Riding a Spyder and a Harley Trike

[wengerda]

I have a question for the experts riders that rode HD trikes before. I have a friend that has a HD trike and want to feel how a Spyder feels on the road. We are going to do a switch for a day with our bikes. What do I need to know or do when riding the HD trike, other than slow down until you get comfortable with the HD Trike? Thanks.

[JimboRTS]

I have a question for the experts riders that rode HD trikes before. I have a friend that has a HD trike and want to feel how a Spyder feels on the road. We are going to do a switch for a day with our bikes. What do I need to know or do when riding the HD trike, other than slow down until you get comfortable with the HD Trike? Thanks.

I hope you get your Spyder back.

Jim

[trikermutha]

Takes a bit to get use to the inverted trike and depending how your Spyder is set up can feel a but twitchy at first until you get some seat time on it. Take your time until you get use to the Spyder. It will be smoother than the Tri Glide

You will not like the Triglide over bumps.. And its more effort to steer (push/Pull) Straight roads are fine.
Clutch and brake lever will be something you need to program yourself to use again. You will need hand and upper body strength and better get a good nights sleep.

[DGoebel]

Schedule a soothing Massage for after the Tri-Glide Ride, I needed one last year when I tried a Tri-Glide. 2 hours of agony.... My RT is sooo much smoother...

[wengerda]

Do you still steer the HD trike like we do our Spyders except with probably a bit more effort. The same when taking a curve, will I pretty much do/feel the same like our Spyders?

Thanks.

Takes a bit to get use to the inverted trike and depending how your Spyder is set up can feel a but twitchy at first until you get some seat time on it. Take your time until you get use to the Spyder. It will be smoother than the Tri Glide

You will not like the Triglide over bumps.. And its more effort to steer (push/Pull) Straight roads are fine.
Clutch and brake lever will be something you need to program yourself to use again. You will need hand and upper body strength and better get a good nights sleep.

[DGoebel]

RE: Steering, yes, steering is the same, but I felt I had to lean into fast corners more so than on the Spyder, on the Spyder I sit more upright in corners but am pressing with my inboard knee more on the tank than on the Harley.

[Bob Denman]

This is a great opportunity for the both of you to gain an additional perspective!
The Harley Trikes are nicely laid out, and are actually pretty comfortable. The torque from their Big Twins is pretty addictive too!
But they don't steer anywhere near as well as do our Spyders, and things can get pretty interesting over bumps and potholes...
They will understeer in the corners (if you push them!); so take it easy until you get a feel for where their limits are.
And have fun!

[SPYD1]

I rode a Tri-glide a few weeks ago. The ride was less than satisfactory. I know my wife wouldn't like it. Corning wasn't comparable measured against my modified RT. And...I like the SE tranny and not the price of the Hog.

You want to like them but they are what they are.

[Road-Kill]

My buddy bought a new 2017 Harley Triglide just before I bought my F3s at the beginning of this year. We ride together a lot so I see the difference in the machines performance. The Triglide is "nice" but it cant compete with my Spyder on many levels. Power steering, SE6, traction control and ABS are missing on his and present on mine. The seating position is also lower and more ergonomic....AND ADJUSTABLE on the Spyder. I laugh when I see him pull up and try to get that tranny into first gear by slamming that shifter. I owned a Harley many years ago and would never buy a bucket of bolts again. My thoughts.

[trikermutha]

Do you still steer the HD trike like we do our Spyders except with probably a bit more effort. The same when taking a curve, will I pretty much do/feel the same like our Spyders?

Thanks.

Still steers the same with more effort. more leaning too depends how the TRi is setup..It will not have that same feeling as you do on a Sypder. Its stiffer. Take your time at first as it will take time to get use to shifting and using the hand brakes again. Mine didn't stop as good as the Spyder does so test the brakes too. Not sure what Model year TRI you are riding?

[Tango]

When I was shopping for a change from my Wing trike. I got to ride the Spyder and Try Glide back to back at a rally in Johnstown, PA.. I couldn't wait to get off the Trip Glide fast enough. A lot of mechanical noise. Shifting was ok at best. Steering required more input. And the ride left a lot to be desired. HD today still uses the old technology that they stole from another company. It has a solid rear axle. And put that company out of business! That was back in 2013 when the RT was still a v-twin. I felt the RT was underpowered at the time. IMO you will not like the HD. On another note. This was the same rally that saw the RT I test rode burn up right at the BRP tent. It was some site. Tom

[Devious56]

I'm surprised, out of all the chatter about going around a curve or corner, not one mention of a standard trikes tendency to lift the inside wheel, and causing a roll over. Just like a child's trike, motor trikes in a standard configuration are unstable and unbalanced. A tadpole trike, two wheels up front, are much more stable and if pushed in a turn, will slide the rear wheel instead of rolling over. The manufacture doesn't make any difference, the problem is in the design.

David

[Bob Denman]

They tend to push the front wheel long before they start trying to tip over...

A Spyder will also try and pick a wheel up: Nanny just doesn't let the fun get out of hand!

[trikermutha]

I never had the wheel come off the ground in curves when I owned the Tri

[PrairieSpyder]

I tested a TriGlide before upgrading to the 14 RTS. For all the reasons already mentioned the Spyder was just better. The only thing I wanted was the ubiquitous dealer network. Then Len reminded me the 1330 only needed service every 10,000 miles. I was so happy to stay with Spyder.

[ARtraveler]

Just don't drive em so hard that you break the loner bike.

[JayBros]

And with the Spyder you have a real reverse gear!

[ruralgirl]

I have several friends with delta configuration trikes, and the first thing they ask about Spyke is how stable she is on corners, how well she steers on corners, and if I can swerve around pot holes, etc. Their biggest complaint about their rear wheel trikes is steering stiffness and instability. And, indeed, one of them recently wiped out when a truck in front of him lost a piece of lumber that his 2-wheeled buddies could swerve around, but he couldn't.

[Lastchance]

And with the Spyder you have a real reverse gear!

I'll second that one my friend came over after buying a new HD, looked great then when he went to leave after what ever you do to get it in reverse he started backing out (VERY SLOWLY) and it sounded like some kid of a wind up toy as it chugged it's way up the driveway.

[kngfsh27]

I had a '14 RTL and put almost 19k on it in two years. I enjoyed riding it. I just had an issue with not being able to get anyone to mount aftermarket tires along with having it in the shop for other problems. My wife's issue was the lack of dealer support out on the road. I traded for a '17 TriGlide at the end of January and have over 5k on it already. Each machine has it's pro and cons. I do somewhat miss the tranny reverse, but I never backed up a lot. I do like how I sit better than the RTL. The TriGlide is heavier by 200#. For me it is more stable in crosswinds. I really didn't notice any difference in the amount of effort it takes to steer either one. I do like having only two storage compartments to the four on the Spyder and the TriGlide has more luggage space. Getting used to shifting took a few miles. I like that the cruise control is on the left hand control pod. I can say that I have never felt that I am going to rollover going through curves. I have a handbrake along with a footbrake and they are integrated above a certain speed. OEM lighting is better on the TriGlide. I like knowing that my rear tires will last 50k miles and they are car tires. I will admit that I like the chrome and the amount of farkles available is endless.
The bottom line is that not everyone likes riding the same bike/trike(thank the lord). Like I said, I enjoyed riding the Spyder. I also enjoy riding the TriGlide. I just enjoy riding. I am glad that I owned the Spyder. It just depends what you like and enjoy.

[trikermutha]

I always said if the TRI electric reverse would ever go out I would put a Mechanical one on. That never happened since I went to the

Anyway give it a try and see how you handle it. You may not last a day driving the TANK. Now if they ever decided to go IRS I may test ride one

[PrairieSpyder]

I had a '14 RTL and put almost 19k on it in two years. I enjoyed riding it. I just had an issue with not being able to get anyone to mount aftermarket tires along with having it in the shop for other problems. My wife's issue was the lack of dealer support out on the road. I traded for a '17 TriGlide at the end of January and have over 5k on it already. Each machine has it's pro and cons. I do somewhat miss the tranny reverse, but I never backed up a lot. I do like how I sit better than the RTL. The TriGlide is heavier by 200#. For me it is more stable in crosswinds. I really didn't notice any difference in the amount of effort it takes to steer either one. I do like having only two storage compartments to the four on the Spyder and the TriGlide has more luggage space. Getting used to shifting took a few miles. I like that the cruise control is on the left hand control pod. I can say that I have never felt that I am going to rollover going through curves. I have a handbrake along with a footbrake and they are integrated above a certain speed. OEM lighting is better on the TriGlide. I like knowing that my rear tires will last 50k miles and they are car tires. I will admit that I like the chrome and the amount of farkles available is endless.
The bottom line is that not everyone likes riding the same bike/trike(thank the lord). Like I said, I enjoyed riding the Spyder. I also enjoy riding the TriGlide. I just enjoy riding. I am glad that I owned the Spyder. It just depends what you like and enjoy.

So you have ADHD (a darn Harley-Davidson)!

[Mr. White]

I have never ridden a HD since 1982....an 883. (eyesight has never been the same since) My Gold Wing will fall off to the right on a crowned road as many back roads are here in Texas. A friend ditched his demo ride on a Motor Trike by not paying attention. Don't know if a Tri will do this but a Wing will. My Spyder is better in the twisties and hill country west of my location but the Wing is a very good super slab cruiser. JMHO (just my humble opinion)

[SPYD1]

I had a '14 RTL and put almost 19k on it in two years. I enjoyed riding it. I just had an issue with not being able to get anyone to mount aftermarket tires along with having it in the shop for other problems. My wife's issue was the lack of dealer support out on the road. I traded for a '17 TriGlide at the end of January and have over 5k on it already. Each machine has it's pro and cons. I do somewhat miss the tranny reverse, but I never backed up a lot. I do like how I sit better than the RTL. The TriGlide is heavier by 200#. For me it is more stable in crosswinds. I really didn't notice any difference in the amount of effort it takes to steer either one. I do like having only two storage compartments to the four on the Spyder and the TriGlide has more luggage space. Getting used to shifting took a few miles. I like that the cruise control is on the left hand control pod. I can say that I have never felt that I am going to rollover going through curves. I have a handbrake along with a footbrake and they are integrated above a certain speed. OEM lighting is better on the TriGlide. I like knowing that my rear tires will last 50k miles and they are car tires. I will admit that I like the chrome and the amount of farkles available is endless.
The bottom line is that not everyone likes riding the same bike/trike(thank the lord). Like I said, I enjoyed riding the Spyder. I also enjoy riding the TriGlide. I just enjoy riding. I am glad that I owned the Spyder. It just depends what you like and enjoy.

Have you heard of any tranny problems with the HD. Went I went to look at them the dealer told me to buy the extended coverage or I would regret it as the tranny issues run about 6K to repair. That chased me away and I have always wondered if there was anything to it???

[kngfsh27]

Have you heard of any tranny problems with the HD. Went I went to look at them the dealer told me to buy the extended coverage or I would regret it as the tranny issues run about 6K to repair. That chased me away and I have always wondered if there was anything to it???

Interesting, since a transmission costs less than $2k and can be changed out in a day. Sales people say a lot of things to make a sale. He should have used a better example since the Harley trans is pretty bulletproof.