When I returned from 8000 mile ride across Canada I realized that I was struggling with the weight of my 2012 Limited. I was 75 years old and it was not as much fun crossing the Rockies this time. When I returned to Toronto I made the decision to trade for a Tri-glide so I could continue tourning. I now have 97,000km (60,000 miles) on the 2018 Tri and really have loved it. Still pine for the 2 wheels but I am planning to ride to Las Vegas and Utah once again this summer. It has been an adjustment but I love Uturns, gravel, grass, and the fact that I am 'in the wind'.

Each of us has our reasons, no hard fast rules, SAFETY is the utmost consideration.

Good luck with your choice.

 

If you are feeling it time for 3 wheeler, you are telling yourself something.

 

Just by the fact that you're considering a 3 wheeler may be an indication that you're nearing the time to get one.

In 2015 we (me, my cousin and his adult son) were riding down the Natchez Trace Parkway and we stopped in at the H-D dealership in order for me to get a H-D poker chip.
At that time my cousin was 68 and he was riding a '92 Heritage that I had sold to him in '94.

A day or so earlier, my cousin was telling me that he had "tipped over" his bike while sitting at a stop light and he was thinking that he may have to soon give up riding permanently.

While I went to get my poker chip he started looking at Tri-Glides and to make a long story short, he traded-in the Heritage and rode out of he dealership on a new Tri-Glide and just last year traded the '15 in on a new '21!
He has COPD and there's no telling how long he may be able to ride but for sure going to the Tri-Glide extended his riding time for a number of years.

At that time, I had just turned 64 years old and still riding my '13 CVO Ultra and was having a knee (LH) issue and that's when I first started looking....and fast forwarding a few years (3 to be exact) I got my '18 Tri-Glide but I kept my Ultra and I also have my Heritage Softail Springer.

I can still ride the two-wheelers but I can honestly say that I prefer the Tri-Glide for trips and also for riding two-up but the two-wheelers are much more fun to ride leaning into the curves!
However, with the exception of the lifting of the bike up and off of the kick stand, the Ultra requires less effort to ride on curvy, hilly roads and it also rides much better on rough roads.

 

Our dealer is having demo days soon, and I think I will take a spin on a 3 wheeler, just to see what I think. Thanks for all the really good responses.

 

Sandcrab, welcome to the world of three, lol. Originally I got my first trike to get my daughter to go riding, even though she was on my Harley’s when she was very young. I got her to go riding, she loved, but the 18 trike went to **** with issues, and the factory wouldn’t address them so back to to which she loved even more. Unfortunately old injuries, and age were creeping up and the right knee buckled a couple of times with her on the back, so I went back to a trike. That being said, a couple of things. The triglides are wonderful, the newer ones are a bit better than the twin cam trikes. My personal observations, whichI am thinking towards your issues, the tg can be a handful if your in the twisties with upper body strength, even after you get used to them. From my test riding the FW, they seemed easier to turn, but not as comfortable. Protection from the elements, comfort, the tri all day. The biggest part is how much are you going to ride, a little, a lot, or a whole bunch, shot range, intermediate, or long range. A lot of two up, tri, occasionally two you can get a good seat, shocks and other creature comforts. And last of course affordability. You could get a slightly used FW a lot cheaper than a tri. Take them out for test rides, check auto trader for bikes, they are out there.

Yes I do miss 2 wheels a lot, but can’t afford 2 bikes. The 22 LRS-T is very tempting, lol. On the other hand safety, getting older, not having to worry so much about gravel, sand, small branches, wet leaves, and of course grass clipping, makes riding a bit better, as well as being seen better as well.

 

If you've never ridden a trike before you may find that it handles (and it does) a lot differently than any two wheeler that you've ever owned.
A trike handles a lot like a quad or a snowmobile which does not require or allow the "leaning" into curves.
You will quickly discover the need to "clamp the fuel tank" with your knees and using the outer floorboard as you ride through curves and you may also feel the "tipsy" nature of the trike but they are more stable than they may first seem.
Compared to a two wheeler it will feel as though you have traded-in your "Vette" for a "Suburban" but in time that will lessen and you will find that keeping up with (most) two wheel riders in curves is not a big deal and with the newer trikes having larger engines and increased torque makes the hilly roads more rider friendly.
What you gain in going from two-wheels to three can be defined in one word., "stability"!

 

The Harley TriGlide is just a base to build off of. The hard steering can be helped a lot by changing out the triple tree with a "raked" front wheel. It's like ya put in power steering from what I'm told.
The ride can be helped a lot with different rear suspension. Getting away from air shocks, or the new suspension by Harley can also be helped .
And the list goes on. But many are totally happy with the stock trike. The bottom line is most everything can be changed to a person's liking.

Get on and ride ! The fine tuning can be done later. And yes it is different ! It gets easier with miles and patience ! You may like it the way it comes from the factory,,,,, many do !

 

76 years here and switched last year to Freewheeler. In 2015 realizing that my skills were not the same ( 50 plus years of riding) I got a triglide, 3 months later traded it back in. Tried several other bikes all big and had to admit that it was trike or quit riding. You will know when it makes sense. Be prepared it is a different riding experience. When you except what it is and what it's not it will keep you riding, good luck with your decision.

 

Best answer I've seen in a while. Absolutely look into fixing or strengthening you. I should be on 3 if you went by my needing a double hip replacement. But I work around it. Try a lower seat. Different bars. Work on weak muscles to help control and remember the front brake on a hill.

If none of that works. Well. At least you tried. Them you can know it's time to move to 3. I've been on 3. The Freewheeler is a hoot. But sucks for 2 up. Eed 2 up. Just go TriGlide.

Good luck.

 

Good idea. That being said, you may or may not be impressed with your test ride. Renting for a day or so might give you a little clearing idea of the characteristics of riding on 3. Once we got ours 2016 TG home, we started experimenting with tire pressure which really made a difference. I doubt the dealer will run a demo bike at 20-22 psi.