Lehman Trikes has added another manufacturer to its list of partners, this time Victory Motorcycles has signed on with Lehman to create the “Pit Boss” trike based on the Victory Kingpin. It was rolled out Saturday on Lehman Trikes Day at the Mineral Palace Hotel and Casino in Deadwood, South Dakota.
The Pit Boss will be sold exclusively through selected Lehman dealers beginning in the summer of 2007.
The Pit Boss is the result of a recently penned agreement between Lehman Trikes and Victory Motorcycles(R) which provides concurrent development, supply, marketing, and licensing relationships. The Pit Boss is built and designed by Lehman with initial structural testing completed by Victory(R).
Power comes from Victory’s® 100 cubic inch Freedom™ Power train and 6-speed True Overdrive transmission.
Lehman previously became the official trike supplier for Harley Davidson.
Trikes like these, using Honda Gold Wings or Harley Davidsons as a base vehicle, plus many others, have been popular with a segment of the market for a long time. With the introduction of the Can-Am Spyder, I wonder what portion of that market will think about switching to a reverse trike setup. The newer configuration provides everything the conventional trike offers plus greater performance and stability.
If any trike riders out there would like to comment, we would like to hear from you.
Link: Lehman Trikes via
Related: Harley Davidson Partners with Lehman Trikes
Related: Can-Am Spyder
aaron says
don’t forget the “two wheels on one side, one on the other” arrangement
http://www.michael-krauser.de/english/01_domani_e/domani_e/02_gross.html
the krauser domani is the most current example I can think of.
kinda like racing “sidecar” outfits, where the frame for the motorcycle and “sidecar” are one and the same.
Mayakovski says
UGLY!!!
Richard says
“I wonder what portion of that market will think about switching to a reverse trike setup. The newer configuration provides everything the conventional trike offers plus greater performance and stability.”
I agree completely. Let’s hope the reverse trike trend continues to grow.
I have never understood why anyone would choose a tricycle with one wheel in front. Most trike riders appear to be older or disabled riders who can’t hold a 2 wheel bike upright at a stop sign, so they get a tricycle. Sure, it won’t fall over, but it won’t steer worth a damn either! I’m surprised more of them don’t crash, but I suspect it’s because they don’t ride much after they get the trike and discover that the experience really isn’t what they expected.
todd says
the conventional tricycle style (single wheel in front) still looks like a motorcycle, specifically the one it is based on. Two wheels in the front looks more like a car. Also, think of what a top fuel dragster would look like if it was front wheel drive. With both wheels out back you get the impression of more power. Two wheels in front gives the impression (real) of more stability. We live in the land of power hungry point and shooters who don’t care about stability over the perception of power.
I myself have always been a fan of Morgan trikes, the Blackjack Avion, and the Grinnall Scorpion among a few. Check out 3wheelers.com for pictures of nearly every trike ever made.
-todd
Sean says
You’d get the same, and possible more, traction and controllability if the trike tilted.
Clive M Sanders says
Ive never seen anyone slide a knee on a trike. Not without seriously hurting themselves.
GenWaylaid says
Sidecar racers drag their knees all the time. It takes a surprising amount of effort to turn those things. Conventional trikes would have similar difficulty, but it would take exceptional balance to keep one on two wheels while hanging off the side.
It should be possible to make a tilting narrow-track reverse trike look much like the original motorcycle. A careful adaptation of the system Piaggio used on their MP3 could result in a bike that only differed below the triple-clamp.
soupper says
I believe Trikes are purchased by people who want a more stable ride for 2-up long-distance touring. PiaggioCo should come out with a MotoGuzzi using the MP3 technology (bike leans and also ‘locks’ at stops) with the 850cc engine/tranny they are using in the Aprilia 850-Mana. They could add all sorts of bells-n-whistles and still be less expensive than a Victory-motorcycle + trike-conversion-kit.
Sean says
Plus, it would be a Guzzi. I wouldn’t mind a tilting, 3 wheeler Guzzi, at all.
Steven Addison says
I like the Victoy/Pitt Boss/Lehman Trike, but preliminary sketches of the Harley/Lehman colaberation has to be the ugliest Trike ever designed. I have been waiting anxiously for the Victory and Harley Lehman Trikes, having a bad back keeps me off of two wheelers. The cost of converting a Harley through DFT or Lehman is not only to costly but if you use a new Harley you nulify the waranty. This news seemd to be the answer to my prayers. I guess I will be going with Victory. Having two wheels in front of me does not apeal to me in the least. It would be a good time to buy Lehman stock, assuming they are a publicly traded company.