Gearing Up for the New Harley Trikes

In 2006 Harley Davidson signed a deal with Lehman Trikes USA to design and build Harley trikes for its riders. Harley Davidson has traditionally been a two-wheel shop. For a long time all riders wanted was a bike that had two wheels. However, times have changed. As Harley riders have gotten older and Harley Davidson has expanded its fan base, it's attracted riders who want three-wheel bikes. These bikes are called trikes.

Harley trikes are easier to balance than two wheel bikes. They're also more manageable for people who find the bigger two wheel bikes too heavy and too big to manage. Custom bike shops have been converting two-wheel Harley Davidson motorcycles into trikes for years. Soon Harley riders will be able to buy trikes that already have the Harley Davidson seal of approval.

The motorcycle world has always had a kind of bias against people who prefer to ride three wheel bikes. Hard core bikers tend to view these people as weak or not true bikers. It will be interesting to see if Harley Davidson's venture into Harley trikes will change this image. Harley Davidson is the most well respected bike manufacturer in the business and is known for setting bike trends.

Things to Know About Harley Trikes

The Lehman company is a Canadian company that has developed many industry leading trike technologies. For starters, it has the "No Lean" suspension system. This keeps the center of gravity in the middle of the bike so bike doesn't roll on sharp turns. This is especially helpful when there is a rider on the back of the bike.

Lehman wants to make its bikes as similar to two-wheeled Harleys as possible. To do this it uses the same belt-drive system Harley uses and Harley parts whenever possible. Though Lehman has tried to capture all of the components of the two-wheeled bike, it's still different than a three-wheeled bike. The trikes are built to resist rolling so they steer into a corner rather than relying on the biker to lean into the turn. Other than that, the technical aspects of riding the two kinds of bikes are virtually the same.

Advantages to Lehman Bikes

Lehman bikes have advantages that go beyond the construction of its trikes. All of the bikes Lehman builds are Department of Transportation approved. This means the bikes adhere to all road standards issued by each state. Lehman also is the only factory sponsored trike owner in the motorcycle industry. It also makes sure to design trikes that are similar to the company's two wheel bikes. So, by the time Lehman rolls out the new Harley trikes, they should be recognizable to Harley users as the real deal.