Trikes

[Optimistic Paranoid]

I still have a motorcycle endorsement on my license, but it's been awhile since I've owned one or ridden.

I was looking at a local ad site - NOT CRAIGSLIST - called Want Ad Digest just for fun and noticed a couple of Honda Gold Wings that had been kit-converted to trikes for sale.

Anybody here got any experience with them?

Queen, you mentioned that riding used to be your life, but you can't do it anymore.  Ever consider a trike?

 

[Txjaybird]

 I like trikes! Don't know why as I've never been on one.  Either a trike or something with a sidecar is about the only thing I could ride now with out fallin' slap over the first red  light I came to.  I thought I saw a Trike coming at me on the Old Newton Rd by Ft Rucker last Thur.  Boy was I surprised!  It looked like training wheels...... phooey.  But if it works work it.  Q needs a side car 

Jewellann

 

[Crow]

I've found that a couple of times when I went years without a motorcycle, the skills and instincts all come back after just a day or two back in the saddle. Just don't think I could ever settle for a trike. Two wheels are safer too.

Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk

 

[jonsun]

it's like eating a pizza without cheese....now a sidecar otoh

and the first time you have a stator go bad in a wing either break out the pocket book or set aside a few weeks to drop the engine and split the cases. so if you're looking at them make damn sure they're charging.

 

[CautionToTheWind]

They are fairly popular. Definitely different in the riding experience; use more upper body vs. lower body on 2-wheels. My cousin in Texas converted his Harley to a trike (prosthesis leg).

 

[wayne49]

A MC endorsement may not apply to three wheelers and a another endorsement may be required. Nevada is that way.

 

[Queen]

OP, I have, I've ridden a few and they're not my cup of tea.  If money weren't an issue I'd have a hack in a heartbeat.  I owned a couple of Triumph Bonnevilles over the years and think they make the perfect sidecar vehicle.  

Isn't that gorgeous??  Come on lotto!

 

[jonsun]

nice ^

 

[SoulRaven]

Howdy:
           I owned/rode/enjoyed a URAL sidecar rig for a few years. FYI side-cars rigs do not drive like either a motorcycle nor a trike, you have to actively steer them with your arms every foot of the ride. They also tend to pivot around the tub (sidecar) as in they tend to pull left when you apply brakes and tend to pull right when you accelerate. They also are interesting when you go around right hand corners as the tub tends to lift off the ground. This is called "flying the chair" between Ural pilots (kids of all ages love it!). If you don't have a passenger, throw in 100 pounds of "something" into the sidecar to mitigate this tendency while you are learning. That said, the Ural was an absolute hoot to ride off-road (power slides in corners like crazy!) and made an excellent "exploration camper" (lots of storage space) that will go almost anywhere (2WD!) as long as you don't like to go fast (max speed is about 55 mph or slower...seriously!). I'd still have it but the dog refused to ride in the tub. Maybe she has more sense than me?

Back on topic; Side-car rigs, trikes and motorcycles are very different machines and all ride/drive differently. There is almost no similarity in riding a trike vs. a side-car. I would urge anyone considering between a trike and sidecar to test ride them both before making a finial decision.

Trikes:
1) You can have a "real conversion" done to your motorcycle, permanently making it into a three wheeler.
2) You can buy a set of "drive on wheels" so now you have three wheels in the back, basically converting the motorcycle into a "trike" of sorts. Basically fixed training wheels with your motorcycle's rear tire between the two. You can "drive off" these when you want to convert back to "motorcycle mode". 
3) Yes, you can by training wheels/landing gear for your motorcycle. They fold up automatically above 15 mph and deploy below 15 mph. Perfect for folks with heavy bikes and balance issues, especially at low speeds. The big plus is your motorcycle still handles like a motorcycle at "road speed" but you have no worries about balancing during slow speed maneuvers or stops. Very helpful for stabilizing the bike when a passenger climbs aboard.

IMHO: They are ALL fun to ride! (Except those stupid/silly car like "Slingshots" = NOT a motorcycle!)


Happy Trails!
Chuck

 

[Crow]

Isn't that gorgeous??  Come on lotto!

Naw, you don't need to win the lotto!  Didn't you see the commercial where the guy's gonna go ride his bike, the dog wants to go, so he walks back in the house, builds a sidecar, and off they go.   Took him less than 30 seconds.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Okay, looks like I found another Uralista residing on this board...I own two of them, one has the sidecar, 2WD, and the other is a Solo, no sidecar.

They are a lot of fun, but I dont want to detour the thread too much.

As for the original question, I love trikes, but the budget and parking space around my home limits what I can have to some degree. Over a 50 year span as a motorcyclist, I have ridden many trikes, on demo rides, friends trikes, etc. 

What would be your planned use for the trike?

Just putting around town? Long distance touring? A little of both?

Have you got friends with trikes or touring bikes? And you want to cross lots of territory in a day?

Or you just want something you think might be fun, save a little gas and no need to worry about holding it up at stoplights?

Do you plan on trailering it behind an RV or is it gonna be in a garage every night?

Lots of things to know before we can help a whole lot.

Any of the 'flat six' forums can answer questions about the 'wing, on 2 or 3 wheels, and Honda makes good stuff, but you need know what brand the conversion is, some are home made kits, others are full-on high-quality jobs done by top-notch companies.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

What would be your planned use for the trike?

Just putting around town? Long distance touring? A little of both?

Have you got friends with trikes or touring bikes? And you want to cross lots of territory in a day?

Or you just want something you think might be fun, save a little gas and no need to worry about holding it up at stoplights?

Do you plan on trailering it behind an RV or is it gonna be in a garage every night?

Lots of things to know before we can help a whole lot.

I really have no idea.  A post of Queen's got me thinking nostalgically about my old 750 Honda, that i used to use both for daily transport and touring vacations in the early 80s.  I was looking at used motorcycles to see what something like that might cost, when I noticed the trikes.  They got me to wondering.  I suppose if I bought one, I'd have to scrap my current plans and buy a toy hauler . . .

 

[TrainChaser]

Speaking of sidecars, if you want some laughs, go to Google Images and type in Sidecar for Dog.

I like this one, for the multiple-pet owner: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/52/b2/a8/52b2a81b77d7fd412f81122b91a9d9a7.jpg

 

[Txjaybird]

it's like eating a pizza without cheese....now a sidecar otoh

and the first time you have a stator go bad in a wing either break out the pocket book or set aside a few weeks to drop the engine and split the cases. so if you're looking at them make damn sure they're charging.

 Please tell me what otoh is?  Also a stator and a wing.....what is it that's charging.....what cases?   

              I'm not stoopid jist ignernt  

Jewellann

 

[Queen]

Jelwellann - until Bardo pops back in I can help a little.

otoh = on the other hand

Wing = Honda Goldwing (huge motorcycle)

stator = part of the electrical generator on the motorcycle, Goldwings are notorious for them going bad, and being very difficult to replace

cases = the engine shell (like the block on a car), you have to open up the shell to get to the stator

 

[CottonTexas]

I have a personal friend, an older guy, that has owned a GoldWing trike in one form or another for a lot of years. Until a couple of years ago he owned an '08 Motor Trike that he rode to California where he got ran over by a jack-wagon armed with a texting device, and he turned around and bought a 2012 California Sidecar within hours of hearing the '08 was totaled. He says there's pros & cons to either brand, but he'd buy another of either in a hear-beat. I know jack about the Honda GW specifically, but he seemed a big fan, and aside from regular maintenance, none of his trikes ever spent much time in the service bay. 2¢, Cotton

 

[Ballenxj]

Trike vs Sidecar.
In Nevada you don't need a motorcycle endorsement for a trike as it's not considered an actual motorcycle because it has three wheels.
Now following that logic, do you need a motorcycle endorsement for a sidecar rig?

 

[tx2sturgis]

Trike vs Sidecar.
In Nevada you don't need a motorcycle endorsement for a trike as it's not considered an actual motorcycle because it has three wheels.
Now following that logic, do you need a motorcycle endorsement for a sidecar rig?

Depends on the state laws where you live.

In Kal-ee-forney, anything with 3 wheels can be driven legally with a regular automobile driver's license. If you have a California license then you can ride a trike legally without a MC endorsement, in all 50 states. This is reciprocal with all other states you might operate the trike in, thats federal law.

But in most states, a MC endorsement is needed.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

Depends on the state laws where you live.

In Kal-ee-forney, anything with 3 wheels can be driven legally with a regular automobile driver's license. If you have a California license then you can ride a trike legally without a MC endorsement, in all 50 states. This is reciprocal with all other states you might operate the trike in, thats federal law.

But in most states, a MC endorsement is needed.

In NY, if you show up for your motorcycle road test with a trike, you will get a limited M endorsement, which only allows you to ride trikes.  Take the test on a regular two-wheel motorcycle, you get a full M endorsement that allows you to ride trikes as well as regular bikes.

 

[jonsun]

Jelwellann - until Bardo pops back in I can help a little.

otoh = on the other hand

Wing = Honda Goldwing (huge motorcycle)

stator = part of the electrical generator on the motorcycle, Goldwings are notorious for them going bad, and being very difficult to replace

cases = the engine shell (like the block on a car), you have to open up the shell to get to the stator

Lol thanks