Last week, my wife and I test rode a new Tri-Glide when we were at the dealership setting up a service appointment for her new Sportster Forty-Eight.
I REALLY liked it!!
Question: Is it a solid axle or an IRS setup on the 2015/16 Tri-glide?
The dealership told me it was an IRS setup but it looked like a solid axle to me when I crawled under the trike to take a look.
I talked to a man at the Harley dealership this afternoon who owned a new Tri-Glide, man was it beautiful, and he said that his Tri-Glide has IRS. Hence my confusion.
The only trike I can compare it to is a 2014 Gold Wing that had a California Sidecar trike kit installed on it that we looked at Saturday afternoon and it defiantly had IRS.
We loved the Wing and the CSC trike kit was damn nice, but if we go the trike route we'll get a Tri-Glide because of resale value and Harley's vast dealership network.

 

There are aftermarket IRS kits for Tri-Glides that convert them from solid axle to IRS. Unless HD changed them for 2016 they are solid axle.

 

To be honest, I have only ridden a trike once so I have no idea how IRS and solid axle setups compare to each other.
The solid axle seems like it would be more reliable, fewer parts to maintain and adjust, than an IRS would be...at lest to my untrained/uninformed opinion.

 

H-D does not offer a trike with IRS. Never has.

 

Triglide always has been and still is solid axle. Now DFT does make an IRS kit to replace the solid axle in the Triglide.

 

Is an IRS better on the road than solid.uneven roads etc.are they problematic.whats the adv and disadv.dont no weather to trike my EG with ERS or trade and buy a tri glide.any informed advice????

 

I have the 2016 - yes it's a solid axle, leave it to the dealer to get everything wrong LOL. I have found no issues with it being solid, and actually I prefer it. I bought (suffering) this trike because my wife broke her ankle last year and was having problems with my Ultra Limited.

IRS would give me the feeling I don't want, I still want to feel the bike, and a bit old school. I get that from this...even though I still want 2 wheels this trike is pretty rockin a definite keeper.

 

Solid axel......[With a differential] not to be confused with a locked axel...
You were probably talking to a salesperson....Thell say anything that comes into their head..Mostly hot air.....

 

Was thinking of a side car on my Cvo so wife wld get involved.flat said no to side car.😳😡😡if she was married to The Donald,she wldnt say NO.so now I'm wondering the best way to go.financially and practically.independent suspension or tri glide solid.cost between €23k-€25k to trike.value of €26k on bike now.2912 Cvo UC.lost my shirt on it😩Cost of new Triglide here is v black is €43,500.supose HD spend another €15k on upgrades which Cvo has.any advice apart from leaving the wife👰🏼

 

Terminology...

IRS, Independent Rear Suspension, Harleys 'don't gots
Solid Axels, Harleys 'don't gots that either, off road quads do
Differentials, Harleys gots that, just like cars. They allow one wheel to turn faster or slower than the other one.

People confuse IRS as allowing 1 wheel to turn faster than the other, which is a differential rear end, IRS is suspension, allowing 1 wheel to go up and down independent from the other. Jaguars and Corvettes have IRS, most other cars have differentials.

Did I confuse everyone??