Went to Ocala yesterday and traded my 2015 CVO Limited for a 2021 CVO Tri Glide. This is my first Trike.
I rode it home, about 100 miles. The ride was horrible. I felt every crack and cranny in the road. I thought these Trikes were
supposed to be a pretty smooth ride. The dealership prepped the bike and the tire pressures are 40psi on the front and 30psi
in the rears. Is there some kind of secret to getting some kind of a smooth ride to of the Trikes? What can I do to soften the ride
on my new CVO?

 

Well, here it is: You will not make a Tri Glide ride like a 2 wheeler if for no other reason that it has a solid rear axle that causes that "feel" you are speaking of. You can change the rear shocks which will help but my best advice is to give yourself some seat time to get used to it. I do not even notice it anymore. Smooth is not a word I would use to describe the ride but rather stable

 

The adjuster for the rear shocks is under the seat; you will have to experiment with that to find the right setting. I don't know about the CVO, but most Triglide owners keep the rear tires between 22 and 24psi. With the short sidewalls on the CVO, I don't know if that work for you. I had a Road King Special with the 19" wheel like your CVO, again, I found the short sidewall to be very rough riding. All that being said, The Triglide does have a rougher ride than a two wheeler. You might contact Kevin at DK industries (Forum Sponsor) to get their input. They have done a lot of work on improving the Triglide ride.

 

As stated above, you will need to try different shock and rear tire pressure setting to get a better ride. The CVO trike has low profile tires and I have heard they have a stiffer ride compared to the regular Triglide. It will never ride like a two wheeler.

Get about 1,000 miles on her and try different shock settings.

 

Not a CVO but my new to me 14 Tri Glide Ultra rides a lot better with the 14” pro action with the comfort lift. It no way rides as good as my 07 Flhtc but the shocks and the Hammock seat made a big difference. It’s a different animal for sure.

 

Not a CVO. But, on my 21 Tri-Glide rear shocks were set at 5, when I got it. Such as you described felt more like a 2-1/2 Army cargo truck. But, anyways adjusted the rear shock to 2 same as 18 FLHTKL, and dropped a couple of PSI on the front and rear tires. A heck of a lot smoother. And yes, sometimes I don't notice bumps anymore.

 

I am guessing that you didn't demo it before you bought it? First rides are most always a shocker whether demo or ride home. I dropped the pressure in both shock and tires to get a better ride. As happy as I am with my FW it isn't a Heritage and I am adjusting to that fact. Good Luck on your new trike.

 

On my '16 Tri Glide, I had Legend Suspension installed front and rear, and the 1.25" rear lift kit installed, and then I installed the Cobra Chrome Trike front tire. It rides A LOT smoother down the roads, and it steers way easier in the corners.

 

On my 2020 I readjusted the stock rear shock and while I don't remember the number it helped, I'm about 300 lb and that's sort of what it was set for and I changed it to be set for about a 225 lb rider and that helped from jarring my kidneys. Also helps just to get some miles on, maybe that loosens the bike or maybe just numbs the butt.

 

I wondered about the low prifilextires. Seems that is adding to the already rough tide of a TriGlide. You should verify what the recommended tire pressure is that is indicated on the frame. Your pressures seem high compared to what was recommended for my Ultra Classic TriGlide.