Difference between revisions of "Lehman Trikes Crossbow 2011"
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{{Motorcycle | {{Motorcycle | ||
|name = | |name = Lehman Trikes Crossbow 2011 | ||
|photo=Lehman-Crossbow.jpg | |photo=Lehman-Crossbow.jpg | ||
|aka = | |aka = |
Latest revision as of 22:16, 23 November 2019
Lehman Trikes Crossbow 2011 | |
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Manuals | Service Manual |
Photos[edit | edit source]
Overview[edit | edit source]
Lehman Crossbow 2011
Lehman Trikes Crossbow motorcycle is a strictly
American product. In the U.S., motorcycling is a recreational pursuit, and the
Crossbow aims to make that pursuit as enjoyable and effortless as possible. The
motorcycle is cushy and comfortable. When you sit on the Crossbow, its a little
like sitting in an office chair: back straight, legs outstretched, feet flat. It
falls in the category of luxury touring motorcycles and the 2011 edition carries
an MSRP of about $34,000. Whats more, the motorcycle features a V-Twin engine,
something as synonymous with Americas byways as the roadside diner.
But first, a little background. Lehman Trikes is actually a second-party trike (i.e., three-wheeled motorcycle) conversion company. The company formed in the mid 80s and has since grown a solid base of dealer reps across the U.S. With its growth has come the trike industry as a whole. Today, trikes represent one of the most noticeable shifts taking place in the world of motorcycles.
Lehman Trikes starts with a two-wheeled
motorcycle from a traditional motorcycle manufacturer, like Honda, and converts
it to a trike at its Spearfish, S.D., headquarters. Lehman can convert
motorcycles from Honda, Harley-Davidson and Suzuki into trikes, and it offers
warranty-backed, factory-direct-conversion motorcycleslike the Crossbowfrom
Victory Motorcycles, a subsidiary of Polaris Industries. The Crossbow is powered
by Victorys Vision model.
Impressions
Its a crisp October afternoon in Madison, Wis., today, and Im about to start the first half of my 600-mile weekend trip with a 2010 Crossbow. By tonight Ill be visiting my brother and his family in Mankato, Min. Last night, after picking up the Crossbow at Vetesniks Mad City Power Sports, my local Lehman Trikes dealer, I took the machine for a few warmup laps around town. I felt pretty comfortable riding a trike for the first time; instead of countersteering to initiate a turn, you just point the wheel in the direction you want to go. Its kind of like steering a big, luxurious go-kart with handlebars.
I had never ridden a motorcycle with cruise control before the Crossbow, and Im loving it immediately upon hitting I-90, which will see me most of the way to Mankato. Right away, I click up to 6th gear (overdrive) and set the cruisethis will be easy sailing.
I start to get a little giddy fiddling with some of the creature comforts equipped on the Crossbow: the cruise control, four-speaker stereo, adjustable windshield, the works. The motorcycle also has a heated seat and grips, but its early October and I dont quite need to test those features.
Im sitting upright, feet forward. The Crossbows seat is comfy. Two hours into the trip, my back and bottom feels greatno aches from leaning too forward or absorbing too many bumps in the road, thanks to the adjustable air rear suspension. The handle bars are well positioned so my shoulders feel great, too. One of the things that makes riding the Crossbow so easy is its windshield and large front fairing. Pretty much my entire body is protected from the wind.
Certainly, the curb weight of the Crossbow1,187 poundscontributes to such smooth and easy Interstate riding. Theres not much that can jostle something that heavy. But this also makes the Crossbow a bit of a chore to steer around cities and towns. At stop sign turns, Im finding myself pre-steering the trike, i.e., turning the front wheel and then accelerating; this is far easier than turning after accelerating. The Crossbow has a total of four brakes, two up front and one on each rear wheel, so bringing this much weight to a stop feels safe and easy. The trikes 1,731-cc enginewhich pumps 97 horsepower and 113 foot-pounds of torquecarries power enough for the open road, but Im not expecting to win any drag competitions with a trike this heavy.
Just in case the weather turns foul, I have chaps
and rain gear tucked away in the side trunk and top case of the Crossbow. In
total, theres about 37 gallons of storage on the trike. Dont get me wrong:
Thats a lot of storage space, but the Crossbows curvilinear designwhich is
certainly eye-catching in its own rightdoesnt leave the opportunity to strap
down additional gear, and theres not really a place for a tankbag, either.
Its approaching 6 p.m. and Im taking the final few turns before I reach my brothers driveway. Even though I put on a solid 300 miles since this afternoon, I could definitely tack another 150 without breaking a sweatall you need to do is point the Crossbow in the right direction, sit back and enjoy the ride.
But how good of a fit is the Crossbow for Beginning Riders , 2) an Intermediate Rider , 3) and an Expert Rider?
Beginning Rider Obviously, it doesnt take much effort to keep the rubber side down when driving a motorcycle with three wheels. Some novice riders see this as a major advantage of driving a trike like the Crossbow. However, since the Crossbow is so heavy, it does take a lot of effort to push and pull the handlebars, and this problem is amplified when riding in urban areas.
Intermediate Riders An intermediate rider wont have any troubles with driving and steering the Crossbow. Theyll be ready to put big miles on this motorcycle: Just point and twist! (And then set the cruise control.) Expert Rider Expert riders will have no trouble driving the Crossbow to the ends of the earth, but I think theyll truly miss the exhilaration of commanding a motorcycle around graded turns and down mountain switchbacks. No matter what ones riding experience, a trike is an obvious choice for older riders who might not feel comfortable on just two wheels anymore, but, really, any motorcyclist could thoroughly enjoy a trike like the Crossbow. Source