How to Ride a Trike (For Beginners)

A trike or three-wheeled motorcycle, is a unique way to get yourself around. Compared to your average two-wheeled bike, a trike has three points, which make it inherently stable so you don’t have to worry about maintaining your balance when not in motion. While this feature can make trikes easier to master than standard motorcycles, there are still some things you’ll need to learn to ride your trike safely and easily.

Starting Up

When you climb onto your trike, you’ll need to start it up. Check that your brakes are engaged, then engage the clutch and shift the trike into first gear. Release your brakes, then release the clutch as you increase the throttle to pick up speed.

Shifting Gears

Trikes shift gears similarly to manual-transmission cars, so this can take some practice to learn. In order to shift the gears on your trike, you’ll want to release the throttle, engage the clutch, shift to the desired gear, then release the clutch again. Make sure that you shift gears with great care, because it’s easy to lose your control on your trike when performing this action. Shifting gears works best when you’re riding in a straight line. If you’ve done the process incorrectly, you'll feel the trike jerk forward or the engine might even stall.

Taking Turns

Turning on a trike is different from turning on a standard bike, because on a typical two-wheeler, the rider has to use “countersteering” and lean their body weight to one side or the other to encourage the bike to turn in the right direction without tipping over.

With a trike, you don’t have to work against centrifugal forces, so you’ll steer more like you would a car. Instead of a steering wheel, though, you’re going to tilt your handlebars in the correct direction to make your turn.

In order to turn successfully, you should slow your trike down ahead of the turn, but maintain a consistent speed as you approach the turn and complete it. Turn your handlebars left or right as needed, and only hit the throttle again once you’ve completed the turn and left the corner. Bear in mind that your trike is a lot wider at the rear, so you’ll need to account for this width when turning and avoid taking too sharp of an angle.

Braking

Trikes are heavy and large, so they can be a bit challenging to stop. You shouldn’t slam the brakes if you can possibly avoid it, since you can easily lose control if the wheels lock up. Always give yourself lots of room to bring the trike to a stop and engage the brakes with care. You can either engage the rear brakes or both the front and rear brakes at once; don’t engage the front brakes alone.

When you’re ready to check out our selection of new and used trikes for sale, including the latest models by Harley-Davidson®, visit our dealership in Homosassa Springs, FL. We can even help you out with financing options if you so desire. Crystal Harley-Davidson® proudly serves all of Citrus County. Florida.