Motorcycle Trikes - Are Three Wheels Better Than Two? Here's The "Skinny" On What Many Think Is The KING Of Biker Boulevard

Motorcycle Trikes. If you haven't ridden a motorcycle trike or been involved with motorcycle trikes, you are really missing something! I am sure you have seen these awesome machines riding down the road and you have turned your head to get a look. I am speaking as a previous owner of a Honda Trike, not just as a commentator. Adding a third wheel to your motorcycle creates an amazing riding experience, has certain safety benefits, and gets bunches of attention. I have had the pleasure of owning an awesome 1997 Goldwing SE Honda with a Motor Trike conversion. Check out the pictures on this page. That was my machine. Wish I had it back to be truthful but we often have to make decisions due to circumstances that we often regret. Selling my honda trike was one of those decisions.

There are tricks to riding a motorcycle trike. When I first road tested my trike prior to purchase, it scared the "poop" out of me and I almost wrecked it. Seriously!!....LOL. So let me help the newcomers to trike riding before you scare yourself to death and decide that a trike isn't for you which was my initial impression.

Riding a trike is easy once you grasp onto the concept. However, it's totally different from riding a motorcycle. Leaning is not of consequence on a trike...not really...whereas that is how you turn a motorcycle in normal curves...through leaning. Ok, so we now know that leaning is not how to turn. How do we turn a motorcycletrike? The trike is turned by pushing your handlebar either to the left or to the right...much like a riding lawnmower or an atv. The turning is done carefully...NO SUDDEN MOVEMENTS. A small movement of the handlebar will do a lot; the trike is very responsive to the moves in the handlebars. So, start out your test ride very slowly and remember this...the faster you go, the less cumbersome the trike becomes. It will feel heavy and it's a handfull while riding slowly but when you're at cruising speeds, the trike lightens up and is truly a pleasure to ride.

Some of the advantages of a trike in this rider's opinion are as follows. You can stop at a stoplight and not worry about your footing or retaining your balance. This can be a big deal on a wet road or if you're getting older and having trouble balancing your motorcycle at a stop or perhaps if you have a medical condition such as a bad knee, etc but love to ride. That is why you often see many riders of advanced age riding a trike. A trike can give you better control in wet weather and wet roads. A motorcycle trike can offer much in terms of luggage capacity and rider comfort and if you tow a trailer with it the luggage capacity is almost as good a car.

You can buy a completed trike new or as a used machine (like I did) or you can convert your own motorcycle to a motorcycle trike. There are several known quality brands; Lehman, Motortrike, California Side Car, Champion....just to name a few and in no particular order. There is even one brand that supposedly you can switch back and forth from a trike to a motorcycle without that much effort. There are many other brands that are high quality that I didn't mention. If you're handy mechanically, you can probably do the conversion yourself using your own motorcycle and tools. Cost of the kits vary in price depending on the options, etc. Personally, if I was going to convert my own motorcycle to a motorcycle trike, I am having the work done by a qualified mechanic.

Some motorcycle "purists" would contend that a motorcycle trike is not motorcycling; that it is not acceptable to a "real" biker. A REAL biker respects other bikers and their machines, even if different from theirs. Many people who have certain medical conditions that love to ride motorcycles but are physically unable to are able to stay with the sport as now they can ride without having to worry about balance or the weight of the machine being too much for them. Folks, whatever a person rides, respect him or her for the fact that they are brethren in that we are all motorcycle riders, regardless of the shape or size of their ride.

Enjoy riding your trike but if you're shy, I don't recommend getting one as you'll be causing head-turning everywhere you go and they'll be looking AT YOU.