Easy riding - but not on Kiwi roads

The Harley Davidson Trike is a real eye-catcher. Photo / Herald on Sunday

Forget about Harley-Davidson's eye-catching trike as a soft touch; a mount for the weak or elderly.

It might be an easy prospect on wide-open American freeways where you sit and gaze at the horizon while fiddling with the radio but it's quite a different prospect on a Kiwi back road, where it needs taking by the scruff and muscling through bends.

And no wonder. Removing the standard bike rear end, stretching the forks, adding an axle and fat-tyred rear wheels, beefing up the clutch and fitting a much-needed steering damper to the front have added quite a bit of heft - even before you take in the capacious screen and leg guards. This machine tips the scales at 503kg unladen: quite a bit for even the torquey 1687cc twin to shift.

Mind you, it's easy to get the hang of. You fire her up just like a bike, release the park brake a slightly awkward reach beneath the pillion footpeg, then ride off.

The controls are all bike, from the twist-grip throttle to the foot-operated gears and yes, you do need a bike licence and helmet to ride it.

But you steer it like a car - turning the handlebars into bends. And that can be hard work, because the single front tyre has to manage that mighty stern. Anything resembling a tight open-road corner needs muscle; add bumps and the front actually wriggles in your hands, while the rear jiggles despite the adjustable air suspension - my pillion wasn't too happy, and not only because his 18-bottle box of beer fell over in the boot.

Yep, the boot - there's about 188 litres of storage aboard, the top-box the most useful day-to-day, though I also liked the little pop-top wallet cubbies in the knee guards.

We used the radio, too, though I didn't sample the CB radio, or the cruise control, which always feels weird on a bike.

Meantime, the screen cuts all wind; the footboards are big enough to be footrests and you don't need to worry about balance. Just don't forget it doesn't lean into bends, so a passenger may get thrown sideways, and it's too wide to trickle through traffic.

It's tempting to assume an H-D is a hooligan machine; that you'll smoke up the rear tyres, or carve into bends on two wheels. Forget it. The trike's set-up isn't designed for such hoonery and you'll only over-strain the clutch. This Harley is designed for the US, and the further you stretch it, the more you notice the compromises.

I can see the appeal for shorties though, or comfort-loving couples with highway cruising in mind, who like being the centre of attention - and have money to burn. Those less keen on making a visual statement, who favour NZ's byways - or prefer a car for luggage and a bike for fun - will choose a more conventional machine.

Harley trike

We like
It's an eye-magnet, highway cruising comfort, stability, luggage capacity

We don't like
Expensive toy, hard work on typical Kiwi back roads, neither the best of biking (dynamics) nor the best of driving (weather protection)

Powertrain
1687cc air-cooled twin-cam V-twin, power not available, 137Nm at 3500rpm, six-speed manual (plus reverse), belot drives rear wheels

Performance
Not available

Price
$50,500

Vital stats
2687long, 721mm seat height, 503kg wet weight, 22.7-litre tank