Rear Suspension

[Raylc]

We are looking at buying our first trike. My wife has back problems and we now ride a Limited Ultra CVO. Long rides (500 miles) really bother her. Is the ride better for the passenger on a Trike? I can't find the rear travel information on the Harley site. Please help me. Thanks

[trikermutha]

My suggestion is to test ride different Trikes as some trikes are not good for everyone with Body/Back issues and try to resolve it with putting a ton of extras on the trike only to sell it..

Test ride the TRIGLIDE,Hannagin,DFT,SPYDER etc and you make the choice as you will get a lot of comments on this topic..

Good Luck

[Gorilla]

welcome aboard like he said test ride as much as you can

[desertclassic]

We switched from an Ultra classic to a 14 tri glide. It was about the same ride for the wife until I installed the DK comfort lift. Made a lot of difference in comfort for both rider and passenger. Jim

[3rdwheel]

We are looking at buying our first trike. My wife has back problems and we now ride a Limited Ultra CVO. Long rides (500 miles) really bother her. Is the ride better for the passenger on a Trike? I can't find the rear travel information on the Harley site. Please help me. Thanks

My wife also has back problems and couldn't tolerate my 2007 Ultra very long, even with upgraded seat and suspension.
After a long consideration and not being able to test ride any, I had that bike converted to a Hannigan trike with IRS just last year.
She really likes it now and can ride several hours before she needs a break. It is so much better for her than the 2 wheeler.
To me, I think IRS is the key to her comfort.

[msocko3]

Like others have said, test ride them. There is a big difference in ride quality between a straight axle trike such as the Triglide vs a IRS trike. I owned a 2010 Triglide and now a Hannigan equipped wing. The ride difference between the 2 is night and day. The IRS Hannigan wing is a whole lot smoother than the straight axle equipped Triglide.

[Raylc]

Thanks for the info. I have never rode a trike before but we are looking at switching. Does anyone know what the rear travel is on a Harley Tri-Glide?

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Welcome to the gang.

[J.T.M.]

I bought my Ultra Classic new in 2010. I had the Hannigan Transformer conversion installed this past winter. The wife and I can tell you the Transformer rides smoother and is better on our backs than the bike ever was on 2 wheels. I have a bad back and love the ride I get with the long wheel base.

[DK Custom Products]

Thanks for the info. I have never rode a trike before but we are looking at switching. Does anyone know what the rear travel is on a Harley Tri-Glide?

It is 3" at the shock.

Kevin

[hocnsoc]

We have a 2015 triglide and neither my wife or I are very impressed with the rear suspension. A Hammock seat will certainly help but it is a Band-Aid fix. For what these Trikes cost, it is time HD placed some focus on the rear suspension. WNY is famous for filling pot holes until they become bumps. Not fun anticipating rolling over some of them.

[trikermutha]

[FuzzyWuzHe]

We have a 2015 triglide and neither my wife or I are very impressed with the rear suspension. A Hammock seat will certainly help but it is a Band-Aid fix. For what these Trikes cost, it is time HD placed some focus on the rear suspension. WNY is famous for filling pot holes until they become bumps. Not fun anticipating rolling over some of them.

With HD it's all about liability ... they have gone out of their way to ensure the Tri will slide before it flips ... ride quality isn't on their agenda

[clint44]

With HD it's all about liability ... they have gone out of their way to ensure the Tri will slide before it flips ... ride quality isn't on their agenda

Have never heard of a trike w/IRS getting a rear wheel off the ground but I have heard of more than one solid axle trike doing so. A solid axle suspension is simple and cheaper to manufacture than an IRS. H-D cuts corners with quality all the time and too many of their loyal customers let them get away with it.
Just my opinion and I could be wrong.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Have never heard of a trike w/IRS getting a rear wheel off the ground but I have heard of more than one solid axle trike doing so. A solid axle suspension is simple and cheaper to manufacture than an IRS. H-D cuts corners with quality all the time and too many of their loyal customers let them get away with it.
Just my opinion and I could be wrong.

It's very hard to get the wheel of a stock Tri off the ground .. doable, but hard. When we add the lift we take a little of that safety margin away ... still tough ... but again doable. I think Msocko had the article that talked about the reason the rears sag ... interesting reading.

[rhino 2]

Theres a football adage ; You keep on running the same play till it stops working..
Harley sells every Trike they can send out the factory door.... So nothing is gonna change unless that stops working for them...

[clint44]

There's a football adage ; You keep on running the same play till it stops working..
Harley sells every Trike they can send out the factory door.... So nothing is gonna change unless that stops working for them...

Exactly.

[Sunman]

I think it is a matter of preference. We had a GL1800 with an IRS conversion kit from Motortrike. Great trike and I rode it aggressively and never pulled a wheel off the ground. But, it broke down on us in the Arkansas boonies and it took awhile to determine what part broke down, the Honda part or the MotorTrike part before we could find someone to fix it. Sold it and went back to my 2005 HD CVO as I really wasn't ready for 3 wheels yet.

5 years later and decided it is now time for a trike to keep the wife riding. decided to go with a HD Freewheeler because I wanted a factory built trike so if it breaks down on the road I only have to call one place to get it fixed. There are Harley shops pretty near everywhere. I ride it aggressively and so far have not pulled a wheel off the ground. The solid axel is much a much simpler design with fewer moving parts to worry about. The ride may not be quite as good as the IRS but the wife thinks it is comfortable so I am happy.

My main concern on the Harley is having the belt break out in the middle of now where. On the other hand, most, if not all of the trike conversion companies have had major issues with the drive shaft U-joints so maybe it is a trade-off.

Just my onion.

Ride-em all and pick the one you like the best!

Sunman

[FuzzyWuzHe]

I think it is a matter of preference. We had a GL1800 with an IRS conversion kit from Motortrike. Great trike and I rode it aggressively and never pulled a wheel off the ground. But, it broke down on us in the Arkansas boonies and it took awhile to determine what part broke down, the Honda part or the MotorTrike part before we could find someone to fix it. Sold it and went back to my 2005 HD CVO as I really wasn't ready for 3 wheels yet.

5 years later and decided it is now time for a trike to keep the wife riding. decided to go with a HD Freewheeler because I wanted a factory built trike so if it breaks down on the road I only have to call one place to get it fixed. There are Harley shops pretty near everywhere. I ride it aggressively and so far have not pulled a wheel off the ground. The solid axel is much a much simpler design with fewer moving parts to worry about. The ride may not be quite as good as the IRS but the wife thinks it is comfortable so I am happy.

My main concern on the Harley is having the belt break out in the middle of now where. On the other hand, most, if not all of the trike conversion companies have had major issues with the drive shaft U-joints so maybe it is a trade-off.

Just my onion.

Ride-em all and pick the one you like the best!

Sunman

Having a factory trike was a big consideration for me too .. It might not of been if I knew then what I know now after reading literally thousands of threads on conversion. Knowledge is a wonderful thing.

[msocko3]

Having a factory trike was a big consideration for me too .. It might not of been if I knew then what I know now after reading literally thousands of threads on conversion. Knowledge is a wonderful thing.

Now I've had both, I wouldn't let factory support sway me one way or another. Especially after my dad and I's experience a few years ago on the way to Yellowstone. His starter button malfunctioned for the 3rd time, had to have his Triglide hauled 100 miles back to the closest Harley dealer. The dealer was on a long weekend, so we got stranded in BFE 1,400 miles from home for 3 days before he could get it fixed. Then that almost didn't happen when they didn't have the part and would have to order it. My dad convinced them to remove it from a new bike on the floor and had to pay the labor for them to do so.