The guy that I do most of my riding with has finally decided that he will have a new Tri-Glide before the end of this season but he plans to ride his '10 Ultra until then, or whenever he can get a reasonable price for the Ultra.
His problem, as with so many of us, is that he has invested so much money into his bike (custom paint, custom leather, CVO wheels, heated seat, yada, yada, yada) that he has to either find a person who wants "that" bike, or else he's gonna take a serious hit on the sale price.


Anyways, what he really wants is a CVO Ultra Tri-Glide (which of course they don't make) so he's once again going to be "accessorizing" the daylights out of his the new Tri-Glide.


We've talked about this before and while he does need a trike, I just don't think I'm at the point where I really want one, and at least for now, I don't need one.


I like the stability factor, especially on wet roads, or if I should be riding two-up with my wife, but she rarely rides with me since she has her own bike.


I have a trailer that is large enough to handle his Tri-Glide, my CVO Ultra, and my wife's Heritage for our long distance vacations, so we're covered for any trip that we decide to take.


If I decide to go to a Tri-Glide, I still have other bikes that I can ride but I just don't think I'm "there" yet.


Has anyone ever went to a trike by choice or is it basically a decision that is made out of necessity?

 

Seems to me like one of those "if you have to ask " situations.
My regular ridding buddy rides a trike by choice.

 

Just be happy your riding buddy plans to still ride. Most of mine just hung it up and I now mainly ride alone.

 

My best riding buddy (my wife) lost the feelings in her feet and legs after a very bad bout with cancer and chemo treatments. She traded her beloved Deluxe for an '09 Tri-Glide. A few modifications to make the clutch easier and she was at home. I rode my Ultra, she on the Tri. In 2011 I had major heart surgery. Bought her an '11 Tri-Glide, I inherited the '08. I held onto the Ultra for almost 2 years, but once you go 3 wheels, it is hard to go back.... especially when you are getting older and older. We are now on a '14 Tri for wife, I did a throw back to a Freewheeler. Felt like my old Dyna that I loved dearly.

Bottom line, once you go trike, you won't want to go back to 2 wheels.... at lease we didn't. We are both retired and do 10 to 15 thousand miles a year on the scoots.

Good Luck and keep on riding, 2 or 3 wheels

 

I agree 100% with Steve. I can ride whatever I want but my wife and I much prefer riding our trike.
My only regret is taking so long to switch.

 

Steve,

How long to fully get over the surgery, riding wise ? I am 8 months out of Triplr Bypass. Still get tired.

I didn't have to go to the trike, I wanted to for the comfort and extra storage for all the wife's crap

 

Count me as wanting a trike...
my wife and I were on our cross-country trip back in 2006, we were riding a 2003 SE Road King. We kept seeing trikes, mostly Goldwings all over the place along the way. I kept telling my wife it would be pretty cool to own one of those. I just couldn't bring myself to convert a new 2-wheeler at the time. When HD started making trikes at the factory, I finally got one, a 2010 Triglide. I still owned a Triumph Rocket III. I traded the 2010 for a 2012 Triglide, and sold the Rocket III because I found myself riding the trike all the time. Got tired of paying for 2 tags and 2 insurances. I've done a cross country trip on the Triglide, which was actually a better time than the Road King trip. I did a Iron Butt Saddle Sore and Bun Burner on the same trip, and it was a blast on the Triglide.
Not all of us "have" to get a trike. Both my Triglides have proven to be just as cool as I thought a trike could be back in 2006.

 

When you can't keep up with your friend on his trike through the twistys you will be thinking harder about trading in your ultra

 

I traded a 2014 Ultra Limited with 2400 miles in on the 2015 TG by choice.. There were a number of reasons.. The SO in my life had sworn never to get on a bike after dumping one about 30 years ago, but had been riding with me since I got the FLHX in 2012. I traded up to the Ultra to gain more traveling storage for the two of us, but the price of that was a more top heavy ride that left both of us little uneasy in stop and go traffic which we see a lot of in out winter digs. It was a given that if we'd ever dumped the bike, she would probably have never got on again. On top of that, the park we live in is mostly trikes and we were the only 2 wheeler on lots of rides - and while they were creeping at every stop light, just like cages, we'd have to wait for a space to open up in front of us to roll forward (and I don't duck walk..). We were at my dealer, getting bag covers for the Ultra and asked if there were any Trikes (you know - "just lookin' ").. They had just unloaded this TriGlide and it sat in the sun - that Black Magic paint did me in...
I miss the leaning into the twisties, but do not regret the change one bit, the two of us are having the time of our lives and she feels much more secure...

 

I felt great after a week or two, After Heart Surgeon said all looked healed up well, and Cardiologist said I was healthy we were riding again. Biggest problem, Surgeon also rides. He said IF my Ultra started to go down I would try to hold it up, not like we are all taught to let it go. Told me I would pull out all the sutures holding my chest and ribs together. Also, with the blood thinners I'd bleed to death before anyone could get me. He said a Trike was a good compromise. If I went down on a trike, bleeding would be the last thing I should be concerned about. (Really like the Dr.) Steering didn't hurt my ribs or chest, so we just said what the hell.

Anyway, it was about 6 or 8 weeks before we were doing short rides, 3 months later we were on the road to Las Vegas and Utah.

Good Luck