DK Custom PROJECT TRI-GLIDE Report w/ Lots of Pics

[ctdair]

Package ordered today , many thanks. Looking forward to some wrench time and then on August 18th departing for Americas 911 Ride. This will be the final ride. It's not to late to register.

[Chuckster]

This 2014 Tri-Glide was purchased in May of 2014.



It now has close to 25k miles on it.

After it was purchased, no real thought was put into what would be done to it. Basically we took everything off the 2011 that we could and put in on the 2014.

The 2011 was a hodge-podge of mods, that were added along the way. Not saying that no thought was put into it...but to digress a bit-


In August of 2010 an F250 hit me on the interstate (going the wrong way). I came to a stop 300 feet down the road from where the truck abruptly separated me from my Ultra.

After 22 broken bones, 2 surgeries, 2 metal plates, many screws, & 4 months in bed, I was barely walking with a cane when I took a ride around the block on my Sportster in mid December. Took my first ride of 40 miles on the Sporty on December 30th.

I was way ahead of schedule in healing up, but the doctors all said, I would never have even 50% strength in my right foot or ankle.

No way I could ever ride a Touring bike, 2 up and fully loaded.

I was angry, I was embarrassed, but I realized for Mary and I to be able to travel together, I would need to get a Trike. That is how we came to buy the 2011 Tri-Glide (at what I felt was 20 years earlier than expected)

All that to say...

It took me well over a year of owning and riding the 2011 Tri-Glide before I finally came to peace about it...before I quit being embarrassed about being on a Trike and started enjoying it without reservation.

Since most of the mods done to the 2011 were during the time when I was NOT HAPPY about being on a trike, they were done with basic performance in mind, and with pure utility of our trips in mind. No real sitting down and looking at it as a canvas and what could be done to it.

This was replicated on the 2014.



You can see what all has been done to the 2014 at this thread-

http://www.triketalk.com/forum/threa...he-differences


************************************

So now we are sitting down, looking at the Tri-Glide, appreciating it, and viewing it as a canvas that we can really make into something fun, something that is more than just a utility touring machine, something cool.

We have done this with many 2 wheel bikes, and are excited about doing it with the Tri-Glide.

Many of the mods already done to it are staying, some will be tweaked, and there will be some that are totally new.

Here is what it looked like when we decided to make it our next Project.




We have already completed a couple of small mods to it, and there are many more coming.*

Some already in various stages of prototype testing, others still just on a sheet of paper, and others that we have not even thought of yet!


Right now our focus is in 6 areas-

Performance/Power
Longevity/Reliability
Rider/Passenger Comfort
Handling
Safety/Security
Looks (nothing radical, not show bike level, but a step up from where it is)

We have 5-10 hours a week budgeted to working on this.

As there are things to report I will be updating this thread.

It won't be a lightening fast transformation, but will hopefully be something significant over the next 4-6 months.

Kevin

Don't know how to post yet so I'll leave my message to you on here. I am amazed on how fast I got my tank lift and trike lift from you. I ordered it Weds. and I have it on the bike now... Friday at 330 pm. Everything went great. Thank you so much for the great service. That also includes the young lady who answered the phone and took my order.

Will be doing business with you again. BTW....nice trike you have. Thanks,Chuck

[DK Custom Products]

Don't know how to post yet so I'll leave my message to you on here. I am amazed on how fast I got my tank lift and trike lift from you. I ordered it Weds. and I have it on the bike now... Friday at 330 pm. Everything went great. Thank you so much for the great service. That also includes the young lady who answered the phone and took my order.

Will be doing business with you again. BTW....nice trike you have. Thanks,Chuck

Great to hear. Thank you for the kind words.

Kevin

[ctdair]

Parts scheduled to arrive this week. Some questions on the stock exhaust with w258 TTI
that I have chosen. Do You have a measurement from the end that You cut off to remove baffle? Also I think I read a post that You left batting in but it eventually started coming out. Do You think I should remove batting from the start or did the amount coming out stop and stabilize?

[DK Custom Products]

Parts scheduled to arrive this week. Some questions on the stock exhaust with w258 TTI
that I have chosen. Do You have a measurement from the end that You cut off to remove baffle? Also I think I read a post that You left batting in but it eventually started coming out. Do You think I should remove batting from the start or did the amount coming out stop and stabilize?

2" is what we cut off on all the ones we have done thus far. However, I would wait til you receive the Chrome End Caps. They come with instructions and you use the end caps to mark how much needs to be cut off.

I would leave the batting in. The amount coming out did stop and stabilize with about 50% of it remaining.

If you would like use to email you any instructions to be looking at while you await your packages, just email or call the shop and let them know which you would like.

Kevin

[charley]

Very cool! Bet it was an adventure to remember!

Kevin

As you know, beyond words adventure. I took 6 weeks, Grand Canyon, up central California coast, then Seattle, Prince George, Alaskan Hwy, Fairbanks, Anchorage, then down Cassier /Stewart Hwy (37) To Salmon Glacier. Of all the unbelievable sites Salmon Glacier was the greatest site I saw. There's a YouTube of it-a motorcyclist took. BC is incredible.

Are yall going again? I want to plan another trip within the next few years.

I'm glad I enterd BC middle of May; a little colder but more snow still on top of mountains. I got lucky and did not hit any snow on any of the highways. There was a little bit off to the sides at a few high altitudes.

[DK Custom Products]

As you know, beyond words adventure. I took 6 weeks, Grand Canyon, up central California coast, then Seattle, Prince George, Alaskan Hwy, Fairbanks, Anchorage, then down Cassier /Stewart Hwy (37) To Salmon Glacier. Of all the unbelievable sites Salmon Glacier was the greatest site I saw. There's a YouTube of it-a motorcyclist took. BC is incredible.

Are yall going again? I want to plan another trip within the next few years.

I'm glad I enterd BC middle of May; a little colder but more snow still on top of mountains. I got lucky and did not hit any snow on any of the highways. There was a little bit off to the sides at a few high altitudes.

Yes, we want to do it again...all except the road from Fairbanks to the Arctic Circle. lol

Not sure when, doubtful that it will be next year, probably 2 or 3 years from now.

No doubt, B.C.

is amazing.


Kevin

[DK Custom Products]

Having recently returned from a 10k+ mile trip (link to Trip Report HERE), and having more than a few questions of how different things held up/worked, I am going to review a bunch of them right here-




The Stainless Steel Mud Flap worked great. I could hear rocks/debris hitting it now and then, letting me know it had stopped those from traveling back and hitting the bike. Thank you Richard! Also, the emblems we attached did not budge, despite some of the very rough roads we rode on.




I am running a Dunlop American Elite rear tire (reversed) up front. Not only does it handle better, and have more traction, it now has over 20K miles on it and still has more tread than a brand new front tire has.




I got a lot of compliments on the Stealth LED Front Turn Signals/White Running Lights, as well as the Stealth LED Driving lights. They did their job of helping us SEE & BE SEEN.




The CDW’s did their job. We traveled in some pretty serious heat...well over 100* and running 80-90 mph and between them and the other things done (tank lift, oil cooler, etc.), our temps never went over 230*.




I changed oil in parking lots twice during the trip. It has never been this easy with the oil filter relocation.




Time between oil changes was approximately 4000 miles. I fill my oil to the top of the third X.

4000 miles later the oil was still over halfway up the third X. Oil usage was minimal.




We rode in some serious downpours. I am using an Outlaw 606 air cleaner. I put a rain sock over the filter element (and underneath the 7 Spoke cover so it is not seen) and we did not have a single stutter or hiccup from all the rain.




My black cup holder, that is mounted off my handlebars, has over 100,000 miles on it. It still functions like new, but the black finish has gotten cloudy, and no matter what I’ve tried cleaning it with, it still look sort of crappy.




The Drift Ghost-S video camera that I am using was fantastic. It take HD quality videos and great pictures. The remote worked flawlessly.




The tune I am running from the Power Vision worked great, and using the Power Vision Screen as a console where I could monitor engine temp, mpg, etc. was rock solid, as always.




The entire time we were in Colorado I got 38-42 MPG every tank fill up (over 20 fill-ups). And it wasn’t like I was riding easy either.

When we got out of the mountains the mpg were less, but we still averaged 35.6 for the entire trip, and many of those miles were at 80+ mph.




The Mud Flaps are amazingly resilient. I couple of times I banged them pretty good, but you could never tell by looking at them or how the lights functioned.






I did have some roadside repairs-all Harley OEM parts:


Top Engine Mount bolt coming loose.


Shifter Shaft that was tightened improperly at the Dealership failed. Had to replace it.


We developed a rattle, took some time before we realized it was the gas cap cover. Once we identified it, it was a quick adjustment for the rattle to be gone.






The Tour-Pak Relocation put the TP at the perfect spot for Mary.




I did get a couple of Rock chips in my paint of the front fender. They went thru the clear and the paint, down to the metal. We will be touching those up. In the meantime we put some clear fingernail polish on them to prevent rust.




The Wards fans we have worked flawlessly, they came off the ‘11 Tri-Glide, so they have about 90,000 miles on them.




I had to squeeze the oil out of the Catch-Can foam a few times during the trip. This particular Twin Cam spits more oil than the average, so I also put a little piece of blue paper shop towel in the bottom of the catch-can to absorb some of the oil to keep it from coming out the Catch-Can breather holes. Worked great.




As for the speed we traveled at- On the secondary curvy roads that varied greatly, but was generally at the speed limit or 5 over, except in the curves. In the curves I always seem to want to speed up, generally to just a little under twice the suggested speed for the curve.


On the interstates or long straights, I generally flow with traffic or about 10% over the speed limit.

So many miles were traveled at 70-80 mph, and many more between 80-90 mph.




The MacAir was used constantly during the trip. As road conditions changed I would increase or decrease the PSI in the rear shocks to get the best ride possible out of them.




Mary’s drink holder was a welcome addition. She used to put her drink in the pocket on the back of my backrest, eating up a lot of her room. Now she has more room, and it did not get in the way during mounting or dismounting. No squeaks either.




The Trike Mid-Step that I installed right before leaving is AMAZING. It makes getting on and off the bike So Much Easier! I don’t particularly like the looks of it, and was going to test it and then remove it, purely because it blocks the view of my Power Dual Headers. But it is SO useful, that I am leaving it on.




We tested out some prototype floorboards we made. Not only do they not look as good as I thought they would, when it rained they were slippery. So it is back to the drawing board on those.




The new Highway Peg Mounts and pegs/heel rests worked great and were super comfortable!






The Clear Coat that we put on the wheels over two years ago is continuing to slowing degrade. It is still much better than leaving them raw, but it is not a long term fix.




I usually run very loud exhaust. The Hi Roller Slip-on exhaust is the quietest exhaust I have ever run. I did not think I would be keeping it. However, the Super-Deep tone has grown on me and Mary really likes it also. I believe I will be keeping it on.




The combination of the smoked laydown taillight lens with the LED bulbs and the Mud Flap LED really look good AND I could tell they got people behind me’s attention when I put my brakes on! See & BE SEEN!






Now that we are back we have already started on a few more items for the Project Tri-Glide that we will have installed and testing for the run to the Trike Talk Gathering in Maggie Valley in a few weeks.

Kevin

[rayg5102]

so I have a 2010 to I bought used.
What is first thing Do?
Exhaust
Muffler

How can I tell if:
I still have original exhaust and mufflers
If I still have a cat converter

[charley]

Yes, we want to do it again...all except the road from Fairbanks to the Arctic Circle. lol

Not sure when, doubtful that it will be next year, probably 2 or 3 years from now.

No doubt, B.C.

is amazing.


Kevin

Not sure if yall want to go as a solo couple again or maybe a few of us can ride together. In May/June 2016 I decided not to do Fairbanks to Artic Circle but did ride Fairbanks to Mt McKinley then Anchorage.... Anchorage to TOT is incredible, so is the Casier Hywy/BC.

[DK Custom Products]

Not sure if yall want to go as a solo couple again or maybe a few of us can ride together. In May/June 2016 I decided not to do Fairbanks to Artic Circle but did ride Fairbanks to Mt McKinley then Anchorage.... Anchorage to TOT is incredible, so is the Casier Hywy/BC.

Might be fun riding together. Won't be next year, but possibly 2018.


*************

Newest SEE & BE SEEN addition!



More pics of this coming after I clean it this Sunday.

Kevin

[consitter]

I was wondering how you felt about the Trike Mid Step. I'm glad that despite your reservations of its looks, its usefulness made a keeper item for you.

I know it makes it easier for my daughter and wife to climb aboard, and as a bonus, it's much easier for me to climb on as well.

[DK Custom Products]

I was wondering how you felt about the Trike Mid Step. I'm glad that despite your reservations of its looks, its usefulness made a keeper item for you.

I know it makes it easier for my daughter and wife to climb aboard, and as a bonus, it's much easier for me to climb on as well.

Hi Scott,

It makes it SO much easier to mount and dismount. I was not going to leave it on my TG, it partially blocks the view of my Power Dual Headers But after using the TMS I don't want to be without it...so it is staying on.

Kevin

[DK Custom Products]

Getting a few more things done on the Project TG. We're headed to NC next weekend for the Trike get together!


Testing out some aftermarket shocks-









Got tired of my mis-matched floorboards, got em all matching now.









My latest, and probably last for the back-end, effort in SEE & BE SEEN.


The LED's are semi-frenched in to the filler plate we made.







They operate as Run-Brake-Turn. They are in Run in the photo below-







Kevin

[55il]

...My latest, and probably last for the back-end, effort in SEE & BE SEEN.


The LED's are semi-frenched in to the filler plate we made.







They operate as Run-Brake-Turn. They are in Run in the photo below-







Kevin

Kevin, WOW I must be a little slow what do you mean "The LED's are semi-frenched in to the filler plate"? And where does it tie into the electrical system? Is it on your web site? Looks nice.


Also, I like your mud flaps. I take it the electrics tie into the fender tail lights? Thank DJ

[DK Custom Products]

Kevin, WOW I must be a little slow what do you mean "The LED's are semi-frenched in to the filler plate"? And where does it tie into the electrical system? Is it on your web site? Looks nice.


Also, I like your mud flaps. I take it the electrics tie into the fender tail lights? Thank DJ

Hi DJ,

The electrics for the filler plate and the mud flap tie in under the seat at the HD connector that is already there...the one that feeds the Run-Brake-Turn Fender tail lights.

The filler plate is not on the website. It probably will be in late September. This one was made one-off, just for my TG, but it turned out really nice, so we probably will make more.

Kevin

[55il]

The filler plate is not on the website. It probably will be in late September. This one was made one-off, just for my TG, but it turned out really nice, so we probably will make more.

OK, Thanks for the feed back. I will put this on my to-do list. Since this is coming out in 'late September" at that time I will order the filler plate and mud flaps for winter project. Again thanks DJ

[Cagmo]

Kevin,

Where did you get Miss Mary's new cup holder? My honey has a birthday coming up. Thanks

Cagmo

[DK Custom Products]

Kevin,

Where did you get Miss Mary's new cup holder? My honey has a birthday coming up. Thanks

Cagmo

Here's a LINK where you can get one for her birthday.


Kevin

[DK Custom Products]

We are back from the Maggie Valley Get-Together. Had a great time!

I am super happy with how well the TG is running.

Only thing I've done to it lately was clean it with the 303 Speed Detailer (thank you Zammy!).

A couple of days ago I asked Devin if we were done with the Project Tri-Glide, or if there was something else we were going to do?

Other than the possibility of some wheels, we may be done. Gonna put some more thought into it over the next month.

The beginning of October Mary and I are headed out on the TG to the Texas Hill Country Gathering.

We may come up with some ideas during that ride. But we are getting pretty close to wrapping this project up.

We are within a a month or so of completing our research on front and rear suspension. We have been using 5 bikes, including this Tri-Glide, to test a large variety of components out.

Once we are done I will share our findings, and what we decided on for the TG, in this thread.

Oh, I just remembered, we are still working on some different floorboard designs...but those are probably months off.

Kevin