Molly on her Champion Road King trike.

My husband and I were browsing through the local dealership when an ‘08 Ultra Classic caught my husband’s eye. With a tang of “quid pro quo” I sweetly told my husband he could have that Ultra if I could have his Road King and turn it into a trike. I got my wish. Now I am the “triker chick” in our small town.

California has wacky laws regarding the vehicle registration of trikes. I discovered bikes newer than 2005 couldn’t be converted to a trike due to EPA regulations. I was in luck by selecting Champion, being the first company in California to have the EPA’s approval. The Champion factory took delivery of my saddlebag in order to precisely paint match my silver and blue trike. A local Champion certified mechanic installed the kit.

Mollly installed Lindy Custom's Linbar highway bar for resting her feet during long rides.

The kit installation included tilting the front rake by 3 degrees (the Easy Steer option), adding a mechanical reverse, pullback handlebars, an Easy Clutch lever, and a flatter tire in the front (to help with pivoting). I bought a used leather-studded tour pack and a gently used batwing fairing to add more comfort. Between the retro aesthetics in the FLH series and the perfectly matched paint, I knew I was going to look pretty spiffy on the Road King’s back.

Further remediation included Dunlop back tires paired with mag aluminum wheels, a custom-built rear differential using Ford components, two high performance disc brakes and a trunk capacity of 3.75 cubic feet (bonus!)

The trike was knighted, “I’m a Ham”, due to the custom license plate. I thought it appropriate due to my sense of humor and theatrical ventures. Let’s not forget ham is from a hog!

The day after the trike came home, I rode it to a spacious parking lot. It took a few minutes to get used to the “squirrely” feeling of the steering. We let a little air out of the front tire and I was soon riding smooth as soy milk.

First day with the trike, Molly practices in a parking lot.

I felt joy and freedom only experienced on a motorcycle, even if I was in a high school parking lot. I practiced using the reverse gear, which requires the bike to be in neutral before one can pull back and click it in place.

It was time for me to hit the road and my husband surprised me by climbing onto the passenger seat. Imagine what it looks like to have a 250-pound man riding on the back of a trike while his 5 foot tall, red headed wife drives. Lots of honks, thumbs up and stares were a plenty as I muscled the bike home.

Tugging my right braid indicated he wanted me to turn right and the other pigtail to turn left. He yanked both when he wanted me to stop. It was pretty comical until he decided my chest was a more fun way to “turn signal.”

After a few longer rides, I began to figure out how to make steering less work. I had already developed amazing “trike-cepts” as I like to call them. Using different approaches, I learned if I took turns from the very inside and swept out towards the outer edge of the turn, I didn’t have to use as much push and pull.

I have noticed when I take someone for a ride on the back, the bike seems to perform better due to the anchoring of the bike. Going up steep grades requires a down-shift in order to keep from bogging down, and normal freeway driving is comfortable up to about 75 mph, then it becomes a bit rough. Wind is a challenge for me because if the wind is pushing against me, the width of the bike causes more resistance.

The set-up of the trike allows one to travel longer and more comfortably. I have ridden more than 500 miles in one day, and still was raring to go the next. On windy days or days with a lot of stop and go, the bike gets about 30 mpg. On a day with mostly freeway riding, I get about 35 mpg though I have never attempted to run the tank dry.

I would recommend a trike to someone who likes a lot of attention, has good upper body strength, and doesn’t mind detailing a cycle that is almost as big as a car. Champion makes a good product and has many years of experience and an efficient staff.

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