Harley-Davidson 1870 Tri Glide Ultra FLHTCUTG 2020 — Specifications

Who, in 2020, can boast of producing the only factory-built trike in the world? Harley-Davidson, obviously. The Milwaukee manufacturer has maintained a long, almost intimate relationship with three-wheelers, having assembled them without interruption from 1932 to 1973. After a lengthy hiatus, production resumed stateside in 2009, and the Tri Glide Ultra landed on the French market five years later. A bold gamble in a country where the trike remains more of a curiosity than an object of desire. Yet this Harley-Davidson 1870 Tri Glide Ultra FLHTCUTG occupies a niche that nobody else comes to contest.

Built on the Electra Glide Ultra Classic platform, the Tri Glide receives a dedicated rear end fitted with two automobile-sized wheels in 205/65-15, a 124-liter King Tour Pak trunk, and an adapted braking system with two 300 mm front discs clamped by four-piston calipers. The result tips the scales accordingly: 564 kg fully fueled, including the 22.70-liter tank. To put the footprint in perspective, it is half again as wide as a Gold Wing 1800. You do not maneuver this behemoth like a sportbike. Fortunately, an electric reverse gear and a parking brake serve as reminders that the Tri Glide borrows as much from the automotive world as from motorcycling. Low-speed stability is absolute — a luxury that two-wheelers will never know. On the other hand, forget any notion of leaning into corners: here, you ride straight, you ride wide, and you own it.

Beneath the Batwing fairing sits the Milwaukee-Eight 114 in Twin Cooled guise, partially liquid-cooled. This 45-degree V-twin displacing 1,868 cc, equipped with four valves per cylinder and a 10.5:1 compression ratio, produces 88 hp at 5,020 rpm and, more importantly, 161.8 Nm of torque from just 3,250 rpm. The horsepower figures are nothing to write home about on paper, but the torque tells an entirely different story. Pulling over half a ton out of a roundabout poses no problem whatsoever for this generous powertrain, and the six-speed gearbox paired with belt final drive filters vibrations with remarkable smoothness. Top speed caps out at 170 km/h. More than enough: nobody buys a trike to chase lap times.

The 2020 model year seriously beefs up the onboard electronics. The RDRS package delivers cornering-optimized linked ABS, adaptive traction control, and drag-torque slip control in curves. For a machine of this size, these rider aids are not a luxury — they are a necessity. On the tech-comfort front, the BOOM! GTS infotainment system offers a quality display, Apple CarPlay compatibility, and integrated navigation. The H-D Connect system lets you monitor the vehicle remotely via smartphone: fuel level, range, and alerts in case of suspicious movement. One year of subscription is included; after that, you pay.

Then there is the matter of the wallet. At 39,990 euros, the Tri Glide Ultra plays in the big leagues of premium grand tourers, up against far more versatile machines. But the comparison only goes so far, because nothing truly resembles this trike. Its audience is targeted: mature riders, often coming from the car world, drawn to the Harley-Davidson universe but disinclined to manage the balance of a 400 kg two-wheeler. As it happens, the Tri Glide is accessible with a standard car license, which considerably broadens its potential customer base. This is not a motorcycle for beginners or track enthusiasts. It is a three-wheeled grand touring cruiser, one of a kind, built to devour miles with a nonchalance that only Milwaukee knows how to cultivate.