Looking for opinions

[Tazmanken]

I own a 2013 Harley ultra Limited,bought it from a friend last spring,only has 6,000 miles on it,thinking of a trike kit or a tri glide,I like the tri glide and the new water cooled heads and warranty,but I like the independent suspension of the after market trike kits,so Im really confused right now.All the HD dealers with in 100 miles either dont rent trikes or they are already rented,I would love to ride one and a after market trike but I dont know where to rent a after market one.I have a bad back and get really bad headaches at times,so with a trike if me and the wife are out or on a trip she can take over the driving to our next stop.Are the Tri Glides really that hard to steer,and rough riding with the straight axle? Thanks for the thoughts and opinions Ken

 

[DK Custom Products]

I own a 2013 Harley ultra Limited,bought it from a friend last spring,only has 6,000 miles on it,thinking of a trike kit or a tri glide,I like the tri glide and the new water cooled heads and warranty,but I like the independent suspension of the after market trike kits,so Im really confused right now.All the HD dealers with in 100 miles either dont rent trikes or they are already rented,I would love to ride one and a after market trike but I dont know where to rent a after market one.I have a bad back and get really bad headaches at times,so with a trike if me and the wife are out or on a trip she can take over the driving to our next stop.Are the Tri Glides really that hard to steer,and rough riding with the straight axle? Thanks for the thoughts and opinions Ken

As difficult as it may be to find a TG and an aftermarket with IRS to test ride, it really is something you should do before jumping into either one of them. When you test ride them, make sure you ride on roads similar to what you will be riding regularly.

I am on my 2nd TG, and we have ridden all over north America...including some fairly poor roads. Everybody's definition of what is "rough riding" can be different. But I do find the TG fairly rough ride on bad roads.

There are a lot of things you can do to smooth them out, not the least of which is an airhawk seat cushion...but in the end, it is a straight axle and will not handle the bumps as well as IRS.

Only you can tell if it is good enough for you, and what all the trade offs of a new warrantied TG vs. a non-warrantied conversion are for you.

 

[trikermutha]

yep straight axle is hard on the bumps..some have tweeked there tire pressures and air shock pressures to soften them up..
DFT does have a IRS for the TRIGLides

 

[Tazmanken]

As difficult as it may be to find a TG and an aftermarket with IRS to test ride, it really is something you should do before jumping into either one of them. When you test ride them, make sure you ride on roads similar to what you will be riding regularly.

I am on my 2nd TG, and we have ridden all over north America...including some fairly poor roads. Everybody's definition of what is "rough riding" can be different. But I do find the TG fairly rough ride on bad roads.

There are a lot of things you can do to smooth them out, not the least of which is an airhawk seat cushion...but in the end, it is a straight axle and will not handle the bumps as well as IRS.

Only you can tell if it is good enough for you, and what all the trade offs of a new warrantied TG vs. a non-warrantied conversion are for you.

I will test ride before buying for sure,I know everyone has there own opinion and it will be up to me to decide what way to go,thanks to trikermutha if I decide to go with the Tri Glide and want IRS I now know DFT has it for that trike.I really do like the new water cooled heads on the new Tri Glide and having a warranty,I found a dealer about a 45 mins from me that has a TG to rent so Im going to do that,if I decide to go that route I have a buyer for my bike already,my nephew has a 06 street glide with high miles so he wants to buy my bike and trade his in for something for his wife,anyway thanks for your thoughts and trikermutha thanks for the info for IRS from DFT.

 

[GARYD]

I will test ride before buying for sure,I know everyone has there own opinion and it will be up to me to decide what way to go,thanks to trikermutha if I decide to go with the Tri Glide and want IRS I now know DFT has it for that trike.I really do like the new water cooled heads on the new Tri Glide and having a warranty,I found a dealer about a 45 mins from me that has a TG to rent so Im going to do that,if I decide to go that route I have a buyer for my bike already,my nephew has a 06 street glide with high miles so he wants to buy my bike and trade his in for something for his wife,anyway thanks for your thoughts and trikermutha thanks for the info for IRS from DFT.

Trikermutha beat me to it. When I bought my 2012 TG a dealer had "Trike Days" one weekend and had TG's and DFT demo bikes to test.

As Kevin said one mans rough road is another mans smooth road.

I had a great opportunity to test ride them both on the same route. yes the IRS was smoother on some rough roads, but seeing how I will not be riding on rough roads 99% of the time, I decided the $5000+ conversion cost wasn't worth it - - to me.
DFT had the prototype of the TriGlide IRS replacement kit there and their complete conversion set up for 2 wheel models.
I have traveled over 25K miles on both my TG's and have not once wished I had an IRS.......well maybe once.

 

[bulkness]

I will test ride before buying for sure,I know everyone has there own opinion and it will be up to me to decide what way to go,thanks to trikermutha if I decide to go with the Tri Glide and want IRS I now know DFT has it for that trike.I really do like the new water cooled heads on the new Tri Glide and having a warranty,I found a dealer about a 45 mins from me that has a TG to rent so Im going to do that,if I decide to go that route I have a buyer for my bike already,my nephew has a 06 street glide with high miles so he wants to buy my bike and trade his in for something for his wife,anyway thanks for your thoughts and trikermutha thanks for the info for IRS from DFT.

I converted a 2006 Ultra to a trike using a DFT Smoothie kit. I did the conversion myself with household tools. I did buy a airlift table to get the bike up off the ground. The conversion is not hard to do. My painter told me DFT molding process could have been better as he had to do a lot of prep on the body before it was ready to paint. Excellent handling trike. I did put on the champion triple trees and their reverse.

 

[tfdeputydawg]

I own a 2013 Harley ultra Limited,bought it from a friend last spring,only has 6,000 miles on it,thinking of a trike kit or a tri glide,I like the tri glide and the new water cooled heads and warranty
The location of the radiators(in the lower leg guards) prevent their removal for hot weather riding! That was a show stopper for me! Along w/the fact only the heads are water cooled. There's still lots of heat from that motor!
,but I like the independent suspension of the after market trike kits,so Im really confused right now.
The IRS units are very definitely smoother riding than the SA units. Even smoother are those conversions that lengthen the wheel base.
All the HD dealers with in 100 miles either don't rent trikes or they are already rented,I would love to ride one and a after market trike but I don't know where to rent a after market one.
https://search.yahoo.com/yhs/search?p=motorcycle+trike+rentals&fr=yfp-t-900&hspart=att&hsimp=yhs-att_001&type=att_pc_homerun_portal
Maybe you can find a location on the above web page
I have a bad back and get really bad headaches at times,so with a trike if me and the wife are out or on a trip she can take over the driving to our next stop.Are the Tri Glides really that hard to steer
No, as they come w/a rake kit for easier steering. If you trike a 2 wheeled HD, you need to add a rake kit. It seems the consensus is a 4.5degree on up is sufficient for the short wheel base units and 6degree rake seems to be good for the extended wheel base conversions.
,and rough riding with the straight axle?
As stated, IRS is smoother than SA. However, there are many trikers that are completely satisfied with the SA versions.
Thanks for the thoughts and opinions Ken

As many have posted, whatever it takes to test those that you would consider, you need to do that, to get the one that's right for you!
Good luck in your search. Keep us informed.

 

[Tazmanken]

Trikermutha beat me to it. When I bought my 2012 TG a dealer had "Trike Days" one weekend and had TG's and DFT demo bikes to test. As Kevin said one mans rough road is another mans smooth road. I had a great opportunity to test ride them both on the same route. yes the IRS was smoother on some rough roads, but seeing how I will not be riding on rough roads 99% of the time, I decided the $5000+ conversion cost wasn't worth it - - to me. DFT had the prototype of the TriGlide IRS replacement kit there and their complete conversion set up for 2 wheel models. I have traveled over 25K miles on both my TG's and have not once wished I had an IRS.......well maybe once.

Ya the Tri Glide is looking pretty good to me as I dont ride on a lot of rough roads and I really like the idea of having a 2 year warranty and the new engines,HD should have all the bugs worked out for the 2015 models.We are going to Fla next month and I lined up a Tri Glide to rent for a few days,Ill post how it goes when we get back home.

 

[Jerry/MD]

Ya the Tri Glide is looking pretty good to me as I dont ride on a lot of rough roads and I really like the idea of having a 2 year warranty and the new engines,HD should have all the bugs worked out for the 2015 models.We are going to Fla next month and I lined up a Tri Glide to rent for a few days,Ill post how it goes when we get back home.

IMHO the problems on the 2014's have been over-blown. Yeah, they had 2 recalls on the water cooloing system but they fixed the issues. So far I have had trouble-free riding. I have close to 10k miles in less than a year, a personal best for me.

So far so good with my first dive into 3 wheel land.

Jerry

 

[Tazmanken]

IMHO the problems on the 2014's have been over-blown. Yeah, they had 2 recalls on the water cooloing system but they fixed the issues. So far I have had trouble-free riding. I have close to 10k miles in less than a year, a personal best for me.

So far so good with my first dive into 3 wheel land.

Jerry

Maybe you misunderstood me,I was not saying there was anything wrong with the 2014 engines,When I said new engines I was talking about them being water cooled verses my 2013 air cooled. I didnt even know they had any problems with the water cooling,I knew about the recall on the clutch.Sounds like all is going good for you Jerry/MD. How long did it take you to get used to 3 wheels?

 

[3rdwheel]

I own a 2013 Harley ultra Limited,bought it from a friend last spring,only has 6,000 miles on it,thinking of a trike kit or a tri glide,I like the tri glide and the new water cooled heads and warranty,but I like the independent suspension of the after market trike kits,so Im really confused right now.All the HD dealers with in 100 miles either dont rent trikes or they are already rented,I would love to ride one and a after market trike but I dont know where to rent a after market one.I have a bad back and get really bad headaches at times,so with a trike if me and the wife are out or on a trip she can take over the driving to our next stop.Are the Tri Glides really that hard to steer,and rough riding with the straight axle? Thanks for the thoughts and opinions Ken

I have been very pleased with the Ultra/Hannigan conversion and ride quality on my 2007. However, I never have ridden a Tri Glide so I don't know the difference of the ride. The IRS and "look" were my main decision points. The HD warranty for me wasn't an issue since I never had one, and I have made a lot of engine upgrades from the stock motor; plus I pull a trailer.
In about 2 months since mine was delivered after the conversion, I've put on almost 7,000 miles, and I'm always looking for a reason to ride. I like it more than I thought I would and I for sure would go the same route again with a conversion. I just turned over 48,000 miles and I'm predicting many more!

Keith

 

[Jerry/MD]

Maybe you misunderstood me,I was not saying there was anything wrong with the 2014 engines,When I said new engines I was talking about them being water cooled verses my 2013 air cooled. I didnt even know they had any problems with the water cooling,I knew about the recall on the clutch.Sounds like all is going good for you Jerry/MD. How long did it take you to get used to 3 wheels?

Ooops, forgot about the clutch recall. Mine was fine so I guess it got lost in the 'gray matter'.

I had a problem with coolant discharge when the engine got warm. One of the recalls fixed that problem. So far no more issues. I think the 'wet heads' have helped with heat management. My 2 previous bikes were CVO Ultras which had the 110 engine. Talk about calf burners! You had no choice but to install an after-market header and get rid of the CAT. Those bikes were flat out uncomfortable without that change.

I would say by the time I reached 6k miles I was making turns at normal speed, no excessive slowing. It takes awhile, and maybe I'm a slow learner. Part of the problem is the lack of information either in written or video form on operating a trike. Really kinda surprising. The best info and advice came from the folks here on this forum. Lots of helpful riders here. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Jerry

 

[Copasetic]

I owned a TG and a conversion with IRS. To me, no comparison...conversion all the way. I even upgraded the air suspension in the TG but still no comparison.
Iride aggressively, and in addition to the ride, the ease of steering and cornering in the twisties are significantly improved with the conversion.
Just my opinion, but I found huge differences.

 

[Gorilla]

Also with the new trikes being delivered most dealer will be having an introduction demo days. They may have a trike to demo besides doing the rental. If having a warrantee is important then I would suggest when you buy have them throw in a 5 yr extended warantee. I love my 13 Tri have over 13k miles on all types of roads. Yes the IRS is somewhat smoother on rough roads but not enough to offset a new Tri-Glide in my opinion.

 

[msocko3]

I owned a TG and a conversion with IRS. To me, no comparison...conversion all the way. I even upgraded the air suspension in the TG but still no comparison.
Iride aggressively, and in addition to the ride, the ease of steering and cornering in the twisties are significantly improved with the conversion.
Just my opinion, but I found huge differences.

:Agree: Not apples to apples, but my 2012 Hannigan Goldwing is night and day different than the 2010 Triglide I had. The IRS rides a whole bunch smoother and it east corners like a fat kid at an all you can eat candy bar. The 1st thing I noticed was the side to side tippy feeling you get with a straight axle is gone with the IRS.

 

[Tazmanken]

Ooops, forgot about the clutch recall. Mine was fine so I guess it got lost in the 'gray matter'.

I had a problem with coolant discharge when the engine got warm. One of the recalls fixed that problem. So far no more issues. I think the 'wet heads' have helped with heat management. My 2 previous bikes were CVO Ultras which had the 110 engine. Talk about calf burners! You had no choice but to install an after-market header and get rid of the CAT. Those bikes were flat out uncomfortable without that change.

I would say by the time I reached 6k miles I was making turns at normal speed, no excessive slowing. It takes awhile, and maybe I'm a slow learner. Part of the problem is the lack of information either in written or video form on operating a trike. Really kinda surprising. The best info and advice came from the folks here on this forum. Lots of helpful riders here. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Jerry

Jerry I dont know when you took delivery of your TG but when the clutch recall came out Harley had all there dealers fix the recall before selling the bikes,if I was you I would find out if yours got fixed, My buddy bought a new Ultra Limited and his dealer didnt do his recall and he didnt know there was a recall and one day him and his wife was out riding and his clutch went out,bike had to be towed to his dealer.

I had the V/H power duals head pipe and power commander V put on my 13 Ultra Limited because the heat was to much for me,but I like it a lot the bike runs and sounds way better. I am asking a ton of questions to trike owners,I talked to my brother in law last night and he told me he just had a Roadsmith Trike kit put on his Ultra,dont talk to him much since my sister passed away but he told me to come get it and ride it for a day or so just leave him my bike,couldn't thank him enough for the offer.So I have rides lined up for his Roadsmith with IRS and a TG. :clapping::clapping:

 

[Tazmanken]

I owned a TG and a conversion with IRS. To me, no comparison...conversion all the way. I even upgraded the air suspension in the TG but still no comparison.
Iride aggressively, and in addition to the ride, the ease of steering and cornering in the twisties are significantly improved with the conversion.
Just my opinion, but I found huge differences.

I asked for everyone's opinion and I thank you for yours,I know the IRS is going to ride and handle better then a straight axle but how much different,this is something I need to find out by riding them both,I ride like Im 80 yrs old LOL,and Im only 51,Me and the wife like to take it easy and enjoy the ride and sites. I will say everyone on here so far has been very helpful,other sites I posted on people tell me to stay away from the TG because they ride and handle like crap and Ill be sorry if I buy one. Everyone is different and what one person likes another will not,again this is why I have been asking a lot of questions.

 

[GARYD]

:Agree: Not apples to apples, but my 2012 Hannigan Goldwing is night and day different than the 2010 Triglide I had. The IRS rides a whole bunch smoother and it east corners like a fat kid at an all you can eat candy bar. The 1st thing I noticed was the side to side tippy feeling you get with a straight axle is gone with the IRS.

msocko3, yes smoother on bad roads - no question, but on highways and normal streets, I don't see any benefit.....especially for $5K more....at least to me.

You're the second one that has mentioned side to side motion. What do you mean? I'm not experiencing any kind of side to side motion as you describe (a tippy feeling). Every once in a while I'll feel a very slight giggle and I mean very very slight. Is that what you're talking about? If it is I wouldn't call it a "tippy feeling", I guess I would describe it more like being on a train but not as pronounced. Does that make any sense?

As for the corner taking, you're right, I'll go up against a two wheeler around a hairpin turn or any sharp turn any day and come out the other side waaaay before him.

I mentioned on another forum my experience with a few rice rockets on the Cherohala Skyway and how I stayed with them for 7 miles. A few unknowledgable posters said that's impossible or the bikers were letting me follow. I know what I did and I know those bikers were not going slow just for me. All I can say is it was a very invigorating ride.....a couple times VERY invigorating. I would never have tried that right after I bought the trike, but with a couple years and few thousand miles under my belt, I was ready for it.

 

[msocko3]

msocko3, yes smoother on bad roads - no question, but on highways and normal streets, I don't see any benefit.....especially for $5K more....at least to me.

You're the second one that has mentioned side to side motion. What do you mean? I'm not experiencing any kind of side to side motion as you describe (a tippy feeling). Every once in a while I'll feel a very slight giggle and I mean very very slight. Is that what you're talking about? If it is I wouldn't call it a "tippy feeling", I guess I would describe it more like being on a train but not as pronounced. Does that make any sense?

I agree roads ridden make a difference, in my neck of the woods the roads are not the greatest so IRS shines. The side to side is when you cross rail road tracks, or have multiple road surface defects on both sides. I put 22,000 miles on the 2010 Triglide I used to own, the 1st thing I noticed when I switched to IRS is the smoother ride and the side to side tipping.

The sales manager of the Honda dealer I traded the Triglide too took my old Triglide on a bike run. A few weeks later he saw me and mentioned the differences he felt between it and the Hannigan IRS trikes they build. He particularly mentioned the side to side rocking on uneven surfaces, it spooked him because he had never ridden a straight axle. He said once he got some miles on and realized it was the nature of the beast he became more confident.

I had a likewise feeling when I road my 1st IRS and hammered it into a corner. I felt the rear squat which the Triglide doesn't do, at 1st I didn't know what to think until I remembered it was IRS and not straight axle.

 

[GARYD]

I agree roads ridden make a difference, in my neck of the woods the roads are not the greatest so IRS shines. The side to side is when you cross rail road tracks, or have multiple road surface defects on both sides. I put 22,000 miles on the 2010 Triglide I used to own, the 1st thing I noticed when I switched to IRS is the smoother ride and the side to side tipping.

The sales manager of the Honda dealer I traded the Triglide too took my old Triglide on a bike run. A few weeks later he saw me and mentioned the differences he felt between it and the Hannigan IRS trikes they build. He particularly mentioned the side to side rocking on uneven surfaces, it spooked him because he had never ridden a straight axle. He said once he got some miles on and realized it was the nature of the beast he became more confident.

I had a likewise feeling when I road my 1st IRS and hammered it into a corner. I felt the rear squat which the Triglide doesn't do, at 1st I didn't know what to think until I remembered it was IRS and not straight axle.

Thanks for the description on the side to side thing, I wasn't sure what you meant. I don't notice it or I just accept it. It doesn't bother me at all.
I guess I'll try to remember that when I go over the next RR crossings and see if I notice it.

I don't have anything against IRS - except the price. If I had a choice of either one for the same price or even close to the same price, naturally I'd probably take the IRS, but not for $5K more. I've heard that IRS is a lot more complicated and therefore more prone to have problems. Is that true?


One question I've always wanted to know. If both trikes ride over an expansion joint on the highway, how is the IRS any better then a solid axle?
I understand about hitting a pot hole with one wheel and not the other, but hitting the same thing with both wheels at the same time. I don't see that as being any better then a solid axle. Am I wrong or am I misunderstanding IRS?
Thanks again