Riding a Trike

A Harley-Davidson® trike offers an incredible ride. Enjoy everything you want from a Harley motorcycle®: high-speed capabilities, easy handling, and ride comfort. Then add in improved stability and safety due to the extra wheel! Riding a trike is a great experience, but it is a unique one. It's unlike driving a car or bike. We put together the following beginner's guide to riding a trike below. For all your Harley® trike needs, visit Rommel Harley-Davidson® Smyrna. You'll find us in Smyrna, Delaware near Wilmington, Newark, and Bear.

Starting and Shifting on Your Trike

Before your journey begins, you'll need to get your trike up and running. Your Harley® trike runs on manual transmissions, so you will need to engage your brakes to start. Engage the clutch, shift into first gear, release the brakes, and let go of the clutch while increasing the throttle.

Once you are ready to change gears, begin by releasing the throttle. Then you will want to use your clutch, shift, and release the clutch. It's very similar to changing gears in a manual transmission car.

It's important to change gears carefully. It's too easy to jerk forward, experience a stalled engine, or even lose control of your trike. Take care when you change gears. It helps if you shift while driving your Harley® trike is a straight line.

Turning on a Trike

No one wants to ride in a straight line indefinitely. Turning is your key to blazing new trails and changing up your scenery. Fortunately, it's pretty straightforward to turn on a Harley® trike!

Unlike a bike, a trike doesn't require any leaning. You don't use your body to turn. You only need to turn your handlebars in the direction you wish to go. It's the same principle as steering a car known as "direct steering".

You can't take a turn on your trike going full speed. That's a recipe for tipping over! You'll want to slow down before you come up to the turn. Then you will want to coast at the same speed as you approach it. This will help you turn smoothly. Once you are through the corner, you can hit the throttle. This will give you the boost you need to come out of the corner and get back to your previous speed. Always aim for a smooth process. A jerky, uneven turn can cause you to lose control of your trike.

Remember that your Harley® trike is a beast of a machine. It's unique width and proportions will need to take corners at a different angle than you would on a bike. Taking it too sharp can cause a wheel to come off the ground.

Stopping on a Trike

Throughout your ride, you will want to slow down your speed. Maybe you are cruising down a hill and picking up speed. Maybe you are approaching a stoplight. Maybe that dreaded moment arrived: the end of your journey. Whatever the reason, you'll need to stop your trike.

A Harley® trike is a heavy machine. You will need plenty of time and distance to slow that beast down, so make sure to start braking far in advance. Avoid hard braking as much as possible since it can lock up your wheels.]

Most trike motorcycles operate with separate brakes on the front and back wheel. You can engage one or both. If you engage one, choose the back wheel. If you engage both, make sure to do it at the same time.

For all your trike needs, visit Rommel Harley-Davidson® Smyrna. We offer a range of new and used Harley® trikes for sale. We proudly serve those in Smyrna,Smyrna, DE near Dover, Middletown, & Milford, Delaware. We also serve those in Deptford and Newark, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.