Another New Triker from Maryland - USA

[M.A.T.]

Bro's and Bro-ette's,
Newbie to the forum and to trikes, although been on two wheels since I was kid. Picking ours up this Saturday. We are so excited we can barely sleep. It's the Ruby Red Pearl/Merlot Pearl but I like to call it "Ooo La La Red". CAN'T - WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I searched for Trike forums and read one thread with Mr. Wizard schooling on the ABC's of heat reduction and knew this was the one for me!

Oh yea, we are trading a hopped up 2010 VRSCDX for this so it better be worth it!!!

I'm sure my Funny Little Honey will be happier, and that's all that really matters.

M.A.T.

[Nana]

Welcome aboard ! Allow yourself 200 - 500 miles to get adjusted to steering a trike, but you will suddenly realize you are having a blast --- and outrunning your 2-wheel buddies in the twisties!!! Enjoy.

[Gorilla]

Bro's and Bro-ette's,
Newbie to the forum and to trikes, although been on two wheels since I was kid. Picking ours up this Saturday. We are so excited we can barely sleep. It's the Ruby Red Pearl/Merlot Pearl but I like to call it "Ooo La La Red". CAN'T - WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I searched for Trike forums and read one thread with Mr. Wizard schooling on the ABC's of heat reduction and knew this was the one for me!

Oh yea, we are trading a hopped up 2010 VRSCDX for this so it better be worth it!!!

I'm sure my Funny Little Honey will be happier, and that's all that really matters.

M.A.T.

Welcome aboard. glad you joined us. Only time will tell if you made the right decision. I bet you did.

[OlBandit]

Welcome aboard M.A.T. from eastern PA, took me about 1000 miles to get accustomed to the steering and handling of the trike (guess I'm a slow learner), but I'll sure bet you will love it. There are several threads about the heat issue and ECM upgrades that you can read. I think the most important part is questions, ask alot of questions here and at the dealer and never take no as an answer, lol

Ride safe!

[Bob Witte]

Bro's and Bro-ette's,
Newbie to the forum and to trikes, although been on two wheels since I was kid. Picking ours up this Saturday. We are so excited we can barely sleep. It's the Ruby Red Pearl/Merlot Pearl but I like to call it "Ooo La La Red". CAN'T - WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!

I searched for Trike forums and read one thread with Mr. Wizard schooling on the ABC's of heat reduction and knew this was the one for me!

Oh yea, we are trading a hopped up 2010 VRSCDX for this so it better be worth it!!!

I'm sure my Funny Little Honey will be happier, and that's all that really matters.

M.A.T.

Welcome to you both! Your enthusiasm prompted me to want to re-post the link to my "How To Ride A Motorcycle Trike" compilation that most folks find useful. Just double click here:

The Trinity Trike

Enjoy & be safe! :Pepper:

Bob Witte
The Trinity Trike

[M.A.T.]

Gang,
Thanks for the warm welcome, I look forward to being a positive contributing member of the forum.

And so it begins...............first, a little about me..........A personal M.A.T. Bio if you will.........

I have to warn you, although up front I promise to try to keep my posts to the point, and brief, most of them will also tend to occasionally be lighthearted, possibly even interesting, and definitely long in the tooth. Oh, and I also have a tendency to ask redundant questions and sometimes even stupid questions with obvious answers. I know for me, I can always appreciate it when others do the same as I may not always know the right questions so I feel that any knowledge shared is worth twice as much.

And even more about me.........you may want to get a cup of coffee or print the rest of this for in the library later......

Yes, I feel we did make a good one, even though the choice to switch to such an extreme machine was very, very hard to make, especially in this economy. And was not because we have finally reached "that age" yet (please, no disrespect intended to my elders out there), well, maybe not completely. See, our current bike is practically new, with only 1k miles on it. And is one B.A. machine. To make the decision harder still, we seldom get the chance to ride often or for long periods. In part, due to our 12 hr +/day work schedules, chores associated with living in the country and our devotion to the needs of our aging parents that live miles away in the city, and not necessarily in that order. So basically, we are just regular folks living a regular lifestyle like most other poor schlubbs out there, nothing that makes us special, that's for sure.

But according to some of our friends, since our devotion to them is a little further down on that list, they tell us (jokingly we hope) we should just give up riding altogether, "what's the point". This saddens us but it will never stop us. I will be buried with my H-D.

We also feel the choice to change to a Tri-Glide was a deep desire to be a lot more comfortable, safer all around and the ability to be more prepared for the elements Mather Nature can throw at us while riding, when we do ride. And in the process possibly have a better chance to slow life down enough so we can actually smell those roses out there a little more.

Now a little bit about the single most important person in my life, My Wife.....

Fate brought us together and we spent some of our childhood together (but that's an even longer more mushy story and we are men here right and don't need to hear all that), so I've known she existed since I was around 11. Finally though, destiny intervened in 83' and we hooked up for good, she was 19, I was 21. In 87' we were happily married and even though we've had our fair share of ups/downs, remain happy and true to each other to this day. Coming from poor immigrant blue collar families we each owe each other everything we have. No woman could ever replace her. (or according to her, would want to).

So the decision, like them all, to once again trade a new bike for an even newer, more different bike was one we made together as a team.

Now, I usually do so much homework on things before buying them that I make myself sick. Honestly, I can embarrass salespeople most of the time. I made an exception this time and only briefly researched the Tri-Glide. I didn't even test drive one. I watched a 4 minute video on youtube and sat on the one we bought. I figured what the heck, it can only be easier to keep from falling over, what else is there to know. Then yesterday I started reading a couple posts about the "heat issues" associated with the Tri-Glide. I was sick the entire time driving home. I can't stand the heat! I can wear a t-shirt and shorts in 50 degree weather and be comfortable! I sweat in the shower!!! And no way can I afford to add another 2 - 3 grand doing mods on what was supposed to be the ultimate/complete machine!!! I may be in the doghouse a long time for this one..............

But I will see what happens. We are going to DELMARVA Bike Week next month in Ocean City, on the Eastern Shore of Maryland and if history holds true, it will be in the upper 80's mid 90's and 110% humidity. It will be a true test. I plan on taking wife beaters and shorts to wear, and I am even braking out my old (shhhh, non-DOT) shorty half helmet and leaving the full face at home.

But I do look forward to eventually making the suggested mods to increase comfort, engine life and performance as we do with all our bikes.

And once again, thanks to all of you now, in case I become absent minded and forget my manners later.

Rob

[M.A.T.]

Hey Bob!
Man, thanks a bunch!!!!!!!! I will be printing this out and reading this as soon as I get home form work!!!!!!!!

M.A.T.

[M.A.T.]

Nana, Gorilla, OlBandit,
Thanks for the warm welcome! Been riding a long time, am 49 and yet the anticipation of picking up such a unique motorcycle tomorrow makes me feel like a teenaged school boy at a Sadie Hawkins dance.

Hope to meet you all some day!

[White Knight 04]

M.A.T. I have found someone FINALLY that can out do me...This was one of the most interesting and riveting post I have ever had the pleasure of reading !!!!!WELCOME !!! Glad you are with us !!!

[CCrider]

Welcome to the best darn trike forum on the internet.

[TNTriker]

Welcome from SE Tennessee! I rode my own 2010 SG Trike for 14 months. Bought it new with 7 miles on it and when we traded it and Ron's RK in on our new Triglide it had just under 20,000 miles. I love riding and will for sure get my share of the driving when Ron and I get out on the road again. At the present I am recouping from some surgery and will be ready to ride by 1st of Sept. It is amazing how beautiful these trikes are and how wonderful they handle. There is all this fuss about heat. Well let me say that the Capt'n Itch Crotch Cooler and a few minor improvements will correct that unless all you do is sit on a city street riding stop light to stop light. We ride very little in city stop/go traffic. Some times you can't miss it, but as a rule our riding is in the mtns and twisties. We are riding motorcycles, not luxury cars. You will love this forum and will get as many different answers to your questions as you have people that answer them. Everyone can't be pleased with one remedy. If they could, many business would go out of business! A friend knows a young man, 29 years old, that just bought a new trike. He asked him why he went to a trike and his answer was "because I got tired putting my feet down"! No age limit on trikes...young, old and in between! Ride safe....

[M.A.T.]

I love these forums and the reason is always the same, people like you all! I can't wait to get back to work so I can stop using my thumbs on this cell phone to post but I'm so excited about tomorrow I Can't stop. I'll post some pics too but our smiles might block the bike, oops, sorry, TRIKE, in most of them.
Rob

[plumberdoug]

Matt,congrats on your new trike. My wife really likes ours she even wants to go to Delmarva this year. But my two wheeled friends are shunning me. Not sure if it is because I went to three wheels or because my trike is so comfortable that my wife is the only female willing to ride that far.

[M.A.T.]

Hey Plumber,
Bro, I would never presume to be able to tell you what to do but.............she's your funny little honey..........and my wife is my equal, my reason for living, and the only reason I crossed over to the trike. For me, that means till death do us part, and even though I know my Bros are key part of my life if they can't accept all my decisions, no matter how unconventional they are then they are the ones loseing out. A long time ago we entered the biker lifestyle and more than anything have enjoyed the single most important aspect of it, and that's the unconditional love we all have for each other. No matter who you are, what you look like or what you RIDE. So Bro, here's my suggestion and what I plan on saying too, "it a shame you feel that way, I really enjoy riding with you and will miss it".
Rob

[viper]

Welcome M.A.T., I hope you enjoy your new trike! I am new to trikes also, got mine last month and love it. I'll be at Ocean City Md. rally also. Hope to run into you there! Welcome aboard!!! Viper!!!

[skuuter]

WELCOME to TRIKE TALK.....Yep, Lots of INFO here, and Wizard and Bob Witte are really good sources for it.....

[Yogisan]

Welcome to the site. You'll find a lot of information and knowledgable people here. Who knows, we might meet each other riding arounds the 'wilds' of Maryland. Our trike group does get around the Chesapeake area quite a bit, not to mention the few who get out on the long hauls from time to time.

[M.A.T.]

Welcome to you both! Your enthusiasm prompted me to want to re-post the link to my "How To Ride A Motorcycle Trike" compilation that most folks find useful. Just double click here:

The Trinity Trike

Enjoy & be safe! :Pepper:

Bob Witte
The Trinity Trike

Hey Bob,
Read your guide. Great stuff man. Although I don't think I am coordinated enough to remember that mount/dismount technique! I did try it though and maybe with a lot of practice I can eventually nail it. Thanks again for the reading and the welcome.
Rob

[M.A.T.]

M.A.T. I have found someone FINALLY that can out do me...This was one of the most interesting and riveting post I have ever had the pleasure of reading !!!!!WELCOME !!! Glad you are with us !!!

White Knight 04,
Yea, like I said, I am long in the tooth :blahblah::blahblah::blahblah::blahblah:
:beerchug:

Bro, that's the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Thank you so much. I try to tell it like it is. Of course even though my dear Grandmom was a firm believer in, "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all", as much as I hate it, the older I get I find myself stealing the line from a Marilyn Manson song, "I don't have enough middle fingers" more and more.

So when I can, I try my best to make my posts at least interesting to reciprocate for all the times I have or will say something derogatory, stupid or incorrect.

And too, I feel a positive connection to people in general that share the same interests as me so it makes it easy for me to express my true feelings here. Plus most of the time I am entertained reading all your posts. I know sometimes I could read on them for hours on end.

So thank you again for your kind words, I'm sure you're just as nice in person as you are here.
Rob

[Blondie Gal]

Matt,congrats on your new trike. My wife really likes ours she even wants to go to Delmarva this year. But my two wheeled friends are shunning me. Not sure if it is because I went to three wheels or because my trike is so comfortable that my wife is the only female willing to ride that far.

Plumber, we encountered the same thing when we went to three. Thought it was simply because of the anti-trike mentality, but found that, although we'd been devoted HD riders for years, our 'open group' was derailing the friendships because we'd traded the two Harleys for a (gasp!) GW1800 CSC. They dropped us like hot potatoes - even asked if we wanted chopsticks when we went with them for burgers - and generally acted like we were the back end of the horse. Our only salvation was the GWRRA group, where we found two-wheelers and even some Tri-Glide members who understood where we were comin' from.

The reason we went with the GW instead of the HD was because of immediate availability in our area, as well as the fact that the Tri-Glide was just too small for our taste. We'd also had enough of the heat on the Ultra - our 110+ degree summers don't translate well for Harleys out here in Texas.

We'll ride with just about anybody - we just like trikes and trikers. Yes, we're old; yes, we've gone places and done things on three that we couldn't do on two; and yes, we like the security of being able to strike out on our own without worry, as we've done the past two years. Got nearly 25,000 miles on it even without riding much at all since we got back from the TrikeTalk Rally.

The point of this rant is twofold - you need to ride what you want when you want and where you want and you don't need other people to choose your ride for you. See my post "Friends vs Triker Friends" if you need more empirical data . . .

Best wishes from hot, dry, hot, dusty (did I say HOT?) Central Texas.
Glad you're here, M.A.T. No worries, plumberdoug . . .