Tri Glide Owners do you think the Heat and other issues have finally been solved ?

[Yoda]

I spent many years riding when I was younger and never thought I would be riding again. The young lady I am now married to has never been on a motorcycle but has for the first time on a Suzuki Burgman Converted Scooter, and as far as I am concerned still has not been put on a real motorcycle as of yet.

Even so that limited experience was enough to get her attention and she appears to be catching bike/scooter fever. Of course I am not rushing her and I am encouraging her to learn to ride on her own as well. If its something she really loves then I think there will never be anytime in our future life where owning a bike/trike will be in question.

As I mentioned her first experience was on a Suzuki Burgman 650cc Trike converted Scooter. We purchased it Nov 30th and it is sitting in our Garage as we wait for warm weather. A few weeks ago, I took her to the local Harley Dealer and let her sit on both a Tri-Glide as well as a Free Wheeler. They had an experienced Female salesperson there and I think I used some common sense and walked away and just let the ladies talk while I looked around the rest of the store. I figured this way I would not interfere and my wife might be more relaxed asking any questions she might have. I also wanted to make sure she could reach everything comfortably on either Trike as she is only 4 foot 11 inches tall.

I also figured the more informed my wife was the more intelligent the conversation we could have in regard to what she wanted in a Trike.

We had the normal chit chat that couples do when they leave a dealership and it seemed she enjoyed her time there.

After I got home I started researching the Tri Glide. I discovered somethings about it when I was at the dealer and somethings after. One of the things I discovered was that in addition to Harley Davidson Raking out their Trikes to control head shake they also use a damper in combination with it. I also discovered that if you have any modifications done to the engine and Harley finds out about it then it will void your warranty. In addition to that Harley does not support towing a trailer with the Tri-Glide and that will Void your warranty as well.

At this point, these are some pretty strong negatives to consider but being is I have just started exploring I have no idea what other type of Bike or Trike conversion I will be comparing to them as of yet.

Since that time I have been doing more reading in this forum and also on the web and I am familiar that there has been some heat issues mentioned with past models where some had gotten excessively hot. It has also been mentioned that some rocker covers were leaking and aux fans malfunctioning.

I was in our local Harley Shop again this week and I asked the same person that had helped my wife about the heat issues. The woman at the shop said that was fixed in the last recall. I guess she was referring the the Milwaukee Eight recall that changed how the engine was cooled. So from what I understand now there is both water cooling and oil cooling.

From what I am reading on the net there seems to be some recalls that were done in 2017 and of course I have read thread here involved the life of front wheel bearings in this forum. The front wheel bearing thread took me back to the early 60s where I remember my uncle who bought old police three wheelers and had issues with them as well.

The purpose of me writing this post is gather opinions and attempt to find out how current Harley Tri-Glide owners feel about their current rides and what would they buy today if they had to make the choice again.

I know there are die hard Harley People out there. Nothing wrong with that.

Please keep in mind that no matter where my wife and I decide to go from here, be is Harley, Honda, or something else, we want to spend most of our time and money riding and traveling, instead of sitting in at a Dealers or a Hotel Room and spending our money on repairs.

Thanks,

Jason

[desertclassic]

Jason, you pose a lot of thoughts and questions. I have a 14 triglide, bought new. I have made mods to address heat issues. Lots of research, and at this point, have not done anything that would have an impact on the warranty.

There are 2 great stickey threads by DK Customs Products that address this very issue. I think that would be a great place to get you started. Jim

[MDO]

Yoda,

The discussion you had with the salesperson in regards to recalls would cause me to run to another dealer, fast.

I own a 2017 Freewheeler & to my knowledge, there was not a recall addressing how the engines are cooled. Some of the new M8 motors are air/oil cooled, like my Freewheeler, & some have liquid cooling also, like the Tri-Glide.

Next to conversations in a gun shop, conversations on a motorcycle showroom floor will give you the greatest opportunity to hear things that are not true.

If I am mistaken, I am sure someone will correct me.

By the way, I love my Freewheeler & at 4,800 miles, it is running great.

[vito]

I spent many years riding when I was younger and never thought I would be riding again. The young lady I am now married to has never been on a motorcycle but has for the first time on a Suzuki Burgman Converted Scooter, and as far as I am concerned still has not been put on a real motorcycle as of yet.

Even so that limited experience was enough to get her attention and she appears to be catching bike/scooter fever. Of course I am not rushing her and I am encouraging her to learn to ride on her own as well. If its something she really loves then I think there will never be anytime in our future life where owning a bike/trike will be in question.

As I mentioned her first experience was on a Suzuki Burgman 650cc Trike converted Scooter. We purchased it Nov 30th and it is sitting in our Garage as we wait for warm weather. A few weeks ago, I took her to the local Harley Dealer and let her sit on both a Tri-Glide as well as a Free Wheeler. They had an experienced Female salesperson there and I think I used some common sense and walked away and just let the ladies talk while I looked around the rest of the store. I figured this way I would not interfere and my wife might be more relaxed asking any questions she might have. I also wanted to make sure she could reach everything comfortably on either Trike as she is only 4 foot 11 inches tall.

I also figured the more informed my wife was the more intelligent the conversation we could have in regard to what she wanted in a Trike.

We had the normal chit chat that couples do when they leave a dealership and it seemed she enjoyed her time there.

After I got home I started researching the Tri Glide. I discovered somethings about it when I was at the dealer and somethings after. One of the things I discovered was that in addition to Harley Davidson Raking out their Trikes to control head shake they also use a damper in combination with it. I also discovered that if you have any modifications done to the engine and Harley finds out about it then it will void your warranty. In addition to that Harley does not support towing a trailer with the Tri-Glide and that will Void your warranty as well.

At this point, these are some pretty strong negatives to consider but being is I have just started exploring I have no idea what other type of Bike or Trike conversion I will be comparing to them as of yet.

Since that time I have been doing more reading in this forum and also on the web and I am familiar that there has been some heat issues mentioned with past models where some had gotten excessively hot. It has also been mentioned that some rocker covers were leaking and aux fans malfunctioning.

I was in our local Harley Shop again this week and I asked the same person that had helped my wife about the heat issues. The woman at the shop said that was fixed in the last recall. I guess she was referring the the Milwaukee Eight recall that changed how the engine was cooled. So from what I understand now there is both water cooling and oil cooling.

From what I am reading on the net there seems to be some recalls that were done in 2017 and of course I have read thread here involved the life of front wheel bearings in this forum. The front wheel bearing thread took me back to the early 60s where I remember my uncle who bought old police three wheelers and had issues with them as well.

The purpose of me writing this post is gather opinions and attempt to find out how current Harley Tri-Glide owners feel about their current rides and what would they buy today if they had to make the choice again.

I know there are die hard Harley People out there. Nothing wrong with that.

Please keep in mind that no matter where my wife and I decide to go from here, be is Harley, Honda, or something else, we want to spend most of our time and money riding and traveling, instead of sitting in at a Dealers or a Hotel Room and spending our money on repairs.

Thanks,Jason

First, why a trike at all? Why not a motorcycle? They are much easier for a small person to ride than a trike, that must be steered like a car. But to answer your questions -

No, all of the problems have not been solved, nor will they ever be. Mitigated? yes. Solved? Never.

A Harley trike is a big heavy machine, perhaps too big & heavy for such a small person unless she has a good deal of upper body strength - remember, unlike a bike, a trike must be steered. H-D didn't increase fork rake to prevent head shake that I know of but they did add a damper - something usually found on race bikes. Heat wise, there is no real "solution" - a big motor powering a heavy trike makes heat and the gawd damn EPA has made it worse with a cat. Converter. H-D has done some magic with managing it but the only was to eliminate it is to not start the motor. My suggestion is to go to a dealer like Space Coast HD that has a big parking area and let your lady try one. If she is frail she may be better off on a lighter machine. My child bride is 5'1" and has owned a couple big FLH dressers - rode them coast to coast many times but she ain't normal. She rides our TriGlides and rode our freewheelers. Bottom line - try before you buy.

As far as sitting in motel, do you know the difference between 'availability', reliability, mean time to repair, etc.? Harleys are at least as reliable as any other bike/trike. But all can break.

Now, if that happens on a Harley or BMW on the road, the dealer will normally have the parts to fix it and will put you ahead of local customers. With a Japanese bike you can plan to wait days, weeks, even months for parts. It is built into their supply system. So, if you plan to travel, and don't like motel rooms, take that into account.

Best.

[Mykneesbehurtin]

As Vito said the Harley engine is a large V-twin ,so the issues with heat are there.But they can be lessened quite a bit,but with added expense.As far as reliability goes all bikes can have issues.I bought the first M8 trike our dealer had in Sept 2016 and now have 9500 miles on it.It has had a couple small issues but all have been repaired.Something else to consider is the cost of maintenance on which ever brand you decide to buy,normal maintenance can get pricey on HD's if you don't do your own oil changes ect.

So if you are planning on traveling look at the network of dealers for each brand you are thinking about buying,on the outside chance you have a breakdown,what will be the likely hood of having a dealer nearby.If you buy a Honda it will be a conversion so you will need to find a Honda dealer or an independent shop for the repairs.The HD shops more than likely wont touch it because their techs aren't trained to work on them.I guy i work with had his Yamaha Venture break down heading out west on two occasions and had to rent a truck to bring it home because he couldn't find a dealer close to where he was.So make your decision wisely and enjoy the new ride.

[ISP-FL]

I really can't address all your concerns. I have owned both metric and Harley bikes most of my adult life. There are good points and bad points to both.

I have never had the desire to pull a trailer with a motorcycle. We have done some extended trips out west riding 2 up and if you pack correctly on a Harley bagger you really don't need a lot of extra cargo space. Of course if you are trying to camp I suppose you may need a trailer.

I never really had issues with excessive heat (rider comfort) on any of my Harleys until I got my 2016 Trike. I don't think it has as much to do with Harley's motor as it has to do with the design of a trike. In the summer, in slow city traffic, they are extremely hot machines to be on unless you make tons of modifications.

Overall I have found that Harley is very reliable, holds their value well, and has a nationwide chain of dealers easily located while traveling.

[Sunman]

One of the specific reasons I bought a Harley Freewheeler is because of the extensive HD Dealer network. I do all of my own maintenance and repairs but if you break down on the road then you need dealer support. The Freewheeler and Triglide can be taken into any HD Dealer and be repaired if you break down on the road. Previously I owned a Honda GL1800 trike which of course is an aftermarket conversion. It was a great trike but it broke down in the middle of nowhere in Arkansas and none of the Honda Dealers I called wanted to work on it. I finally got in touch with the manufacturer of the conversion kit and found one of their dealers about 2 hours away and got it towed into their shop. I decided then that if I ever bought another trike it would be a Harley because of their extensive dealer network. I have owned several different brands of bikes and trikes and liked them all for various reasons but for a trike I will stay with Harley mainly because of the service support nationwide. The heat issues can be managed. Just my opinion.

Sunman

[1dn5up]

+1 from Sunman and Joe,

Wanted a Trike with IRS but didn’t have a doner to use . Every one told me my 91 was too old and their conversation would not fit. I guess no one wanted to go out of the box due to liability issues Being I found a deal I couldn’t refuse came up on my 12 triglide, I jumped on it. After many improvements it’s now likeable and I enjoy it. Before all the mods as a box stocker it was a horror show ready to pass it on to some one else. I’m not married to HD , just understand the mechanics, I’m too old nor do I want to explore other brands right now. Ride safe.

[trikeman]

Lots of opinions and information available here on Trike Talk. You can got to different threads here at TT and get lots of information and knowledge from trike owners concerning maintenance,repairs,cost,durability,likes and dislikes. Along with complaints we have when we’re not happy with our dream machine when it’s not preforming to our expections and how happy we are when it takes us there and back without mechanical issues or other performance or comfort related problems. When you are done reading our complaints and/or complements, go ride,rub,sit on as many as you want. When you are totally confused or satisfied. Then choose the make model color year and options you like and can afford and ride it like you stole it. Brag on it when you will,trash talk it if you wanna,BUT NEVER EVER talk about MINE!!! Post pic so we can brag and drool and be green with envy.

[Peter A.]

FYi.....my Wife rode a Sportster for awhile then switched to a Harley Street Glide trike.....loves it and currently has 54 thou. +miles on it......she is all of 5'1" and has NO problem handling it!

[Rev J]

Wife and I purchased a 2014 Triglide last April and absolutely love it! She has not once complained about excess heat. Yes they tend to heat up sitting in traffic but so did my water cooled Honda VTX. Put about 5000 miles on the Tri last year, so far no issues. I did buy Harley warranty just in case. You can never be too safe, Rev. J

[Papa Zook]

Harleys all get hot even the so called water cooled ones, especially trikes. If you buy a Harley trike and are concerned about excessive engine heat, bolt on a pair of Love Jugs cooling fans and the problem is solved. This is why so many here including both of the owners of DK Custom run cooling fans on their bikes and trikes. There just is not a more effective way of cooing a Harley.

[Jack Klarich]

Harleys all get hot even the so called water cooled ones, especially trikes. If you buy a Harley trike and are concerned about excessive engine heat, bolt on a pair of Love Jugs cooling fans and the problem is solved. This is why so many here including both of the owners of DK Custom both run cooling fans on their bikes and trikes. There just is not a more effective way of cooing a Harley.

I 4 one can Stongly agreewith this

These fans are the best thing going IMO