Making The Switch - Bike to Trike - Great Info!

[Salty]

Getting reay to start riding my Victory CSC trike It will be fun, interesting and a learning experience . Especially since I will be still riding my Victory 2 wheeler also.

Thx for all the tips!

[dheaton]

I just have two wheels right now but am thinking about going to three. The things I would like to know is now that you have 3 wheels do you go on dirt roads? I would like to.
There are many different trike options to consider and the first one is what kind of trike do I want. I would like a GL1800 but not sure of what conversion is best. I know everyone has there own opinions but I would like to hear them.
Next would be what must have's do you have on your trike and why is it important? Things like easy steer etc.
Any info would be helpful. I have been looking for about 2 years now but have never even had the chance to ride one. Looking forward to it one day.

[Ken45]

I would not take my trike (Goldwing) on rough dirt roads. It doesn't have a lot of ground clearance and isn't built as a rough road machine. I definitely would not take it on "jeep roads", LOL. At least not IMO. We do, however, go on decent gravel roads without a second thought.

As for "which conversion?", well not many people have experience on all the designs. CSC was all our local dealer had so that's the way we went and we were happy with it.

[scribe5]

Thanks to everyone for all the great advice. I am close to pulling the trigger on a sweet 2005 Goldwing with Champion conversion and 11,330 miles. I have test driven a few trikes in in my search and was having second thoughts when my 45-years of two wheel experience seemed to work against me on three wheels. If I buy the trike, I'm still going to have the guy ride it over to my house rather than temp fate by riding it on back-country roads, city streets and the Interstate. And I will practice, practice and practice before I put my wife on the back. Momma didn't raise a fool.

[bikerbillone]

Won't take you long to really get the fever. Riding it just sort of comes naturally.

[patriot]

Thanks to everyone for all the great advice. I am close to pulling the trigger on a sweet 2005 Goldwing with Champion conversion and 11,330 miles. I have test driven a few trikes in in my search and was having second thoughts when my 45-years of two wheel experience seemed to work against me on three wheels. If I buy the trike, I'm still going to have the guy ride it over to my house rather than temp fate by riding it on back-country roads, city streets and the Interstate. And I will practice, practice and practice before I put my wife on the back. Momma didn't raise a fool.

Just remember, it doesn't lean, you steer it like a car, and be carefully at the gas pump. Many have taken fenders off with those concrete-filled poles. Enjoy!

[hank43]

One last thing:on the Champions with the retrograde rear fenders, (Like kawasaki, Harley, etc) when you back into a parking spot, those fenders MAY be a little lower than the rest of the bike, and can get scraped up on the raised concrete bump curb. Don't ask how I know, but it may help to place two little strips of door edging from your local auto supply house over the bottom of the fenders, rather scrape those than a $9,000.00 fiberglass body.

hank

[YgWiz]

1st Tri-Glide Feb 2013. Love it, ride every chance I get. Took my 1st road trip in Mar. (Maryland to Florida and back 2900.miles). What a thrill.

[STG246]

Bought my first trike a 2012 Harley Triglide in October of 2012 after a near fatal accident in August 2012 (ate the back end of a Nissan Sentra at 85mph on a Harley Nighttrain) the doctors had doubts I'd ever be able to support the weight of a bike again, and I had long wanted to try a trike, so I jumped at it when I was still in a wheelchair and found a smoking deal on a 2012 leftover. Glad I did even though I could ride a bike again, I love it! At 37 I might be the youngest here LOL...Only advice I can add after 1500 miles is to adjust everything so its comfortable!

Ryan

[skuuter]

Bought my first trike a 2012 Harley Triglide in October of 2012 after a near fatal accident in August 2012 (ate the back end of a Nissan Sentra at 85mph on a Harley Nighttrain) the doctors had doubts I'd ever be able to support the weight of a bike again, and I had long wanted to try a trike, so I jumped at it when I was still in a wheelchair and found a smoking deal on a 2012 leftover. Glad I did even though I could ride a bike again, I love it! At 37 I might be the youngest here LOL...Only advice I can add after 1500 miles is to adjust everything so its comfortable!

Ryan

"WHEW".....85 MPH into a Sentra....not a good prospect.....

[STG246]

"WHEW".....85 MPH into a Sentra....not a good prospect.....

Yeah it really wasn't fun, 85mph is best guess, the speed limit where we were is 70, but where it was early and little to no traffic, we were cruising around 75-80, it was a group of us in the middle of nowhere in Illinois early on a Saturday morning heading to Sturgis, as we came over a slight rise in the highway, this little red Nissan stopped in front of us, half in the fast lane, half in the left breakdown lane, I'm told I swerved hard to the right trying to avoid her, accelerating hard (maybe trying not to low side the bike?) as I was about 8 feet from her car she backed up to the right in order to take the cross-over through the median, she had missed her exit and was trying to turn around..My left foot/leg was the first thing that hit, followed by the left front fork leg hitting her right rear tire, snapping the fork leg above the axle, catapulting me and the bike end over end...End result, was leg and foot broken in 7 places including my femur coming out my inner thigh and my heel pad was severed...

Ryan

[skuuter]

Yeah it really wasn't fun, 85mph is best guess, the speed limit where we were is 70, but where it was early and little to no traffic, we were cruising around 75-80, it was a group of us in the middle of nowhere in Illinois early on a Saturday morning heading to Sturgis, as we came over a slight rise in the highway, this little red Nissan stopped in front of us, half in the fast lane, half in the left breakdown lane, I'm told I swerved hard to the right trying to avoid her, accelerating hard (maybe trying not to low side the bike?) as I was about 8 feet from her car she backed up to the right in order to take the cross-over through the median, she had missed her exit and was trying to turn around..My left foot/leg was the first thing that hit, followed by the left front fork leg hitting her right rear tire, snapping the fork leg above the axle, catapulting me and the bike end over end...End result, was leg and foot broken in 7 places including my femur coming out my inner thigh and my heel pad was severed...

Ryan

OOoooooh, severe injuries.....glad You're still with us and able to find TRIKE TALK.....

[brianl]

Note to YELLOW TRIKE
Stop using REV to hold the trike. Not sure with the 1800 but with the 1500 you are now using a small gear attached to the starter to hold a 1200lb trike . If it snaps you loose rev and the motor has to be removed and cases split to get the gear out.

Do you shut it off in 1st gear?

[bikerbillone]

Quote:
Originally Posted by John Luciano View Post
Note to YELLOW TRIKE
Stop using REV to hold the trike. Not sure with the 1800 but with the 1500 you are now using a small gear attached to the starter to hold a 1200lb trike . If it snaps you loose rev and the motor has to be removed and cases split to get the gear out.

Good advice, John.

[Rainey]

I'm a newbie on the trike. I am getting a feel for the corners but still not quite there yet. Can you tell me what the difference in cornering riding solo vs. riding a passenger? Do you need to corner a little more slowly with a passenger (and I mean in the twisties or sweeping curves)? Thanks in advance for your replies.

[scribe5]

I'm a newbie on the trike. I am getting a feel for the corners but still not quite there yet. Can you tell me what the difference in cornering riding solo vs. riding a passenger? Do you need to corner a little more slowly with a passenger (and I mean in the twisties or sweeping curves)? Thanks in advance for your replies.

As a newbie also, I've been riding for about a month or so and with a few hundred miles under my belt. I live in East Tennessee so twisties and sweepers are about all I have. I have a 2005 Champion solid axel trike and find there is little to no difference with or without my wife on the back. Wanting to ride with my better half was the main/sole reason for buying a trike. I find I can take the twisties about as fast as I can on my VTX 1800. The Mrs. doesn't mind the speed and she has adapted to the centrifugal force. It's been better than all good so far. Enjoy the ride.

[tsglaser]

Awesome Advice! Thank you.

[tsglaser]

Thank you for the information. I am learning to ride a trike and did not think of the high part in the middle of the road. Thank you for making riding easier for me and providing confidence by giving me knowledge!

[tsglaser]

That is Great information about trikes being in the back. I am not ready to ride in a group yet but when I do, I will make sure I am in the back. Thank you.

[jmk865]

Wow; being really new to trikes; this page has answered a LOT of questions. Just acquired a Vulcan 1500 with a tow-pac already on it and have been riding in parking lots and on severely crowned tar and chip side streets, with a few two lane rural highways to try and learn triking techniques and un-learn the two wheeled ways. This forum has and will continue to be, a great source of information as I go thru the learning process and beyond. Thanks to everyone.