Had a 2012 Ultra and loved it. Creeping up on 70 at the time, we decided to invest in a 2016 TG. It does take a few miles to get used to the handling but was never a deal breaker. Did the Stage I upgrade and progressive shocks to make it our own. Having snowmobiled for most of my life, the steering felt very natural and twisties have never been a problem. We pull a trailer and it really isn't hurting for power even in the Hills. With growing old comes breaking down. I plan to keep my nose in the wind as long as I can.

 

Yeeaa...Not for me. There are better options:

1. Smaller Harley
2. Convertible 'Vette.
3. Can Am.

 

I've never been on one and would be curious as to how they'd handle.

To me, the big difference in feel would be while cornering. While on a bike, leaning while cornering feels good. I would think that it would feel strange on a trike, kind of like being in a car and being thrown to the side of the cab.

No one here is more of a man for riding, the notion that you'd be less of a man only comes from lesser men.

 

I have thought about my turn to make your same choice. That's why I've kept my old metric cruiser. It's only 620-lbs. dry with a low center of gravity.
That's my next move when I can no longer horse around the half-ton, '16 FLHTK, dreadnought.

 

That thought sounds good but it's not always the correct route. I work where I don't live and was fortunate to have a Superglide in New England and a Road King at my residence in SC. The road king was becoming too much as I aged. I traded it and some cash for another Superglide, as I felt much more confident on a lighter bike, My wife was all for a trike so we rented one and neither enjoyed it, wasn't our cup of tea so I swapped with some cash from someone for the other superglide.

I haven't worked in 14 months and most likely never will again and am now contemplating that my days are over.

Rent a 3 wheeler first, if y'all like it go that route..It wasn't for us.

The woman that I rented a room from up North when I was working got a Spyder and loved it...the ride is great but if you are a dedicated Harley guy it's hard to get used to a snowmobile. .

 

^this. Thank you @CaffeineBuzz

 

Never ridden a TG or FW, but my wife has a Spyder which I drive occasionally. Don't know anything about the HD's, but the Spyder has traction control, ABS, stability control, and reverse. Handles great and is very comfortable. We ride in bike groups and sypder groups. Most of the spyder guys came off of larger HD's and Honda GW and couldn't be happier.

I love my fatboy, but that sypder is a blast.

Just suggestion that you explore all the options before you make a decision. Very good used market for the spyders as people are constantly trading up.

 

The Harley Trikes have ABS, Traction Control, and Reverse. They also have a lot more storage space for long trips.

 

@Tommy C Hey Tommy,

Separate but related, when I travel to Germany, I see a similar trend for people who have adopted electronic bikes. I remember one morning sitting at a coffee shop in Geldern, Nordrhein-Westfalen, not far from a major bicycle route, a group of 10+ male riders arrived and not one of them was under 70. They were having a great time being together and teasing each other: "Fritz, you pedal slower than your deceased grandmother!", "Hans, you drive like a snobbish BMW driver on the autobahn passing us at full speed!" and. . .

I believe, but have no proof, that the e-bikes kept them riding long after their legs weren't able to power them exclusively. They can still pedal a little and clearly maintain balance so why not a little "propulsion" to help them along? They were exercising, having fun, keeping each other company, preventing lonliness . . . why not? In 2017, ebike sales were 15% of the German market. Citation here.

If one of our brothers or sisters wants to/has to move to a trike for health reasons, or for whatever reason, I would much rather have them on a trike and part of the group than not riding at all. I just don't get this animosity towards trikes, Spyders, etc.

Patrick

 

I made the switch from an '18 Low Rider to a '19 Freewheeler last October and ain't looking back. I'm 71, wasn't feeling as confident as I used to be and was starting to have balance issues. It got to the point where, when at a stop light, if I wasn't looking down right in front of me I'd start feeling dizzy and wobbly. My wife said one day if you want to keep riding maybe its time for a trike.

I went to my dealer and my sales guy took me out to their training course, explained some things to me and said hop on and go for it. I did, got to the end of the course where I had to turn, started leaning to the left and went aw ****. I finally remembered I was on a trike and had to push/pull on the handlebars. I got the hang of it pretty quick and was doing tight figure 8's in no time. I said to myself, "self, this is pretty cool and you can do it". To make a short story long I left the dealership that day on my Freewheeler.

As others have said, it's a rough ride. My suspension is still stock and I have no plans on changing shocks or adding a lift kit, the roads here aren't that bad. It took me about 400 miles for it to feel natural. Like everybody, depending on circumstances I'd ride bikes to the left or right side of the lane. The thing that took the longest to get used to was on a trike you're riding in the center of the lane or offset a little either side of the center line. As one poster mentioned, steering is a bit stiff. To me it's kind of like a go cart, you're really not steering but applying pressure to the handlebars. I live in a fairly rural area, a lot of country roads with 55 mph speed limits. A lot of the curves have a 45mph recommended speed. On the bike I'd take them at about 50, on the trike it's 55-60.

Performance-wise my Low Rider had a 107, the '19 FW has a 114. Its performance is pretty dang close to what my Low Rider had, you won't miss much there. Granted, it might be different on a TriGlide with its added weight. I didn't even demo a TriGlide; one it wasn't in my budget and two, my long trip days are behind me and I just didn't need all the extras. I'm an old softail / dyna type guy and just prefer the minimalist look.

As most have said, test ride or rent one for a couple days and decide from there. Keep us posted!