Test rode a new Harley Tri-Glide

[5Wheels]

I had a Gold Wing with the Roadsmith trike conversion, it had the 5 1/2 degree front fork option and drove like it had power steering. Then I got a TriGlide, very hard to steer. I had the 5 1/2 degree front end installed on it but it didn't make much difference. I've always had a Harley; my Ultra Limited is parked beside the F3 but I would NEVER go back to a TriGlide.

[Supercrawler]

I have a friend who has the HD trike for some time I believe its 2014 model.
he burned right thigh finally traded and got 2020 spyder rtl and never regretted he said.

[BajaRon]

I believe that's why the Spyder I have now came to be available. A Colorado woman owned it and rode it not much over 600 miles and apparently traded it in on an HD trike. Supposedly her hubby was an HD rider. Anyway, the guy I bought it from in Bremerton, WA got it from the HD dealer in CO who he said was a friend and sold this guy, a Triumph dealer, about 12 bikes, the Spyder being one of them. I got the impression the HD dealer didn't want non-HD stuff cluttering up his lot! The title had the HD dealer name in the chain of transfers.

I know of a couple who, having ridden HD's with a group of friends for years, got a Spyder and loved it. But ended up trading it in on a Tri-Glide that they didn't like nearly as much, simply because of the grief they were receiving from their friends for riding a non-HD machine. Very sad.

[AZCanAm]

Yes "herd mentality" in general is out of control here in America.The Reds hate the Blues and visa-versa. There does not seem to be any middle ground anymore.

There are some very nice HD riders, but a lot of them seem to hate on you more than they do cars. This despite the fact we all are without cages.

[ARtraveler]

I have met nice HD and BMW people, and I have met the outlaw and snob version of the HD crowd, as well as the snob version of the BMW crowd. They seem to be quite prevalent among those brands. Crotch rocket types are pretty much on their own and keep to themselves, so not much interaction there.

Bottom line, no matter what we ride, we always run into 98% of great people--regardless--of the brand they are riding. In my riding years, I have had EVERY brand of rice burner, and every model of Can Am Spyder--no Ryker. No HD, BEEMER, Italian, or any crotch rocket.

UNHIJACK: Back to the subject..."I test drove a HD Triglide."

[Saluda]

Herd mentality usually equals little or no intelligence.

[crossbowme]

Well, I can see this thread is all over the place. In an effort to bring the subject back to HD Tri-Glide. When I was trying to make up my mind about buying a tricycle type rig I test drove a few brands to include conversions, HD, Slingshot, Spyder, etc. I test drove the Spyder first and was shocked when I drove some of the others. I drove a dealer's Tri-Glide around his prepared course on his property. It wasn't much of a course and it was slow. At the end of the course is a bump where the concrete converts to asphalt. My Sea to Sky went over it without any effort. However, when I drove the HD over it (it has a solid rear axle) the machine slammed it's way thru that spot. Went back and did it again faster/slower, same thing. I was really surprised that an expensive machine such as the Tri-Glide handled so poorly in this situation. Didn't drive it on the road.

[IdahoMtnSpyder]

My brother had a Tri-Glide for a couple of years. Said it was hard to steer around corners, that it wanted keep going straight. He sold it and bought a Ford Mustang! Ater a couple of years he traded it for an Escape and not too much later, last year, bought a used 2020 RTL. That, he is happy with!

[trikermutha]

I could handle the steering but the heat,crappy parts and the straight axle beat me up. So the Spyder came into my life

[Cobwebs]

I could never understand why HD persisted with these old rickshaws yet dumped finely crafted bikes like the V Rod. The sales figures on them must be abysmal, they are overpriced to the max and dangerous if ridden with any sort of enthusiasm.
The only one I ever recall seeing sitting at my local dealer was covered in dust and treated as an oddity to snicker at as you walked past it, in fact I remember feeling embarassed to be associated with the brand every time I saw the thing.
Surely a relic of the past that should be put out to pasture.

[CapnPete]

I had a 2011 Tri and now have 2017 F3-T and find that it's really more of an apple/orange comparison that it would seem.


Things I like about Spyder:
PRICE
Integrated reverse and parking brake
Overall handling- but I have the sway bar, Vredestein/General tire and M2 Shocks upgrade
Stopping distance. I really doubt anything on the road can stop faster
Smoother engine

Don't like about Spyder
All the plastic to remove to do any maintenance
Sketchy dealer network
Overall complexity of machine
Mine did not have LED lights

The power steering is both good and bad. I wish you could adjust the sensitivity



Things I like about Tri
Styling. I just think they are prettier
Dealer network. If you breakdown in Osage Arkansas there is a HD dealer close and they will know how to fix it (even if they don't want to)
Low end torque
The social aspect of being a HD rider

Things I don't like about Tri
PRICE
Mickey Mouse reverse/parking brake
engine heat- jeez. Did burn my leg a couple of times too


I really never noticed the heavier turn force or rough ride.
Also I think that in a shoot out the Spyder could out corner the Tri but they can handle more than you might think.
Also my Tri would back up hill easily but you had to know how to do it- leave motor running for a start

Anyway, that's one guy's thoughts

[pauly1]

First, I am a HOG Life Member, so not out to bash the MoCo. We had money down to reserve the new 2009 Triglide without seeing, much less ridden, the machine. We were able to test ride the Triglide in 2008 at the 105th celebration in Milwaukee. The solid rear axle (actually installed by Lehman in Spearfish, SD) was so harsh on the street's of Milwaukee, not at all the ride as we were accustomed on our Electra Glide Ultra. The harshness in the ride was the side-to-side movement as a result of the solid axle: it does have verticle travel but not independent side-to-side suspension movement. The H-D Fit and Finish has always been superior to the Spyder. Accessories, especially a few years ago, were much more plentiful for the H-D. I do believe the Spyder reverse trike to be a more safe configuration and inherently more stable than any conventional trike: that's why we currently own multiple Spyders.

[PW2013STL]

Just rode today with a group of spyders and one tri glide. He was in front of me and looked like he was getting beaten up due to the solid axle. I have always liked HD paint as I think they do the best factory paint, but sadly he also turned to sharply leaving a gas pump and scraped his right rear fender up. Hard to see the back fenders. That's what I like about the Spyder - you can easily see the widest parts (front fenders) and avoid hitting them.

[Olddude39]

The clunky transmission must be a trike issue. My 2014 Electra Glide LTD was the easiest to find neutral motorcycle I have ever owned in my 55 years of riding. I've owned BMW's, Honda's, Kawasaki's, etc. The tranny was not really clunky except for neutral to 1st. However, at 83 years of age the 915 lbs was too much to handle in most non-moving situations. Traded it for a 2021 RTL which I thoroughly enjoy, although I do somewhat miss some aspects of 2 wheels only riding. I've never ridden the trike and after reading your post and the comments a good friend shared I wont bother. My friend's comments were in agreement with yours. Thanks for a good post.

[Raven]

There was a report on here that people were getting hurt on the TriGlide.
Something to due with the brakes and traction control acting up on the highway.

[OldAge]

Sold my 03 Goldwing trike and acquired a 2015 RTS. So far, with limited time on the Spyder, I like the easier steering and the semi-auto tranny. I have bad shoulders and arthritic hands. It helps both.

[hypurone]

I could never understand why HD persisted with these old rickshaws yet dumped finely crafted bikes like the V Rod.

Uh, cannot agree with you there! I rode one and it was the most awful bike I had ever ridden! I rode there on my 02 Kawi Mean Streak (extremely capable power cruiser) for the test ride.... Just leaving the lot I nearly missed making the exit to the street. The fat rear tire made it wanna go straight and that's it! Then came the foot pegs, the ergo for them was awful and I'm avg height at 5'10" and if you tried to rest your feet on top of them like every other cruiser I have ridden, they would fold back on you and your foot would hit the pavement! Almost broke my damn ankle... The brakes were like wood and the engine that everyone was raving about, ONLY made any sort of power ABOVE 6K! And redline was 8500 IIRC.... waaaaay too peaky & narrow of a power band.

I won't go into details of my TG ride as others have pretty much covered that woeful adventure...

[redrazor]

Uh, cannot agree with you there! I rode one and it was the most awful bike I had ever ridden! I rode there on my 02 Kawi Mean Streak (extremely capable power cruiser) for the test ride.... Just leaving the lot I nearly missed making the exit to the street. The fat rear tire made it wanna go straight and that's it! Then came the foot pegs, the ergo for them was awful and I'm avg height at 5'10" and if you tried to rest your feet on top of them like every other cruiser I have ridden, they would fold back on you and your foot would hit the pavement! Almost broke my damn ankle... The brakes were like wood and the engine that everyone was raving about, ONLY made any sort of power ABOVE 6K! And redline was 8500 IIRC.... waaaaay too peaky & narrow of a power band.

I won't go into details of my TG ride as others have pretty much covered that woeful adventure...

I really loved my 2003 V-rod Anniversary mdl; and I still miss it sometimes. I completely modified the ergonomics of it to fit my 5'3" short legged body.
and it put 106 HP to the street on a dyno .... before I installed the Power Commander! It could reach 100 mph in no time and would burn a 20' black strip even with the 200mm tire I put on it. I do really love our 2014 RTL though!! I got rid of the V-Rod for a Street Glide in '07 because the V-rod was too tempting to drive fast! After Prostrate Surgeries and other strength lowering health issues, in early 2020 we traded in the HD for the Spyder. Best decision we could have made.
widebars3.jpg

[Cobwebs]

Uh, cannot agree with you there! I rode one and it was the most awful bike I had ever ridden! I rode there on my 02 Kawi Mean Streak (extremely capable power cruiser) for the test ride.... Just leaving the lot I nearly missed making the exit to the street. The fat rear tire made it wanna go straight and that's it! Then came the foot pegs, the ergo for them was awful and I'm avg height at 5'10" and if you tried to rest your feet on top of them like every other cruiser I have ridden, they would fold back on you and your foot would hit the pavement! Almost broke my damn ankle... The brakes were like wood and the engine that everyone was raving about, ONLY made any sort of power ABOVE 6K! And redline was 8500 IIRC.... waaaaay too peaky & narrow of a power band.

I won't go into details of my TG ride as others have pretty much covered that woeful adventure...

You rode the wrong version then, they had an R model with mid pegs and a narrower back tyre and more ground clearance.
Enginewise they are nearly unbreakable due to the HD racing heritage associated with the design that was handed over to the Porsche engineers to refine before release. They had zero characteristics of the pushrod engines HD fans crave, ran silky smooth and have an exhaust note only equaled by Ducati's imo. They were a fresh new base for customisation with a look only Willie G could muster.
Sales out here were through the roof towards the end of their run and would have numbered in the thousands to every trike they sold. To this day I could return my investment if I were stupid enough to ever part with it.They are hot property simply because HD have never built anything better and the diehard pushrod guys spent their days alienating for the most part themselves from them because it challenged their narrative.That making them rare by comparison.

[Schreckftw]

After selling my 21 RTL I was and still am looking for a new trike. I am not that interested in touring so I wanted a Ryker but was also looking at the F3-S as I am a taller rider. For fun I went to the HD dealer and looked at the Tri-Glide. It was OK but felt small to me with those low side front faring's by my knees. Again I was not interested in touring but just wanted to look. Then he showed me the Free Wheeler they have. That is more like a stripped down Tri-Glide. More comparable to the F3 IMO. I took it out and OMG that thing moves. It will chirp those rear wheels in multiple gears. I loved that if felt more 'motorcycle" then what the Spyder did. I really missed the clutch and foot shifting. Loved the break setup. The handling seamed fine. I was only on a 20 minute test ride but was pushing it a little hard near the end but still cautious. It never felt unsafe or and I felt very in control. Over all the ride was great. I did like the ride over the F3 for sure. The price for what you get was a bit hard to take. I could get a base F3 for over10k less then the one they had there and the ride difference is not worth that to me.

[troop]

After selling my 21 RTL I was and still am looking for a new trike. I am not that interested in touring so I wanted a Ryker but was also looking at the F3-S as I am a taller rider. For fun I went to the HD dealer and looked at the Tri-Glide. It was OK but felt small to me with those low side front faring's by my knees. Again I was not interested in touring but just wanted to look. Then he showed me the Free Wheeler they have. That is more like a stripped down Tri-Glide. More comparable to the F3 IMO. I took it out and OMG that thing moves. It will chirp those rear wheels in multiple gears. I loved that if felt more 'motorcycle" then what the Spyder did. I really missed the clutch and foot shifting. Loved the break setup. The handling seamed fine. I was only on a 20 minute test ride but was pushing it a little hard near the end but still cautious. It never felt unsafe or and I felt very in control. Over all the ride was great. I did like the ride over the F3 for sure. The price for what you get was a bit hard to take. I could get a base F3 for over10k less then the one they had there and the ride difference is not worth that to me.

I'm 6'3"/36" inseam, and I also fit great on the Freewheeler. From the passenger seat. That thing is small

[pegasus1300]

I went from a Yamaha Royal Star Venture to a Honda 1500 Trike conversion to a 2012 Spyder RTL. While riding the Goldwing I tried out the Harley Tri Glide a couple of times as well as the Spyder. My Goldwing with stock rake was easier to steer and rode much better. I could never see turning in the Goldwing for the Tri Glide although I did like the looks, paint schemes, and finish. When I tested the Spyder the ride was so much better and the even the little VTwin had lots of power. CanAm could learn a lot from Harley in fit and finish, but I am staying with my old antique for now.

[Schreckftw]

I'm 6'3"/36" inseam, and I also fit great on the Freewheeler. From the passenger seat. That thing is small

I am actually 6'4" with a 34" inseam. I fit no problem. Way better than my 21RTL. The one I rode however had the tall boy seat installed.

[Azbronco]

I was really interested in the TriGlide and Freewheeler for a bit when I was selling my Ryker. I never did a test ride--I just couldn't get over the price jump compared to the RT (which is what I bought). HD has one HUGE advantage over Can-Am--the sheer number of dealers. There's a Harley dealer not too far from almost anywhere in the country. Along with tons of independent shops that service Harley.

[gkamer]

If HD made a few modifications, I might consider a Tri-Glide. They would have to move the back wheels to the front and add power steering. Oh wait, then it would be a Spyder. Never mind.