There’s nothing particularly special about a 2014 Harley-Davidson Road King. Consistently one of the brand’s most popular models for more than 30 years, they’re enjoyable machines… but that in and of itself usually isn’t enough to merit attention on Bike-urious.
What’s notable here is the trike conversion kit that it’s wearing: a unique set-up that allows the rider of a three-wheeler to still experience some of the joy of leaning into curves. Notably, the American-made system predates a similar and perhaps more well-known approach used by Yamaha.
The leaning multi-wheel front end of this bike’s TRiO system was designed by Tilting Motor Works (TMW). It isn’t exactly the same as the system used on the Yamaha Niken but the end result is the same: greater road contact and no fear of dropping the bike, while still allowing something akin to the traditional motorcycling experience.
TMW was established by Washington native Bob Mighell, who had previously run a medical equipment fabrication business. The story of the TRiO set up begins a full two decades ago, in 2005, when Bob first produced a kind of Frankenstein’s monster of a prototype built around a Honda Rebel 250. After several years of the classic “try, fail, improve, repeat” method of development, the company got to the point where it was able to produce a more refined prototype ─ built around a Harley-Davidson Street Glide ─ in 2014.
After a few more years of improvement, the TRiO system went into full production, being offered for all manner of big machinery, including Honda Gold Wings and Harley-Davidson touring bikes. The system added 125 pounds to the weight of a bike, but that sort of doesn’t matter as much when the risk of dropping your motorcycle is eliminated.
In a 2018 test ride published on RideApart, Justin Hughes described it as “probably the best motorcycle front suspension I’ve ever experienced.”
Things went well enough for TMW that in 2022 it announced it was expanding to a larger production facility, with orders coming in from around the world. However, after that, the company was never heard from again. Within four months, its website had shut down and no one was answering the phone at headquarters.
It remains a mystery as to exactly what happened, but the scuttlebutt on at least one Gold Wing owners’ forum suggests that TMW was tied up with Arcimoto, which got into financial trouble at about the same time.
With 32,110 miles on the clock, this converted Road King offers an opportunity to own a unique and short-lived example of American ingenuity. You can find it for sale with bidding up to $330 and the reserve not yet met in Suncook, New Hampshire here on eBay.