UPDATED! Help - wife's trike test ride a mess.

[Kevinch]

History: my wife is in her early 60s. She's been riding a motorcycle for close to 20 years, & has been over the road on a few trips within about 600 miles from our home where she has ridden her bike, currently a Yamaha VStar 1100 Silverado. My point is, she has some miles under her belt on 2 wheels & not just to the local ice cream stand.

But, as of late, she's been getting a little unsteady on the bike when crawling in slow moving traffic & in parking lots. She (finally) agreed to go test fit a few trikes last weekend. That resulted in making an appointment at a local Harley dealer to test ride a trike today. When we arrived at the dealership, the salesman asked which one she had decided to ride. She pointed to the Tri-Glide. As we went to watch a video on riding trikes, he readied the TG & got it outside with another bike he would ride. Once we were all outside, the salesman went over the operation of the trike & then instructed her to take a few loops in the parking lot before we ventured out on the road.

We never made it to the road.

I'm not sure I can describe it, but it was hard to watch. She almost hit a customer's car, then came within a hair of hitting both a Street Glide & Road Glide - both customer bikes - parked in the lot.

Both times she had to stop & wait for assistance.

I got on the trike & rode her on the back, explaining what I was doing as we rode in the lot.

We all went to the back of the dealership where there were no cars or bikes & she tried it again with me on the back.

We motored down the lot with the dealership building on the left side of us. Approaching the end of the lot, she managed a hesitant U-turn to the right. We headed to the opposite end of the lot, now with building to our far right & a ditch to our immediate left. As we approached the end of the lot, I instructed her to make another U turn to the right to head us back in the original direction. I guess she tried to counter-steer, as she turned the bike to the left & was heading towards the ditch. I reached up & grabbed her right arm pulling it back to steer to the right & she grabbed throttle as she did so. At this point, the salesman did the across the neck "cut it" motion - understandably worried about her & his $35k trike.

She was practically in tears, upset, embarrassed, & feeling like an uncoordinated numskull.

I feel so badly for her but have no idea what to do. She is not a tall woman; about 5'4" & this was a big vehicle with a fairing which she has never ridden behind.

However, she is used to floorboards, heel-toe shifters, a clutch, etc. I don't think she is ready to give up & I certainly am not.

But what can I suggest we do? She wondered after we arrived home if she would have done better on the smaller Freewheeler.

Before the test ride, I suggested she also look at a Spyder due to the power assisted steering & not having a clutch, but she was absolutely against the idea saying she just doesn't like them. A quick Google search didn't list any trike training here in NE Ohio.

Any suggestions are appreciated. My wife is my closest riding buddy & she wants to continue to ride her own. We are both convinced to maintain that future means 3 wheels for her.

I'm certain this was a product of her learned motorcycle muscle reflex & counter-steering, & so is she - but where do we go from here?

[GrandpaDave]

Do you have any friends that have a 4 x 4 atv that she could practice on. The handling is a lot the same for the basics and it's a lot less expensive unit to practice on. Best of luck to you both. I know once she figures it out she will enjoy the ride.

[pcombe]

History: my wife is in her early 60s. She's been riding a motorcycle for close to 20 years, & has been over the road on a few trips within about 600 miles from our home where she has ridden her bike, currently a Yamaha VStar 1100 Silverado. My point is, she has some miles under her belt on 2 wheels & not just to the local ice cream stand.

But, as of late, she's been getting a little unsteady on the bike when crawling in slow moving traffic & in parking lots. She (finally) agreed to go test fit a few trikes last weekend. That resulted in making an appointment at a local Harley dealer to test ride a trike today. When we arrived at the dealership, the salesman asked which one she had decided to ride. She pointed to the Tri-Glide. As we went to watch a video on riding trikes, he readied the TG & got it outside with another bike he would ride. Once we were all outside, the salesman went over the operation of the trike & then instructed her to take a few loops in the parking lot before we ventured out on the road.

We never made it to the road.

I'm not sure I can describe it, but it was hard to watch. She almost hit a customer's car, then came within a hair of hitting both a Street Glide & Road Glide - both customer bikes - parked in the lot.

Both times she had to stop & wait for assistance.

I got on the trike & rode her on the back, explaining what I was doing as we rode in the lot.

We all went to the back of the dealership where there were no cars or bikes & she tried it again with me on the back.

We motored down the lot with the dealership building on the left side of us. Approaching the end of the lot, she managed a hesitant U-turn to the right. We headed to the opposite end of the lot, now with building to our far right & a ditch to our immediate left. As we approached the end of the lot, I instructed her to make another U turn to the right to head us back in the original direction. I guess she tried to counter-steer, as she turned the bike to the left & was heading towards the ditch. I reached up & grabbed her right arm pulling it back to steer to the right & she grabbed throttle as she did so. At this point, the salesman did the across the neck "cut it" motion - understandably worried about her & his $35k trike.

She was practically in tears, upset, embarrassed, & feeling like an uncoordinated numskull.

I feel so badly for her but have no idea what to do. She is not a tall woman; about 5'4" & this was a big vehicle with a fairing which she has never ridden behind.

However, she is used to floorboards, heel-toe shifters, a clutch, etc. I don't think she is ready to give up & I certainly am not.

But what can I suggest we do? She wondered after we arrived home if she would have done better on the smaller Freewheeler.

Before the test ride, I suggested she also look at a Spyder due to the power assisted steering & not having a clutch, but she was absolutely against the idea saying she just doesn't like them. A quick Google search didn't list any trike training here in NE Ohio.

Any suggestions are appreciated. My wife is my closest riding buddy & she wants to continue to ride her own. We are both convinced to maintain that future means 3 wheels for her.

I'm certain this was a product of her learned motorcycle muscle reflex & counter-steering, & so is she - but where do we go from here?

The first place to go is the upper right hand corner of this forum where you will find an advance search box and type in such things as "new to trike" or some variation of experienced, advice etc. and let her read all the experiences and advice from long time trikers to new trikers?

After that You head back to the dealers parking lot with the salesman (well aware) that if he wants to sell a motorcycle to your wife he will be patient, kind, instructive and VERY polite, (remind him he has dealers insurance on that damn bike so back off!) and let her practice turns, stops etc.

take along something to act as a gas pump or parked car, some obstacle to be avoided, so she can learn to watch out for her rear fenders?

There is a learning curve to riding a trike.

And there is no substitute for practice.

The fairing may throw off her judgment if she isn't used to it, teach her to look (through) a corner, not at the striped line in order to smooth her turning ability and gain a independent sense of the road regardless of what the fairing is doing?

steering is an exercise in push/pull, teach her to lock the elbow of the arm she is pushing with to assist so she doesn't strain herself, the upper body is being used in this type of control and arm strength isn't so critical.

Teach her to shift her butt on the seat in corners so she can more firmly plant her foot on a floorboard and hug the tank with the opposite knee and not have the feeling she will be thrown off with centrifugal force.

Teach her not to lug the engine, lugging the engine causes undue head shake at take off and low speeds.

Show her that a little throttle will bring it out of a head shake situation as well as applying a touch of brake.

Newer trikes have integrated brakes but older one have independent set ups and the front brake is still a major feature in stopping power.

Let her take her time, Let her take her time, Insist she take her time!, Take time to let her take her time?
Otherwise she will be scared away from years of riding beside you?

Tell her to imagine herself steering a tricycle, after all this is our second childhood!

[rhino 2]

Are you sure she has enough upper arm strength? At 5' 4'' its a possibility counter steering requires very little effort' Where'as steering a Tri-Glide does.. ....If not' As much as i hate to say this....Then the Spyder might be best for her.

[alienwulf]

I too had always been on two wheels only, never an ATV or Trike. Lets just say i scared the neighbors as I headed toward every parked car and lawn. My trike was delivered to my home so my first riding was here. It takes a little time and practice as she needs to push pull the bars to steer. There is some great advice posted from the past on learning as stated. I read all I could find on the site and went out and tried again until I got it right. That was 13 months ago and now it's like I always knew how..Get her on a smaller trike like a Free to start she will get it.

[1dn5up]

Sounds like width judgement and upper strength problems. Longer bullback bars would help with turning leverage. Problem is finding one for her to try. Tell her don't give up, were here for her. Give her credit for trying 👍👍👍👍

[Bikerbozo]

Maybe check Craigs List for a converted sportster. Would be smaller, lighter and maybe more manageable for her. The atv idea is good also. Drill it into her head to forget counter steering (unless on snow). It's hard but doable. Good luck.

[Miken]

Why not have her try some like a Honda VTX1300 or a Suzuki Tramp both area a lot lighter.

[Sidecarbill]

Maybe rent one for a day. Drive it for her to spot where she can't hit anything. Tell her to forget its a motorcycle and pretend its a car. The handlebars are your steering wheel. Turn the the bars the same as you would a steering wheel in the direction you want to go.

[3FOR2]

First, I'd assure her, she's not the only person to have that experience. She can get it. 20 years of habit and built up intuition isn't going to go away immediately.

The fellow that converted my first trike was funny. He had a fairly long gravel driveway perpendicular to the highway. Across the road was a corn field.

He (only) gave me two words of wisdom when I picked up the trike. First, "Stay in the middle of your lane" he said over his shoulder. Then he said, "You have to steer it, don't forget to steer it! You wouldn't believe how many guys have gone straight across the road into the corn field!"

She can handle two wheels - she can learn to handle three.

[paws]

Not sure if a Tri Glide has a rake kit or not, but if not perhaps she could try a Gold Wing trike that has a rake kit...we have certainly appreciated them on our trikes.

[Rosy]

I hate to say this, but you need to take your wife to a big parking lot with no obstructions, or people watching..

Have her go through the motions of starting the trike, just like they do in class. Turn the key, put in neutral...

clutch..stop and go..straight lines..I know it sounds crazy..But, the least she can think about while on the trike the better..Have her Accelerate, come to a stop..do it again till it becomes second nature..Do it again and have her weave, not turn, but weave..So, she can have a feel of the front end turning slightly... When she can do this as a second nature..which could be a while...then have her start slightly turning, then stopping...right..left..Again, after she gets her feeling good, start her going up and down the parking spaces..down the row, turning into the next row, till she feels good doing it..PATIENT..You will need it! LOL

The final test will be her going down an aisle and parking the trike in a parking slot..right..left.. Till she gets good at doing it...As she is doing this, make her be aware where her fenders are at all times, so, she doesn't hit the "parked" cars! Watch her as she is doing it to make sure she does it correctly..After she feels better about doing this you may take her to a "real" parking lot with cars...BUT..ask her how she would feel about the real test..If she feels good about it and not nervous, then go for it..

Good luck..because it may take you a little while to accomplish this..

Rosy

[mhgoldwing]

History: my wife is in her early 60s. She's been riding a motorcycle for close to 20 years, & has been over the road on a few trips within about 600 miles from our home where she has ridden her bike, currently a Yamaha VStar 1100 Silverado. My point is, she has some miles under her belt on 2 wheels & not just to the local ice cream stand.

But, as of late, she's been getting a little unsteady on the bike when crawling in slow moving traffic & in parking lots. She (finally) agreed to go test fit a few trikes last weekend. That resulted in making an appointment at a local Harley dealer to test ride a trike today. When we arrived at the dealership, the salesman asked which one she had decided to ride. She pointed to the Tri-Glide. As we went to watch a video on riding trikes, he readied the TG & got it outside with another bike he would ride. Once we were all outside, the salesman went over the operation of the trike & then instructed her to take a few loops in the parking lot before we ventured out on the road.

We never made it to the road.

I'm not sure I can describe it, but it was hard to watch. She almost hit a customer's car, then came within a hair of hitting both a Street Glide & Road Glide - both customer bikes - parked in the lot.

Both times she had to stop & wait for assistance.

I got on the trike & rode her on the back, explaining what I was doing as we rode in the lot.

We all went to the back of the dealership where there were no cars or bikes & she tried it again with me on the back.

We motored down the lot with the dealership building on the left side of us. Approaching the end of the lot, she managed a hesitant U-turn to the right. We headed to the opposite end of the lot, now with building to our far right & a ditch to our immediate left. As we approached the end of the lot, I instructed her to make another U turn to the right to head us back in the original direction. I guess she tried to counter-steer, as she turned the bike to the left & was heading towards the ditch. I reached up & grabbed her right arm pulling it back to steer to the right & she grabbed throttle as she did so. At this point, the salesman did the across the neck "cut it" motion - understandably worried about her & his $35k trike.

She was practically in tears, upset, embarrassed, & feeling like an uncoordinated numskull.

I feel so badly for her but have no idea what to do. She is not a tall woman; about 5'4" & this was a big vehicle with a fairing which she has never ridden behind.

However, she is used to floorboards, heel-toe shifters, a clutch, etc. I don't think she is ready to give up & I certainly am not.

But what can I suggest we do? She wondered after we arrived home if she would have done better on the smaller Freewheeler.

Before the test ride, I suggested she also look at a Spyder due to the power assisted steering & not having a clutch, but she was absolutely against the idea saying she just doesn't like them. A quick Google search didn't list any trike training here in NE Ohio.

Any suggestions are appreciated. My wife is my closest riding buddy & she wants to continue to ride her own. We are both convinced to maintain that future means 3 wheels for her.

I'm certain this was a product of her learned motorcycle muscle reflex & counter-steering, & so is she - but where do we go from here?

She needs to re-train her brain and it's not as difficult as you think. Get another trike and an area big enough for her to do the following exercise several times:

Put the trike in second gear if GW, maybe first gear if Harley, and start moving forward as normal. Then have her put her right hand in her lap and begin steering the trike through large figure 8's at idle spped, both to the right and then to the left; still using the left hand.

Switch hands and repeat the exercise. I would suggest she do at least 10 figure 8's with each hand REGARDLESS of how well she appears to be doing. We're trying to re-train the long term brain, not accomplish a ten minute exercise.

Now have her repeat the exercise, 10 figure 8's both left and right, with both hands. Done. Now she can relax and begin learning how to ride her new trike.

[desertclassic]

This is my first trike, been on 2 wheels for many years. It was difficult the 1st few rides, but it did not take too long before I was feeling good about being on the trike. Time in a big empty lot is good, no gear changing, just doing a lot of turning stopping and taking off. Make sure she knows where the kill switch is. Time, time, time. Jim

[Gorilla]

Rosy and goldwing said it all. Start at the basics like she never road at all. This may take all day but the work in the empty parking lot will pay off. Those slow figure "8's" will really get her turning skills down. She just got frustrated and that just made all the common basics go away that she all ready knew. Good luck and keep us posted. She can get it just take your time.

[rodekyll]

A good friend of mine in Seattle is 5'nothing-and-a-half and does fine on her trike -- coast-to-coast on many occasions. So your wife is big enough for the right trike. She needs to drain her brain of bike-ish things and embrace the new trike order. Is there anywhere near that does msf safety classes for sidecars and trikes? Maybe some professional instruction and a closed course for practice would help.

The hardest thing about making the changeover to trikes for me was the steering and the not putting my foot down at stops. I got the steering down in a couple of determined days in a big, empty lot (airfield taxiway). I had to crush my foot to learn not to put it down. I suggest she get that lesson learned BEFORE she runs herself over. It hurts!

[G.W. Viper]

When I first tried a Tri Glide Trike at a harley dealer, I was in the parking lot, and the sale man said go take it for a test ride. So I started about 4 feet from the curb, starting out I steered towards the curb, and the guy shouted out STEER!.From that point I was ok. I did have to adjust to the different type of steering.\, push and pull. I did notice the steering took a certain amount of strength. I eventually bought a gold wing trike. I have to say the steering is a whole lot easier, with the raked front end. I would have her try a test run on a G.W Trike if you can find one, and see how she does. I bet she will do a lot better.

[HDB0B]

I agree with the poster that recommended you find someone with a ATV "Quad" and turn her loose in a big field.

It took me a few hundred miles to get totally comfortable with my 2014 TriGlide and I now have almost 24,000 miles on it.
I love being a triker .... and still ride my ZRX 1200R Kawi as well. I have no problem going back and forth between 2 wheels and 3 wheels.

Don't give up on your passion.

I was at one time a helicopter instructor. "Practice, practice, practice ..... and after many, many, hours you finally get it."

Best of luck to you and her.

Bob

[Nana]

I am also a small woman (5' tall only) and rode 2 wheels for many years. I converted my Fat Boy with a Champion kit in '06 and have NEVER regretted it. That said:

• it took me 300 miles or so, in short jaunts day after day, before I felt relaxed with the steering. Then I suddenly realized I wasn't even thinking about it, it felt natural!
• the trike must be customized to fit her, or the steering will never become comfortable. She will need to sit upright and have handlebars/pullbacks that allow her arms to be relaxed with elbows a little bent. This will allow her to use just her arms to push and pull, not lean and use her entire back and body to make a turn.
• I can easily ride my hubby's Triglide, but I intensely dislike doing so because of the fairing. I feel as though I lose a tremendous amount of sight-line. Just a windshield feels so much better for me, so I have replaced that original trike with another converted Fat Boy. If the Freewheeler had been available I would have gone with that, as I love their trunk space.
• If you rarely take extended trips, I would encourage you to consider a 1200 sportster with a kit and rake conversion. I have one at our winter home, and quite honestly, while I love my Fatboy with the trunk, the little Sporty is the most sheer fun to ride!

Let your wife know she should expect the learning curve --- we all have had to go through it --- and once she reaches that comfort zone with a trike that "fits" her unique needs, she will absolutely love it!

[Big Juice]

Kevin, let me just give you my wife and I's experience with changing to trikes. For me (50yrs on 2 wheelers), it was just like your wife, I tried to run into anything and everything while they are yelling to me "steer, steer the bike!". This was when I first started to test ride used trikes. Then I decided I was going to buy a new trike and wanted to look at the Spyders, wife says "NO WAY", they are ugly! So, I couldn't afford the Harleys and decided to trike out my Stratoliner and I love it! Upon delivery we went to a deserted parking lot on a Sunday and practiced figure 8s, circles, going around light poles, quick starts and stops and so forth, just like starting to learn riding again. Did that a couple days and then just drove around the neighborhood for more experience. 30,000 miles later, I ride with the best of them and I love it.

Now for my wife!! She had owned a few 2 wheelers over about 8 years, then out of the blue she says "I think I want a Spyder"! Remember what she said about Spyders, "their ugly"!

Well, she rode on the back of a friends Spyder and that convinced her that was what she needed.

We found a used 2011 RT Spyder, semi-automatic and since March she has put on 15,000 miles.

We did the same with her, going to a large parking lot to practice, then she rode it home.

She loves it, and constantly wants to go somewhere for a road trip!
That is just our experience and we hope your wife doesn't give up. Seriously consider the conventional trikes with a raked front end or the Spyder with power front steering. With the Spyder, you don't forget how wide you are, as the wheels are in front, so it is not as sensitive when gassing up or going around corners. With an semi-automatic and power steering it was a dream for my wife.
Good luck and keep us informed!