Today's TG road test - nice!

[jaxbobg]

Today the dealer had a 2014 TG, pretty much stock, owned buy a guy who lives about 2 miles from my place. Salesman (John) said it was a trade but didn't know why or what it was traded on.

___________

Did a walk-around, asked a few questions, then saddled up. John explained basic controls, how to work the GPS, radio, and other items in the LCD display. John talked me through the basics of using the heel/toe shifter, so I found Neutral and hit the starter button. Rrrrr-rrrr-rrrr. Oh, oh, weak battery.

While the mechanic jumped her and let it warm up, we talked more about basic features, then went for a test ride with John in the lead on a 2 wheeler (I was unfamiliar with the local neighborhood). Rode city streets and expressway.

Initial impression -
Didn't take long to get the hang of the shifter - comfortable riding - handlebars right height but a little bit of reach for me - stock muffler sounded great - after 15 or 20 minutes it occurred to me that I didn't feel any heat on my legs (glory be!) - plenty of power onto highway ramp and merging into traffic at 70mph, briefly tried 6th gear but didn't really need it at all (going 70!). Couldn't really tell the difference in straight axle vs IRS because all roads were in pretty good shape.

After years of reading the Harley threads I was surprised that I really enjoyed riding the Tri Glide. I went into this experiment thinking I needed to learn more about the Tri but was prepared to be disappointed.

Well, it does seem like the TG is a trike I could put in a few 6 to 8 hour days and several thousand miles on and enjoy a really nice road trip.

Already, though, I can see a number of mods I would like to make to customize it to my comfort level for touring. I'll collect my thoughts and post a mods wish list later.

Thank you, guys, for following along and being patient with me.

[BinIdaho]

70 mph, you should be in 6th gear.....(60 mph/6th gear on my '13)

[clint44]

Sounds like you're a pretty adaptable fellow,Bob. Are you getting tired of your GW trike?

[Fearless]

Glad you enjoyed the ride we love ours best thing my bride and I ever did for us.
ride safely fearless

[Gorilla]

I love your open mind very rare these days. Remember Harley Honda or whatever get what fits YOUR needs

[jaxbobg]

Sounds like you're a pretty adaptable fellow,Bob. Are you getting tired of your GW trike?

Hi Clint and other guys. Definitely not tired of the Wing, will be riding it to MV in couple of weeks, but there are features of the Tri that I like. Of course, there were things I liked about the BMW trike also.

At my age I'm pretty much set in my ways, am trying to get the most I can out of whatever years are left, and still want to experience new things, given the limitations imposed by age and high mileage on the body.

I guess if I want to have my ideal touring trike I'll have to build it myself.

[msocko3]

70 mph, you should be in 6th gear.....(60 mph/6th gear on my '13)

60 mph is better in 5th, you'll get better mileage and the engine will be more happy. 60 mph and 6th is right on the ragged edge of lugging the engine, its way low on the torque curve in that range.

[rhino 2]

60 mph is better in 5th, you'll get better mileage and the engine will be more happy. 60 mph and 6th is right on the ragged edge of lugging the engine, its way low on the torque curve in that range.

That rule is not hard and fast, It depends on what year and how the T/G is set up...
In my area most speed limits are 45 with an occasional 50 mph I will run 45 to 50 in 6th at somewhere around 22/25 hundred rpm's, And getting 35/37 mpg's.. And when i crack the throttle it will get up and go, And no hint of lugging or hesitation.....

[clint44]

I guess if I want to have my ideal touring trike I'll have to build it myself.

What you own now is pretty close,Bob.

[msocko3]

That rule is not hard and fast, It depends on what year and how the T/G is set up...
In my area most speed limits are 45 with an occasional 50 mph I will run 45 to 50 in 6th at somewhere around 22/25 hundred rpm's, And getting 35/37 mpg's.. And when i crack the throttle it will get up and go, And no hint of lugging or hesitation.....

For my comparison we'll say 2011 and later which came with the 30 tooth transmission sprocket. Whats saving you is Harley's torque management and throttle blade control, its keeping your throttle blade from opening to fast. Back in 07 when they went to the 96" and 110 engine while still using the cable throttle, they were shifting cranks left and right. One dealer I was at had a pile of shifted cranks, the one tech I talked to who knew his stuff. Stated most were damage because people would roll on the throttle at to low of an rpm in 6th gear. His one statement rung very true, " just because it will do it, doesn't mean its good for it". Starting with the 08 MY Harley took control of the throttle and made some other changes, this made the crank problem become not such a problem anymore.

I take gas mileage with a grain of salt, it all depends on the area and the blend. 100% unleaded fuel will return better mileage than fuel with 10% ethanol. FWIW I've pulled a best of 38 mpg running 60 mph in 5th gear running the Allegheny mountains in PA, this was with my 2010 Triglide which was geared the same as the 2011 and later MY's and was running the Wood TW555 cams and tuned with the TTS. My dad has pulled a best of just a tick over 39 mph running the same road, the same speed and also 5th gear. This is with his 09 Triglide also geared with the 30 tooth transmission sprocket and running the Wood TW555 cam and tuned with the TTS.

At 1st my dad was running 6th gear and getting 32 - 33 mpg, once I told him to try 5th gear, his mileage jumped right up.

[jaxbobg]

Wow, it's amazing how some of you jumped onto one of my least significant comments - when to use 6th gear. Remember that this is my first time on a Tri and I'm used to cruising 75 to 80 at 3,500 to 4,000 rpm in 5th gear.

Anyway, I said I'd post a wish list of mods to bring the Tri up to my long distance touring needs. I learned a lot from Kevin at DKCustoms who posted his list of mods when he bought his '14 TG before going to Canada and God knows where else.

- Need driver back rest.
- Need to put on highway pegs. (Does this also need the engine guard? I don't remember if the demo had them).
- Need a cup holder for hydration on long trips.
- Put on a lift kit from DK. (Steering with the 3.5 degree rake felt very stiff to me compared to the 5.5 I'm used to.)
- May want to install oil cooler and/or replace header pipes to cool down engine, per Kevin's advice.
- Interested in the Power Vision Tuner, sounds like a good investment.
- Oh, yeah, I like the floorboard extension idea that Kevin showed in a recent thread.
- Handlebar extensions to shorten the reach so I'm not stiff-arming the steering.
- Change out the shift linkage. (Not a must have, but why not?)
- Rear bumper (just for added protection)
- Heated seat and grips. (I ride year around and sometimes use heated clothes and gloves when the temp gets below 40.)
- Maybe put on beefier cooling fans?

Give me a few days and I could come up with another half dozen. So what am I up to now? Maybe $3,000 to $4,000 plus install charge if I can't do it myself?

Probably Clint already gave me the best advice of the day in reply to my comment:

I guess if I want to have my ideal touring trike I'll have to build it myself.

In a moment of pure Zen, he says:

What you own now is pretty close, Bob.

Oh. well. I'll sleep on it some more. At least I feel closer to understanding the Harley experience that so many of you enjoy so much.

[msocko3]

Wow, it's amazing how some of you jumped onto one of my least significant comments - when to use 6th gear. Remember that this is my first time on a Tri and I'm used to cruising 75 to 80 at 3,500 to 4,000 rpm in 5th gear.

75 - 80 at 3,500 - 4,000 feels comfortable to me, I think the twin cam feels the best in this very rpm range. I like it so much I changed the primary gear ratio on my 06 Ultra from a 3.15 to a 3.37, its a hoot to ride now. The plus side is it never really impacted the fuel mileage, I still get upwards of 41 mpg. The twin cam isn't as robust as the 6 cyl in the Wing, with the Wing you can drop the throttle closed while in 5th gear which is an overdrive gear and let it drift down to 30 mph and roll back on the throttle with no fan fare. Do that with a twin cam while in 6th and chances are it's going to buck and chug its way up to speed, all the while its hammering the bottom end bearings.

[jaxbobg]

Right on, msocko3. There has been some discussion of this topic on the HDForum TG board (also a place where you are a very active member).

At highway speeds, all of our bikes seem to be happiest when revving in the 3K to 4K range. Some, like my old BMW even liked to run as high as 5K at times. Same goes for shifting range.

I suspect a lot of casual riders are afraid to see the tach move past 3K because of past experience driving their cages.

News flash! Getting optimal performance and mileage out of a motorcycle is a whole different story than driving a car. Casual riders need to update their experiences and expectations.

I've read articles about the Yamaha YZ250, a 4-stroker tearing up the motocross courses. Look closely - this is not a typo ---

"It can be chugged. It can be lugged. And it can be revved until the cows come home. The 13,000 rpm rev limiter and 11,300 rpm peak are about 3500 rpm higher and wider than the two-strokes working spread."
--- Motocross Action magazine

[trikermutha]

Wow, it's amazing how some of you jumped onto one of my least significant comments - when to use 6th gear. Remember that this is my first time on a Tri and I'm used to cruising 75 to 80 at 3,500 to 4,000 rpm in 5th gear.

Anyway, I said I'd post a wish list of mods to bring the Tri up to my long distance touring needs. I learned a lot from Kevin at DKCustoms who posted his list of mods when he bought his '14 TG before going to Canada and God knows where else.

- Need driver back rest.
- Need to put on highway pegs. (Does this also need the engine guard? I don't remember if the demo had them).
- Need a cup holder for hydration on long trips.
- Put on a lift kit from DK. (Steering with the 3.5 degree rake felt very stiff to me compared to the 5.5 I'm used to.)
- May want to install oil cooler and/or replace header pipes to cool down engine, per Kevin's advice.
- Interested in the Power Vision Tuner, sounds like a good investment.
- Oh, yeah, I like the floorboard extension idea that Kevin showed in a recent thread.
- Handlebar extensions to shorten the reach so I'm not stiff-arming the steering.
- Change out the shift linkage. (Not a must have, but why not?)
- Rear bumper (just for added protection)
- Heated seat and grips. (I ride year around and sometimes use heated clothes and gloves when the temp gets below 40.)
- Maybe put on beefier cooling fans?

Give me a few days and I could come up with another half dozen. So what am I up to now? Maybe $3,000 to $4,000 plus install charge if I can't do it myself?

Probably Clint already gave me the best advice of the day in reply to my comment:

In a moment of pure Zen, he says:


Oh. well. I'll sleep on it some more. At least I feel closer to understanding the Harley experience that so many of you enjoy so much.

3- 4 K of add ons..More in the line of 5 K + don't forget the sound system upgrades..wheels etc..If you are going this way of a new trike buy a used one with all the do-dads/upgrades on it and save a ton of cash..

[Randyman69]

My last tank of gas got me 40 mpg on my 2012 Tri Glide. It has the Stage One and I use Shell 93 octane with 10 per cent ethanol. I am happy. Also, I drop it into 6th gear at 45-50 mph. Runs great.

[msocko3]

Right on, msocko3. There has been some discussion of this topic on the HDForum TG board (also a place where you are a very active member).

At highway speeds, all of our bikes seem to be happiest when revving in the 3K to 4K range. Some, like my old BMW even liked to run as high as 5K at times. Same goes for shifting range.

I suspect a lot of casual riders are afraid to see the tach move past 3K because of past experience driving their cages.

News flash! Getting optimal performance and mileage out of a motorcycle is a whole different story than driving a car. Casual riders need to update their experiences and expectations.

The 120 in my 06 Ultra is at it's best in the 3,000 - 3,500 range, sure its making more than 110ft/lbs just barley off idle. Its a whole different animal when you hit the meat of the torque which is in the 3,000 - 4,500 rpm range, twist the throttle and just smile as it accelerates hard.

I agree with your analogy about people and their cages, my 2014 Tundra with a 5.7 is right around 2,000 rpm at 70 mph. No way I would even consider stooging around in the 2,000 - 2,500 range in high gear on a v-twin, they're not designed for it. 1st time I ever road a Triglide, my 1st thoughts was this sucker is a pig unless you run it a gear lower than a lighter 2 wheel bike. I ride my Wing the same way as I ride the Harley, I run in the 3,000 rpm range, it just feels better, much snappier.