How To Ride A
Motorcycle Trike
(Wisdom For
Newbies From Others Who’ve Been There Already!)
Preface: I don’t claim any real originality in
this presentation. After all is said and done, it really is just common sense
stuff and some good thoughts from all over. As the Bible says in Proverbs 11:14
“…In the multitude of counselors, there is safety.”
Therefore, as a public service, when I was at the long
defunct The Trinity Trike, Mfg I pulled this information together by gleaning
from personal experiences, conversations with other trikers, YouTube.Com and
various internet sites, rider forums, answers to FAQ’s and reading stuff long
enough ago, that I can’t possibly remember where it came from. Accordingly, what
I have in here is advice, opinions and experiences, not absolutes. Not
everything will apply to everybody, but I’m sharing what I have applied to my
own riding experience and therefore, can recommend it (otherwise why would I
have bothered to type all of this in the
first place!!) Anyhow, here we
go………….
For novices (aka “Newbies”) learning to ride a 3 wheel
motorcycle trike is not as easy as it looks, even for the seasoned motorcyclist
(perhaps even more so for you regular bikers!). Here are some pointers to either
get you going as a triker or hopefully to help you be a better triker even if
you've been triking awhile already!
And keep in mind that most if not all of the instructions that I give you here
apply equally to those out there who are riding the Can-Am Spyders and Rykers
from Canada (with two wheels in front, one in back) or one of the multitude of
“outrigger” conversions that add two, unpowered wheels to the back (the
Voyagers, Insta-Trikes, TripTrikes, and et
al.
The typical trike handlebars and control arrangement is of course,
exactly the same as on a motorcycle (well, Doh!) However, the steering with
those handlebars is different and you need to get used to it. I would have you
begin driving the trike in an empty parking lot and leave the trike in first
gear, steer it around the lot and do some figure-8. Get used to the long arm
push/pulls to turn. Odd as it may seem, it might help you in this most important
exercise by leaving your left hand in your back pocket so you can get a better
“feel” for it!
You steer a trike very much like a car. You will find it easiest
to use a push/pull steering technique. That is, when you want to turn right,
pull the right grip toward ou while pushing the left grip away from you.
Similarly, for a left turn, pull the left grip toward you while pushing the
right grip away from you. This technique is especially useful making turns in
the famous twisties we all love. You will find it much easier and more
natural to lead with a pull on the grip on a hard turn rather than using a push
on the grip -- which is what your two wheeling “muscle memory” will want to do.
You really need to spend some significant time getting familiar with the
differences in steering and how evasive maneuvers are executed. A couple of
hours rather than a few minutes is preferred. Your mind will keep telling you
that you are on a bike, which for steering is no longer true. You must train
yourself to steer the vehicle, not countersteer. Throwing your weight around
will only wear out the seat of your pants, it will do little or nothing to steer
the trike properly. In other words when on a trike, your knee dragging days are
over!
Watch where you are going (not where you want to go!). If you were
trained properly for motorcycle riding, you were taught that looking where you
want go is half of getting there upright (again because of leaning & counter
steering). This is something you will need to “unlearn” or at least stop using
it as you did on two wheels. What is true for two wheeling in that regard is no
longer true for triking. Where you are steering is where you are going
regardless of where you are looking! The cage advice is sage advice – “Keep your
eyes on the road!!”
You should drive the trike in traffic lanes positioned much like
you would a car. Riding through long sweeping curves will be easy. Doing the
twisties will take new techniques and a bit more muscle (but still can be loads
of fun!). Again, since you can’t shift weight and cannot lean when taking
curves, the best advice is to slow down before getting into all curves and then
halfway through, apply a bit of power on your way out. Stay towards the “tight
side” (i.e., on the inside track) and keep that front wheel in the middle of
your lane as much as possible. Remember to point
the front wheel in the
direction you want to turn (again, I can’t say it enough, there is no counter
steering!).
If you think you will be able to reach out and touch something to
one side or the other, you're too close to whatever it is! Your width is greater
than before so watch out for curbs, toll booths, gas pump barrier poles, etc.
Hint – add a pair of those one inch convex mirrors so you can see the outer edge
of the fenders. Oh yeah, you are not going to fall over, so don't put your feet
down when you stop!
Because of the natural physics involved with a three wheeled
vehicle, when you hit a pothole or bump with one of your rear wheels, the bars
will react with a bit of a “snap.” Less so for the independent rear suspension
systems, but it is a bit more noticeable on the straight axles. Don't worry,
this is completely normal so anticipate it and do what you can to get used to
it. Also, if you take both your hands off the bars when going down the road on
any number of trikes, the front end may start a slight “wobble” as well. (But
then you shouldn’t be doing “no hands” riding in any case – ever!!) Hang on to
the bars, and there shouldn’t be any wobble to worry about!
Speaking of wobbles, don’t ignore your tires as a contributory
source. If you’ve just triked a ride you have had for awhile, consider first a
re-balancing of the front or better yet, a replacing and balancing of the front
tire. New tires are great even on a two wheeler, and work wonders for the newly
triked. And don’t neglect the rear tires either – they need to be well balanced
at all times, and rotated as well.
Don't worry about the normally modest decrease in gas mileage. You
now carry more weight, have bigger wheels (not to mention having one or more
extra ones) and need more energy to overcome the inertia of the extra mass.
There can be two “air brakes” right behind you, (aka "fenders") or worse yet,
perhaps a full body blocking the flow.
Remember, trikes are somewhat sensitive to air pressure in the
rear tires. Unlike cars and SUV’s, running your rear tires a bit under inflated
will usually enhance the handling and ride. Because those auto tires you put on
are only carrying a tiny fraction of what they were designed for, a few pounds
of under inflation won't affect the tire wear much, if at all. Also note that
the trike will pull toward the tire with a lower PSI. This is another good
reason to check your tire pressure frequently. Also you can use this to your
advantage especially if you ride a lot of roadways that have pronounced “crowns”
on them that are always pulling you to the side (especially true in the northern
states). Try taking a couple of pounds out of your left rear tire to compensate,
but keep in mind you will now pull to the left a bit on the good flat roads! But
then, nothing’s ever easy! The best solution is to move to Florida where most
all our roads tend to be nice and flat, and virtually pot hole free!!
My experience is that the PSI for automotive tires in the back
should be in the low 20's and the motorcycle wheel in front in the low to mid
30's for the small to mid size bikes upwards to 38-42 PSI for the Wings and big
twin super cruisers. Suspensions, passenger loads, etc., will of course affect
those numbers. Trial and error will modify them to your needs, but these are all
good starting points. In any case, you should not run your front tire's pressure
greater than 5% over the max rating.
With apologies to Darth Vader, before leaving tires behind, a word
about the “darkside” tires. (going to the darkside means using a regular car
tire on a motorcycle.) Of course, most every trike conversion in the USA has
“darkside” tires on the rear wheels, but an increasing number are doing it for
the fronts as well. The thinking seems to be that the front tire is no longer
“rolling” on the sidewalls in the twisties and normal curves, so there’s no
particular advantage to the motorcycle specific tire designs. And as is well
known, the bike tires wear out in a small fraction of the time compared to any
plain Jane car tire! Those wanting to research this themselves should Google it
using “motorcycle dark side” as your keyword search. I understand also that at
least one major bike tire maker is considering manufacturing a flatter profile
tire for the front of trikes.
As we all know, tires and suspensions combinations are quite
variable, so experimentation will almost always be needed. One handy test is to
put a line of chalk across the tire tread and drive down the driveway. If the
chalk is worn evenly all the way across, you at least have the right pressure
for full contact of the tread on the pavement. Tight turns or decreasing radius
turns on entrance and exit ramps and in parking lots are more noticeable on
trikes. These are best negotiated with a steady pressure and whenever you can,
under a slight acceleration (to avoid crashing into walls & parked cars!!).
Again, this slight additional effort is caused by the nature of the “resistance”
between the center front wheel and the two wheels in the back that is more or
less common to all trikes.
Unless you have one of the Burgman or Honda Silverwing “super
scooter” trikes, stiff joints, bad knees and just plain old age contribute
to making it increasingly
difficult to “throw a leg” over your steadfast mount! There is a
particularly good way to safely and more easily mount a trike that you likely
didn’t realize. Look over the steps shown in the YouTube video linked below for
an easy sequence of moves:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icj07O6_90g
(Note: if you are reading a paper copy of this, there is an
underscore character
between the “6” and the “90g” above – or just get on
YouTube and search the
phrase “getting onto a trike” and you’ll pull it up).
The passenger can use a similar approach when they get on, but
generally it is easier for them to hang on to a rear sissy bar or travel trunk,
especially if there’s a driver’s backrest in the way.
Some Final Warnings!
Once again, do not assume that since you've been riding
motorcycles for decades, that you already know how to ride a trike. You may
find yourself in the ditch because your “muscle memory” will cause you to do the
wrong things!! Caution and moderation will greatly assist you in being a
safe triker.
Finally, enjoy riding your trike but if you're shy or just don’t
like talking to strangers, I would think twice about getting one in the first
place. Riding a trike will draw people of all kinds over to you like a magnet.
If you are single and interested in dating, then you can be well on your way to
making new friends!
Enjoy!
Bob Witte,
The Ghost of
The
Trinity Trike (Past)
Last revised Feb 2024
To contact me by E-Mail: BobWitte@Hotmail.com