My 2015 TG has worked flawlessly since I bought it new. It has 10,000 miles on it so not heavy use by any means. It's in winter hibernation now but shortly before I put it away I noticed reverse acting up. I don't have to use it to back out of my garage but I do just because it is there. What I experienced is it backs up in a jerky motion rather than smoothly like it always did in the past. I'm guessing that means my reverse motor is going and the jerky motion is my warning shot. I haven't had it diagnosed yet but spring will be here before we know it. Does the jerky motion indicate pending complete reverse motor failure?

 

1. Check your brakes to make sure they are not dragging
2. Check your parking brake to make sure it is fully releasing.
3. Check your final drive belt tension, if to loose it may cause that issue.
4. Check all bolts and fasteners on your reverse motor and other bolts to ensure they are tight and torqued to spec.
5. Inspect the ring gear to ensure all is well.

 

Thanks CoolBreeze. I'm hoping it might be something simple.

 

@KJB

I just installed a Motortrike manual reverse on my TG. I will be pulling off my working reverse motor soon and will be putting it up for sale.

If you find yourself wanting a known working one from a 2019 TG let me know and we can work out something.

 

My first thought was is your battery fully charged and how old is it?

 

I too had the same thing happen on my 2024. At first I had difficultly getting it to engage reverse and took several tries. Then like yours it was very 'jerky' and not smooth like it normally is. Eventually it simply wouldn't engage at all sometimes. Then sometimes it would and performed perfectly normal. Diagnosis was the solenoid which was replaced under warranty and now it is fine. No idea if this could be your problem but perhaps worth a check. Good luck getting it sorted.

 

Thanks for the replies guys. We are back in Wisconsin for the holidays and that's where the Trike is in storage. We head back to Florida right after New Years so any real diagnosis will have to wait until we return to Wisconsin in May. Good point about the battery 2AMGuy. I got almost 6 years out of the first one which was replaced in September 2020. I wouldn't be surprised if I'm due for a new one again. It is always on the Harley battery tender when not in use.

 

The reverse motor is really easy to remove and refresh. New brushes and bendix, You can buy a kit on EBay for like $60. I did it on my 14. The newer ones are a bit different and seem to work a bit better.

 

"The newer ones are a bit different and seem to work a bit better."

Not that much better mine stopped working after mild use and under 8,000 miles total. I basically only used it to backup my driveway into the garage. The driveway does have a slight incline to but nothing very steep. Luckily I still had a few months left on my warranty and the motor was replaced on Harley's dime. Now only use it very rarely. If it goes out again I'm going to put a mechanical reverse gear in it.

 

Its a crap shoot even with the 'new improved' reverse motors. On my 2018 and my 2020 TGs I had mid 30k mileage on both and never a problem with the reverse motor and I did use it. On my 2024 the reverse motor went out at 10 months and maybe 10k miles. And the replacement is the one on which the solenoid failed. Go figure. Its a Harley, lol.