I’ve always rode on 2 wheels. Due to a back injury that affects my legs I recently bought a 2012 triglide. Garage kept with only 1100 miles on it.I won’t give up riding. It’s nice to get info from someone who actually ride a trike all the time. I lowered my pressure in the rear tires to 20psi and it was an enormous difference in the comfort of the ride. Will be watching your videos for more updates I’d like to do to my trike. Thanks
Congrats on your new to you ride! 👍😎👍 Glad you are starting to get it dialed in, and are liking the videos. Here is my most recent Tri Glide and a walk around video of some of the things I've done with it. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5h77GQJTW1w.html
I have lowered to 24 lb and that's still rough ride. I have a lift kit in the freewheeler and air shocks. I will ride tomorrow 2/21 and try the 20 lbs in my rear tires
I have a 2012 as well. Previous owner recommended 25 PSI. 28-30 and she bounces and bumps. 20-25 Much better. Adding a trailer hitch for pull behind might have to up it a little.
I've been running 22psi in the rear tires of my '21 Trike since new, passenger or not. Huge difference between 26 and 22. Learned this one day after installing my rear bumper, then stepping on it and bouncing to see how strong it was. I looked at rear tires and saw how stiff they still were when bouncing at 26psi and had a lightbulb moment! Totally made sense to drop the pressure. As you say, look at the loads of each tire.....Trike = 1350 lbs. There's got to be 350 lbs. on front tire leaving only 500 lbs. for each rear which is nothing for that size tire. Good video
I sure am glad yall put this out. I just bought my second trike , and I've been running my pressure at 32 lbs because they were car tires. I'm on my way now to go riding, I will definitely be dropping that down to 22. She was a rough riding biddy
Glad you like the video! Here are two videos on Harley Trike comfort mods for the rider and for the passenger that you may find useful - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Z2XJtvbE1d4.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HQVYFXV3yW0.html Here is a link to a written report on the Comfort Triangle that you may also find interesting/useful - www.dkcustomproducts.com/how-to-set-your-bike-up-for-youthe-comfort-triangle-dk-tri-su.htm Congratulations on your new Trike, I hope you enjoy many miles of riding! Thanks for commenting! MB
THANKS for that information !!! I have been following the Owners Manual since I bought my Trike new 4 years ago, but like you say the Dealer always jacks it back up to 36 when I take in for service. I now have 45K miles on my 2018 Trike Ultra and decided I am gonna keep the Trike rather than trade it in so I purchased Legends Suspensions on front and rear. The difference in comfort is worth the money to me .... and now I am going to lower my rear tire pressure to 20 psi for an even better ride. THANK YOU !!!
I seem to remember you mentioned this in a previous video, but it’s great to listen to a discussion based on your experience plus some factual evidence, Fifty thousand miles out of any tire is pretty impressive. Now to go down to the garage to reset my tire pressures. I’m sure that my wife will thank you!🍺
Thanks Ford and Firestone! When the government got involved we had more regulations! TPMS was one of the results. And some tire shops now will not mount your tires unless you replace the expensive sensors. Thanks for bringing this to everyone's attention.
I ran 20 PSI on my 2017 and now on my 2021, and it does make a difference in the ride. I’ve not had any unusual wearing of the tires at all, nor has it adversely affected the handling of the trike. Good information, guys, and good discussion.
Thanks for this discussion on tire pressures on Harley Tikes. I watched a similar video from another source. It did not give specific numbers, so I reduced my pressure to 24psi and could feel some improvement. I will play around with pressures starting at 22psi and see if that works for me. I usually ride solo and rarely load down my ride. This information could potentially safe riders from spending big bucks on upgrading their rear shocks. I ride is a 2021 Tri Glide Ultra.
Glad you found it useful. Yes, getting those tires to 20 PSI will improve the ride quality for free. If one wants even better, then a Convertible Comfort Lift™ will improve it a bit more. After that it gets expensive with the NEXGEN Trike Series Shocks™, but that gives the ultimate rear suspension comfort and handling on a Harley Trike. Thank you for the comment. 👍
I have only had my 2009 Tri-Glide for a couple years and have put several thousand miles on it so far doing improvements from watching videos and following your channel and 98% of the things I've changed, bought or done to my Tri-Glide has been because of the (way) yall research and explain your findings on a subject . So after watching this at 1am I went to the garage and checked my tires on this 55° night in south central ky and found front at 40 psi lowered it to 36 and rear were around 32psi and lowered to 22psi and went ripping around the block (15-16) miles at WOT as much as my country backroads will allow and MY experience was very delightful to my surprise 😮 😀 needed to test drive it really anyway because I had just installed the 606 and transformer EBS a few hours before and was wondering what my morning commute to work would bring so after watching this I couldn't TAKE NO MORE 🤣 so around the block I went 😁 so now i can't sleep because I'm watching the clock for my 27 mile morning auto tune session on the way to work😎
Man, that is great. So good to hear you found the video useful and have a more comfortable ride now. Thank you for your business, we appreciate it. Great to hear you are enjoying the videos and the parts! 👍😎👍
Yes you are spot on. The CanAm recommends 12.5 to 17psi on the front tires, I recommend 15-16 max on my custom trikes. excessive pressure has a detrimental effect on handling. More pressure will result in bounce and ill handling in general. For ALL trikes 18-20 is max. Keep in mind however rear wheel trikes are inherently unstable due to design especially in hard braking while going downhill.
Thank you, glad you are liking the videos. Yes, Apples and oranges on Harley Trikes vx. CanAm and other Trikes with 2 wheels up front. On HD trikes, when you go below 20 psi on the rear tires it gets a little bouncy/pogo stick action, plus one may feel a little wallowing. At 16 psi in the rear tires the HD trikes will Not handle well, plus the ride quality will suffer. Can't agree with you on the classic trike design (read HD trikes) being inherently unstable due to design. Here is a video of some aggressive riding on a HD Trike that you may find interesting- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3UAMKIj97G0.html Thanks for commenting! 😎
Auto tech for 15-20yrs. If i recall, i remember reading a tsb or something back in the day. The reason for the lowerd pressure in the exploders was to help counter their tipy-ness. The placard in the doors, say 26 psi. I've delt with alot of tires over the years. you can tell when someone ran one too low on pressure, as the sidewalls begin to disintigrate. In mild cases, you'll see a slight bubbly deformation, in extreame cases, the sidewall completey destroys itself. Its all about the tire sidewall flexing and heating up. Think of bending a wire back and forth until it breaks. The other thing you'll see is if its so low, the rim rests on the tire and grinds the insides together, and rubs/wears/cuts through on the inside. Now my truck, wieghs 5400lbs. (I wieghed it, on a scale, so I knew what size winch would be apropriate.) Its reccomended tire pressures are 32 in the front, 35 in the rear.. why? Incase I haul stuff. keep in mind, the engine is in the front. the tranny and t-case are biased to the front. Its partly why front brakes are soo much larger than rear.. the fronts do 60-70% of the braking work... cuz inertia, wieght etc. I just bought my trike like 3 weeks ago... 6hr ride home.. lol. But I went past that scale, its a truck stop, and I needed a break, water, and to send my kid on his way home. (He drove me down to look at the trike etc.) The trike wieghs 1200lbs, )with my tackle box.. lol. 1410lbs with me on it. thats like 1/4 to 1/5th the wieght, only 1 less tire... My quad, i run at 14psi. Its alot lighter, but its theyre balloony light wieght tires, but i ride that thing sideways, skipping off tree roots and rocks, and bounced it off trees etc no problems, never blown a bead or nothing. Also, lower tire pressure, more contact to the road = more traction. Kinda like walking very flat footed on ice in the winter. "The penguin walk." lol I wouldnt be scared to run the trikes tires as low as even 18psi, or even lower. i have cars come in all the time in winter, tires not even 20 psi, doin fine, just low. (The average auto tire looses 1psi for evey 7 degrees celcius the temp drops. we go from +35 summers to -45 winters. thats like a 10-12 psi change throughout the year.) Everything you guys say makes so much perfect sense. Erm.. sorry I rambled ,Just wanted to share what I was thinking while you guys were discussing! Great vid!
Hey Chuck, glad you found the video useful. We were just watching part of one of your videos the other day. The one on the 17 accessories...was specifically looking at all your camera mounts. Going to watch the video in its' entirety in the next day or so. 👍
@@DKCustomProducts Well you probably won’t find it all that exciting. But oh well. I can’t believe how wrong I was on a video I did on the tire pressures in one of my videos I may have to just take it down
@@windsurfed1 The little bit I watched on a cell phone the other day on the camera mounts was quite intriguing, will be watching the rest soon. Thank you!
Thanks for the great info on tires. There is always discussion about tire pressure for the rears, and it goes from book pressure to what someone does personally. The video makes perfect sense when coupled with numbers. Keep up the great vids and info!!! 2023 Tri Glide Ultra is my ride.
Thank you for the kind words. Appreciate it, and good to know you are finding the videos useful/interesting. Wishing you many miles of smiles on your Tri Glide!!! 👍😎👍 KP
I went right to the shop and adjusted the pressure. I can't believe the difference in the ride. It's like a new bike. Thanks for the info. It sure makes a difference on the twisties
I changed my pressures yesterday to 18 lbs and had the most pleasurable ride to date on my trike. I also dropped my shock pressure down to 13 lbs which is a little low in “some” cases. I will increase 1 lb at a time and try to repeat the conditions again to get it just right. Also plan doing temperature checks on tires before and during the ride. Great information have bought a few products from DK and love them.
A treasure trove of information in your trike videos! I have shared your trike videos with my best friend who is on a 2023 - 120 anniversary Red model. I’m here watching and learning before my first Tri Glide purchase after 44 years of motorcycles. I’ve ridden trikes a little. Mainly when I was helping a friend comply with state regs in order to pass inspection to register an out of state purchase. I had that Gold Wing trike for a month and loved the utility. Now let’s see what is offered for 2024. I’m hoping since there’s been no major changes since the 2019 models it’ll be worth the wait. I’ll be buying those wheel bearing retaining plates - perhaps the dealer will install them before I take a trike home.
@@Ytcoinshooter Thanks for the comment, and glad you are finding the videos useful/interesting. Congrats on your upcoming purchase. 2024's...gonna be interesting to see if they go with the VVT and bigger screen like the CVO's have that were recently introduced.
I just got a 2018 Harley Davidson trike. I am watching all the videos for setup and safety. I have yet to learn all the controls and screen choices. I watch all your videos and when I am confused I ask the questions. Thanks for replying.
Congrats on your new to you ride! Trikes are a lot of fun. Have you seen this video yet? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-3UAMKIj97G0.html
Great Video. First one I've heard on lowering rear tire pressure, but makes sense. Will lower to 20 psi the next time I go for a ride. Keep up the good work. Thanks.
Great video I could tell the tire pressure was to blame just didn't know where to put the psi .being a grey haired old man i needed a grey haired old man's advice 😀
The fight between Ford and Firestone came in that Firestone told the Ford engineers to run 28psi and the Ford people wanted to get a better ride and lowered the tire pressure to 24psi. The tires were popping off of the bead going flat while people were doing curves and turns. The rest is as they say history. After the lawsuits were done Ford increased the required pressure to 28 psi. Guess Firestone was correct. I am double checking on that 2015 Freewheeler that I rode. The tire pressure was set by a guy that was working with me. He watched a bunch of your videos before we started working on the trike. We put your brackets that raise the rear up on because of his watching that video.
Interesting perspective on tire pressure for a Trike. I’m wondering what it does to your fuel mileage and whether your more susceptible to flat tires because of the low tire pressure.
At 20 psi they are not low for the weight of the Trike. They can be as low as 26 PSI for an automobile that weighs 3 times as much. MPG is a negligible, less that 1/2 mpg difference between 26 and 20. Knock on wood, I have close to 200,000 miles riding Trikes down at 20 psi and have never had a flat. I've ridden thousands of miles on gravel roads, including all the way to the Arctic Circle and back. I was outside Atlanta one and noticed a screw imbedded in one of the rear tires. Removed it and replaced it with a plug and kept going with no issues.
Picked my 2011 Tri Glide up yesterday and started heavy maintenance on it. Great video: will adjust TP today. Side note: 2011 model with 2070 miles on it. Verified by dealer with their scan tool.2070 miles.....Paid 17 grand for it. 2070 original miles. That would be 2070 miles. Did I mention it has 2070 original miles?
@@DKCustomProducts Both service writers and 4 techs in the back all looked at that mileage lol. They were shocked same as me when I first looked at the odometer.
Wow. Just the video I was looking for. Been running 26 psi in both my 2012 and 2016 HD Trikes. Will lower to 20 in the rear. However, I do ride with a few other HD Trike guys and they sometimes run 36 to 40 psi in the rear tires when we are running hot. Their theory is a higher inflated tire will provide less roll resistance and get greater performance. Don’t know about that.
I think you will like the little extra cush in the ride with the rears down at 20 psi. Yes, the higher PSI in the rear tires will definitely cut down on rolling resistance. Not sure if it will translate to any significant increase in MPG. It will definitely translate into a much rougher ride (and a little better acceleration). Thanks for the comment, and glad you found the video useful. 👍
The air shocks are certainly not the most comfort you can get for your Free Wheeler. One thing I would do right away is get the PSI in the rear tires (NOT THE SHOCKS) down to the 20-21 level. If you are still not happy with the ride I would look at getting a different set of shocks. Here is a rear suspension report, with comparisons, that you may find useful- www.dkcustomproducts.com/overview-of-performance-rear-shocks-98.htm Here is a video on our NEXGEN™ shocks that you may find interesting - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-vbU6fdtxjSI.html Please feel free to contact us with any questions; Support@DKCustomProducts.com 662-252-8828 Thank you for commenting! MB
On his 2019 Tri Glide Kevin is running a MT 130/90 B16 73H. Here is a video of it that you may find interesting/useful- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uZWDBsc6BEY.html Thanks for commenting! MB
thanks for the info i will be doing that on my freewheeler cause been useing max pressure being concerned with uneven wear and lower fuel milage due to the lower air pressure and my god it is like riding a 2 X 4 and just a back killer and i had gotten a trike cause of a lower back issue and was so disappointed with the harsh ride
Yes, a first good step is getting those tire pressures down to the appropriate PSI for the weight of the Trike. Somewhere are 20 psi for your Freewheeler. If you want even more comfort, what we have done to our is use the NexGen™ Trike Series Shocks™ with a Convertible Comfort Lift™ and with that extra travel and dynamically adjusting valving, it is an entirely different ride quality. See some details here- www.dkcustomproducts.com/dk-custom-nexgentm-14-trike-series-shockstm-for-harley-davidson-trikes-1971.htm
The rear tires on my Freewheeler are the same size as the ones on my '06 Diesel Beetle. I ran those at 34psi front/30psi rear; in Las Vegas where I lived, they dry-rotted to death long before the tread was gone. But, that was a CAR. I knew the tire pressure in the Freewheeler's owners manual was... bogus... when I read it. So is the air pressure for the rear shocks, by the way... I've been running 20psi in them, since I bought the thing in April 2019. It's been all over the country, with lots of hard, hot miles in the Southwest. There's still almost no discernable wear on the things. If I'm loaded down with stuff, and going to be running around in the mountains with lots of time over 10,000 feet? Sometimes, I'll put 22psi in them, but no more. Probably not necessary, but... it make me feel good. I'm eyeing a set of Michelin radials for when these Dunlops finally die (don't care much for Dunlops), but at this rate? They just might outlast ME...
Glad you're enjoying your Freewheeler! Yes, the OEM rear tires last quite a while. I changed a set at around 50K miles...they still had good tread depth left, but we were leaving on a 13K mile trip and I wanted fresh rubber on there. Enjoy your ride! 👍
Good info tomorrow before we go riding, I'm lowering my rear tire pressure to 22psi to start. Normally my wife rides with me and our tour pack and trunk are loaded with everything we might need in case of weather issues.
My 2023 road glide 3 has low profile tires and over sized rims From the factory. What do you recommend as to not ruin the tire or rim/ wheels? Pot holes are the roads in the capital city of michigan. I bought wheel and tire warrenty.
We have a lot of experience with those low profile tires...unfortunately they make an already rough riding OEM suspension even rougher because of lack of sidewalls that can give a little flex. You can always switch rear tires & wheels for the standard rears with more sidewalls. Here is a report on suspension testing, utilizing input from 6 different riders- www.dkcustomproducts.com/overview-of-performance-rear-shocks-98.htm And here is a video of Trike Suspension testing, using a bump recorder (charts included) to show the differences between OEM shocks and good shocks- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Z4Dhg48_KQA.html Thank you for commenting! 😎 MB
Sadly, on the CVO tri glide running it lower than23 will trip the TPMS system. I have a 2019 Tri Glide Ultra and will run it at 20-22 now that I understand the situation. I will purchase a TPMS system that used valve cap sensors and be able to monitor it to stay safe. I ran one on my 2012 Street Glide and it uses the phone and you can set the alarms to be what you want. They measure pressure and tempeature and are less than $50.
Thanks guys for the great information. I'm in Australia and have a 2018 Tri-Glide which I have found for me is 22psi for the rear types and the rear suspension is at 30psi. I'm often ride 2up and or with a trailer.
Yes, we have two items that help reduce buffeting from that air coming over the lower fairings of a Tri Glide. They both work alone, and when combined they work even better. A 1.5" tank lift with a Deluxe Option (link below) will raise the front of the tank and catch some of the air that would normally go over the tank and hit the rider in the chest, contributing to buffeting. Now that air goes under the tank, and over the engine, providing around an extra 10-15 F of engine cooling, and less buffeting. www.dkcustomproducts.com/touring-model-tank-lift-kit-dk-trg-tlk.htm Additionally you can use Cooling Deflector Wings (link below) by themselves, or with a Tank Lift and they direct that air from between the batwing fairing and the lower fairings to go over the engine instead of hitting you. www.dkcustomproducts.com/cooling-deflector-wings-for-touring-trike-models-dk-cdw-trg.htm Here are a couple of videos that you may find interesting/useful on the subject- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-WlgOdyEGWeQ.html ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-f-wntxTmJyE.html
Cool, I think you will like it. I went incrementally down also. But for over a decade we have been at 20 PSI now, and that is fully loaded, two up, at about 450-500 lbs humans and cargo. Also, that is what I ran when we were pulling a pop-up tent trailer too.
The air pressure in the front tire should be as shown on the side wall. The rear tires on an HD Trike are passenger car tires. They are NOT specifically made for Trikes. Here is a video about what Kevin does to get more out of his Trike's front tire that you may find interesting - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uZWDBsc6BEY.html Thank you for commenting! MB
A quick question for you, what do you set the pressure at when your wife us riding with you? I picked up my 2024 Tri Glide Ultra a couple weeks ago, I noticed the ride is better when my wife is with me as opposed to riding by myself, she weighs about 135 which clearly is not a big person.
Congrats on your new Ride!!! Kevin rides with 20-22 PSI with or without a passenger. Here is an article from the designers of the HD Trike that you may find useful- www.dkcustomproducts.com/understanding-rear-tire-pressure-on-harley-trikes.htm Wishing you many miles of Smiles on your new Trike!!! 😎 MB
Great video! I dropped my rear to 21 and 33 on the front and a much better ride. Just ride smart to prevent tip overs. Could you do a video on the location of all ground connections on the trike? Having a difficult time locating them in all the spaghetti harnesses. Have a P0152 code and have replaced the sensor. Returns on a short ride after being cleared. One of the causes is a possible bad ground which is what I would like to locate and clean before thinking about replacing ECM. Thanks from Canada
Glad you like the video! We will put it on our list to see if there is a way to do one. It will be a bit of a challenge, every bike is a bit different, so we would have to come up with a way to make a video that, in principle, covered How to go about finding all the grounds. Thank you for the idea and for commenting! MB
36 PSI you got away lucky, salesman tried to help service finish PDI as they were running behind on a busy day of deliveries, well long & short rear tires were set at 46PSI boing, boing, boing all the way home. The explanation "that is what the tire said to put in" from that day forward I have run 22PSI and never had an issue even at 30 degrees.
Hi Fran! Yeah, motorcycle tires are completely different than the car tires on the back of a Trike. Your riding is impressive (I've watched some of your videos) and sounds like you have it dialed in. 👍😎👍
I have a2018 triglide. i've set it up to pull an Little guy My Pod Camper. Right now the toung weight is 43 pounds. The trailer weighs 870lbs. what tire pressure. between 20-26.Don't go crazy in turns.
Hey Jonny, between 22-26 PSI should be perfect but it would be best for you to try various settings to see what is best for you and your riding comfort before taking a long trip.
Some people do that, and many of the newer years models have TPMS from the factory. Some will like it, others not so much. Here is a video where we discuss the OEM TPMS a bit- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-UfDseUSqjww.html Thanks for commenting! MB
For the front tire, we recommend running the PSI listed on the sidewall of the tire. Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.
Congrats on your New to You Tri Glide Ultra!!! We have tested that. Best we could tell, for our type of riding, and conditions, about 1/2 mpg. That is within the margin of error, but it was pretty consistently bouncing between no difference and up to 1 mpg difference.
My 2015 Freewheeler rides hard. Converted to independent rear suspension and it helped a lot. The trouble is the front wheel. When I hit a bump it is rock hard. I'm thinking of increasing the triple tree rake set up. Any suggestions regarding this or another way to soften the front wheel impact hitting a bump. BTW, great video as usual.
The front suspension can be greatly improved for a couple hundred bucks by using Intiminators at this link- www.dkcustomproducts.com/improved-front-suspension-w-intiminator-fork-valves-for-harley-dk-ric-int-39.htm You will be amazed how much more compliant the ride is. The next best value for the money are the FST's that you can see at this link- www.dkcustomproducts.com/fst-asymmetric-fork-cartridge-system-harley-14-touring-trike-dk-prg-mt-ctg-4.htm A rake kit will make it ride more stiff. The increase angle will make it easier to steer, but the angle change makes the forks not compress so easily when hitting irregularities in the road. Here is a link to our front suspension tests and comparison report- www.dkcustomproducts.com/dk-custom-front-suspension-testing-report-part-i-of-ii-dk-fs-tst-rp-i.htm Feel free to email or call with any questions- Support@DKCustomProducts.com 662-252-8828
I had a FreeWheeler, TriGlide Ultra and now a 2022 TriGlide CVO. All rough riders. I’ve lowered the tire pressure as low as I could before the TPMS warning light comes on. I’m looking for the sweet spot using lower TP and mono shock setting. Any recommendations for one up? Two up? Thanks for the good videos.
Yeah, with the TPMS you are going to get an alarm if you run it at 21 psi, which is pretty ideal, one up or two up. You do not have a monoshock set up, it is a single adjustment under the seat that adjusts both rear shocks. Video on that below. They most comfortable ride is to replace the OEM shocks with some 13 or 14" NEXGEN™ shocks that you can see at this link- www.dkcustomproducts.com/rear-shocks-c651-261.htm Here is a link to a report on Rear Shocks- www.dkcustomproducts.com/overview-of-performance-rear-shocks-97.htm ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-5-NVrRF9554.html Here is a video of one of our tests of rear shocks- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Z4Dhg48_KQA.html Here is a video on making the ride more comfortable for the passenger- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-HQVYFXV3yW0.html
I know if you run under pressure on a car the tires could over heat and could blow out. The tires over heated , air expanded, over pressure and blow out. Hot day 65 mph.
Yes, if they were underinflated they will heat up more than they should and cause a breakdown of the rubber and plys. However, 20 PSI for the weight of the Trike is not underinflated. It is a bunch of smoke and mirrors to protect cagers from running that low (with a much heavier vehicle) at speed. Check out the article explaining that this whole things is just a nanny to protect the ignorant from themselves. www.dkcustomproducts.com/understanding-rear-tire-pressure-on-harley-trikes.htm
Even with your old lady 20-21 PSI will still be good. Kevin has 10's of thousands of miles on our Tri Glides with rider/passenger/luggage weights of 600 lbs + and run 20-21 psi. Here is an article that you may find interesting/useful. www.dkcustomproducts.com/media/wysiwyg/framesuspension/rearshocks/Lehman_Trikes_correct_tire_pressure.pdf Thanks for commenting! MB
Dunflop..I love it!! Recently bought the Michelin Commander lll for my 15 Road King because the Dunlops just wern't giving me the mileage I expected. I'm running the same air pressure in the Michelins of 36 and 40 psi, but now think I might lower the front some to help improve ride. Running the Legend AXEO for about a year now, but still feeling the bumps more than I would like. Any "suggestions" would be appreciated. Maybe drop it down to 30 in the front? Thanks for the info, always look forward to your videos!
Yes, the higher PSI in the rear tires will definitely cut down on rolling resistance. Not sure if it will translate to any significant increase in MPG. It will definitely translate into a much rougher ride (and a little better acceleration). The PSI in the front will not have any significant change in ride comfort, but if it is too low it will feel sluggish and also not wear well. Yes, I do not know what is up with Legend. We tested their newest AXEO about 5 months ago. We thought it was going to be a nice improvement, and we were recording it for a youtube video. BUT, after 15 miles of riding we were incredulous at how bad they were. We double checked with Legend that we had installed them correctly, we had. They were very disappointing. We never finished the video...no reason to make one slamming how bad they were. The best improvement for $ spent are the Intiminators that you can see at this link- www.dkcustomproducts.com/improved-front-suspension-w-intiminator-fork-valves-for-harley-dk-ric-int-39.htm You do not need to change the springs. The second best improvement for $ spent are the FST's that you can see at this link- www.dkcustomproducts.com/fst-asymmetric-fork-cartridge-system-harley-14-touring-trike-dk-prg-mt-ctg-4.htm You can also see our front suspension testing report at the following link. And, to be clear, we are an authorized Legend and Ohlin dealer...they just do not make the grade when compared to other options. www.dkcustomproducts.com/dk-custom-front-suspension-testing-report-part-i-of-ii-dk-fs-tst-rp-i.htm
We did some testing with a CVO with the low profile rear tires about a year ago. We did drop the psi to 20 and there was a small improvement. There is just not very much sidewall to give much flex. We then proceeded to put some Trike Series Shocks™ on the rear, and that really improved the ride quite a bit on the CVO Tri Glide. (link below) We also know quite a few CVO Tri Glide owners that have switched over the the regular Tri Glide rears, just to get a less harsh ride. www.dkcustomproducts.com/dk-custom-nexgentm-14-trike-series-shockstm-for-harley-davidson-trikes-1971.htm
For the front tire, we recommend running the PSI listed on the sidewall of the tire. Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.
my question is i have 2014 harley trike, the rear tires are those tires like a rear car tire 205/15 or is that tire a special tire for the trike. i want to put michellin tires on the trike.as of now i have the stock tire that they come with stock {brand}.and can you run 22 psi with wife and luggage. thank gunnery sergrant muniz.
Yes, the rear tires on a HD Trike are passenger car tires. They are NOT specifically made for Trikes. Yes, you can run your Trike tire pressure at 22psi with your wife and luggage. Thanks for commenting! MB
Freewheeler, RG3 and Tri Glide are all the same frame, and work the same way, including the PSI for the tires. The RG3, CVO Trikes and some Freewheelers have lower profile tires, but still the ideal PSI is 20-22 PSI. Here is a link to a report for all Harley Trikes- www.dkcustomproducts.com/media/wysiwyg/framesuspension/rearshocks/Lehman_Trikes_correct_tire_pressure.pdf KP
Do you have a TPMS system on your trike? I was thinking of getting something to monitor tire pressure. I have aftermarket wheels (Coastal Moto) and lower profile tires (less sidewall as a result), I run 30 psi, but now I’m curious if I could run lower…🤔
For the front tire, we recommend running the PSI listed on the sidewall of the tire. Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with. Thanks for commenting! 👍 MB
Nope. They are car tires, made for much heavier loads. We have 10's of thousands of miles on our Tri Glides with rider/passenger/luggage weights of 600 lbs + and run 20-21 psi. Here is an article that you may find interesting/useful. www.dkcustomproducts.com/media/wysiwyg/framesuspension/rearshocks/Lehman_Trikes_correct_tire_pressure.pdf KP
Same, 20-22. This will provide a better ride than 26. However, the low profile tires just do not have as much sidewall flex as the full sidewall tires found on earlier year Freewheelers. Plus, if you have the TPMS, at 20-22 it will trigger a warning. If you can ignore it, you will get a better ride quality than at 26 psi.
This is what I found in the Harley Manual for a 2014 TriGlide Ultra 1. Place the vehicle on a flat level surface. 2. Release parking brake. Verify the vehicle moves easily when pushed by hand. 3. See Parking Brake Adjustment. Pull the boot back. Loosen jamnut. 4. Push the parking brake pedal to the first click. Attempt to roll the vehicle. a. If some resistance is felt, go to next step. b. If wheels turn freely, release parking brake and lengthen adjuster. Check and repeat until resistance is felt. 5. Push the parking brake pedal two more clicks to the third click. Vehicle should not move when pushed. If wheels turn, release parking brake and lengthen adjuster. Check and repeat until wheels will not turn. 6. Release the parking brake pedal. Verify vehicle moves freely. NOTE: Apply a coat of grease to the adjuster threads to ease future adjustments. 7. Hold adjuster and tighten jamnut to 72120 inlbs (8.113.6 Nm). 8. Install the boot over the adjuster. 9. See INSPECTION to check performance of the adjusted parking brake. I hope the information that I gave you is helpful. You can look up the manual online if you need pictures or any other information from the manual! Thanks for commenting! 😎
For the front tire, we recommend running the PSI listed on the sidewall of the tire. Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with. Thanks for commenting! 👍 MB
I can’t find the name of the extended warranty you had the person with a company that sale the warranty on your M8 road glide 2017 ? Can you please give me the name of the company??
Pretty sure the side-cars I've seen use motorcycle tires...if so, this info does not apply. I am sure there is a ton of specialized knowledge regarding side-cars in general, we do not have any experience in that world.
We have quite a few Customers with the low profile tires on the CVO running them in the 20-22 psi range with no issues. The benefit is not as great due to the shorter sidewall, but it is still a noticeable improvement.
If you are asking will lower PSI in the rear tire help with the front tire skipping or chattering, lowering the PSI in your rear tire will not increase or decrease the skipping/chattering. Getting a rear lift for your Trike will help with the chattering/skipping of the front tire. You can see the lift kits we offer at this link- www.dkcustomproducts.com/harley-trike-lift-kits-c56-87.htm The best way to prevent front tire skipping/chattering is by putting a rear tire on the front of your Trike. You can see a video on this subject here- ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uZWDBsc6BEY.html Thank you for commenting! 😎
No what I am talking about is you can hold the bike straight and it will wander side to side and it doesn't matter what Lane you are in and I have already changed the front tire
Wandering is a "feature" of trikes. Because they have 3 wheels and roads are crowned (not flat) they will not go straight on their own. If you are on completely flat surface (rare) then it should hold straight. If it does not, there may be something else going on like bad Axle Bearing Retainer plates (see video below) or the rear fork or front fork could be out of alignment. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-eTF6Uqm2KZU.html
Start out with whatever PSI is on the sidewall of your tire, then play around with 2-4 PSI up and down from that number. I generally run might at exactly what is listed on the tire.
36-42 psi, whatever is spec for your particular front tire. Here is a video of what we do for Trike front tires. Much better than the OEM tire. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-uZWDBsc6BEY.html
I have a 2018 trike with CVO rims and tires. I'm running Legend coil over shocks and their lift kit. Would 20 psi still apply for my trike? Thanks for the great information!
