Freewheeler And Two Up Rideing

[Bill G]

I have read several post on forums where folks have suggested or said the Freewheeler is not good for two up riding. They have said it's only a sporty bar hopper. Ya one could say that in one respect and be rite in the fact it's sporty. The Trike is more than that and I would say those people are very mis-informed, not experienced or just repeating something they heard.

Well that would be like saying the Harley Road King would not be good for two up riding or any type of touring around two up. The Freewheeler is basically a sporty Road King Trike. With that said the Freewheeler is a very good two up rider and the wife finds it every bit as comfy as our Road King was riding two up.

So I call Bull when folks make the statement that the Freewheeler not a decent two up rider.

Also as more seat options become available for the Freewheeler two up riding will even improve for couples more.

Ride Safe,
Bill G

[missedem]

Been looking out for aftermarket seats for some time now. Seems everyone is in the development stage. if you hear of anything from mustang, corbin etc. please post . I will do the same. I agree the freewheeler is a great trike. A bit less storage space than the tri-glide but with a rack on the back it has plenty for me. Nice ride . Thanks for posting here. I enjoy reading your posts. After about a 300 mile learning curve I am having a blast.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

I don't think they are saying the free is not for two up ... like you said ... comparable to the road king ... I think when comparing to the Tri, it's like comparing the Ultra to the Road King ... I haven't ridden a free two up ... heck ... I've only gone about 20 miles two up on my Tri ... but I did ride a free ... very comperable to a Road King. Yes both "Touring" ... but worlds apart.

Like everything else in this world ... each to his own ... I have a buddy who rides to Sturges every year, straight through on his Sporty with his wife on the back and camping gear on the sissy bar ... they love it .. I'd die ... LOL.

[screwball]

I recall saying that given the choice I'd rather ride 2 up on a Tri-Glide. Seat is wider, communication plug provided, higher backrest, and generally a more comfortable ride. We have both a Tri and Free. the Tri is much more comfortable. There is by far more storage in the Tri for 2 people

Maybe down the road when other vendors create 'stuff' for the Free it may be more comfortable for the passenger. It is all personal taste. Neighbor rides his wife around on the back of a Sportie. No sissy bar, he says it ruins the lines of the bike. Wife doesn't seem to care, but she is holding on for dear life. My #2 son rode his wife around on a pillion pad suction cupped to his rear fender. She sure looked bad ass back there, but after a ride to Laughlin she walked funny for a day or two, and rode home on the back of wife's Tri

[FuzzyWuzHe]

She sure looked bad ass back there, but after a ride to Laughlin she walked funny for a day or two, and rode home on the back of wife's Tri

Now that's funny right there.

[Bill G]

I recall saying that given the choice I'd rather ride 2 up on a Tri-Glide. Seat is wider, communication plug provided, higher backrest, and generally a more comfortable ride. We have both a Tri and Free. the Tri is much more comfortable. There is by far more storage in the Tri for 2 people Maybe down the road when other vendors create 'stuff' for the Free it may be more comfortable for the passenger. It is all personal taste. Neighbor rides his wife around on the back of a Sportie. No sissy bar, he says it ruins the lines of the bike. Wife doesn't seem to care, but she is holding on for dear life. My #2 son rode his wife around on a pillion pad suction cupped to his rear fender. She sure looked bad ass back there, but after a ride to Laughlin she walked funny for a day or two, and rode home on the back of wife's Tri

I would agree with you on a whole. The big differences being the amenities, more storage and a more plush wider seat and backrest area on the Tri Glide Ultra like you mentioned.

The trikes both the Ultra and the Freewheeler are the same in suspension design other than the narrower axle and differences in the wheel base on the Freewheeler. Now of course these differences will affect the handeling characteristics between the two trikes. But the rear shock suspension configuration is the same between the two.

Concerning the two wheeled touring model Harley's.

All the Harley touring bikes have the same frame, suspension and shocks. The only model that is different is the Street Glide and on this model the shocks are 3/4" shorter. Therefore it tends to ride a little more harsh over bumps because of this. So in theory the Ultra and the two wheeled Road King as well as the older Electra Glide models should ride about the same as they have the same suspension, shocks and frame.

Ride Safe,
Bill G

[Keystone]

Luggage wise on a trip the FLRT would be a bit tight for two. But other than that the wife and I both fit just as well as we did on the TG.

[Bill G]

Luggage wise on a trip the FLRT would be a bit tight for two. But other than that the wife and I both fit just as well as we did on the TG.

Agreed....

For our style of riding long day trips or over night the Freewheeler is just fine. Again very much like the Road King. We don't need or want the Tri Glide for our style of riding and prefer the lighter sleeker style of the Freewheeler.

Also the wife is plenty comfy on it.... If she was not I would hear about it and have to make changes....Trust me on this one..

Ride Safe All,
Bill G

[dirtdobber]

The biggest problem we are experiencing is leg room for the wife.
It is more designed with shorter folks in mind. Look at the grips on it they are at least 1.5 inches shorter. my pinky was hanging off the grip wit em.
The less room between the passenger seat and fb is our problem. I'm working on that. My wife is 5'10" with long legs.
The suspension is a little rough compared to most trikes that you can tour on, progressive is working on that and should have something in June.
I want to go to 14 inch shock to raise it a inch and have more travel for comfort.
Touring wit it should not be a problem. Like all new bikes that hit the market it takes a few to get the after market ready for it.
There is a bunch coming, wait and see.
it is a cool looking trike with plenty of comfort. Storage, with the trunk and my bag that is as big as a tourpak will do just fine for us. We are taking our first long trip on ours in August, that will give me enough time to do what I need to do. Oh, we have already done a few 300-400 mile weekend trips with no problem.

[Bill G]

The biggest problem we are experiencing is leg room for the wife. It is more designed with shorter folks in mind. Look at the grips on it they are at least 1.5 inches shorter. my pinky was hanging off the grip wit em. The less room between the passenger seat and fb is our problem. I'm working on that. My wife is 5'10" with long legs. The suspension is a little rough compared to most trikes that you can tour on, progressive is working on that and should have something in June. I want to go to 14 inch shock to raise it a inch and have more travel for comfort. Touring wit it should not be a problem. Like all new bikes that hit the market it takes a few to get the after market ready for it. There is a bunch coming, wait and see. it is a cool looking trike with plenty of comfort. Storage, with the trunk and my bag that is as big as a tourpak will do just fine for us. We are taking our first long trip on ours in August, that will give me enough time to do what I need to do. Oh, we have already done a few 300-400 mile weekend trips with no problem.

The rear factory floorboards can be lowered and are adjustable up and down. The grips are a standard size same as other Harley factory grips not sure about the 1.5" shorter you mentioned.

Agree the after market company's will catch up and some nice things will be available for the Freewheeler.

Ride Safe,
Bill G

[Bill G]

I would agree with you on a whole. The big differences being the amenities, more storage and a more plush wider seat and backrest area on the Tri Glide Ultra like you mentioned.

The trikes both the Ultra and the Freewheeler are the same in suspension design other than the narrower axle and differences in the wheel base on the Freewheeler. Now of course these differences will affect the handeling characteristics between the two trikes. But the rear shock suspension configuration is the same between the two.

Concerning the two wheeled touring model Harley's.

All the Harley touring bikes have the same frame, suspension and shocks. The only model that is different is the Street Glide and on this model the shocks are 3/4" shorter. Therefore it tends to ride a little more harsh over bumps because of this. So in theory the Ultra and the two wheeled Road King as well as the older Electra Glide models should ride about the same as they have the same suspension, shocks and frame.

Ride Safe,
Bill G

I am correcting myself here..

I put the wrong info in the post above on one thing. The thread had timed out for making corrections. So I posted again to make the correction clear.

There are some differences in the Tri Glide and the Freewheeler Trikes length (105"verses 103") Correction= The axles are not narrower as I stated above. (My mistake I thought the Freewheeler was a little narrower in width, it's the body that's shorter in length not the width) According to the specs on Harley's web page the Freewheeler is 66" wide and the Tri Glide is 65.7" pretty much the same width.

According to my Harley Trike specific service manuel the hole rear suspension and drive train between the two models looks to be the same. There is no differentiation between the two models shown.

Ride Safe All,
Bill G

[Springman2007]

For the most part, I agree with Bill. I do think because of the nature of handling, a trike wants to sling the rider and passenger side to side more than a standard bike - nature of the "beast" so-to-speak....

But, the FLRT and TG can easily ride two-up. And, I do think as "other" seat options for the FLRT are made available, the Freewheeler's "2-up stigma" will disappear.

The truth is that HD did not foresee the demand on the Freewheeler and its accessories (SEAT OPTIONS) and that made this belief more than the reality of the situation....

I hope HD steps-up on their accessory support of this model and that will be a key factor in the success of the Freewheeler continued brisk sales.....
We need to see HD support their offerings as much as we do......

Springman

[spowell928]

I talked to the folks at Mustang Seats during Daytona Bike Week and have e mailed them several times since about a seat for the Freewheeler. The last info stated that they had a Freewheeler in their shop and were working the fit and comfort details out. Should be in the next month or so. The factory seats for the most part, are not real comfortable for 2 up riding. We have been using a couple of the Airhawks until the Mustang comes out.

[dirtdobber]

The rear factory floorboards can be lowered and are adjustable up and down. The grips are a standard size same as other Harley factory grips not sure about the 1.5" shorter you mentioned.

Agree the after market company's will catch up and some nice things will be available for the Freewheeler.

Ride Safe,
Bill G

I dropped em a inch lower than the lowest setting with a adapter I make. I put it on all my HD touring bikes for her.
The right floorboard is less than a 1/2 inch clearance from the exhaust. Can't drop it any more.
I have a idea what I will do. Just got to wait on some funds to appear to do it.

[dollysgizmo]

We ride two up on our free wheeler. We traded our 2013 tri for it. and i agree the ride for the passenger was better on the tri. I still LOVE the free. Hubby had a road king. so pretty much the same. We are looking into just having the stock seat redone with gel or something in the passenger part. I don't want the sundowner until I can see it. I heard it sets you back some. and at 5 foot I don't want that lol. . Due to his back issues we can't ride for days at a time. . we do day trips and overnights. So it is great for us. And the zip of it . Rode to work today and found out I have to be very careful or it goes much faster than I meant or the speed limit. but for us it is great

[cavie]

I like the freewheeler. It's the best looking VTX wannabe I've seen

[Bill G]

I dropped em a inch lower than the lowest setting with a adapter I make. I put it on all my HD touring bikes for her.
The right floorboard is less than a 1/2 inch clearance from the exhaust. Can't drop it any more.
I have a idea what I will do. Just got to wait on some funds to appear to do it.

That looks really nice and functional...Well done Sometimes to get things to work out we have to think outside of the box and make something. I have been there a few times myself.

Thanks for for the share.
Bill G

- - - Updated - - -

I like the freewheeler. It's the best looking VTX wannabe I've seen

Ride Safe,
Bill G

[clint44]

I am correcting myself here..
My mistake I thought the Freewheeler was a little narrower in width, it's the body that's shorter in length not the width) According to the specs on Harley's web page the Freewheeler is 66" wide and the Tri Glide is 65.7" pretty much the same width.
Ride Safe All,
Bill G

According to Screwball,who owns both,they are 54 3/4" wide. Get out your tape measure,Bill.

Just for comparison,our Boss Hoss trike was 60" wide.

[Sunman]

The wife and I are quite happy with our FW. My only complaint is the seat. We have a Sundowner seat and I have had a gel insert added to the driver's seat but it still is not a great seat. I just had an e-mail from Neal at Mustang seats. He advises that they have completed a prototype seat but it will still be "a few weeks" before they will have the new seats on the market.

Sunman

[Bill G]

According to Screwball,who owns both,they are 54 3/4" wide. Get out your tape measure,Bill. Just for comparison,our Boss Hoss trike was 60" wide.

Those measurements I gave are what's posted on Harley's web page in black and white under the Trike specs for each Trike concerning there width. They state 66" for Freewheeler and 65.7 for the Tri Glide. I don't know how Harley's coming up with those numbers, it may be a mis-print

I just measured my Freewheeler and it is 52 1/2" from outside of left tire to the outside of the right tire. If you add the fender hang over it would be close to screwballs measurements of 54 3/4".

So now we know Harley has the wrong information listed on the spec sheets concerning the Trikes. It was never my intent to mis-lead anyone. You would think that the Harley spec sheet would be correct.

Thanks & Ride Safe,
Bill G