Considering a trike or some 3 wheeled vehicle. To those of you with Tri Glides and Freeewheelers, why did you go with a fixed rear axle vs the independent rear suspension of some other models, particularly the Gold Wing conversions?

Also thinking about this: www.tiltingmotorworks.com

 

I thought about adding a kit to my limited. But for less money I got traded for a trike. I plan on traveling . Any time I have traveled if someone needed something the Harley Davidson network just seems to get you back on the road I really like this trike. I hope to have it in NC in a couple of weeks

 

Plenty of IRS conversion kits are available for Harleys.
If you want a Wing, plenty of kits for that.
I ride a DFT conversion of a 05 ElectraGlide and enjoy it.

 

Our Hannigan Transformer conversion is IRS and the ride quality is impressive. It also has a Champion mech reverse,much better than the H-D electric unit. The Hannigan rear disc brakes are much better too,IMO. I also like the steering response from our HHI 5deg billet trees,compared to H-D's 3deg units. No,our trike isn't under warranty but hopefully it won't be needed.

 

You said the magic word "Conversion" My Buddy Jerry's Wing/Lehman broke in Idaho on a very fun ride. The Honda Dealer said the problem was in the conversion, Indy said it would take a week or two for parts, once he found what was wrong.

 

Price was a factor, traded a 09 ultra for the 12 trike. Wanted to stay with Harley, rode the Tri Glide and liked it. When I have trouble with reverse mechanical is always an option.

 

I'm sure there has never been a Tri Glide stranded somewhere in this country for lack of parts and service. I think my Hannigan conversion is superior to a factory H-D trike so I'll take my chances.
Six of one,half dozen of the other.

 

I have heard of a lot of problems with conversions. I was going to do one on my dyna. I talked to Lehman and Champion among others. It was mentioned that although rare occasionally you can break a frame or suspension part when converting a motorcycle to a trike. Lots of people also do a conversion and never have a problem. You have to decide if the risk however small is worth it to you. I decided id rather just have a factory trike . Bought a freewheeler . For a trike it handles well. Also talked with many trike owners and the jist of it is IRS is a bit more comfortable for some. Solid axle handles a bit better. Its really an individual choice. Id try and find someone who will let you demo a trike with IRS and demo a freewheeler or tri-glide and see which you like . What is right for one person is not necessarily good for another.

P.S. I ride hard so I will take the better handling of a solid axle. But that is because of how I ride.

 

Have no knowledge of Hannigan Conversions. I do know that Lehman had problems with parts distribution after the father died and before Champion bought them. Honda dealers wouldn't work on them (warranty) and Independents had a hard time finding parts or getting any technical support.

I have never had any problem finding a Harley store in our travels. When the top motor mount worked itself loose in Coos Bay Oregon they scavenged parts to get me back on the road.

 

When the doctors told me that I'd never be able to ride a motorcycle again, I started looking at trike conversions for my 2010 Ultra Limited with only 2500 miles on it. What I soon learned was that the kits were pricey to buy, and not cheap to install and paint. After I did all my research, trading for a new 2012 with a warranty just made the most sense to me from a purely financial point of view. The conversion kit that I wanted was going to cost me around $15,000 to buy, install myself, paint, rake out the front end, and install a reverse kit. After doing all this, I would have a "custom" bike with no warranty and questionable trade in or resale value. I was able to trade my Limited in at the local dealer for a much more favorable cost and I had a warranty. I've been smiling ever since. I am sure that the IRS is a legitimate concern, and I would like to try one because I believe it might be a softer ride, but, the rigid axle was hardly a deal breaker for me and I would buy another TriGlide when the time is right.