Help with cornering. New trike owner. 2015 Triglide.

[Trikenewby]

Purchased new trike on the 3rd of Sept. Never ridden one before. Been riding Harley two wheelers for fifteen years. 69 years old, great shape and still working. Ride just fine except at highway speeds of 50 mph plus. If I go into a corner(especially right turns) at speed in a long curve trike seems to want to bind up in the front and act like it is going to flip. Scares the hell out of me. I have had this happen about four times now. Always steer to the left and hit brakes, and thank god no one is in the next lane. Have only ridden it about 450 miles.

Any suggestions would really be appreciated.

I love the triglide, just can't keep up with my friends any more on their two wheels.

One of my friends I ride with has his second triglide and keeps up fine. He says I just need to practice. Could there possibly be something wrong with my trike. I do fine if I slow down to say 45mph in a curve my friends are taking at 55 and 65 mph. Would a lift kit help, and does tire pressure make that much difference. Running 40 psi in shocks and 23 psi in rear tires, 36 in front. Sure could use some good advise.

 

[Keystone]

Could there possibly be something wrong with my trike.

Of course the possibility is there, but with out looking/riding it we can't say. If you have even the smallest of reason to believe there could be something wrong have it checked out. Have another Trike rider take it for a ride.

 

[Ed Hobgood]

I agree, let the other person with a Triglide ride it and see if they get the same thing you are talking about. Even with a new trike there can be something wrong such as a bad bearing of nut not being tight enough. Have you taken it back to the dealer you got the trike from and let them look it over?

 

[Fearless]

May need aligned?

Have the dealer Go Over it All over it! should never do what you describe. :AGGHH: ride safely fearless. Lift kit would help tire pressures you show should be fine.

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

When they replaced the belt on my tri, they had to realign the rear. The trike is way better on the highway now. 75 MPH turns on the highway can be done with one hand. Can't prove it, but I'd bet money the trike was not aligned correctly from the factory. It used to be a little scary in the corners at speed.

 

[trikermutha]

it takes time turn get use to a trike..use the push pull method at the handle bars..tighter turns tend to use more force at the bars..I never was worried about flipping the trike in turns..Take your time and ride more..Once you get a better feel for it keep pushing it a bit more each time you drive until you are comfortable..Make sure tire pressures on the front are good..

 

[Recall]

Take it back to the dealer and have them check it out. I run 38 up front and 24 in the back for tire pressure. I run 32-36 in the shocks. I almost always ride two up. As others have said it takes some time to make the adjustment to a trike. Steering input is the opposite in that you use a push pull technique rather than counter steering on two wheels. Lots of practice will yield the best results. Keep us posted on your progress.

 

[cavie]

Slow before the turn. Power on thru the turn. No coasting. 40/41 front tire. 20/24 rear tire. can't help with the shocks.

 

[Gorilla]

By the way welcome aboard. you already have good guidance

 

[DK Custom Products]

Purchased new trike on the 3rd of Sept.

Never ridden one before. Been riding Harley two wheelers for fifteen years. 69 years old, great shape and still working. Ride just fine except at highway speeds of 50 mph plus. If I go into a corner(especially right turns) at speed in a long curve trike seems to want to bind up in the front and act like it is going to flip. Scares the hell out of me. I have had this happen about four times now. Always steer to the left and hit brakes, and thank god no one is in the next lane. Have only ridden it about 450 miles.

Any suggestions would really be appreciated.

I love the triglide, just can't keep up with my friends any more on their two wheels. One of my friends I ride with has his second triglide and keeps up fine.

He says I just need to practice. Could there possibly be something wrong with my trike. I do fine if I slow down to say 45mph in a curve my friends are taking at 55 and 65 mph. Would a lift kit help, and does tire pressure make that much difference. Running 40 psi in shocks and 23 psi in rear tires, 36 in front.

Sure could use some good advise.

Welcome to the forum, and congrats on your new ride!

Unless you are over 275 lbs, I would lower the PSI in the shocks a bit...I'm 190 and find that 25-30 lbs gives the best ride when I'm one-up.

I would also recommend having your friend ride your TG to see if he feels anything different...if he does, then it can be better described to the dealer...AND the dealer can't just say, oh, that's normal.

Even if your friend does not find anything unusual, I would still take it in to the dealer and have them go over it.

Much better safe than sorry.

If your friend says it seems normal, And the dealer checks it out and all is good, then it is just a matter of getting used to it.

As you already know, they are very different than a 2 wheel bike.

They feel funny..but the nice thing is, HD really did a great job on making them stable.

My advice, once it is checked out, is to spend some time in an empty parking lot getting to know its limits. Do lots of curves, figure 8's, emergency stops, etc.

Getting used to it, getting comfortable with what it can do will go a long way.

The other thing I do in higher speed curves is lean/shift my body weight to the inside of the corner, this will counter the feeling that it is going to tip/lift that inside rear tire. It will settle more weight onto the light side of the trike in a fast corner/curve, holding it better to the ground. Is this needed? Probably not, unless you are going close to twice the posted speed limit for that corner.

However, it definitely gives the rider a better sense of security, and is an extra safety measure in case the curve is being hit too hot.

It may seem far-fetched now, but once you make sure the TG is in good order, and once you get some comfort with its' different characteristics, you will be able to go faster in the curves than most 2 wheel HD's.

Here's a vid giving you an idea of what a TG can do in the curves.

Kevin

 

[Keystone]

It may seem far-fetched now, but once you make sure the TG is in good order, and once you get some comfort with its' different characteristics, you will be able to go faster in the curves than most 2 wheel HD's.

:Agree:. In the words of bill Murray, "That's the fact Jack"!

 

[Trikenewby]

Many Thanks from Trikenewby on cornering

Many thanks to everybody for your help with cornering techniques. Going to have my friend who has been riding trikes for three years now, ride mine with caution and see what he has to say. Wish there were more videos to watch of trikes on the road. It is long curves that become even sharper half way through that screw me up. Bike just doesn't seem to want to hold it's line. As a automotive mechanic and shop owner I have checked everything I can think of (using factory repair manual) and don't seem to find anything wrong. Once again, thanks for your posts and all the help. I will keep you advised.

Mick

 

[davek]

me to

Purchased new trike on the 3rd of Sept. Never ridden one before. Been riding Harley two wheelers for fifteen years. 69 years old, great shape and still working. Ride just fine except at highway speeds of 50 mph plus. If I go into a corner(especially right turns) at speed in a long curve trike seems to want to bind up in the front and act like it is going to flip. Scares the hell out of me. I have had this happen about four times now. Always steer to the left and hit brakes, and thank god no one is in the next lane. Have only ridden it about 450 miles.

Any suggestions would really be appreciated. I love the triglide, just can't keep up with my friends any more on their two wheels. One of my friends I ride with has his second triglide and keeps up fine. He says I just need to practice. Could there possibly be something wrong with my trike. I do fine if I slow down to say 45mph in a curve my friends are taking at 55 and 65 mph. Would a lift kit help, and does tire pressure make that much difference. Running 40 psi in shocks and 23 psi in rear tires, 36 in front. Sure could use some good advise.

Hey Newbie......I am also new to trikes (5500 miles on 2015 tri-glide)...I just installed a lift/comfort ride from DK products on mine and it made a HUGE difference in both ride and handling...I can now go around right hand turns just as easy as left....Somehow I had the same problem with turning right....And the trike sits level and I can see over the windshield...I heartely recommend the DK lift/comfort kit !!! And practice will help also !!!
I like mine more everyday......Dave in FL.

 

[RagenTri]

My mysterious comfort zone

You mentioned that you only had 450 miles on so far. I too had never ridden a trike before purchasing a new 2014 triglide a year ago. I had made up my mind that a Triglide was in my future. A couple of sweepers on my test drive scared the Cr#$ out of me but, I had made up my mind and pulled the trigger.

Several friends invited me on a weekend trip to Michigan's UP, when I had less that 800 mi on the trike. Somewhere between 1k and 1.5k miles I forgot to worry about the curves. I don't know exactly when or where but I got into my mysterious comfort zone.

Don't misunderstand. You should never get completely comfortable on any type motorcycle. Caution, defensive driving and luck has keep alot of us in one piece. Remember that a trike can stop in a shorter distance than a bike and trucks and ...........

Ride safe!

 

[DK Custom Products]

Many thanks to everybody for your help with cornering techniques. Going to have my friend who has been riding trikes for three years now, ride mine with caution and see what he has to say. Wish there were more videos to watch of trikes on the road. It is long curves that become even sharper half way through that screw me up. Bike just doesn't seem to want to hold it's line. As a automotive mechanic and shop owner I have checked everything I can think of (using factory repair manual) and don't seem to find anything wrong. Once again, thanks for your posts and all the help. I will keep you advised.

Mick

I know exactly what you mean. In a long sweeper, you may be comfortable, then as the curve gets sharper, significantly more handlebar input is needed to get it to follow the decreasing radius...and if it is sharp enough & you are going fast enough, the front tire may "skip" a bit.

Trikes are very different. A two wheeler will flow thru the curves with little input...it is almost subconscious in the weight shift and very small amount of handlebar input to get a 2 wheeler to hold the line in a curve. With a trike it has to be forced/manhandled thru the curve. The sharper and faster you're going, the more effort is needed. The front tire is not leaning over, the rear tires are pushing the trike straight and the front tire is constantly struggling to go straight, even as you are turning the handlebars...that is why sometimes it will oscillate between turning and skipping (this only happens if you are going very fast in a corner).

Even though when you are very hot in a corner, and it is skipping a bit, the likelihood of it actually breaking loose is very slim. Never had it happen to me on dry surface, have had it happen on wet surface.

Once it is checked out, then get in a parking lot and get to know it. I think you will be pleasantly surprised how well it handles/how stable it is.

Like mentioned, if you get a Lift Kit (LINK HERE) it will put more weight on the front tire and will steer a bit easier, and will have more traction for faster turns and harder front braking.

Here are a few more TG videos-

More vids in next post.

 

[Texan]

Pushed a sidecar for some 3 1/2 years which made the transition to the trike quite simple. One thing I was taught is to power into left turns and left off when making the turn... Ease into a right turn the power thru it.


8~\o

 

[RagenTri]

Front downforce

In our discussion about trike handling I forgot to mention that I swapped out the stock shield for a Klock Werks 8.5" at the beginning of this summer. There was a noticeable improvement is steering ease and feel, I understand because of the increase in downforce created.

I intend on installing the DK Comfort Lifts mostly because I load regularly in my toyhauler. I am curious, will the steering improvements with the lifts still be noticeable? I hope not too much, as I really like the KW shield.

 

[clint44]

In our discussion about trike handling I forgot to mention that I swapped out the stock shield for a Klock Werks 8.5" at the beginning of this summer. There was a noticeable improvement is steering ease and feel, I understand because of the increase in downforce created.

I intend on installing the DK Comfort Lifts mostly because I load regularly in my toyhauler. I am curious, will the steering improvements with the lifts still be noticeable? I hope not too much, as I really like the KW shield.

I sincerely doubt a simple windshield change would make a noticeable difference in downforce. If anything,a shorter windshield would create less downforce.

You will like the lift kit. It will make a noticeable improvement.

 

[screwball]

A lightbulb came on in your second explanation, about a long sweeping curve that gets sharper. Are you hitting the front break to slow down?? If so, this will cause the nose to dive down and give you the feeling you may flip. It was hard for me to get used to the break pedal, didn't like the angle, and I have problems with my legs. As was mentioned earlier, slow or break into the curve, accelerate coming out. My wife rode 2 wheelers for 15 years before cancer got her off 2 and onto 3. Picked up her Trike Thursday, rode to Las Vegas (315 miles) Friday, and took it in for it's 1000 mile service Tuesday. She is a fast learner. took me about 3 weeks and 500 miles riding through the canyons to get comfortable with mine, after nearly 50 years on 2 wheels. Always remember, LEANING will do NOTHING.

 

[DK Custom Products]

Here are 3 more videos I tried to post earlier, but couldn't.

This one has some decreasing radius long sweepers in it. I am behind a Dyna and he is slowing me down.

Here is one in the snow, just shows how well the Tri-Glide handles, and how stable/predictable it is.

Kevin