I had also emailed Kevin at DK about what mount he has on his 14 Tri. He said he uses the horn mount but has had to fix it a time or two and that the frame mount would be better.

 

On another website that I no longer frequent, I had reported my first impressions of my 2019 TGU. They are as follows and good as a reference to my second impressions:

Took delivery of my 2019 M8 (114) yesterday afternoon. Spent the rest of the afternoon and early evening waxing the shiny parts of the Scorched Orange/Black Denim trike and checked all of the fluids, tire pressures and rear shock setting. This morning, I headed out about 8:30 a.m. in 74 degree weather that eventually heated up to 92 degrees at about 2 p.m. Rode all different kinds of pavement as I traversed from one side of the Florida Peninsula to the other and then back again through the interior of the State.

I did this to be able to vary my speeds/rpm's throughout the ride on this first part of the 500 mile total break-in procedure prescribed by the MOCO (was limited to 3k max rpm for the first 50 miles and then 3.5k rpm until completion of break-in at 500 miles on the clock while all the while varying my speeds/rpms for potentially best break-in.

As some of you know, this is my third Tri Glide having owned: a 2016 103c.i. (14.5k miles); 2017 107c.i. M8 (7.9k miles) and now the 2019 114 c.i. M8 with 300 miles. I thought I would share early impressions of the new trike to help others discern if the improvements in the latest iteration are of interest to them in terms of possible purchase. Of course, I have only 1-day of riding but had just gotten off my 2017 2 days earlier.

The 2019 TGU with some of the added features is an overall better functioning trike IMHO. I didn't get that fastest color which is Black but I did get one of the neatest colors in this year's offerings which was the Scorched Orange/Black Denim combo. I had my selling dealer transfer all but the DK Customs Custom Lift kit over to the new trike. The reason that the lift kit did not get transferred is that the new suspension has the trike level and actually a bit higher in the back than my previous TGU's with lift kits. The steering is concomitantly easier due to the change in geometry and I think even a tad easier to steer than my TGU's with the Lift Kits. As Trampas retorts "All for now".

Here are my impressions in a somewhat organized hierarchical (what dat mean?) order to point out the improvements of the 2019 over the two previous iterations of TGU's that I have owned.

1. The new Boom! Box GTS infotainment center with the Gorilla Glass is light years improved over the 6.5 Boom Box era. if you use your Infotainment Center a lot for GPS/Trip Planning/Calls/Trike Status etc., the upgraded systems really take some of the sting out of the cost in upgrading to the latest model.

2. The 6-speed transmission on the 114 is the absolute smoothest one I have EVER had on a Harley. In addition to this, the formerly snatchy clutch engagement is a thing of the past and it is the most refined clutch that I have ever used on any Tri Glide. Finding Neutral was much easier on this machine than any of the other TGU's.

3. The 114c.i. M8 is smoother than either the 103 TC or 107 M8 and does not making popping sounds when decelerating. It does not appear to me to be that significantly more powerful than the 107 M8. I had the EITMS turned off and found that the idle is better at about 1,000 rpm as opposed to the 107 M8 which idled at 950 and tended to occasionally stumble leaving a light.

4. The Reflex Linked Anti-lock Brake System and Traction Control System are both different, a bit quirky, but more effective than anything that has come before it on the Tri Glides. It causes the brake lever feelings to change based on what the system sensors are reporting and it also at times makes some different sounds as the actuators do their jobs. I am not sure how these added features are going to play out when I am taking tight twisties up in the mountains? In Can-Am parlance, these systems are known as the "Nanny" and I am not that fond of relying on an engineers/programmers thoughts of how my suspension system should be responding and taking responsibility away from the rider.

5. The changes to the front and rear suspensions based on my uber precise, scientifically non-repeatable "butt-o-meter" findings suggested to me that the suspension overall rides maybe 30% softer and more compliant. It still seems like a fairly rough ride and I suspect that based on folks reports of the coil over shocks that places like DK Customs sells provide a better ride than this latest iteration of shock absorption? As I had mentioned earlier, the bottom of the installed optional rear bumper is approximately 13" above the ground and the trike does not have that drooping look/ride with much better muffler clearance than previous models.

6. I have heard through the grapevine that this new 114 M8 is likely sporting the 5th generation of oil pumps since the TGU's were equipped with the 103 "wet heads" in 2014 and supposedly, the latest oil pumps handle Stage 3 and 4 upgrades better, especially at higher speeds.

7. Did I mention that although slower than the Black trikes, the fit and finish of this top-of-the-line paint job with only one other color combo in the category is about as perfect as I have seen them painted. Harley also made the dash out of shiny plastic instead of the textured plastic and it looks really sharp (ala CVO's). Additionally, on the two most expensive paint jobs, the tank badges are flush with the tank and do not interfere with my knee placement. On my 2017 trike, I removed the big honkin' metal badges with strong fishing leader and got the adhesive goo off the tank with nary a scratch in the beautiful shiny paint underneath the two tank badges.

In our warm Florida heat, the extra displacement seems to translate into as hot or slightly hotter engine feel. I have a set of Love Jugs and DK Customs Floor Board Extenders on the trike to help ameliorate the deleterious effects of our significant heat cycles. Overall, as I was finishing up the ride, my thoughts were that I am glad that I migrated from the 2017 to the 2019 but I am not sure if the significant difference in prices/values completely warrants the upgrade? I don't plan to share those cost differences but rest assured that it was not as cheap as people like me would have liked

I forgot to mention one crazy thing. This new TGU represents my 100th motorcycle/trike (yep, it is not a misprint) since I began riding my own motorcycles in 1964. Pushing well over 400k seat miles and hope to add at least another 100k before I consider hanging up my handlebars.

 

Along with the numerous improvements in the 2019 Tri Glide Ultra with the 114 c.i. M8 and the new clutch and transmission being real standouts compared to previous models, the suspension when riding two-up has really shown some significant improvements in performance.

Harley reports that they use dual-bending valve internal technology for linear damping performance of the front forks which IMHO seems mildly additive. However, the emulsion technology rear suspension with the single adjustment **** found under the seat for preload of the rear shocks seems to be a big winner especially when you add the load of a passenger. My wife only weighs 125 pounds and with a helmet and boots likely about an extra total 130 pounds and this added weight in the rear seat of my 2019 Tri Glide Ultra really makes for a much smoother ride. I also carry a fairly heavy tool set in the trunk along with a few other items and so the added 20-30 pounds rearward also seems to smooth out the ride of the 2019 compared to my former 2017 and 2016 TGU's. In addition, I have set my rear shock preload at only 10 and have the rear tires with 21psi in the tires.

It would be nice if someone more versed in suspension technology could explain to us why these improvement on the 2019 TGU's seem to calm the sharp trike body movements over rough roads by my "butt-o-meter" measurements of maybe 30% improvement in ride, especially when the trike is carrying a heavier load. I weigh about 175 and I suspect that riders that are carrying more personal weight may also be experiencing a bit more comfortable ride than me when riding solo?

 

I have a 2015 freewheeler. I installed mighty mites using the horn mount. I now have over 60,000 miles (not Kilometers) on the trike with no problems whatsoever. OH Sorry I did have one problem. I got caught in a massive rain storm for 6 hours and one of the fans shorted out. I went back to the dealer I bought them from and they instantly installed a new fan. No problems since then and many more rain soaked rides

 

I have just purchased a 2019 Tri-Glide, trading my beautiful 2017 CVO Limited in. This has been a tough decision for me as I have had some physical problems as of late. I knew last year we were going in this direction and rather than wait until one or both of us get hurt I have bit the bullet. I am adding a few items before delivery, Sirius, hand warmers, rear air wing rack with LED light, Stage 1&2 and a hammock seat. I will try the new rear suspension before I add the Ohlins I have. Currently we have about 2 feet of snow with 1 foot of ice that shows up when least expected. I am also sporting a broken ball off my humerus from an icy spill (as of January), hopefully I am ready come May/June. My wife and I travel two up about 70% of the time and I am looking forward to some of the best/safest riding ever.

 

This January bought a 2019 Triglide twisted cherry paint. I've blacked out the motor with the HD dominator series engine accessories with a twisted cherry powder coated accents to match the paint. Also added black exhaust shields as well as added DK tank lift kit. Just waiting for spring, Got a foot of snow on the ground and temps hovering around 10 deg.

 

Congrats, roadglider & cherch, welcome to the 3 world!

 

Looking good, Cherch!

 

Because of the horrible shocks that HD uses on the Trikes there is an assumption that you cannot get a good ride out of a straight axle trike.

Think about some cars out there with straight axles...some of them have a very nice, plush ride.

That can be had on a trike with a straight axle also...IF it has some good shocks. The shocks on the '19 are better than previous years, per your butt-o-meter, about 30% better. I would actually give the new shocks a bit more improvement than that.

But when you put a great shock, like the 14" Trike Series Shocks™ on there, combined with a Convertible Comfort Lift™ Kit, it will be a 100%+ improvement.

The reason it is more comfortable with a heavier load is that the springs are strong enough for the heavier load, so they are a bit stiffer with a lighter load. This can be partially ameliorated by adjusting the pre-load on them, and good damping helps also, but it will not totally compensate for it. If you had lighter springs that would give you a plush ride with just you on it, then when extra weight was added you would experience bottoming out.

That is one of the great benefits of the 14" Trike Series Shocks™. They are lighter for a nicer one up ride, but have enough travel that the extra load does not bottom them out.

 

That 100%+ improvement number. Is that a scientifically derived number?