First 300 mile ride and impressions of my 2019 Tri Glide Ultra

[Peter A.]

I’d be willing to put some miles on it for you.

I’d Jump on that tooooo.......I was in Las Vegas this past week and both dealers told me that there are NO SCORCHED ORANGE trikes on the entire West Coast, although my dealer in Sacramento HAD one and immediately SOLD IT!

Love that color.........hopefully HD will ship more out!

[bikerbillone]

HD, the masters of merchandising, you'd think they would build a lot of this popular color.

[Capt.Bob]

HD, the masters of merchandising, you'd think they would build a lot of this popular color.

I know it seems kind of weird to create an artificial scarcity. Although, it is the way that they can add $1800 over the black trike with great customer acceptance of the inflated price and also be able to advantage some of their selling dealers to get over list price. If I didn't like mine so much, I would put it up for sale and flip it

They have put the Scorched Orange/Black Denim on 6 other high-end models for this model year. I keep looking at the paint on mine and it really is a beautiful and lustrous color. It is the perfect color for Halloween! My pumpkin colored trike!

[Capt.Bob]

Well, I have been riding the wheels off of the 2019 and performed the 1000 mile service over the past two days. I am pretty slow and methodical and it takes me about x3 longer than any Harley service tech to do a 1k service but I know that everything is done exactly to the book. The only check item that I find very odd is one where it asked you to assess if there is any moisture in the brake fluid? If you crack the system open, then it seems to me that you are introducing moisture?

I could be wrong and am going to have to check this out with a dealer to see how they are handling this. I understand why Harley included it because of the moisture in the brake system recall debacle but I am not sure what they really want us or a tech to do? The other interesting thing is that in the owner's manual, it calls for Formula+ for both the tranny and the primary. I have ALWAYS used only Formula+ because I never had confidence that SYN3 could do it all?

It didn't make a lot of sense to me that it would be good for all three holes and now we are seeing, likely in part due to oil migration issues, that Harley is no longer recommending SYN3 in all three holes on the 2019 TGU's at least. On my 2017 TGU, I used only Formula+ for my tranny and primary and had zero issues with oil migration which may or may not have anything to do with the type of fluid we are using? Here is a picture of the trike in "full up position" mode to access all of the goodies underneath the trike like having to check the torque on the oil pan bolts which is only done at the 1k check.

[Capt.Bob]

Took delivery of my 2019 M8 (114) yesterday afternoon. Spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening waxing the shiny parts of the Scorched Orange/Black Denim trike and checked all of the fluids, tire pressures and rear shock setting. This morning, I headed out about 8:30 a.m. in 74 degree weather that eventually heated up to 92 degrees at about 2 p.m. Rode all different kinds of pavement as I traversed from one side of the Florida Peninsula to the other and then back again through the interior of the State. I did this to be able to vary my speeds/rpm's throughout the ride on this first part of the 500 mile total break-in procedure prescribed by the MOCO (was limited to 3k max rpm for the first 50 miles and then 3.5k rpm until completion of break-in at 500 miles on the clock while all the while varying my speeds/rpms for potentially best break-in.

As some of you know, this is my third Tri Glide having owned: a 2016 103c.i. (14.5k miles); 2017 107c.i. M8 (7.9k miles) and now the 2019 114 c.i. M8 with 300 miles. I thought I would share early impressions of the new trike to help others discern if the improvements in the latest iteration are of interest to them in terms of possible purchase. Of course, I have only 1-day of riding but had just gotten off my 2017 2 days earlier.

The 2019 TGU with some of the added features is an overall better functioning trike IMHO. I didn't get that fastest color which is Black but I did get one of the neatest colors in this year's offerings which was the Scorched Orange/Black Denim combo. I had my selling dealer transfer all but the DK Customs Custom Lift kit over to the new trike. The reason that the lift kit did not get transferred is that the new suspension has the trike level and actually a bit higher in the back than my previous TGU's with lift kits. The steering is concomitantly easier due to the change in geometry and I think even a tad easier to steer than my TGU's with the Lift Kits. As Trampas retorts "All for now".

Here are my impressions in a somewhat organized hierarchical (what dat mean?) order to point out the improvements of the 2019 over the two previous iterations of TGU's that I have owned.

1. The new Boom! Box GTS infotainment center with the Gorilla Glass is light years improved over the 6.5 Boom Box era. if you use your Infotainment Center a lot for GPS/Trip Planning/Calls/Trike Status etc., the upgraded systems really take some of the sting out of the cost in upgrading to the latest model.

2. The 6-speed transmission on the 114 is the absolute smoothest one I have EVER had on a Harley. In addition to this, the formerly snatchy clutch engagement is a thing of the past and it is the most refined clutch that I have ever used on any Tri Glide. Finding Neutral was much easier on this machine than any of the other TGU's.

3. The 114c.i. M8 is smoother than either the 103 TC or 107 M8 and does not making popping sounds when decelerating. It does not appear to me to be that significantly more powerful than the 107 M8. I had the EITMS turned off and found that the idle is better at about 1,000 rpm as opposed to the 107 M8 which idled at 950 and tended to occasionally stumble leaving a light.

4. The Reflex Linked Anti-lock Brake System and Traction Control System are both different, a bit quirky, but more effective than anything that has come before it on the Tri Glides. It causes the brake lever feelings to change based on what the system sensors are reporting and it also at times makes some different sounds as the actuators do their jobs. I am not sure how these added features are going to play out when I am taking tight twisties up in the mountains? In Can-Am parlance, these systems are known as the "Nanny" and I am not that fond of relying on an engineers/programmers thoughts of how my suspension system should be responding and taking responsibility away from the rider.

5. The changes to the front and rear suspensions based on my uber precise, scientifically non-repeatable "butt-o-meter" findings suggested to me that the suspension overall rides maybe 30% softer and more compliant. It still seems like a fairly rough ride and I suspect that based on folks reports of the coil over shocks that places like DK Customs sells provide a better ride than this latest iteration of shock absorption? As I had mentioned earlier, the bottom of the installed optional rear bumper is approximately 13" above the ground and the trike does not have that drooping look/ride with much better muffler clearance than previous models.

6. I have heard through the grapevine that this new 114 M8 is likely sporting the 5th generation of oil pumps since the TGU's were equipped with the 103 "wet heads" in 2014 and supposedly, the latest oil pumps handle Stage 3 and 4 upgrades better, especially at higher speeds.

7. Did I mention that although slower than the Black trikes, the fit and finish of this top-of-the-line paint job with only one other color combo in the category is about as perfect as I have seen them painted. Harley also made the dash out of shiny plastic instead of the textured plastic and it looks really sharp (ala CVO's). Additionally, on the two most expensive paint jobs, the tank badges are flush with the tank and do not interfere with my knee placement. On my 2017 trike, I removed the big honkin' metal badges with strong fishing leader and got the adhesive goo off the tank with nary a scratch in the beautiful shiny paint underneath the two tank badges.

In our warm Florida heat, the extra displacement seems to translate into as hot or slightly hotter engine feel. I have a set of Love Jugs and DK Customs Floor Board Extenders on the trike to help ameliorate the deleterious effects of our significant heat cycles. Overall, as I was finishing up the ride, my thoughts were that I am glad that I migrated from the 2017 to the 2019 but I am not sure if the significant difference in prices/values completely warrants the upgrade? I don't plan to share those cost differences but rest assured that it was not as cheap as people like me would have liked

I forgot to mention one crazy thing. This new TGU represents my 100th motorcycle/trike (yep, it is not a misprint) since I began riding my own motorcycles in 1964. Pushing well over 400k seat miles and hope to add at least another 100k before I consider hanging up my handlebars.

Well, 10 days after receiving my new 2019 Scorched Orange/Black Denim TGU with 5 miles on the odometer, I have put on 972 additional miles and completed the 1000 mile service here at the house with supplies obtained from my selling dealer. Although very new to this latest iteration of Tri Glides, it is my third one and I am thinking that I would want to change the original hierarchical ordering (above) of the 2019 features in contrast to my 2016 and 2017 TGU's that I traded each time to get up to the 2019.

1. The 114c.i. M8 engine is a sizeable improvement in terms of overall smoothness of operation over my 2017 107c.i. M8. It idles better, is smoother running through the gears and transmits less vibration to the trike while running down the road. It does not seem to be more powerful but is pleasantly smoother than the TC 103c.i. or the M8 107c.i. After break-in, I smoothly brought the RPM's up to about 4k plus and the pipes have a throatier sound.

Additionally, the 114 seems to make considerably less internal mechanical noises. Not sure why? From what I have heard through the grapevine, the engine may be sporting the 5th generation of oil pumps (by part number) and likely will have a positive affect on engine functioning as compared to some of the earlier iterations of the oil pumps.

2. I really like the Reflex Linked Anti-lock Brake System and the way that using either the front or back brakes partially activate the other sets of brakes. The braking is the most positive that I have experienced on a Tri Glide. I think I will also like the Traction Control System when I ride in wet weather on twisty roads but have yet to experience that aspect of the new features.

3. The Boom! Box GTS Infotainment System on the 2019 is so much faster, intuitive and displays so much more information in a very pleasing format that the old 6.5 Boom Box should never be mentioned in the same conversation when it comes to ease of use and utility.

4. The lack of a snatchy clutch (now very smooth engagement) combined with an ultra smooth transmission makes for pure joy in rowing through the gears up or down. Finding Neutral is no longer the pain it was with the two previous TGU's.

5. Although a purely aesthetic issue, the Scorched Orange/Black Denim paint job is the nicest I have ever seen on a trike. Of course this is a personal taste thing and others may actually find the colors a bit too gaudy or too retro?

6. The suspension, both front and back is better but my butt-o-meter tells me that it remains only about 30% more compliant and comfortable than my 2017 with no fancy front forks and the former air shocks. The 2017's shock settings were easier to adjust by just taking off the right side cover and using a Harley shock pump to get the "goldilocks" setting.

On the 2019, the seat is secured by a long bolt with a knurled head but Harley has the bolt canted almost against the chassis of the trike actually making it a bit more difficult to get the bolt started. I found that being right handed, it was easier for me to manipulate the seat from the right side of the trike with my left hand moving the seat around and my right working the long bolt into the seat stay hole and the threaded hole in the trike frame.

I am very tickled that the new suspension takes out the sagging rear ends that were a hallmark of the TGU's until 2019. The bottom of my mufflers have 7" of clearance above the ground in the stock configuration. I find that the change in geometry makes for possibly the lightest stock steering inputs of any previous Tri Glide.

Well, if you compare my initial impressions with my 1k impressions, you can see that my weightings have changed with usage of the trike. The bottom line is that I more strongly feel that I am glad that I got to sample and own Harley's latest iteration of the Tri Glide Ultra. Is it perfect, hell no. Is it fun, hell yes!

[GoSlo]

Capt. Bob (or anyone else that might know),

Any idea(s) on why the clutch is smoother and has lost the tendency to lurch compared to the earlier M8's?

[rhino 2]

Capt. Bob (or anyone else that might know),

Any idea(s) on why the clutch is smoother and has lost the tendency to lurch compared to the earlier M8's?

Just my guess, They Harley got tired of the complaints [ie stalling] and preloded the new shift lever...Like some after market companies sell..

[Hogleverage.com]

[Jack Klarich]

Capt. Bob (or anyone else that might know),

Any idea(s) on why the clutch is smoother and has lost the tendency to lurch compared to the earlier M8's?

I would bet it is due to the recall of the 17-18 models that have a potential problem with the slave cylinder

The 19 models should ALL have the NEW cylinder already JMO

[Capt.Bob]

I would bet it is due to the recall of the 17-18 models that have a potential problem with the slave cylinder

The 19 models should ALL have the NEW cylinder already JMO

Jack, I think you are likely correct. It is kind of weird but if I slightly pull in the clutch lever, I get a pulsing feeling in the lever that I never felt before on the other trikes.

Bob

[Jack Klarich]

Jack, I think you are likely correct. It is kind of weird but if I slightly pull in the clutch lever, I get a pulsing feeling in the lever that I never felt before on the other trikes.

Bob

You have a Handsome trike

IMO Harley could have got the clutch right a long time ago

Your reports on the 19 model is a very good read

[GoSlo]

I would bet it is due to the recall of the 17-18 models that have a potential problem with the slave cylinder

The 19 models should ALL have the NEW cylinder already JMO

Well, that would be good news since I'm on the recall list and will get that cylinder replaced in a couple of weeks. It'll be interesting to see if those symptoms go away or are at the least, reduced.

[TriTn]

I test rode a 2019 Tri Glde yesterday and I think you were spot on with your assessment. Just couldn't make a trade.

[MDO]

Capt. Bob. I have a few questions.

1st. off, thanks for the write up on your impressions of your 2019 TG.

1. You mentioned earlier that the new trike did not have "popping on deceleration" Did your 2017 suffer from this?

I can only speak for my 2017 M8 Freewheeler, but it does not.

2. You mentioned the idling, does your 2019 idle at 850 RPM? If not, at what RPM does it idle at. My M8 idles at 850.



Thanks

[Capt.Bob]

Capt. Bob. I have a few questions.

1st. off, thanks for the write up on your impressions of your 2019 TG.

1. You mentioned earlier that the new trike did not have "popping on deceleration" Did your 2017 suffer from this?

I can only speak for my 2017 M8 Freewheeler, but it does not.

2. You mentioned the idling, does your 2019 idle at 850 RPM? If not, at what RPM does it idle at. My M8 idles at 850.



Thanks

My 2017 "wet head" 107c.i. engine would make some popping noises through the mufflers on deceleration. Your Freewheeler does not have the radiators like are on the Tri Glide which suggests a different engine configuration.

My 2019 114c.i. M8 idles at 1000 rpm.

[Rev J]

That's is one sharp looking trike. Love the new colors. If I was going to trade that would be the one. Thanks for the review! Enjoy that new ride!

[RShomo]

I just recently purchased a 2019 Scorched Orange Tri Guide (they are a bit hard to find). This is my first Tri Guide (although my wife had a 2015 Freewheeler), so not completely new to a trike. This 19’ TG rides very nicely. I did the break in period as per HD and now have 760 miles. I am coming off of a 2012 CVO Ultra (110 Stage 1), my early observations:

1- TG rides better than the CVO.

2- The CVO 110 had much better roll-on power then the TG114.

3- the Fuel Mileage on the TG is poor (30-31 mpg) vs the CVO at 35-38 mpg depending on how hard I rode it. Hopefully the TG will get better after getting some miles on it.

4- The BOOM GTS Info is better the the standard system on the CVO, plus you can see the GPS where as the Garmin on the CVO was in-viewable due to glare in the day time.

5- What kind of fuel mileage is everyone else seeing? My TG is stock except for having the dealer swap out mufflers for a set of TAB Slip-on mufflers with the Zombe Inserts.

RShomo

2019 TriGuide Scorched Orange/Black Denim

[MDO]

Welcome from Missouri & congrats on your TG. I suspect your mileage will improve with some miles.

[ultrafxr]

Congrats Richard. I would not expect much improvement on the mpg. I'm thirteen months and 17k into trikes with my 2018 TG. Low 30s is pretty typical. Now with a tail wind it gets a bit better but that doesn't happen often. I will say that keeping the rpm's up a bit does seem to help. On my two wheel Harleys I would cruise in the low 2,000 rpm range.

The trike seems to get better mileage if I keep the rpm's in the upper 2,000 range. Now if you're on the highway running 65 + it'll be 3,000 or better. And this big box of a vehicle is about as aerodynamic as a concrete block, lol. But mileage is not really a worry the few extra $$ for fuel don't add up to all that much and the wife or I one will want to stop and take a break well before the tank is empty.

[RShomo]

Thanks guys for the response. It’s just a bit of a shock to have to stop every +-125 miles for fuel. I have a lot of learning to do with the Boom Info system, it’s a lot different than what I had on the old bike, a lot of multi function buttons/joy sticks for a old not so computer savvy person.

[Lee H. Mann]

Richard, welcome to Trike Talk from West Virginia.