Brutal Harley Trike Crash Caught on Camera 

From the initial view, it looks like he lifted his right rear wheel, turned the bars left to compensate and ran out of road because of the curve. Root cause looks to be speed. Glad he is ok.

The lesson learned is speed in cornering is an issue. Slow down. Its really that simple.

Trikes with one wheel in front are far more dangerous than a 2 wheeler! If you need a trike ( I do, because of a right leg amputation) than consider a CanAm, 2 wheels in front, much safer, better handling, faster, more reliable.

I Have a Harley Trike. First this rider held in the clutch on the turne, Second the rider turned wide in order to drop the right side rear wheel. Lastly the rider ran off the road and over turned the trike. What would I have done to recover, I would have leaned hard to the right and got on the rear brake only. Hope this rider is ok,

Years ago, I built a VW trike. I used a Honda Goldwing dual disc front end and the rear clip from an later model non swing arm car. It was about 900 lbs. the fuel was carried under he frame. It had far more wheel base and was wider than the Harley trike. The handling was predictable and it never lifted a rear wheel. The center of gravity was about as low as it could be and because of the placement of heavy components like the battery, it wasn’t prone to wheelies. My wife drove it with no trouble. The Harley trike looks too short, too narrow, and with a rather high CG.

I was riding the Tail of the Dragon a couple of years ago, on my 2012 Tri-Glide and going around a right hand curve like that one, my right wheel came off the ground. I was going too fast into the turn and was riding the inside of the lane. I went into the other lane, turned the wheel harder, that is what brought the wheel off the ground. I let off the throttle, sraightened the wheel to bring the tire down and got back in my lane as a Mercedes came around the next turn towards me. The pucker factor was high to say the least.

From what I seen he lifted the right rear tire on the curve and panicked and tried to turn the front end to compensate the rear end lift on the curve

I know now what can happen if you go into a curve to hot. I've been pushing the limits on my Tri -glide lately, I think I'll slow down a bit in the curves. I've been thinking about this possibly happening to me and telling myself no you can handle this trike. Well now I've been schooled, I want to be around a little longer. Thank you for posting this.

I have heard that the back break's on the triglides some times come on independent of the break pedal causing such crashes and is not a riders error

So. This is why they shifted away from the trikes in the dirt. Many of you will remember. The Honda 3 wheelers that were everywhere early in the 80s. They enabled people who were unable to ride a bike to get out there and tear it up on the dirt. After several high profile crashes resulting in severe injuries they were actually outlawed. The main risk is that they only crash one way. Over the top. On 2 wheels you can lay it down. Whether you slide sideways or even if you lose traction in the front... you have the ability (not always) to lay it down and slide. You never want to go over the top and fall forward... what makes it worse is then the bike is following you. Its even worse on 3 wheels. And magnified when the 2 wheel axle is in the rear. You cant lean so corners need to be taken appropriately for the chassis. Sidecar riders ovten lift the gack off the ground. But for whatever reason thats more controlable. Perhaps because the 2 wheel remaining on the ground are in alighnment rather than out of alignment. Not a big fan of 3 wheels. Harley would do better to bring back sidecars. Im 67 now... in a few years I might be in the market. Only way Id go for 3 wheels.

Good see he made it , but come on trikes are just not a safe design. That's one reason they stop making those offroad 3 wheelers in the seventies.

I learned to go slower on my 2013 I had a few years ago. Was going to fast and ended up in the the other lane, luckily there was no traffic coming on the other side. Now I have a 2020 and I still go slow because of my mistakes. Glad he is okay. Also getting the Next Gen shocks help!! ThXnx DK!!!

A trike with one wheel at the front and two at the rear is inherently unstable. The rear tyres and wheels are basically items from a car and are pretty weighty. The front tyre is a motorcycle tyre with a tiny contact patch in comparison with the rear set-up. The momentum of the rear wheel/tyre/axle will easily over-power the ability of the front tyre to steer or brake. I notice that in the first left-hand bend, the trike rider applies the brakes. Then, in the right-hander which led to the crash, the brakes were also applied. I do not know if the front and rear brakes on this trike are linked, but applying the brakes midway through a corner is not a good idea and suggests that the rider was going a bit too quickly for the trike's capabilities or his own. Oddly, the brakes come off just before the crash itself. I suspect the front wheel lost traction owing to over-braking and the momentum from the weight of the rear axle/wheel/tyre arrangement wanting to push the trike forward instead of round the bend! I'm so pleased that your friend was un-injured in this spill. Hopefully he is back in the saddle! Love and peace.

Wow, I am glad the rider is ok, when he hit that curve the rr lifted up and shifted all the weight to the front end making it impossible to correct the steering angle

13min in before we see the accident. U should have shown it in slo mode and made your comments and advice.

I don’t think it was as much speed as it was a bad angle. On a 2 wheeler you can hug the inside of the turn and lean into it. A trike has no ability to lean so you have to drive it in. IMHO he started turning too late. He was almost at the apex of the curve before he turned. When he saw the error he jerked right on the handlebars. The jerk developed a centripetal force. A bi-product of centripetal force is centrifugal force. The point where the front wheel contacted the road provided a pivot point. The centrifugal force provided a rolling motion, around the pivot point bringing the rear tire off the ground. This vehicle is a triangle. The raising of the tire is not a straight lateral roll. The movement is to the left and forward. As this happens the vertical center of gravity raises at least 50%, further increasing the rolling motion. If you watch a race car, as they go into a turn they drift from the outside of the turn towards the apex of the curve. Approaching the apex they turn the wheel and accelerate (centripetal force) out of the turn allowing the car to drift towards the center (centrifugal force) of the straightaway. The broader turn minimizes the development the development of both forces.

The rider was certainly lucky to come out of this OK. It is a fact backwheel trikes are inherently unstable. Unlike front wheel trikes a back wheel will oversteer where a front wheel trike understeers. This make a huge safety difference as a front wheel trike will not tip rather slide which is controllable. You will never see a CanAm or Endeavor tipping in a corner that's why they are classified as SportTrikes

Hi Kevin, I’m glad the rider is OK. I think the rider accelerated about halfway through the corner. This caused the front tyre to loose grip and understeer. The rider backed off the throttle and turned harder, this caused the inside rear wheel to lift off the road. This caused a reaction from the rider that sent the Trike off onto the gutter. As you have mentioned, off camber corner and downhill also contributed to the accident. I may be totally wrong, just adding my thoughts.

2014-up the trikes have to be fully stopped to restart after a stall in moving traffic. And for that we say FHD and F Jochen.

most are missing it . . @13:20 you can see the brake lights come on midway into the corner. This throws weight forward increasing the trike's tendency to lift the inside rear. The rider steers into the slide, dropping the rear again, but by this time he's on the left side of road which is off-camber. We can't see his front tyre to see what's happening, but looking at the riders body it looks like g-force has thrown him off balance to the left of his seat, and he doesn't have enough time or road room to steer out of it. I hope he gets back on soon so he doesn't lose confidence. We learn from our misfortunes and hopefully move on. Best wishes from down under.

Trail-braking / approach for apex / speed / practice. Ride in your comfort zone,

Bet the insurance totaled that bike 😬

had a friend buy a trike and ask me if i'd go with him, and ride it back to his place. it was fun, but trikes are a different animal. to me, it appears the rider panicked when the rear wheel lifted. has probably never had that happen before. you see the rear wheel lift, and the rider steer into it. had he just eased off the throttle, and maintained the turn, he would have ridden through it. by no means am i criticizing his riding. it's what i see in the video.

Riding the tail of the dragon or similar roads on a 3 wheeler is just not smart because of the physics involved. That’s why way back in the early 80’s when the 3 wheelers started getting popular. After my first initial ride on a friend’s machine I lost interest and did not make a purchase till the 4 wheelers came along and replaced the 3 wheelers.

The majority of the comments are thoughts on how and why it happened. There are some really good ideas/thoughts, and some fantastical ones (comparing a HD Trike to Big Red) :) Soon we will be releasing a video of our frame by frame analysis...it should be interesting and informative. In the meantime, we cannot respond to every comment, we let the video share our thoughts. Thank you for commenting, Ride Safe Out There!

Hey guys I had a 2017 and I wouldn't ride it on the expressway let alone go over 50 miles an hour it took me 6 months to almost a day to get myself used to cornering I've been riding since I was 8 and I'm 67 now that was my first trike now I've got a 21 and I love it just be safe out there you know the bikes are unpredictable I've always rode a two-wheeler and when I had a hard time holding it up that's when I bought the trike

What’s up with him jerking the steering quick to the right as he’s going into the corner just before the tire lifted? This appears to be to be Rider error that see. I’ve got a trike with independent rear suspension that I would’ve been able to ride that out on. I’ve ridden TriGlides and Free Wheelers before getting mine. This is why I chose the route I did. The straight axle isn’t so forgiving in the corners. I just don’t understand why Harley hasn’t started producing them with independent suspension. Or at least give the option. I am glad to hear that he survived with minimal injury.

A Rider has to know his limitations..

In owning a HD freewheeler I can say that owning and riding a trike is a job. You can’t expect to ride hard or ride on roads that most won’t. You have to respect the bike and know its quirks and limits. If you don’t you will pay. If you want to be aggressive in riding buy a two wheeler. DK needs to make T shirts saying “ respect the trike “. Mine got me through two knee surgeries. It allowed me to stay on the road. But I was exhausted after a day of pushing through turns. Upper body strength is the result of riding one.

His special angel was watching over him that day for sure. To me it looks like his R tire lifted high and slammed down hard and caused him to over correct and go straight and run off the side of the road into a water gully.... now how do I decide if I need to show this to my wife that rides her own 2018 TriGlide.

The video jogged my memory of my bike (2 wheeler) accident last year. Your buddy on the is luckier then I was, I brock my lower leg so bad my foot was hanging. That is why I am looking for a trick for spring and following you. Give my regards to your buddy and I hope he is doing better/

He carved that corner a little too soon by the looks of it.

Trikes will raise one side up if you are riding in turns too fast. Independent suspension helps relieve some of this hazard but not as cure. I ride a Trike Goldwing since 2012 and have not raised a rear wheel off the ground yet. The reason is because I do not exceed 70 miles per hour and in turns slow down before the turn starts. Wider rear wheel spacing and longer wheel base trikes are safer somewhat but operating the vehicle within its parameters is the best cure. Like flying a plane, you operate it above its design capabilities you pay dearly.

This is the reason they quit selling three wheeled ATVs. Because people kept flipping them over because they don't corner worth a dam. It's not a real motorcycle. It's a over grown kids trike.

yea, that's typical three wheeler, I don't know why anyone makes a 3 wheeler like that, reverse trike is the superior design. Everyone learned this back in the 80s when they made 3 wheeler off-road bikes.

I have heard reports the Harley Trikes tip over, and why most trike riders go for the German Boom trike's, the trouble with Harley Trikes have to narrow a wheel Base,The boom trike's have a lower center of gravity,a leading Link, front end and wide rear wheel Base

To fast inside tire lift Riding like he has a sidecar not on a trike Just because you got 3 tires on the ground don't mean you can't leave the road Slow down in those corners 😎

Iam a Harley guy, but went i decided to buy a trike because of my wife;s back, i rode them all, but ended up with the can am spyder rt, because of the handing, feels way safer in turns than the tri .

I don't see a trike being safer than a two wheeler. They both are fairly safe. With a responsible Rider.

Thank god no injuries. I’m curious if he had a 21” wheel on the front and bigger than stock wheels on the rear . I was going to get those but I have been concerned with them throwing off the bikes handling abilities . I kinda feel that a lot of $$ has gone into R&D to determine the best size wheels for these things ?

That's why the 2 wheels should be up front. 3 or 4 wheeled vehicles want to lean over the outside front corner when corner. A canal could have taken that corner twice that speed safely. On these things you need to lean inside and rearward , basicly over the inside rear tire, to help prevent that

The only rideable trike has the single in the rear.

I once rode an ATV 3-wheeler. It would not turn at the speeds I'm use to. It just kept going straight with the handlebars turned. Never again. Not for me. I don't like to be forced to go slow. Death Trap.

Glad he's ok and the Trike's not too badly hurt. But come on guys. Trikes aren't the most stable of vehicles by their very nature.

Going too fast for his setup. Also, there's a reason the Honda 3 wheelers were banned in the 80's. When the weight transfers to the front, if there is any side load they go over easy.

I'll preface with I've never ridden a trike. However, it almost looks like he realized he was coming in too hot and grabbed a fist full of front brake to slow down, causing the front end to dip. Plus, the combination of being committed to the right curve was enough to lift that back right tire and sent him off the road. If that makes sense.

There is a reason why the DOJ banned ATV three wheelers back in the 80's....same goes here, no control! Dumb vehicle.

LIKE A NORMAL BIKE....GOING INTO CURVES IS AN ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN...........BUT ON A TRIKE....THAT IS 100 TIMES WORSE, REMEMBER SLOW DOWN GOING INTO A CURVE, DOWNSHIFT IF YOU NEED TO, BUT SLOW DOWN GOING INTO ANY CURVE............BE SAFE BROTHER AND SISTERS !!!!!!

I'm totally amazed ro see all the comments being made here by so-called bikers who need a video like this to be schooled on the obvious differences between a 2 wheeler and a trike , and believe these differences make a trike more dangerous than a 2 wheeler.... So , their view is that if you dont know HOW to do it , it must be dangerous because of the machine rather than because of their lack of knowledge , experience and most of all their lack of SIMPLE COMMON SENSE. Does putting a gun to your head make the gun dangerous or does it prove your stupidity?

IRS makes a big difference. I’m guessing the Harley had a solid rear axle.

It looked like the driver took the corner to quick. Maybe he wasn't competent enough and drifted outside his comfort zone. By then it was to late. I am very glad the driver wasn't injured or had a passenger on board.

We have a trike and you can’t turn corners like you’re on a two wheeler, whether you’re leaning or not. To top it off you’re sitting tall which makes it worse

Possibly applied his front brake in order to slow down when the right rear wheel first come off the ground. This would ,most definitely exacerbate the problem. A two wheeler in that scenario would have dropped. This is possibly what would have happened to a three wheeler.

The way I see it was due to driver error. What I could see in the video that he was going to fast for the turn and headed toward the other lane, it was then that the right tire left the road. That’s when the rider attempted to compensate by oversteering to the right which would cause the roll over. I have had this happen to me and luckily I had enough space to counter turn to the opposite direction which brought my side hack back down, scared the crap out of me. I’m 77 and have ridden most of my adult life. Most of my bikes were two wheelers except for 5 trikes and one side hack. Riding a trike is a horse of a different color. Going from 2 to 3 is like learning to ride all over again, for myself I feel it is much easier riding on 2 wheels.

That guy basically won the lottery by not having any serious injuries. I have had brain surgery and it is not something you want to do. Always put your helmet on before getting on,and don’t take it off until you you are dismounted. It is very easy to lose your balance and when you fall there is a really good chance your head will hit the ground or asphalt or concrete.

When I ask trike owners about this very stability issue, not that I'm aware of an issue but I HAVE driven tricycles as a preschooler and have turned them over, I have always been authoritatively informed that these were much safer in curves than a bike because the low CG combined with the weight keeps them from toppling over. I never called anybody on it, but sure did feel like it was a BS rationalization for them to spend the big bucks to buy one.

too fast and not leaning into the curve, second late on turning the wheel into the curve at an apex. I have many miles cross country on a triked wing. This would be my evaulation.

I let my motorcycle license expire 13 years ago and hadn't ridden since. I've never owned a Harley before, never been on a trike, but I bought a 2023 Road Glide 3 less than three months ago. It was great fun, but I was intimidated by the feel during cornering, like I was going to roll off the bike. I'm about 3k miles into the trike, and I've gotten more comfortable with cornering, and after I put on a Sundowner seat, my backside is a lot happier. Your video was an eye-opener, and turned me into a fan of your channel. Thank you SO MUCH for talking about trikes. Looking forward to your follow-up.

It is like driving a dually truck whose rear wheels budged out prominently - slow down to a very low speed before turning. No banking on corners.

Trikes were built to drive around town, ..And NOT to take out on the highway,But Americans aren't,t the sharpest knives in the drawer....

Riding a trike big difference riding a bike , been riding over 40 years I sticking with my 2 wheels.

That is the exact reason that the off road three wheeler got banned.

Thank you for posting this guys. I do wonder if when he applied the brakes contributed. If he applied the brakes while in the turn and it was tight , could the ABS if the tire lifted contributed?

im NO expert.but isnt this why the honda 3 wheeler ATV's were outlawed a few years after coming out.MANY INJURIES.

He wasn't riding his comfort zone

We were hit by a road tractor in our lane while on our Trike in 2019 the damage came to $28,000 dollars , body damage was a lot more with multiple surgeries and I now struggle to walk , the Trike took the impact and IMO saved our lives along with God not being thru with us

Trying to ride a trike like a motorcycle. That's why you should only ride choppers.

Very common trike problem, that also happens on those old Honda trike ATVs which made Honda stop making them

Trikes and sidecars are a different kind of riding , even Honda did away with there trike dirt bike just too dangerous should get one of those backwards trikes

Independent rear suspension is much and for the price of a Harley trike it should have IRS

1 lucky bloke glad he's ok. Regards from Australia. keep up the good video's.

its simple riding to fast in them corners i wont ride my regular motorcycle fast through windy roads.

Going to fast. Speed kills both kinds of speed.

NEVER A BIG FAN OF TRIKES.....prefere side cars, way cooler, trikes are for the elderly...lol, i'm 66

More old guys telling stories and STILL riding motorcycles ?? Take the ‘posers’ and old guys off the road and tell statistics will go way down on damages and injuries. Bozo with the ‘banded beard’ needs a redo.

Harley has one of the worst rear suspensions of all the trike kit manufacturers. Buy a Harley and get a Roadsmith, Hannigan, California side car trike Put on but never the HARLEY

First thing I'll say is that this curve was NOT an "off camber" curve. The inside of the corner was quite a bit lower than the outside meaning that it was a "banked" curve. If it had been "off camber" that would mean that the outside of the turn is lower than the inside. There's no reason to try to blame the road or the conditions for this crash. It was absolutely rider error. The rider did not counter balance, meaning to lean to the inside of the turn, and it appears to me that the rider applied too much front brake in a panic, the point where the trike wobbled suddenly, which caused the trike to flip violently. Too much front brake in a turn, even on a trike, will result in a crash. When the front wheel stops suddenly the rear wheels will come past the front whether it happens horizontally or vertically it will happen. I've been riding 49 years and I still ride every day. I've wrecked everything with wheels every way you can imagine. I've been broke up, busted up, cut up and skinned up! I feel confident that what I said happened is what resulted in this crash. I see no other explanation for it. I could be wrong though. I have been once before.

I’m very familiar with Trikes. They are straight away and not good at all for something like The Dragon. If you try to keep up with BImotorcycles, you WILL lose it!

That’s the one thing I like about my Endeavor trike 2 wheels in front Harley conversion. It sticks to the twisties like glue way better maneuvering and braking, much harder to roll. Would independent rear suspension help with the rear end staying planted ?

Bottom line in the discussion speed was a factor tire pressure probably was insufficient was not the accelerating before the corner last but not least doesn't look like any experience Case closed human error

I rode a trike for 3 years... completely different than a two wheeler. You have to lean into the turn. If you don't, you will create an unstable situation.

Trike's are not made for curves; they don't handle well in turns. Going straight they are kool and fun but you better take the turns very slow or one of the back wheels will come up on you. Then you'll have your hands full and good luck getting control of that thing once one of the rear wheel comes up.

I was curious if it's possible that the left rear brake caliper just happen to seize up. Could have been a combo of heat, and fluid age. The rider didn't appear to brake that hard in the turn.

Dude, accidents do not just happen, they screwed up, trikes are like the discontinued like the 3 wheeler atvs, from the 80s,

Looks cool but not physically practical. Should have two tires in front like a can am for safety.

Glad the rider was ok. It's a bummer that the trike got so banged up. I'm definitely a Harley fan, but I can't help thinking trikes would tolerate more aggression if the single wheel was in back and the two wheels were in front with caster/camber/toe-in/toe-out to tolerate the physical forces in curves. The main reason 3-wheel ATV's became obsolete. Great educational video!

You got to ride a 3wheeler get a damm side car. These hd 3wheeler are un safe, Please remove the parking brake.

I’m sorry. But I own a hd trike and there is no way a trike is safer on the road than a two wheeler. No way. Much harder to ride.

Looks to me like he never got on the road in his younger days with a dirt bike or anything else and done wheelies or rode in the snow. In other words, he's been driving all these years trying to be cautious and safe, he don't know what to do when something ain't quite right, in other words _ LACK OF EXPERENCE !

I did the same thing this past spring, but I went head on with a Range Rover in Arkansas. It was a sweeping left turn, and perhaps I was going at the top end speed wise for that curve. That sweeping left terminated in a 95 degree right hand, and as I turned the bars hard, I inadvertently accelerated and ended up in the wrong lane.i ended up down a ravine 135’ from the impact site. Broke my back and a helicopter ride to Fayetteville. The trike was totally broken, bent frame and the triple tree. I have another trike now and am in the process of getting it back into the configuration for my preference, including Tank lift and Heim Joints from D&K.

I've ridden the tail twice and theres no way id do it on a trike unless i was going SLOW, because a trike doesn't handle like a bike and as you know that road goes every which way from bad surfaces, up ,down , sharp corners ect ect . I get way dudes ride them to keep in the wind because of weight of a conventional bike like my Streetglide,age like me 65 ect but Imho i dont think they are all that safe .The dude that went to the riders aid looked like he'd already had an issue himself hobbling around ( mobility wise ) probably why hes on a trike but people just like learning a motorcycle i think its a different skill set riding a trike .I'd personally give up riding before id ever buy a trike .Looks like the dude was going a bit fast , into a right hit some bump on the back right tyre that caused it to lift a little but enough to upset the apple cart and when it came down what with the rider imput and now we're heading for the shoulder . Very lucky because imagine that weight landing on ya . 🤔😵‍💫I'll stick to twos 👍😎

I played the video in loop a dozen times. If I'm reading the tail lights right, it looks like he sped up, then hit brakes to slow, then released the brakes, then the wheel lifted, and the brake lights come on again, then wrecked. Could he have used just the front brakes after the tire left the ground? I realize this is a split-second decision, but I want to learn from this video, and try to avoid this surprise on my trike. So far I try to use both my rear and front brakes in unison on sketchy corners. Just curious if there's any chance it was a front-brakes only application in off-balance that caused loss of control. And if so, would a rear-brakes, only, been a mitigation?

You guys do WAY too much talking… get to the point a little faster. People want to see the content, the video, not listen to you two drone on and on…

Chances r to much speed and maybe he needed to lean into turn,don’t know how much is involved having no experience on a trike,just my opinion thanks guys

I think the left rear tire side wall gave away. Looking and.slowing the video.down . After the bike came back down it had a lean.to that side

Wow. Super glad he’s OK, and he didn’t have a passenger. Having owned old school, and New HD Trikes technology is the way to go. Not to get beaten up by anyone on the channel the other day, I rode my buddies Can-am spider. Two Independent, steering wheels upfront, and one in the back. Man oh, man, zero comparison to the HD. Far superior cornering ability, performance, and power It rode circles around the newest Harley Davidson trike,,, but I guess we’ll leave that up to those that pilot their three wheelers… anyways, thank you for the great content and I look forward to the follow up video.😎

all the risk of riding a cycle but much less maneuverability

I'd vote for simply excessive speed. Please!....drive like your life depends on it!! (It does!)

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Looks like the operator had target asphyxiation ,after the wheel had lifted….. then try to re-correct and this is what caused the accident