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Old 09-21-2018, 02:28 PM
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Default Time for a Trike????

I've ridden motorcycles for about 50 years and have really enjoyed most of my time in the saddle. I'd still like to ride but some experiences on my previous Harley Electra Glide left me a bit gun-shy. These included very close encounters with a deer and a bear, dropping it during a very slow speed parking lot turn, backing it up on tip toes, etc. My lady and I were in a Harley shop, and she suggested looking at a trike. I never saw myself riding one of those. Maybe they're ok for the Piney Winstons of motorcycle riding, but certainly not me. I went ahead and climbed aboard one, and all of a sudden its advantages came flooding in: a reverse gear, no more worries about balance, a really comfy saddle for me and the missus, excellent storage capacity plus all of the electronic goodies.

Have any/many of you made the jump from two wheels to three? If so, what are your thoughts????
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Old 09-21-2018, 02:46 PM
Nyghthawk Nyghthawk is offline
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Default Polaris Slingshot

I saw a couple of these at a rally in Austin. I haven't ridden for years due to burying too many friends but these looked like a blast.

https://slingshot.polaris.com/en-us/

The single wheel is in back. It has what looks like racing bucket seats. It looks like it is going 60 mph sitting still.
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Old 09-21-2018, 02:56 PM
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Originally Posted by Nyghthawk View Post
I saw a couple of these at a rally in Austin. I haven't ridden for years due to burying too many friends but these looked like a blast.

https://slingshot.polaris.com/en-us/

The single wheel is in back. It has what looks like racing bucket seats. It looks like it is going 60 mph sitting still.
Hasn't Cotten got one of these? He's the one to ask.
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Old 09-21-2018, 02:56 PM
RustyAxe RustyAxe is offline
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I'm 64, and still riding on two wheels (2002 FLHR) but I understand where you're coming from. I don't think I'd want a trike. I've always ridden solo (don't even have a passenger seat). The few times I've ridden trikes I was struck by how different they are ... steering is strange, they don't lean (duh), and to me, the twisties and sweepers are where the fun is. In short, I see them as being all the risk, and none of the fun.


But tens of thousands of trike riders would strongly disagree!
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Old 09-21-2018, 04:04 PM
Dru Edwards Dru Edwards is offline
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I'm not a biker but I think those trikes look cool. If it keeps you out on the road enjoying the fresh air then go for it.
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Old 09-21-2018, 04:13 PM
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Three-wheeled motorcycle, also known as a "Trike" or what I call a "tip-over"


I still remember the whole tip-over Honda ATC90 debacle that spawned the four-wheeler industry (for good reason). I never understood why street trikes were still legal while off road trikes were banned.

Now, a Slingshot is a great solution! Or even a Gemini.
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Old 09-21-2018, 05:03 PM
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Also you might want to look into the Can Am Spyder https://can-am.brp.com/on-road/exper...r/explore.html

Haven't tried any 3 wheeler but I am told the 2 in front one in rear is a more stable and maneuverable configuration.
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Old 09-21-2018, 06:09 PM
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Originally Posted by KevWind View Post

...Haven't tried any 3 wheeler but I am told the 2 in front one in rear is a more stable and maneuverable configuration.
Good to know....
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Old 09-21-2018, 06:56 PM
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At some point, my wife and I expect to buy an RV and have a bike in-tow for travel around Canada and the U.S. Upon retiring six years ago, this was the plan so I bought a brand new Road King in advance of the RV to spend at least a season to get my riding skills back.

The RV plan got sidetracked when we decided to buy a winter home in SW Florida. I sold the Harley to help pay for that, with the intent to revisit the RV/bike lifestyle in addition to our winter home sometime down the road. Not exactly sure when that’ll happen, but the idea of the next bike has frequently crossed my mind, including a trike with the thought that while RVing, my wife could drive it alone if she so desired. Admittedly, we’ve even talked about a CanAm, though I’m not sure I like them enough. I do have a reluctance for three wheels because I love how nimble one can be on two wheels.

My favorite Harley is the Road King because it is the most easily “convertible” of the models, shield-off for the old school look, to full dress with available aftermarket accessories. One accessory is a trike conversion kit (available for most models), with one such kit offered by “Frankenstein”. It certainly wouldn’t be a quick back and forth conversion, but if for some reason one would want to go back to two wheels, it’d be easily doable. They look pretty good too...makes a RK trike look not so big and bulky as a full dressed model.

So, yeah, I’m thinking about it one way or another.

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Old 09-21-2018, 07:41 PM
Earl49 Earl49 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fazool View Post
Three-wheeled motorcycle, also known as a "Trike" or what I call a "tip-over".....
According to my next door neighbor who just converted his Gold Wing 1800 to a trike last winter, he can now take corners much faster than before - if he wishes. He was previously limited by scraping foot pegs when cornering, so he rides aggressively. The potential instability for a bigger & heavier bike with a longer wheelbase is far different than for those three-wheeled ATV's back in the day.

I recently sold my Gold Wing and got out of riding, due to some lingering neurological weakness in the left leg and serious numbness in my left ankle. I'm doing much better than just a couple of years ago but it was time. I no longer felt the same confidence level in my riding, especially my ability to catch my left leg if a bump bounced my foot off the peg. I did seriously consider a trike conversion, but opted to just get out while the gettin's good. The Can Am Spyder and similar front wheelers won't work for me because of my long legs. I'm hanging up my helmet with over 70K miles of safe riding. And after two recent knee replacements, I've had my fill of pain and rehab. My wife still has her 1800, but I'm not tempted at all to ride it.
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Old 09-21-2018, 07:52 PM
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I'm 63. I sold my big Harleys and bought a new Triumph Bonneville. The Bonneville is about 500 lbs.

Riding the big bikes was becoming more of a chore and less fun. The Triumph has been a blast to ride and reminds me of my early days on motorcycles. No trike for me yet.

You might want to try a smaller, lighter bike first.



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Old 09-21-2018, 07:55 PM
Davis Webb Davis Webb is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Earl49 View Post
According to my next door neighbor who just converted his Gold Wing 1800 to a trike last winter, he can now take corners much faster than before - if he wishes. He was previously limited by scraping foot pegs when cornering, so he rides aggressively. The potential instability for a bigger & heavier bike with a longer wheelbase is far different than for those three-wheeled ATV's back in the day.

I recently sold my Gold Wing and got out of riding, due to some lingering neurological weakness in the left leg and serious numbness in my left ankle. I'm doing much better than just a couple of years ago but it was time. I no longer felt the same confidence level in my riding, especially my ability to catch my left leg if a bump bounced my foot off the peg. I did seriously consider a trike conversion, but opted to just get out while the gettin's good. The Can Am Spyder and similar front wheelers won't work for me because of my long legs. I'm hanging up my helmet with over 70K miles of safe riding. And after two recent knee replacements, I've had my fill of pain and rehab. My wife still has her 1800, but I'm not tempted at all to ride it.
I stopped riding when both the president of the BC motorcycle association and his wife died one year apart on the same stretch of road due to shifting gravel.

The advantages of a trike for the over 60 crowd, where we take months to heal and are not exactly nimble any more....are obvious. I would go for it.
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Old 09-22-2018, 06:59 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluside View Post
I'm 63. I sold my big Harleys and bought a new Triumph Bonneville. The Bonneville is about 500 lbs.

Riding the big bikes was becoming more of a chore and less fun. The Triumph has been a blast to ride and reminds me of my early days on motorcycles. No trike for me yet.

You might want to try a smaller, lighter bike first.
Actually the trike conversation at the Harley dealership started with me thinking along that same line...
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Last edited by RP; 11-20-2021 at 07:08 AM.
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Old 09-22-2018, 06:59 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Earl49 View Post
According to my next door neighbor who just converted his Gold Wing 1800 to a trike last winter, he can now take corners much faster than before - if he wishes. He was previously limited by scraping foot pegs when cornering, so he rides aggressively. The potential instability for a bigger & heavier bike with a longer wheelbase is far different than for those three-wheeled ATV's back in the day.

I recently sold my Gold Wing and got out of riding, due to some lingering neurological weakness in the left leg and serious numbness in my left ankle. I'm doing much better than just a couple of years ago but it was time. I no longer felt the same confidence level in my riding, especially my ability to catch my left leg if a bump bounced my foot off the peg. I did seriously consider a trike conversion, but opted to just get out while the gettin's good. The Can Am Spyder and similar front wheelers won't work for me because of my long legs. I'm hanging up my helmet with over 70K miles of safe riding. And after two recent knee replacements, I've had my fill of pain and rehab. My wife still has her 1800, but I'm not tempted at all to ride it.
Just to clarify if the trike is able to corner faster vs the Goldwing it would be (as you say) due the low position of the foot peg /running boards on the Goldwing and definitely not some inherent function of two wheel vs three design capability.

The advantage of three wheel vs two is much more to do with dealing with balance and weight issues, particularly for those us aging which unfortunately often involves declining balance and strength.
Fortunately I am still able to ride my V Rod but then again it is 600 Lbs and not 800 +
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Old 09-22-2018, 07:02 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bluside View Post
I'm 63. I sold my big Harleys and bought a new Triumph Bonneville. The Bonneville is about 500 lbs.

Riding the big bikes was becoming more of a chore and less fun. The Triumph has been a blast to ride and reminds me of my early days on motorcycles. No trike for me yet.

You might want to try a smaller, lighter bike first.



Boy that brings memories and is a nice looking reissue of a classic.. I must admit I am astounded how dramatically the appearance of the seat changes when viewed on the right side than from the left
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