Two Wheels to Three - any regrets?

[Rev J]

I have to admit that three is better than two in some ways. Yes I miss the leaning in curves. However the benefits of three out ways two wheels. No longer do I worry about dropping the bike, especially with wife on board. The comfort level is so much greater with the Triglide, not just me but for mama. She really loves the extra comfortable seat. No longer are gravel roads intimidating. I just feel more relaxed on the trike than two wheels. Riding in the rain is less stressful. Still ride two wheels sometimes but honestly prefer three wheels. Admittedly the first few hundred miles or so I was thinking maybe buying the trike was a mistake. Now it's like second nature. Love it! Rev. J

[rhino 2]

I don't have to many problems with hitting pot-holes , Nope i hit every one, Especially at night when you can't see them you tend to hit every one of them...My Spyder was fun though, A Squirrel would run out and try to straddle the front wheels, And thump... The rear wheel would turn them into asphalt pizza..

[Texan]

No regrets at all. Have Parkinson's and have lost a lot of my balance. If it wasn't for 3 wheels I'd be sitting under a tree watching 'em ride by......3 wheels lets ME ride in the wind along with 'em.

Ridden on 3 to Sturgis 4 years now and not planning to stop anytime soon. Did all 48 on 2, now to do it on 3.

8~\o

[Panjs]

The only downside so far is the Stinger trailer I used to haul the Road Glide doesn't fit the Tri Glide.

Otherwise I'm happy.

[Zammy]

The Misses and I are both 72, I really enjoy the comfort and peace of mind being on three. There's more time to enjoy the scenery and it's very comfortable, the wife has had 2 knee replacements and several other foot surgeries. I've had cancer and a couple heart procedures so I'm very confident on the Tri.

Do I miss 2 wheels, you betcha I do. I used to race motocross, some flat track, and always had a dirt bike but those days are in the rear view mirror now. Our son-in-law has 2 bikes so when we visit them in the summer I get my 2 wheel fix for a bit, just like me it's an oldie, 1977 Shovelhead FLH, I love it but always by myself.

[Lucky]

No regrets whatsoever. The first one i saw i liked. No handicaps to blame it on i just liked it. Never had so much fun in the mountains in all my two wheel riding. Never understood the macho thing about riding trikes. I have found that most people that don't like trikes never rode one. Ride safe

[Quietrider]

I switched to the tri glide last summer from an ultra classic and a VTX. I don't regret it but I sure as hell miss the two wheels. I turned 70 last year and need the stability of the 3-wheel.

[Fearless]

No regrets for us my bride and I love the Triglide. comfort safety style it has it all ride safe Fred

[Burnerboy]

I'm a Goldwing guy, BUT very glad that I did switch from two to three

Ronnie

[lightnin]

after my second back surgery I found out real quick I couldn't ride two like I used to so it was either go three or quit riding and that was not an option. I bought an 09 but quickly traded it for a 16 back in 17 and it had less than 10k on it. After I relearned how to ride I love the thing. Hit the highway set the cruise then take a hand full of no-doze and enjoy life

[vtxharley]

No, regrets, but does take getting use to, completely different ride from two wheels. You can have alot more fun riding when u are more relaxed, especially the wife.

[Copper]

Sure I miss 2 wheels. My last Fat-boy went back in 92 when my oldest son was born. Four kids later most in college my wife got talking to a couple riding a gold wing trike on the ferry on lake Champlain.

That night she brought up that it could be something we could do together. That was all I needed, that was a free pass for me to go out that week and pick up my triglide. We have enjoyed ever since. She would not have gotten back on a 2 wheel bike after all these year. As long as we don't have snow on the ground its my daily commuting vehicle.

[rhino 2]

Sure I miss 2 wheels. My last Fat-boy went back in 92 when my oldest son was born. Four kids later most in college my wife got talking to a couple riding a gold wing trike on the ferry on lake Champlain.

That night she brought up that it could be something we could do together. That was all I needed, that was a free pass for me to go out that week and pick up my triglide. We have enjoyed ever since. She would not have gotten back on a 2 wheel bike after all these year. As long as we don't have snow on the ground its my daily commuting vehicle.

Welcome to Trike-Talk....Chris....Great first post

[screwball]

Lots! Can't split lanes, no gutter running, riding on the sidewalk is out.... all the fun stuff! Wife and I are on Trikes for health reasons, otherwise we would still be on 2 wheels.

That being said, we would be hard pressed to go back to 2 wheels. Trikes are harder to ride, aren't as fast, and don't corner as well. They are much more stable and feel a lot safer. At 70+ years old this makes a lot of sense.

[MDO]

Like many here, medical issues really slowed down my 2 wheel fun & I really missed it. Once I saw the fun of the Freewheeler I was hooked & enjoy it as much as I did 2 wheels.

Are there drawbacks, sure, a few, but there are a lot of pluses too.

Stability, storage & with the new M8 engine, more torgue, power & smooth delivery of a lot of fun.

[427dave]

No regrets at all. It was my wifes idea to trade the ultra limited for the trike. I was having a knee problem and dumped the ultra a couple of times in the garage. We traded up in 2011 for a new 2011 Triglide. We now have 60,000 miles. Moved to Northern Wisconsin for 3 years and did not get as much riding in. We have taken some long trips and the wife likes it a lot more than two wheels although the 2 wheels rode smother. Did have one big problem at 51,000 miles, the 103 engine blew up on a trip. Waited on the side of the road for 3 hours waiting for a tow truck, we were in the goony bushes. Required a engine replacement so we installed a SE 120 ST as the warranty had just expired a couple of months before.

Still do not regret the change and I had ridden motorcycles for over 50 years at that time. Love my trike

[GARYD]

Lots! Can't split lanes, no gutter running, riding on the sidewalk is out.... all the fun stuff! Wife and I are on Trikes for health reasons, otherwise we would still be on 2 wheels.

That being said, we would be hard pressed to go back to 2 wheels. Trikes are harder to ride, aren't as fast, and don't corner as well. They are much more stable and feel a lot safer. At 70+ years old this makes a lot of sense.

I'm in your age bracket - 74 in March. But I have a bit of a different outlook on trikes then you. I never have and never will split lanes, don't know what gutter running is, and don't ride on sidewalks - BUT - a trike is a helluvalot of fun on ice and snow and I (and most riders familiar with a trike) can corner faster than a 2 wheeler - a lot faster!!

Don't have to worry about how I'm going to pick it up if I fall over.

I wouldn't say trikes are harder to ride - just different. I ride the BRP and The Dragon every year. Sometimes, just for fun, I will join some crotch rockets just to see how long I can stay with them. They usually pull away on the few somewhat straights, but I catch up on the corners and hairpins.

SPEED? Depends on how fast you want to go - I have mine set up to go as fast as I want.... and then some. I ride my TG faster then probably 80% of Harley riders do on 2 wheels. Like the old saying goes.

I still ride 2 wheels a few times each year. Only reason I have a trike now is I may not have the money to buy one when I do need one. The way my hip is going it may not be too much longer.

I have no regrets. I started out in life on a trike and I'll go out on one.

[Capt.Bob]

Gary, I am just past 4 months into life with a new complete left hip. I chose an "anterior approach" surgical technique but the data supports equal outcomes with the "posterior approach" when minimally invasive incisions are made. I find that I have to be a bit careful on how I mount and dismount the trike and continue to experiment with the most efficient and safest ways to do that without fear of dislocating the implanted devices. The old saying goes, if you don't know how to do orthopedic surgery, find a surgeon who has good published statistics on whichever procedure they use.

The surgery has allowed me to much more comfortably ride on my trikes and/or get in and out of my Lotus Super 7 clone street/race car. Like many others, after the surgery and all of the initial and continuing hoopla of rehabilitation, you begin to ask yourself why you didn't get the surgery earlier. This is a common comment reportedly given to orthopedic surgeons.

As I mentioned on another post, now that I am gaining a lot of strength through exercise, I could more easily go back to 2 wheels with a lot more confidence that my hip would not be much of an issue but have concluded that I am not missing that much after some 400k seat miles on 2 wheels. The trikes really seem to make for a fun and more relaxing and/or challenging ride if I want to pick up the pace which you seem to like. I am about 5 years behind you in age but don't really care if some of my buddies refer to my trike as a "geezer glide". I am out in the wind having fun and I think that is all that really matters.

[GARYD]

Gary, I am just past 4 months into life with a new complete left hip. I chose an "anterior approach" surgical technique but the data supports equal outcomes with the "posterior approach" when minimally invasive incisions are made. I find that I have to be a bit careful on how I mount and dismount the trike and continue to experiment with the most efficient and safest ways to do that without fear of dislocating the implanted devices. The old saying goes, if you don't know how to do orthopedic surgery, find a surgeon who has good published statistics on whichever procedure they use.

The surgery has allowed me to much more comfortably ride on my trikes and/or get in and out of my Lotus Super 7 clone street/race car. Like many others, after the surgery and all of the initial and continuing hoopla of rehabilitation, you begin to ask yourself why you didn't get the surgery earlier. This is a common comment reportedly given to orthopedic surgeons.

As I mentioned on another post, now that I am gaining a lot of strength through exercise, I could more easily go back to 2 wheels with a lot more confidence that my hip would not be much of an issue but have concluded that I am not missing that much after some 400k seat miles on 2 wheels. The trikes really seem to make for a fun and more relaxing and/or challenging ride if I want to pick up the pace which you seem to like. I am about 5 years behind you in age but don't really care if some of my buddies refer to my trike as a "geezer glide". I am out in the wind having fun and I think that is all that really matters.

Perfect response, Bob, Thank you.

I just got back from a 2 mile "walk". I had hernia repair done on Tuesday and they say this is the only exercise I can do for a few more weeks. Then I can get back to my regular gym activities.

[FuzzyWuzHe]

Well like most, I went to three for medical reasons (really bad knees). Now that I've had one replaced and the second to happen real soon, I seriously thought about going back to two.

An advantage of two is better gas mileage and more options for insurance. But as so elegantly stated by screw ball, as I sneak up on 65, it just makes sense to stick with the more stable trike. In my neck of the world, there are tons of mountains and almost any ride could have some ice or frost on the road, especially in the shady spots, so three wheels make me feel a bit safer. Also, I love the bigger storage space ... can carry a coffee pot and my CPAP. JMHO