![]() Maneuvering through city traffic is completely intuitive to anyone who has ridden a motorcycle and driven a vehicle with two rear wheels. An electric reverse gear eases parking issues, and this Glide is also equipped with Harley’s new Reflex Defensive Rider Systems (RDRS), which includes trike-specific traction control and ABS. Happily, slow-speed tip-overs are impossible here, in spite of the 1,269 pounds of running-order weight. Heated grips are adjusted by the knob on the end. The CVO Tri Glide gets Harley's "Kahuna Collection" hand grips. Exhaust tips can serve as wheelie bars when you getting a little past that stupid. Peak twist is said to arrive at 3,500 rpm with 125 foot-pounds of torque, claimed at its crankshaft, which readily pulls the trike’s considerable weight, as you can see in the top photo, where I am gently pulling away from a stop after manually defeating the traction-control system. Clutch pull is remarkably light for a 1,923 cc powerplant, and its precise actuation and the 117’s easy torque make take-offs surprisingly easy. Working in the Tri Glide’s favor is a Twin-Cooled Milwaukee-Eight engine, upgraded to CVO status in this stellar 117-cubic-inch version. When pulling away from a stop, a rider must remember that the rear wheels are a couple of feet outboard of the front wheel to avoid running over traffic cones, small children or his or her own feet. Countersteering doesn’t exist on a non-tilting trike, so reactions from the handlebar are decidedly different. Despite having ridden several reverse trikes (Can-Am Spyders, Campagna T-Rexs, Piaggio MP3s, etc.) and 1,000 motorbikes, I’d never before sampled one of these trikes.ĭespite the accessible 25.9-inch seat height, piloting a motortrike is initially unnerving. Harley-Davidson photo.Īpparently I'm not the intended customer, either, because this was the first time I’ve ridden a “proper” motorcycle trike, i.e. Harley-Davidson has special production lines for its CVO models and these bikes get the most complex and unique paint jobs coming out of the factory, in addition to the other added features. So don’t bother telling us that your SV650 offers a better value - you’re not the intended customer. Those who may be skeptical that anyone would want a trike priced at nearly $50k should know that the Tri Glide was the most requested model in the history of CVO. Harley-Davidson photo.Īll of which brings us to the vehicle on this page, the fanciest trike in Harley-Davidson’s lengthy history and the first to receive the full slathering of premium finishes and paint upgrades that are served up by H-D’s Custom Vehicle Operations, the sub-brand for limited-production “super premium” motorcycles. Additional visual jewelry is offered by exceptionally lovely floorboards, grips and muffler tips from H-D’s “Kahuna Collection,” as well as the Ventilator air cleaner. Both colors feature a three-stripe graphic pattern and Tomahawk Contrast Cut wheels. The 2020 CVO Tri Glide in Black Stardust. 2020 Freewheelers have a starting MSRP of $27,999. H-D’s trike line was expanded for the 2015 model year with the introduction of a more minimalist offering, the Freewheeler. “Our goal was to bring original-equipment design, quality and service to the three-wheel motorcycle segment with full-fledged factory benefits,” a Harley rep related. Although having a partial lineage to Lehman Trikes, Harley’s Tri Glide was based on a chassis designed specifically for a three-wheeled application. The latest H-D trike chapter was inaugurated with the introduction of the Tri Glide Ultra Classic in 2009. The Harley-Davidson trike story begins in 1932 with the Servi-Car model, which remained in production until 1973. Steamrolling down the road, it's easy to see why Tri Glide owners ride more miles than owners of other Harleys. We all prefer riders to posers, don’t we? Harley tells us its trike customers log more miles than riders of any other model in the MoCo’s lineup. Other people who covet H-D’s trikes are the bros and babes who like to ride - a lot. Among H-D owners, trike customers have the oldest average age. Imagine getting older but still wanting to ride. The stability offered by three contact patches also appeals to riders who lack confidence in their ability to hold up a big motorcycle, a challenge made even more difficult when loaded two-up. You know who does dig Harley’s trikes? Females! Can we all get an amen for more women on motorcycles, no matter how many wheels they have? Trikes like the Harley-Davidson Tri Glide are always going to seem weird to seasoned motorcyclists, especially younger, fit male riders.
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