Harley-Davidson trikes are big business for the company. According to the Los Angeles Times, the three-wheel Tri Glide Ultra and Freewheeler are among the company’s most popular models.
Like H-D, Tilting Motor Works is aware of that. It’s offering kits that will turn any Harley-Davidson, with the exception of the V-Rod, into a “reverse trike”: two wheels up front and one in the back. Unlike traditional trikes, the TMW-modified motorcycles will lean – but not fall over.
The base conversion goes for $10,000 and includes a new front end, wheels, tires, brakes, suspension hardware, and all the bits you’ll need to connect the package to your Harley. Tilting Motor Works also manufactures a $13,000 kit with tech that automatically stabilizes the bike if it leans over uncomfortably far.
The LA Times found Tilting Motor Works’ versions of the Street Glide and Softail Heritage shifted “gracefully from side to side, cornering effortlessly compared with other three-wheelers.” No wonder the company has already sold its first 37 conversions and is taking orders for its next 50.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
