Test rode a new Harley Tri-Glide

[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.hyea:

 

[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...

:chat: 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!!:yes: 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.

 

[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.

 

[Leaping1]

Being a long time Harley rider (2 wheels) along with BMW. The one positive thing about Harley Davidson is they are easy to work on and you can always find someone to work on them. Not so with the Spyders. But I will say that I would not consider trading my old 2011 Can Am RT-S for a Tri Glide but I hope to trade for a newer Spyder at some point in time with the bigger engine and 6 speed.

 

[fuzzyspyder]

Another long time Harley and Goldwing rider. Sold the last Tri Glide due to both shoulders having been repaired (unrelated to the Tri Glide). Thought my riding days were over but a buddy came to town on his Spyder F3 and he let me ride it. The "power steering" was amazing and the search began. Hence the 2019 F3 Limited.

People used to ask me why I would bounce around from Harley to Goldwing. I would tell them when I pass a group on the Goldwing, nobody notices. When I pass a group on the Harley, everyone notices - half are oohing and awing, half are hating the noise.

Now when I pass a group, a lot of time one follows me and asks, "what is that?" :dontknow: