When Harley-Davidson released its 2019 lineup, the newly revamped TriGlide Ultra was the hot ticket to debut all the new tech to come out of Milwaukee last year. The TriGlide combines the stability of a traditional trike platform with all the same tour-tastic goodies that makes H-D's two-wheeler tourbikes such a success. New last year, an updated infotainment system gives you better touchscreen performance along with better sound system options, but the real performance boost lies in the engine area as Harley beefed up its already massive mill. Attention was paid to the suspension components as well to make this generation of trike smoother than ever before.

Harley-Davidson TriGlide Ultra Design

The TriGlide leads off with a full length fender that rocks the chrome skirt and valence that ties it right into the look of yesteryear, but with shortened sides that leave a nice view of the front wheel. Chrome beercan fork skirts dress up the swept area of the stems and fit quite well with the (also chrome) whisker bar, turn signals and passing lamps for even more of that yummy dated flavor.

A projector-style cyclops headlight rides recessed at the entry of the Batwing fairing with a vent just above that helps reduce the head-buffet effect where the slipstream meets the pocket behind the glass. The mid-size windshield forms the top of the protection zone, and a pair of air deflectors widen the pocket and extend it down, though I've got to admit the deflectors beef up the fairing to make it look a lot like the previous generation, and I ain't a fan.

Inside the fairing, a quartet of gauges displays the pertinents, and the new Boom! Box GTS system handles the rest. It comes covered with Gorilla Glass so it's tough enough to stand up to use, but sensitive enough to allow for pinch, drag and swipe manipulation, even with gloves on and in wet conditions. Pipe your tunes in wirelessly and use your mobile phone through the Bluetooth connection, or use the USB port for wired integration.

The navigation system can be likewise fed with information and pre-planned routes so you can work out your trips on your PC (or whatever) and plug the data right into your bike. This new system boasts more memory that the previous version and is loads faster with a reduction in boot-up speed from 21 seconds down to 10 seconds and faster route calculation to boot. That extra 11 seconds is a long time when you're wondering “Is this my turn? Is this my turn?” while you're waiting.

A set of four speakers surround you with sound from their positions in the Tourpak and inner fairing with 25-Watts per channel, but if that ain't good enough for you, the factory offers Stage II speakers through its accessory line that will certainly bring enough to share with the class.

A six-gallon tank slopes gently to the deep-scoop saddle that rides at 28.9 inches off the ground with a rise to the pillion throne that doubles as a lumbar support for the rider. The Tourpak comes with a full backrest and arm support for your passenger's comfort with a total of 6.8 cubic-feet of storage in the rear to allow for well-equipped trips, or at least some serious grocery runs.

Harley-Davidson TriGlide Ultra Chassis

Like its FL models, Harley builds the TriGlide around a tubular-steel frame that fully cradles and supports the massive powerplant. The double-downtube/double-cradle frame carries its steering head at 26-degrees with 3.94 inches of trail, relatively short numbers for a tour-type bike, but the dual rear wheels and lack of lean-ability changes the equation a bit, and so the TriGlide carries steering geometry figures much closer to that of sportbikes than what you'd expect to find on an American-made cruiser.

New on the trikes for this year, the Showa front suspension runs with dual bending valve technology to deliver a plush ride, and an emulsion-shock system out back to do the same. The new shock comes with a handwheel for quick-and-easy adjustments without benefit of tools to enable quick adjustments for variable cargo and passenger loads, 'cause let's face it, some passengers are more of a load than others.

Dual front brakes provide the bulk of the stopping power with a pair of four-pot anchors up front and a single-piston caliper out back. As usual, Harley slaps on its Linked-Brakes feature, but with one very important diffidence this year: the corner-sensitive ABS that trumps the regular ABS from previous years. That's right, the MoCo is using an inertial measurement device to adjust the strength of the intervention based on the calculated available traction.

Oh, there's more. Harley has finally joined the rest of the world with a traction-control system, but rather than modulating the engine's output when wheel slip is detected, it restores traction by applying a bit of rear brake instead. Not the usual manner of handling things, but I'll give Harley credit for getting it done, regardless.

A pair of seven-spoke, cast-aluminum rims round out the rolling chassis with a 16-inch hoop up front and automotive-size fifteens out back, so you know you have some ginormous contact patches for serious traction.

Harley-Davidson TriGlide Ultra Drivetrain

The pièce de résistance with any Harley is the engine, but this year is special. A monstrous, 114 cubic-inch (1,868 cc) mill drives the TriGlide Ultra with 121 stump-pulling pound-feet of torque that comes on fully at 3,250 rpm. The Twin-cooled Milwaukee-Eight 114 runs with a 102 mm bore and 114 mm stroke with a 10.5-to-1 compression ratio. Per the ingeniously clever name, it dumps waste heat through the usual air-cooling fins but also pulls heat from around the exhaust valve area to give it some extra staying power, even in stop-and-go traffic.

Still no riding modes, but like the traction control, Harley attacks the problem of excessive backtorque from aggressive downshifting and/or engine braking in its own unique way. When a wheel-speed differential is detected upon deceleration, the engine will speed itself up just a skosh to prevent the rear end from breaking loose and keep the tail where it belongs, behind you. A single throttle body controls the induction to deliver 42 mpg and help the beast meet emission standards.

Harley-Davidson TriGlide Ultra Pricing

As usual, the prices are based on which color package you choose. Vivid Black lands on the bottom rung at $36,099, and depending on your taste, you can run that all the way up to $38,499 for the two-tone custom color packages. Security and CC is standard, but Cali, yeah, you guys can expect that $200 emissions hit; nothing for it.

Harley-Davidson TriGlide Ultra Competitors

The TriGlide Ultra is a tough one to find a direct competitor for in my little head-to-head. Since the TriGlide runs in the classic, two-in-back configuration, it's unique amongst the major brands. In light of that, I'm going to go with the Can-Am Spyder RT for its tour-tastic layout and non-leaning configuration.

Can-Am Spyder RT/ RT Limited

The Spyder is built around a Delta configuration, which is to say, two-wheels-up-front. This delivers an even more stable ride in the corners since the two-in-back style has inherently weak “front corners” (there's a reason the old off-road three-wheelers were outlawed) that the Delta closes off. To be fair, Harley's new corner-sensitive ABS and traction control system goes a long way toward rectifying those weaknesses, so don't write off the two-in-back design just yet.

The Spyder carries itself with many of the same features starting with the front fairing and windshield, and ending up at the top case/passenger backrest and hard-side saddlebags. Due to the Volkswagen-style trunk up front, the Spyder lets you pack away up to 41 gallons of cargo once the top case and side cases are factored in, so it too is capable of some serious shopping or long-distance treks.

Power comes from the proven Rotax 1330 Advanced Combustion Engine, an inline triple, that packs away a total of 96 pound-feet of torque for your holeshot and roll-on enjoyment. The tranny is a six-speed semi-automatic that allows for easy operation sans clutch, something H-D has no answer for, and the Spyder carries an impressive electronics suite with stability/traction control, a hill-hold feature, ABS, security and a power-steering system. That's alright, because the TriGlide gets some similar fandanglery this year as well, with more on the way I'm sure, so the electronics are a wash.

Can-Am scores at the checkout counter at “only” $24,599 against the $36,099 tag on the basic black TriGlide Ultra, and that's a big enough jump to buy some business for BRP.

Read our full review of the Can-Am Spyder RT/ RT Limited.

He Said

“No matter the price difference, I feel like anyone who'd be interested in the TriGlide obviously has good taste in classic American design, and would probably be an unlikely candidate for a funny-backwards trike like the Spyder line. However, I recognize that the market's taste for the old-school is an ever-changing dynamic, so it's a matter of wait-and-see with the new, buffed-up trike line.”

She Said

My wife and fellow motorcycle writer, Allyn Hinton, says, “The factory gave the TriGlide some lovin' for 2019 with the fancy new infotainment center, new engine, and new suspension. The Showa front suspension with DBV technology is designed and dampened specifically for the TriGlide this year, and the rear is adjustable with a single knob under the seat. It's great to see some electronic wizardry hitting Harley's lineup and, like my husband, I do hope to see some of that tech trickle down into the other models next year.”

Harley-Davidson TriGlide Ultra Specifications

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