Motorcycle trikes are getting more and more popular, but at what cost? Sure, you're on a “bike” and out in the elements, but the dang thing steers like a car. Certainly it is still more fun than a car but is this the best there is?
In a word: No.
Enter Tilting Motor Works, and Bob Mighell.
Bob Mighell is an engineer and a motorcyclist, as well as a sportscar enthusiast. Unlike most of us, when he decided he wanted something better, he was in a position to do something about it.
“I run around on these backcountry roads and I compare how fast I can take the cars through the corners and the bikes through the corners and I thought that the drawback to motorcycles, the limiting factor, is that one single front tire. So whereas I can drift my Porsche 911 around the corners, you don't want to be drifting motorcycles because if you lose that traction on that front tire she's all done. And so I thought well, wouldn't that be cool if I could add another front wheel to a motorcycle and yet still make it handle like a motorcycle.”
And that's exactly what he did. Now, after years of development, Tilting Motor Works (the name says it all) is up and running and selling product. So what is that product? It's a conversion kit that, at least for the moment, is limited to certain Harley models. On the website they say that means, “all models in Harley-Davidson’s Touring line including the Road King, Road Glide, Street Glide and Electra Glide models. We are now also equipped to handle Softails, Dynas, Sportsters and V-Rods such as the Heritage Softail Classic, the Fat Boy, the Wide Glide, and the XL 1200C."
What does it cost?
“MSRP is $9,995 plus installation for the standard model when installed and tested by a TMW-certified dealer or by TMW in Washington. MSRP for the advanced model with TiltLockTM is $11,990 plus installation. You are responsible for delivering your bike to the dealer or to us at your own expense; shipping of the TMW unit to your dealer is included. We strongly encourage riding it home. :-)”
The design includes a tilt-lock system so that the bike stays upright when you come to a stop. With that system, Mighell sees his market as being both aging riders who have trouble holding a regular motorcycle up as well as women, whose physical stature often makes it impossible for them to handle really big bikes.
So yeah, get the stability and keep the fun. It's no longer one or the other.
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