I just bought a 2016 TG Ultra. I am new to trikes but have ridden 2 wheelers for many years. While riding home from the dealer I noticed that the bike swayed a lot in turns and by that I mean it felt like the inside rear tire was going to lift off the ground. Is this normal? Is there anything I can do to minimize this? I've read many post from new trike owner but no one has said they had an issue like this. Any advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

First of all welcome to the forum.
I have only had this scenario happen twice in over 25K on the trike, and both times was really aggressive in the turn with a passenger. Both times was on the Tail of the Dragon going hot into the turns. The other scenario could be with the harder handle bar steering you are under or over steering. Although leaning a trike does not help the turn, it can stabilize the weight and balance. Keeping weight to the inside of the turn, can help reduce or eliminate the wheel lift. Get used to the trike by doing figure eights in a large parking lot, then advance to roads with twisty's. You will find you get the handle of the trike in short order. Coming from 2 wheel takes a bit longer than for someone who has never ridden before. Use both arms to steer, push with the outside, and pull with the inside. Try to evenly apply pressure and you will get the hang of it.
Happy riding, and again welcome to the forum.

 

Some of the feeling you are experiencing may not be sway. I haven't ever felt like mine was going to lift a tire in a curve. But the forces against you in the seat feel totally different than those on a 2 wheeler. With a bike you are leaning into the curve and changing your center of gravity. With the 3 wheeler, you can lean all you want but the center of gravity is where your caboose meets the seat. A curve forces that center to feel like it is going to the off side of the turn. You might try to shift your seating just a little in a curve and also do like Fusionfool said and lean into it a little. After a while you may find you are taking curves better on three than you ever did on two.

 

Most swaying, wiggling, instability, veering, wobble and other strange stuff seems to go away as people learn to ride a trike. Aha! Seen it in quite a few threads around here, and I've been reading all the comments on how everyone describes their initial reactions. I'm not saying that's what is going on, a problem could cause what you felt, but generally, well, it's probably you! I certainly felt it at first.

Instead of countersteering with the bars and having centripetal force push you down into the seat when leaning a two wheeler, on a three wheeler you are not only using the handlebars to steer (with much more effort, as you've found out, it pushes back!) but you are also hanging on to the trike with them! Any little bump you try to hold yourself against ends up being a small, additional steering input. Which throws your weight around a little, you correct, which is another steering input, etc.

Every little stone and pavement irregularity also push the front tire around while turning; more steering changes to deal with. It's not like a bike tire, where if you're riding well, there really isn't much side thrust. Bikes steer by gyroscopic effect, trikes are just bulled around curves by brute force (tire contact patch slip angle, technically.)

As folks learn and get used to the handling all that goes away; your muscle memory automagically takes care of it for you. Eventually you just figure out that you just do whatever you need with the bars to get the radius of turn you want (it's basically a one-to-one thing, for any angle, you get a certain radius turn, barring any slippage with speed and road surface.) And not let the trike make you change that as it bounds down the road; drive it, don't let it drive you!

Oh, PS. The trike actually does lean a little; outward! As you turn harder, the back end suspension does scrunch down a bit on the outside. Feels downright disturbing at first! But don't worry, you've got to lean on these things pretty darned hard to lift a wheel. The first time I had the nerve to come out of a tight corner with a lot of throttle solo, I squawked the inside tire a bit; wheehaaa! But there's plenty of warning. If the inside is slipping, with the open differential, you're not accelerating any more anyway, so it's kind of self regulating under acceleration. And I'm betting you weren't going in nearly as hot as Fusionfool was, he knows!

And I do lean into turns some, it's the natural thing to do with any flat-riding vehicle unless you're in a 5-pooint harness. Keeps you planted in the seat.

 

As another OP has said in a similar thread....he is glad he has been going to the gym! I think a lot of what first time trikers are experimenting is a lack of shoulder, triceps, and chest muscles working together. It does take a little time getting used to it......or it could be something as simple as a loose lug nut!

 

These guys know what they are talking about, I only would add check tire pressures so very important. I run 36 in front tire 22 in rear tires and the air in shocks 26-45 depending on weight being carried on the occasion as little as 2 lbs. in shocks can show a huge difference in ride quality. And last but by no means least Welcome ride, ride, ride, nothing replaces miles more miles bigger smiles trust me I have been there also. ride safely fearless

 

Welcome aboard! The other posters have covered your question very well. Been there, done that too, and it gets better with practice. I lean my upper body into the curve, as it helps prevent that outside pull on you, and gives more leverage for your arm on the outside bar.

One more thing, you are now much wider on 3 wheels than you were on 2. Stretch your arms out wide to your sides and you will have some idea on the width of the rear end. Helps when you pull into gas pumps and curbs.

Enjoy your ride, it gets easier quickly.

 

Some great advice here. I've only been on a trike for a few months so I don't have a lot of advice to give yet. But I can agree that the unstable feeling goes away as you get more experience with the trike. I'm about 300 miles into mine now and it's really starting to become second nature to me. The ride just gets better and better every time I go out. So to echo what others have said, keep putting on the miles and it'll start to feel more and more natural to you.

 

right pic.




Late 30's


I have been told by a wise old Sage (Screwball) black Harley's are faster ya kno ride safely fearless

 

Felt the same way at first little scary after 40 plus years on two wheel's. Now after couple thousand miles I have to refrain from getting to cocky. Now I tend to hot rod a little more than I should. Trikes are a little too much fun to ride.