WaltH
Senior Member
In early 2002 I bought a new Road King and took it to Illinois for a D.F.T. trike conversion. I had considered the Lehman conversion that Harley is now using but I found it wanting. Most importantly, it had a serious steering wobble at low speeds. Lehman was offering a steering dampener as an accessory. I was turned off by this and turned to other conversion choices. I test drove several of these and settled on the D.F.T. from Addison, Illinois. The D.F.T. was very stable with no steering wobble at any speed (tested to 95 mph).
I bought my first trike solely for the purpose of doing the HOG touring rallies (more of them in those days). I did not use it for anything else. To the best of my knowledge, I am the only person ever to buy a motorcycle for a single purpose such as this. All of my regular riding was done on my beloved Fat Boys. I was riding about 47,000 miles per year as I am today.
When it came time to replace the Harley trike conversion at 92,000 miles (95,000 miles speedo corrected) my intention was to get a new Road King and do the whole thing again. Fortunately, I accidentally discovered the Spyder at less than one-half the cost. I realized that if I could modify the Spyder for touring, I could save a lot of money. I sold the 2002 Road King trike on eBay in January, 2008 for more than 50 percent of my original cost including the conversion. I took delivery of my first Spyder in February 2008.
At first, I only used the Spyder for touring. I continued to ride my last Fat Boy until January 13, 2009 (my 72nd birthday). I sold it on eBay a couple of months later. I would have continued to ride Harleys for 3 or 4 more years, except I had this very good alternative in the Spyder. Riding the Harley was more fun than riding the Spyder, but the Spyder was pretty good (about 80 to 85 percent as much fun). There is nothing that can match the sheer joy of riding on two wheels. When I had both motorcycles, the Spyder was diminished by the daily comparison. With the Harley gone the Spyder seemed to be more fun.
I originally got the trike conversion because trikes are superior touring machines. They are better than a stock Road King, or Electra Glide, in my opinion. The D.F.T. trike was a super touring motorcycle. Overall it was better than my GS Spyder, but the Spyder corners better. I have modified my 2009 SM5 in every way possible to make it a touring machine. It is not as comfortable as the D.F.T. However, the Spyder is superior in cornering and handling. The new RT will probably match the D.F.T. in comfort.
I have one Harley left. It is a 1952 "S" model fully restored to museum standards. It is on display in my home in what I call the museum room. This is the same model (not the same bike) that I bought brand new in the spring of 1953 when I was 16 years old. I had a brand new Harley before I had a car.
id very well with glide trade took a bath on :spyder::doorag: will continue to visit sight on a regular basis :thumbup: Thanks for all the fun Mike
