Final Model Year: The Freewheeler Ends With 2025

The Harley-Davidson Freewheeler is being discontinued after the 2025 model year. Harley-Davidson has introduced an entirely new trike lineup for 2026: the Street Glide 3 Limited and Road Glide 3, based on the Milwaukee-Eight VVT 117, with new rear suspension and a significantly higher level of comfort and technology.

Anyone who wants to buy a new Freewheeler needs to act now and choose from remaining dealer inventory. The Freewheeler had been part of the lineup since 2015. It leaves as the model that most consistently translated the trike concept into a fairing-free cruiser.

The Concept: A Trike Without Apologies

What separates the Freewheeler from the Tri Glide Ultra is a matter of attitude. The Tri Glide Ultra has a full Batwing fairing, an infotainment system with H-D Connect, and is explicitly designed for long-distance comfort. The Freewheeler deliberately has none of that.

Mini Ape Hanger handlebar, deep-black finish across the fork, dashboard, and drivetrain, Bobtail fenders, twin mufflers between the rear wheels with Slash-Down tips. It is 1950s hot-rod aesthetics transferred to three wheels.

If you want a trike because balancing a motorcycle is no longer possible but do not want to give up the cruiser experience, buy the Freewheeler. If you want long-distance touring with digital infotainment, buy the Tri Glide Ultra. If you want the latest trike technology, buy the 2026 Street Glide 3 Limited or Road Glide 3.

It is a buying decision based on character and timing.

2025: Completely Revised Suspension

The most important 2025 Freewheeler update is the suspension: a recalibrated Dual Bending Valve telescopic fork up front and new emulsion-technology rear shocks that provide more comfort and better handling than the previous setup.

Rear spring preload is adjustable via a handwheel—useful when carrying a passenger or loading the trunk. This is the only significant technical update compared with the 2024 model; engine and electronics remain unchanged.

Engine: Milwaukee-Eight 114

1,868 cc, air- and oil-cooled, 87 hp / 64 kW, 162 Nm at 3,250 rpm, six-speed transmission, belt drive. The Milwaukee-Eight 114 is the smaller sibling of the Milwaukee-Eight 117 used in current cruiser models. Torque comes in at 3,250 rpm and builds smoothly across a broad rev range.

The engine is tuned for cruising character: effortless passing, relaxed progress, no sporting ambition. Power is transmitted to both rear wheels, providing substantial traction under acceleration—one of the practical advantages of the trike concept on wet roads.

Rear Wheels: Car-Tire Dimensions

The Freewheeler’s rear tires are not motorcycle tires. They are P205/65R15 car-style radials. That is the technical basis of Harley-Davidson’s trike rear-axle concept.

Car tires in this size provide a broad contact patch, high load capacity, and are available from virtually any tire dealer—which can be a practical advantage on long-distance tours. The front remains a conventional 19-inch motorcycle wheel with a 130/60B19 tire.

Electronics and Safety Package

The Freewheeler’s RDRS package—Reflex Defensive Rider Systems—is specifically calibrated for trike dynamics. It includes C-ABS, with cornering-enhanced ABS taking lateral acceleration into account; C-ELB, cornering-enhanced electronically linked braking that adjusts brake-pressure distribution between the front and rear axles while cornering; C-TCS, Cornering Traction Control; and DSCS.

Up front are dual floating brake discs with the REFLEX Linked Brembo braking system. Electric reverse comes standard—and at 507 kg, it is one of the vehicle’s most important everyday features.

What the Freewheeler does not have is the Tri Glide Ultra’s H-D Connect infotainment system, a TFT screen, or navigation. The analog dashboard suits the stripped-back hot-rod approach. If you expect digital infrastructure, you are buying the wrong model.

Trunk: 60 Liters

The integrated trunk holds 60 liters. Two helmets fit side by side, with room left over for additional luggage. The trunk lid opens from right to left for easy loading and unloading. It is lockable and weatherproof.

Compared with the Tri Glide Ultra, there is less luggage capacity because there is no top case as standard. But it still provides considerably more storage than any two-wheeler—one of the practical advantages of the trike concept for touring with a passenger.

Seat Height and Handling

A 700 mm seat height combined with 507 kg total weight: very low and very heavy. The weight is obvious when stopping and maneuvering, which is why electric reverse is an important safety feature rather than a gimmick.

Once underway, the Freewheeler behaves fundamentally differently from a two-wheeler. There is no leaning into corners because of the trike steering geometry. Instead, you steer it directly. Riders switching from two wheels need time to adapt in both directions: the Freewheeler is easier to ride than its specifications suggest, but its different cornering dynamics can be surprising on first contact.

Price and Final Availability

Ask your dealer for the current price. A guideline figure is approximately €31,999 MSRP plus €1,260 for trike transportation/setup, with a four-year warranty included.

Because the 2025 model is the Freewheeler’s final model year, availability depends on remaining dealer inventory. Anyone who still wants one should check availability soon.

For comparison, Harley-Davidson’s new 2026 trikes are considerably more expensive and technologically more advanced: the Street Glide 3 Limited starts at €47,700 and the Road Glide 3 at €38,900.

Verdict

The 2025 Freewheeler is the right motorcycle for riders who want a trike that still feels like a motorcycle. No touring-comfort package, no infotainment, no windscreen—just Milwaukee-Eight, three wheels, and the determination to take a different path.

With the model disappearing after 2025, you are also buying a piece of Harley-Davidson model history.

 

Quick Check

+ Fairing-free hot-rod trike concept: Mini Ape handlebar, Bobtail fenders, deep-black finish—the sportiest, most purist trike approach in Harley-Davidson’s lineup; for riders who find the Tri Glide Ultra’s comfort package excessive

+ New for 2025: completely revised suspension with recalibrated Dual Bending Valve fork, new emulsion-technology rear shocks, handwheel spring-preload adjustment; electric reverse standard; RDRS package with C-ABS, C-ELB, C-TCS, DSCS; 60-liter trunk

+ 507 kg ready to ride, but electric reverse makes parking maneuvers effortless; 700 mm seat height; 22.7-liter fuel tank; good range; P205/65R15 car-style rear tires available from virtually any tire dealer; 4-year warranty

+ Final model year: the Freewheeler ends after 2025; if you want this specific concept—a fairing-free hot-rod trike—you need to buy from remaining dealer inventory before it is gone

 

– 507 kg when maneuvering and parking: electric reverse helps but does not completely solve the weight issue; requires experience, wide roads, and a good sense of the vehicle’s width

– Milwaukee-Eight 114, not 117: less torque than current cruiser siblings; no infotainment, no TFT, no H-D Connect; stationary noise not published—confirm with dealer against Tyrol’s 95 dB(A) limit

– Final model year means limited availability; successors Street Glide 3 Limited at €47,700 and Road Glide 3 at €38,900 cost considerably more and have a different character

– Trike dynamics: no leaning into corners; adaptation required for riders coming from two wheels; wider than a motorcycle at 55.3 inches / approx. 1.40 meters

 

Technical Specifications: Harley-Davidson Freewheeler (2025)

Make / Model: Harley-Davidson Freewheeler (FLRT; 2025; final model year—discontinued after 2025; successors: Street Glide 3 Limited and Road Glide 3 for 2026); manufacturer: Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Milwaukee, WI, USA

What’s New for 2025: Completely revised suspension: recalibrated Dual Bending Valve telescopic fork up front; new emulsion-technology rear shocks; spring preload adjustable via handwheel; otherwise technically identical to 2024

Engine: Air- and oil-cooled 45-degree V-twin Milwaukee-Eight 114; 1,868 cc; two valves per cylinder; fuel injection; belt drive; six-speed transmission; Euro 5+

Power: 87 hp (64 kW) at 4,750 rpm

Torque: 162 Nm at 3,250 rpm

Top Speed / Consumption: Approx. 160 km/h; approx. 6.5 L/100 km; good range from 22.7-liter tank

Fuel Tank / Weight: 22.7 liters; 507 kg fully fueled

Transmission / Final Drive: 6-speed; belt drive; power transmitted to both rear wheels

Electronics: RDRS package: C-ABS, taking trike lateral acceleration into account; C-ELB, cornering-enhanced electronically linked braking; C-TCS, Cornering Traction Control; DSCS; TPMS; electric reverse; analog dashboard with no TFT and no H-D Connect

Front Suspension: Dual Bending Valve telescopic fork, recalibrated for 2025

Rear Suspension: Dual external rear shocks; emulsion technology; spring preload adjustable via handwheel

Front Brake: Dual floating discs; REFLEX Linked Brembo; C-ABS

Rear Brake: Fixed disc; C-ELB; ABS

Front Wheel: 19-inch motorcycle cast wheel

Rear Wheels: Two car-style wheels; P205/65R15 radial car tires, available from virtually any tire dealer

Front Tire: 130/60B19

Ergonomics: 700 mm seat height; Mini Ape Hanger handlebar, adjustable for height and reach; two-up seat with passenger Soft-Touch grab handles; 1,670 mm wheelbase

Trunk: 60 liters; two helmets fit side by side; lockable; weatherproof; lid opens from right to left

Design: Deep-black finish on fork, dashboard, drivetrain, and exhaust; Bobtail rear fenders; twin mufflers with Slash-Down tips between rear wheels; no Batwing fairing

Dimensions: Approx. 261 cm long; approx. 140 cm wide

Stationary Noise: Not officially published; confirm with dealer, Tyrol limit 95 dB(A)

2025 Colors: Billiard Gray; Vivid Black; Whiskey Fire

Warranty / Service: 4 years, 2-year manufacturer warranty + 2-year dealer extended warranty

2026 Successors: Street Glide 3 Limited: from €47,700, Milwaukee-Eight VVT 117, new rear suspension. Road Glide 3: from €38,900. Both offer significantly higher levels of technology and comfort. Tri Glide Ultra: Freewheeler alternative with Batwing fairing + H-D Connect, remains in the lineup.

Price in Germany: Ask dealer; guideline approx. €31,999 plus €1,260 trike transportation/setup; four-year warranty included; limited availability—check dealer inventory