Autoblog

Harley-Davidson introduced its first official trike in years earlier in 2008 and now looks to flip things around a bit with a new reverse-trike that leans into corners. Rumors indicate that the huge American Motor Company will bring the corner carving trike in concept form to a motorcycle show set to take place next month in Cologne, Germany. If that debut indeed takes place, the machine is likely to be powered by the liquid-cooled Revolution V-Twin engine from the Rod series as opposed to the 45-degree air-cooled mill powering most of its bikes. We've known that the company has been working on this design for the past few years, filing patent drawings way back in 2006. The market is definitely ready for it now that Piaggio and Can Am have toed the waters. We look forward to seeing just how accurate these rumors prove to be next month. Thanks for the tip, Moose!


[Source: Wired]

Considering the growing popularity of the trike market -- and we don't mean the old VW-based creations made popular in the seventies -- we wonder why it took Harley-Davidson so long to introduce its own three-wheeler. Based on the Electra Glide Touring chassis, the Tri Glide uses a belt final drive to connect a new air-suspended rear differential to the six-speed Cruise Drive transmission common to all Harley Big Twins. At the front, rake and trail have been increased to lend a bit more stability to the package while a steering stabilizer is intended to reduce front-end wobble. For the ultimate in ease of use, consider the optional electric reverse gear for an additional $1,195. Dual 15-inch rear wheels come fitted with P205/65R15 tires.

The same Tour-Pak from the Ultra model works on the Tri Glide along with the normal "bat wing" fairing that Harley-Davidson has made famous over the years. Moving all this mass down the road is a new fuel-injected Twin Cam 103 V-Twin engine that offers up 101 lb.-ft. of torque. A six-gallon fuel tank ought to keep you going about as long as your bladder can handle, and the standard cruise control will get you where you need to go with a minimum of fuss. While we personally prefer to tour on two wheels, we're sure HD will find a few buyers for the new Tri Glide, even at its $30,000 suggested retail price, which is actually a decent deal considering how much a conversion kit runs these days.

[Source: Harley-Davidson]