Test Ride a TriGlide

[Spyder_Cowgirl]

The local HD shop, Red River Harley Davidson, has an open house and demo days today and tomorrow. Most Saturdays, this shop also buys burgers and hotdogs / sausages for local charities to cook up for donations -- their weekly "Burger Burn". Our Legion Riders chapter from Post 202 in Wichita Falls is the designated charity (and cooks) for this Saturday (9/23/17). Hubby suggested, since it is also "demo days" that I should see if I can try out a TriGlide. No, I am not looking to replace my Spyder ... but, those who know my history know that I will never ride on 2 again (head on collision in 1993).

So .. with that being said, I know there are several here that have:

• Both a Spyder and a TriGlide
• Have moved from a TriGlide to a Spyder
• Have moved from a Spyder to a TriGlide

I know this is going to be "different" -- most concerned about steering and cornering. I have enough miles from years past that I am not worried about having to use a clutch and front brake. Sure, it will take a bit of practice, but muscle memory is an amazing thing.

Any words of wisdom? Trying to keep open mind on this ... who knows, I might really like it.

All the best .... Ann

[4 MARIE]

With your spyder you can see where the widest part of your ride is.
With the tri glide you cannot. Most heard complaint ... running up and/or over things with your back wheels.
(think curb at corner

[canamjhb]

You'll do just fine. Slow and easy. And, it will come back to you.

[heyharris1]

You will do fine. It's something you don't forget. I had not ridden in a long time and I hopped on my sons ninja and it all instantly came back. Have fun and enjoy.

Jim

[DGoebel]

Please let us know your impressions, I took one out on a Rental for a day before I bought our Spyder. A remarkable day I'll never forget.

[Chupaca]

Should be a fun day..including a test ride on a triglide..then you get to tell us all about it...

[PaladinLV]

My words of Wisdom:
Stick with the Spyder!

AJ

The local HD shop, Red River Harley Davidson, has an open house and demo days today and tomorrow. Most Saturdays, this shop also buys burgers and hotdogs / sausages for local charities to cook up for donations -- their weekly "Burger Burn". Our Legion Riders chapter from Post 202 in Wichita Falls is the designated charity (and cooks) for this Saturday (9/23/17). Hubby suggested, since it is also "demo days" that I should see if I can try out a TriGlide. No, I am not looking to replace my Spyder ... but, those who know my history know that I will never ride on 2 again (head on collision in 1993).

So .. with that being said, I know there are several here that have:

• Both a Spyder and a TriGlide
• Have moved from a TriGlide to a Spyder
• Have moved from a Spyder to a TriGlide

I know this is going to be "different" -- most concerned about steering and cornering. I have enough miles from years past that I am not worried about having to use a clutch and front brake. Sure, it will take a bit of practice, but muscle memory is an amazing thing.

Any words of wisdom? Trying to keep open mind on this ... who knows, I might really like it.

All the best .... Ann

[SpyderAnn01]

I took one for a test drive during an event at the Kansas City Manufacturing plant and i hated it. All of my Spyders have been manuals so shifting was no issue, the handling was the issue. At 65 mph on the expressway I thought my glasses were going to shake off my head and I was wearing a full face helmet.

[biker01red]

The local HD shop, Red River Harley Davidson, has an open house and demo days today and tomorrow. Most Saturdays, this shop also buys burgers and hotdogs / sausages for local charities to cook up for donations -- their weekly "Burger Burn". Our Legion Riders chapter from Post 202 in Wichita Falls is the designated charity (and cooks) for this Saturday (9/23/17). Hubby suggested, since it is also "demo days" that I should see if I can try out a TriGlide. No, I am not looking to replace my Spyder ... but, those who know my history know that I will never ride on 2 again (head on collision in 1993).

So .. with that being said, I know there are several here that have:

• Both a Spyder and a TriGlide
• Have moved from a TriGlide to a Spyder
• Have moved from a Spyder to a TriGlide

I know this is going to be "different" -- most concerned about steering and cornering. I have enough miles from years past that I am not worried about having to use a clutch and front brake. Sure, it will take a bit of practice, but muscle memory is an amazing thing.

Any words of wisdom? Trying to keep open mind on this ... who knows, I might really like it.

All the best .... Ann

With the fixed rear axle, no independent suspension, they ride and steer like an old truck !!!!!!!!

[blacklightning]

I rented one in Gatlinburg, Tn 3 years ago. During the first few miles, i couldn't stand it. Around the 25+ mile mark it started to grow on me. For me, anything less than a 25 mile ride is a waste of time. Good luck.

[trikermutha]

Push Pull when steering and a bit harder to turn. Get ready to be bounced around from the straight axle.

They may have improved the TRIGLIDE some what but does not compare to the SPYDER.

May be a bit hotter to since the engine and pipe are exposed. I know my 2010 was a cooker on real hot days since the cat/header was on the right side.

[ofdave]

it sure won't corner like a Spyder.

[Road-Kill]

My buddy owns a 2017 TriGlide he bought last year. I get a chance to ride his every once in a while and it reminds me why I would never buy a TriGlide (or a Harley). He loves it because it's a Harley and he admits to it. The difference between us is I demand quality and would dump Can-Am if it wasn't. Too many differences between the bikes to list.

[Bob Denman]

Hi Anne!
You're gonna have a GREAT day trying out the Tri-Glide... and any other Harley that catches your eye!
I've spent a fair amount of time behind the bars on a Tri-G; I've developed some pretty distinct impressions about them:
1. They are very comfortable to sit on. All of the controls fall readily to hand, the seat is comfy, the riding position is natural...
2. Fire them up... and stuff starts changing... The controls all feel very heavy, that big Vee-Twin makes a ton of noise and even more heat. Yes: they smooth out a operating rpm levels, but the shaking at idle can be a distraction.
3. CLUNK it into gear, and the heavy controls start to feel heavier... The steering effort is a full step above any Spyder! You feel the road surface irregularities far more that you do on a Spyder.
4. At speed: those big suckers really understeer in the turns!!! Those two big rear tires tend to want to push that single tire up front straight down the road. There is a distinct tendency to run wide in the turns. Is it dangerous? No! But you need to be aware of it...
5. The torque of those engines is just amazing!!! Third gear roll-ons will make the front-end get light!

6. Did I mention the heat coming off of that rear cylinder? Your right knee will know EXACTLY how the right foot of a 998 Spyder rider feels!


Have fun, and let us know what your impressions are! Happy Hunting!!

[robhowen]

I had a TriGlide prior to my current 2015 RT Limited. This has resulted in my strong preference for the Spyder. In general the differences I find are:

• You will notice significant cornering differences given the two wheels in the rear and solid axle.
• Riding on a more rounded road can be tiring on the HD as it continues to want to push you to the lower side of the road.
• Everything about steering and riding on the Spyder is more nimble. The HD is not bad, but you fight it more.
• Much more heat from the HD engine vs. the Spyder.
• The electric reverse is capable, but nothing like the Spyder.
• I like on the HD that all of the storage is in the rear.
• More vibration on the HD that is not a big deal for a short ride but tires you more on a longer ride.
• I’m only 5’8” so I had to change to a pull back set of bars and that ended up being very expensive because the hydraulic and throttle lines had to be changed as well. I had to go to go to the Tri-Axis bars on the Spyder for the same reason; it was a bit less expensive.
• After 3 different seats I never got one that was really great for me.
• I never ran over anything with my rear wheels, but I was sure close a couple of times.
• The quality differences on the HD have me preferring a Spyder.
• The greatest distinction is that I get much more joy from riding the Spyder and it’s resulted in my putting the most miles, in the shortest time ever on my Spyder vs. the TriGlide or any 2-wheeled bike I've ever had!

The best to you in your decision making.

Rob

[trikermutha]

I did hear the new M8 engine by HD and its way more quite than the twin cam was..

I went form a Tri to a Spyder and see no reason to go back at this time. I been really happy with the 1330.
But like anything you have to make it yours with comfort and other crap on it

The Harley compensators are junk

[ARtraveler]

First of all: Enjoy your test ride and be careful--it don't drive like a --but you know that already.

When RTS first came out in 2010--I was in the market for the "touring" version . Even though I already had experience with two RS models...I had to try the Glide out.

Went to HD dealer, test sat, started it up, and that was enough. It did not feel right, the ergos were just not for me, and the sound of that engine and the shaking when started up were not to my liking. The controls were also way to hard for me to operate comfortably. They wanted a $5K price mark up from suggested MSRP. That also turned me off. Since they were newly introduced that year--it was take it or leave it on the price.

I have the same feeling about price and ergos on the F3. I am in the minority there.

[Peter Aawen]

...... I have the same feeling about price and ergos on the F3. I am in the minority there.

I think you might be surprised at how many of us there actually are quietly lurking around out here.....

Mind you, there'd be a whole lotta things like odd ergo's & a small degree of excess price that I'd probably excuse if they'd only relax the Spyder's Nanny a bit more, allow us to run some proper tires, & upgrade the engine to provide some real power - that I/c turbo maybe?!?

In the meantime, I guess a fella just hasta keep on dreaming.... and fit more farkles!

[old Timer]

There is a good reason that the 3 wheeled ATV's were discontinued some years ago. A one wheel in front and two in the back (Conventicle Trike) is inherently unstable when doing anything other than going in a straight line as the shift in weight wants to make the vehicle roll over. There is an inordinate amount of accidents up here in the Smokies with the conventional trike set up. Appling the brakes in a turn even makes the problem worse. Over cooking a turn up here in these wonderful roads at best is a very scary proposition and at worse............

[Bob Denman]

There is a good reason that the 3 wheeled ATV's were discontinued some years ago. A one wheel in front and two in the back (Conventicle Trike) is inherently unstable when doing anything other than going in a straight line as the shift in weight wants to make the vehicle roll over. There is an inordinate amount of accidents up here in the Smokies with the conventional trike set up. Appling the brakes in a turn even makes the problem worse. Over cooking a turn up here in these wonderful roads at best is a very scary proposition and at worse............

This discussion has absolutely NOTHING to do with the ATC debacle...
Many of those little buggers had virtually no suspension, had relied on low tire pressures to keep you "bouncing" down the trail.
It was the downhill off-camber situations that eventually killed them. It seems that a lot of folks simply could not learn how to ride them well-enough to navigate the typical conditions that they would encounter.
(I had several ATCs AND ATVs over the years.)

Our Spyders aren't a whole lot less "inherently unstable; we just have a kick-ass VSS to keep us upright!

[trikermutha]

whole different piece of machinery there.

[Bob Denman]

Talk about ATVs being unstable:

Wheelie08-16-2008.jpg

This Grizzly tried to kill me at least a hundred times.
there were knifefights, poisonings, kidnappings, more blunt force trauma than a football team could endure, impalements, several explosions, and a drowning or two...

I never had so much fun, while trying to die!

[Machinegunner]

Bob, I rolled a Honda Big Red over backwards and broke my back. If my youngest son (who was on the back) hadn't jumped I would have landed on him and think the worst would have happened. I landed in a hole with a rock in it and the three wheeler landed on top of me. I don't like trikes to say the least. The broken vertebrae bothers me to this day. Love my Spyder.

[Bob Denman]

Glad to hear that your Son avoided the worst of it!
But I do seem to recall that none of the ATCs ever remotely suggested that it was okay to carry passengers...
...And you went over backwards: Q.E.D.
(Sorry...)

[ridesilver2009]

The local HD shop, Red River Harley Davidson, has an open house and demo days today and tomorrow. Most Saturdays, this shop also buys burgers and hotdogs / sausages for local charities to cook up for donations -- their weekly "Burger Burn". Our Legion Riders chapter from Post 202 in Wichita Falls is the designated charity (and cooks) for this Saturday (9/23/17). Hubby suggested, since it is also "demo days" that I should see if I can try out a TriGlide. No, I am not looking to replace my Spyder ... but, those who know my history know that I will never ride on 2 again (head on collision in 1993).

So .. with that being said, I know there are several here that have:

• Both a Spyder and a TriGlide
• Have moved from a TriGlide to a Spyder
• Have moved from a Spyder to a TriGlide

I know this is going to be "different" -- most concerned about steering and cornering. I have enough miles from years past that I am not worried about having to use a clutch and front brake. Sure, it will take a bit of practice, but muscle memory is an amazing thing.

Any words of wisdom? Trying to keep open mind on this ... who knows, I might really like it.

All the best .... Ann

Participated in a "3 Wheel Ready To Ride" safety course yesterday. 3 Harleys, 3 Spyder RT's , and me on my GS Spyder. The Harleys tipped on 2 wheels in one exercise. SPYDERS---No Problems on the curves---Movin' on on my Spyders and never looking back. Ryde on safely..