felt the same with right or left hand curves. Since posting my original 'left hand sweepers' bothering me, we put another 100 miles on our Tri Glide. All total, we have 200 miles and, yesterday's ride went a long way to getting faith/comfort on the Trike. It dawned on me ( don't know why it didn't before), that it's the Crown of our roads..on Left hand sweepers, the right side on the trike is on the low side of the road, plus centrifugal force and made me feel uncomfortable. In short, tips and suggestions by members of this forum made our ride much more comfortable and went a long way to start loving the trike. The pluses of the trike vastly outweigh the few things I miss. I still have my 01 Ultra and the idea was to keep both Ultra and Trike...decide which is going to be sold. I'll probably give our Ultra to my daughter/son in law just as I did with our 83 Roadster.

I will experiment with tire pressure ( it's now 22) and, air shock pressure until I can save enough to buy and install better shocks. At almost 70 with medical problems, the Trike is keeping us in the wind..We had a ball yesterday.

Thanks to ALL!!