Oh man, why is spending so hard?

[Rot 911]

As the Harley crowd ages, you are seeing more and more trikes out on the road. And as you have discovered, used ones are not much cheaper than a new one. And there are not a lot of used ones for sale. People tend to hang onto them. Which also indicates that you could get good resale value if you buy new. The biggest reason why I would encourage you to get a new one is you also get the warranty. While the Harley trikes are well-built and reliable, there are just more parts to break down.

Sell the Ducati and use it to help you purchase the trike. While I really enjoyed my 900 SS, I did not miss it after I sold it.

One last thing, even though it is a trike, you are readily accepted by the Harley crowd.

[ckcarr]

Have you talked to Bill or Rick yet?

Rick's brother in law has some kind of trike business in Seattle.

[Por_sha911]

Sometimes the # upsets us older folks because we remember when... Red flags show up and your brain is saying "wait, no, it shouldn't cost that much". That isn't a problem. We still think in terms of $10 being money for something nice instead of a burger and fries. If the trade off is going on vacation someplace to have the bike to enjoy then I say go for it. It is your vacation.

Where it becomes a problem is when you have to compromise things that are necessities to buy a luxury. If you have to say well, the house needs a roof but... then I say take care of the necessity first.

I don't subscribe to the "we're spending our children's inheritance" attitude but neither do I want to live a boring and miserly barely get by life so that my children can squander the inheritance.

I say delay starting the 8th PHD and go for a ride!

[Cassy0110]

Originally Posted by flatbutt

Some of you may have read a thread wherein I talk about getting off of two wheels and onto three. I've been shopping for an FLRT HD trike and the used market is nearly as much as new. I went to my local dealer and found this siren calling out to me:



Yes it's new, no it doesn't require my usual mods since it has linked brakes, but it's $30K before all of the fees and insurance and etc. Sigh, talk me into it guys bearing in mind I'm one of the indigents on this site....no Porsche money in my pockets.

Oh they're so beautiful

[Bill Douglas]

Originally Posted by Cassy0110

Oh they're so beautiful

Big 'n shiny.

[911 Rod]

Do it. You only live once.

[wswartzwel]

Hey Tom,
Increased steering effort at slow speeds may be an issue for you. Also, of the few Trikes I have ridden at the shop, all of them were prone to head shake on deceleration. Perhaps that could be tuned out by playing with suspension and tire pressure, but you really need to try one before buying if possible.

Good luck with your search of a bike to ride that makes you feel comfortable. I have seen a pseudo trike conversion that was basically training wheels on a small frame that bolted to the bike worked quite well, as you could keep your same bike and was not as hard to steer as a full on trike.

[jhynesrockmtn]

Best of luck in your search. Pull the trigger if it will bring you joy. I've come to the conclusion that I'll be selling my ADV Triumph. Longer rides and exploring the more remote places both pavement and dirt were what I enjoyed. Riding around town in traffic, not so much. My type 1 diabetes and managing any low blood sugar events on the bike make it more challenging and I haven't ridden at all in the last two years. The Tiger is for sale and I'll get my open air thrills with the top off of the 914 going forward.

[flatbutt]

Well, how about this? It seems that the gods have decided for me. I just checked into the stand-alone stock holding that I was going to use for this purchase, and it is no longer sufficent.

I have a small amount of GSK stock left from my days of gainful employment. Over the summer it hit a new high and the fund was worth almost 29K. Apparently the company has hit a rocky shoal and the stock is down 60%! So, it was not meant to be.

Thanks for all of the input gang. As always your opinions are appreciated.

[911 Rod]

That's too bad FB.
I think I can speak from all of us that we wanted to see you happy on this trike.

[Steve Carlton]

Originally Posted by Rot 911

Piney! I watched that show and thought it was great until Gemma killed Tara, Jax's wife. Fictional, of course, but I lost interest after that. Too brutal.

[herr_oberst]

Originally Posted by Steve Carlton

Piney! I watched that show and thought it was great until Gemma killed Tara, Jax's wife. Fictional, of course, but I lost interest after that. Too brutal.

No doubt. The final season was unwatchable with the escalation of the brutality. (And the whole series from the jump up to then had been off the charts violent and sadistic).

[KFC911]

Originally Posted by 911 Rod

That's too bad FB.
I think I can speak from all of us that we wanted to see you happy on this trike.

^^^^ This!

[The Synergizer]

I say get a loan, get the trike, and live like there's no tomorrow!
All stocks have plummeted. It will go back up, might be a few years.

[wdfifteen]

I'm sorry this fell through FB. I hope you find a way to make it happen. As Rod said, we were all rooting for you.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by wdfifteen

I'm sorry this fell through FB. I hope you find a way to make it happen. As Rod said, we were all rooting for you.

I still think used is a viable option.

Spend some time on one as wswartzwel says. You may not like it. There are some quirks.

[speeder]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

I still think used is a viable option.

Spend some time on one as wswartzwel says. You may not like it. There are some quirks.

I agree. Find a private party used one in good condition with low miles, Harleys are very well made these days and I wouldn't give it a second thought. Take a small loan if needed. I had a health scare this week that could have been curtains, you just never know. I would have left a lot of $$ and vehicles behind.

[Steve Carlton]

Tom of Anarchy.

[GH85Carrera]

My business partner got into a group of guys that all rode long distances on their motorcycles. No Harleys, but high end bikes. One of the guys that joined them is paraplegic, and uses a wheelchair to get around. He can get on the trike, grab the wheelchair and fold it up and snap it in place and go in seconds. He is so capable they keep forgetting he is in a wheelchair. He does need help getting into some bathrooms at dive bars that have steps and narrow doors, bu the rest of the time he is able participate with his buddies.

My business partner said he was amazed when they had to go sideways across a steep hill. He popped the wheel chair onto just one wheel, and when straight across the steep hill into a restaurant.

At one bar, some "tough guy" came in and in a snide tone of voice asked who is driving the trike? The guy in the wheelchair said ME! The tough guy smiled and said great looking bike.

[gsxrken]

FB- I recently looked into converting my FIL’s Indian into a trike. He was in the 5th SFG running LRRPs in Vietnam and still thinks of himself as that guy. To say he still has his dignity is an understatement. But at 78 years old (and most of those were hard miles) he’s dumped the heavy Indian too many times now, and can’t pick it up by himself. He lives in SC and rides more than he drives, and wants to continue to do so. I’ve convinced him this is the route to go and it keeps him “out of a cage” and on his own bike. The higher-end kits are about $10k all in. Of course you use your own bike. With the amount of used HD hitting the classifieds, you could probably get a perfect candidate for well under $10k.

LMK if you want to go this route and I’d be happy to help you knock it out over a few weekends. I’m in NY just across the TZB from NW NJ.