Looking at 2008 GW w/ Lehman conversion

[MT Jackass]

Looks like you have one of the good dealerships by you then. As long as they will service the front half, you will be good. I can fully understand about not being familiar with the trike mechanicals. Another reason is that mechanics like to put the bikes on actual lifts and their lifts may not be setup for a trike. And the CSC trikes tend to be a bit wider than many model trikes.

And no, the 100k miles I don't think is an urban legend. I do know several folks with over 100k and not worried. One guy from NW Wisconsin has an 02 with over 600k miles. As long as they are maintained, they seem like they can go forever.

I will say that the CSC kits do have their stuff together and there should be minimal problems. In the 8 years of ownership, the only issues I had was a pinion seal leak and a wheel bearing go bad. The pinion seal is on front of rear end where the driveshaft connects. It was a bit of a pain but I got it done. It was still drivable but needed to be addressed. I actually discovered it by accident after another CSC owner checked mine visually after he went through it. There were no symptoms and could have kept going for probably a pretty long time without replacing but glad I did. That should be able to be done by a local trike shop if it is ever needed.

The wheel bearing was actually pretty easy. It was the right side one. It's a matter of remove the tire, caliper and rotor. Then 3 bolts hold the bearing hub on. Pull it off, put new one on and reverse. It was rather easy to do. I did have to buy a new torque wrench to handle the 200lbs torque needed for bolts. I diagnosed it because of bad vibrations where trike shook pretty good at highway speed. I just went ahead and replaced both for good measure. The hubs with bearings can be replaced with 97 Chevy Cavalier front wheel hubs.

That was pretty much the only issues I ran into with my CSC Viper conversion and both were within last couple years. Neither would have been an expensive fix either.

Here is one thing I also thought about. The older CSC Cobra trikes had issues with the rear end and driveshaft but offered a retrofit kit to upgrade in early 2010's. I don't recall what the actual problem was but believe it was prior to 2012. I found a tech article on CSC that describes the retrofit. IIRC, the tray under the rear end is different on the upgrade and should be a way to identify as the driveshaft will be covered by a gravel pan so not easily visible. I would suggest that if you go with a Cobra kit or an early Viper kit, you make sure that you have the retrofit. Here is the instructions for the upgrade. https://img1.wsimg.com/blobby/go/19...Driveshaft Retro 5-2021.pdf?ver=1740753226926

I hope to find a trike (w/in my range) w/ CSC, but I may not be that lucky. IS THAT RETRO FIT one that the owner can do? Not sure I have the confidence or skill required! haha. Like that yours has been relatively problem free.

When I got home I had a message from one of the dealers I have been talking to, he said they just took in a '02 GW trike on trade in. I have not looked at the pics yet and it is an '02 BUT I am going to look anyway!

 

[MT Jackass]

I hope to find a trike (w/in my range) w/ CSC, but I may not be that lucky. IS THAT RETRO FIT one that the owner can do? Not sure I have the confidence or skill required! haha. Like that yours has been relatively problem free.

When I got home I had a message from one of the dealers I have been talking to, he said they just took in a '02 GW trike on trade in. I have not looked at the pics yet and it is an '02 BUT I am going to look anyway!

If my step by step is a waste of time or boring let me know.
This '02 was at the Sturgis Indian dealership. The woman who traded it in is the one who beat me to the red '07. It is a beautiful orange similar to a Harley orange. It has a Road Smith Ultimate ST-18 conversion. And is a straight axle. So it was easy for me to walk away.

 

[pwhoever]

If my step by step is a waste of time or boring let me know.
This '02 was at the Sturgis Indian dealership. The woman who traded it in is the one who beat me to the red '07. It is a beautiful orange similar to a Harley orange. It has a Road Smith Ultimate ST-18 conversion. And is a straight axle. So it was easy for me to walk away.

Nope, not bored. I think it's been a lively discussion so far. Hopefully my long winded responses haven't been over the top. I'm sure you've noticed but I am passionate about GL1800's and California Sidecar conversions.

And I think you made the right choice. Now that IRS are widely available, that's the way ti go over the straight axle. I think you would have been disappointed with that for your first trike.

 

[trike lady]

Just make sure the frame welds have been done. Check for the punch mark on the VIN tag or have the VIN run at the Honda dealer. https://roadsmithtrikes.com/models/roadsmith-hts1800-honda-conversion-kit/
I'm pretty sure the units are independent suspension.

 

[MT Jackass]

Nope, not bored. I think it's been a lively discussion so far. Hopefully my long winded responses haven't been over the top. I'm sure you've noticed but I am passionate about GL1800's and California Sidecar conversions.

And I think you made the right choice. Now that IRS are widely available, that's the way ti go over the straight axle. I think you would have been disappointed with that for your first trike.

No not over the top. The passion shows. I personally prefer more information than less. If it is something I already think I know or have heard about it just validates that aspect. If it is something I have not heard of or thought of then I just learned something and it gives me a thread to pull for more info.

 

[MT Jackass]

Just make sure the frame welds have been done. Check for the punch mark on the VIN tag or have the VIN run at the Honda dealer. https://roadsmithtrikes.com/models/roadsmith-hts1800-honda-conversion-kit/
I'm pretty sure the units are independent suspension.

There are a lot of different considerations per year. Thanks for the reminder about the frame welds.

The conversion kit on the '02 I mentioned above was labeled Ultimate ST-18. The dealer and I both looked it up separately. It is a RoadSmith and per the dealer it was a straight axle.

 

[trike lady]

Boy that is old, the Ultimate line is long gone. They had an awesome looking conversion for the GL1500.

Trike Shop Ultimate conversion
I should have read what you posted more carefully, then I would have stated it was made by the Trike Shop before they changed the name to Roadsmith. Somewhere on a tag they will find the original name.

 

[trike lady]

If you think I'm telling a fib and it's not the same company The Trike Shop and Roadsmith, just run the above web address.

 

[MT Jackass]

Been in touch with an owner of a 2007 Hannigan GW kit with 20K miles. I know I said I was shying away from private sellers but the mileage was lower than the dealers' trikes.

I asked some questions and his response is below. Seems like he is attributing an "error" message to the ABS(?). If ABS was screwed up would there be an error message or would that message only be for a general motor train issue. Hannigan's web site says they did keep ABS on Honda conversions so if the bike had ABS it should still have ABS and I believe the '07 model had ABS.

What he calls "shuttle" missing at higher rpms, could that just be dirty fuel injector jets where a couple of bottles of Sea Foam could clean it up. Or were '07s subject to fuel injector problems?

I am not ready to run from this one yet but I am not a mechanic and either is the seller. He is at least the second owner and not sure how cared for it was before him. The mileage is on the low end.

the 180 front end would have been be a nice touch but also something I could do later. The Steer-Lite would also be nice but guessing it can be done at any time after purchase.

Any thoughts? If he takes it in anywhere they should be able to get a code on what triggered the light.
Thanks


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I’ll try to answer your concerns about the trike. I’m in the same condition as you are with going to a three wheeler because I just didn’t trust myself anymore on two wheels. What a shame after being an enthusiast for 70 years.

Question 1. no paint or body damage. 2. I would have to say that I don’t know how to answer that question about ABS. When we turn on the ignition, a screen comes up saying error, but I’m sure that is caused when making a three wheeler, then the rear air ride is not utilized anymore so the computer doesn’t see it. As far as ABS, it may still apply to the front wheel, it wasn’t disconnected as far as I know, we might check the Honda specs to see if it was a standard item. This bike has all the options that I know about and some other ones also, I could tell you about them if we ever talk on the phone.
3. I know the steering wheel-lite was a Hannigan option, but I cannot identify it. It has 130-70-18 front tire, maybe that answers that question ? 4, as far as mechanical issues, it has developed a shuttle missing at higher rpm’s, these scooters are fuel injected, so just guessing it doesn’t seem to be a spark plug because as you know Honda motors are very impressive when you rev them up, and this one is impressive. I’m going to take it to a shop to be serviced, because I don’t know when it was last done. The previous owner probably told me but I don’t remember. I’ve only put a couple of hundred miles on it myself so my mileage didn’t require any work. 5. With a 130 front tire I’m guessing that it’s a stock front end. 6. I’m not sure but the family I bought it from in Seattle seemed to be the first owners. 7. as far as servicing, I don’t know what the previous owner had done, but with the mileage it’s probably do. I intend todo that as soon as I can. We’re in small town and I’ll need to locate a shop to handle that. 8. Rear tires are very good, front tire is about 50 %, I thought I’d check into the front tire when it goes to the shop.
/////

 

[pwhoever]

An 07 could have ABS as long as it has navigation. You may recall my post from earlier.

If there is an ABS problem, there is a little ABS red warning light that comes on and stays solid all the time. It would only apply to the ABS system. The ABS light does come on initially when key turned on and motor started. Usually after starting to drive and reaching over 5mph, the light will go out and stay off as long as there are no problems with ABS. If it stays on, then there could be an ABS issue. In many cases it's a simple repair. Often it is just a problem with the front wheel sensor and cleaning the face of that sensor clears the issue. It also may be the tone ring on the front wheel needs a bit of cleaning. As far as the rear, I'm not real familiar with how Hannigan makes that happen. I know on the CSC, a ring is added to the far rear of driveshaft and the OEM sensor gets reused by installing it in a custom bracket. But rear sensor could need cleaning on the face of it as well. It could be a problem with the ABS modulator but it doesn't seem to happen to often and a further diagnosis by a mechanic would be needed.

The high speed miss could certainly be an injector issue especially seeing that it hasn't gotten a lot of use. Th3se bikes/trikes really like to be driven and not being driven, you can end up seeing issues like this. The injectors could get a buildup on them and then restrict the flow when higher demand is called for. And it still could also be a spark plug issue. Especially since he doesn't know when it was serviced last. If it were me, new plugs and a couple tanks worth of using Chevron Techron. I'm a big fan of that and think it works well in cleaning the fuel system.

I'm not sure what warning he is talking about showing up on the screen. It definitely would not be an ABS error showing up there. Like I mentioned, a problem with ABS would be indicated by the little red warning light. The screen error light could be related to the suspension. I'm not sure how Hannigans are set up or if they use the OEM rear suspension system. The warning on screen could be saying "Adj Susp Error" which would mean either the rear suspension system was not fitted to the trike or there may be a small issue with that. Not necessarily a deal breaker. On my 07 CSC conversion, I would occasionally get that after I had my bike converted. After much troubleshooting, I finally figured out that 1 of the 3 connectors on back of dash gauges was never fully seated by the trike installer and intermittently caused the error. Fully seating that connector fixed the problem.

The 180 Hannigan front end is a cool idea but not necessary. IMHO, it would make steering at slow speeds a bit difficult because there is a larger patch of the tire rubber in the round. I personally like just using the stock tire size and it works just fine. I knew of one Hannigan owner that complained about the 180 because of that so that also is not a deal breaker to me.

And easiest way to tell if there is a rake kit (steer lite in this case) is to just visually look at the top or bottom plate of the triple tree. Easy to do. If it is black, it is most likely the stock OEM triple trees. If it is silver then it is an aftermarket triple tree and most likely the rake kit. And I am a firm believer in rake kits.

It doesn't sound awful just yet. He mentions that he is going to bring the trike in and have it serviced. I would suggest waiting for the trike to be inspected and serviced and see what gets mentioned by the mechanic. Then make a decision. If the price is really good, it is something to consider.

 

[pwhoever]

From doing a little research, Hannigan definitely does not retain the rear suspension adjustment system. They replace the rear suspension with Progressive shocks that have 5 position adjustments.

 

[pwhoever]

And I was able to find a pic of the steering Lite rake triple trees. This is what it looks like.

 

[MT Jackass]

An 07 could have ABS as long as it has navigation. You may recall my post from earlier.

If there is an ABS problem, there is a little ABS red warning light that comes on and stays solid all the time. It would only apply to the ABS system. The ABS light does come on initially when key turned on and motor started. Usually after starting to drive and reaching over 5mph, the light will go out and stay off as long as there are no problems with ABS. If it stays on, then there could be an ABS issue. In many cases it's a simple repair. Often it is just a problem with the front wheel sensor and cleaning the face of that sensor clears the issue. It also may be the tone ring on the front wheel needs a bit of cleaning. As far as the rear, I'm not real familiar with how Hannigan makes that happen. I know on the CSC, a ring is added to the far rear of driveshaft and the OEM sensor gets reused by installing it in a custom bracket. But rear sensor could need cleaning on the face of it as well. It could be a problem with the ABS modulator but it doesn't seem to happen to often and a further diagnosis by a mechanic would be needed.

The high speed miss could certainly be an injector issue especially seeing that it hasn't gotten a lot of use. Th3se bikes/trikes really like to be driven and not being driven, you can end up seeing issues like this. The injectors could get a buildup on them and then restrict the flow when higher demand is called for. And it still could also be a spark plug issue. Especially since he doesn't know when it was serviced last. If it were me, new plugs and a couple tanks worth of using Chevron Techron. I'm a big fan of that and think it works well in cleaning the fuel system.

I'm not sure what warning he is talking about showing up on the screen. It definitely would not be an ABS error showing up there. Like I mentioned, a problem with ABS would be indicated by the little red warning light. The screen error light could be related to the suspension. I'm not sure how Hannigans are set up or if they use the OEM rear suspension system. The warning on screen could be saying "Adj Susp Error" which would mean either the rear suspension system was not fitted to the trike or there may be a small issue with that. Not necessarily a deal breaker. On my 07 CSC conversion, I would occasionally get that after I had my bike converted. After much troubleshooting, I finally figured out that 1 of the 3 connectors on back of dash gauges was never fully seated by the trike installer and intermittently caused the error. Fully seating that connector fixed the problem.

The 180 Hannigan front end is a cool idea but not necessary. IMHO, it would make steering at slow speeds a bit difficult because there is a larger patch of the tire rubber in the round. I personally like just using the stock tire size and it works just fine. I knew of one Hannigan owner that complained about the 180 because of that so that also is not a deal breaker to me.

And easiest way to tell if there is a rake kit (steer lite in this case) is to just visually look at the top or bottom plate of the triple tree. Easy to do. If it is black, it is most likely the stock OEM triple trees. If it is silver then it is an aftermarket triple tree and most likely the rake kit. And I am a firm believer in rake kits.

It doesn't sound awful just yet. He mentions that he is going to bring the trike in and have it serviced. I would suggest waiting for the trike to be inspected and serviced and see what gets mentioned by the mechanic. Then make a decision. If the price is really good, it is something to consider.

Thank you pwhoever for chiming in.

I did refer to your previous post. His model must be an 1800A with Navi and of course ABS. Also a beefed up audio system which is a plus with the '07 model year.

He hasn't scared me away yet especially with his willingness to take it in for service. And agree that I will wait until after that has happened to make any decisions. Only slight hick up is that he is an old boy like me. He lives in a small city which is the larger of the cities around it I believe. My search for Honda dealer did not bring up any close by to him + if he cannot ride the trike due to health getting it easily to a dealer may be a problem. Of course I may be projecting my future in a few years and making an issue where there is none. He and I will talk on phone either today or tomorrow.

Not having a 180 on the front is not a deal breaker as is not having the Steer-Lite, if that proves to be the case. The Steer-Lite can be put on later and I think it is the only way to go if not already done. I have always liked a bigger tire on the front for hwy travel, BUT perhaps a 180 is over kill. I will have to see how my shoulder heals and if it will be able take the extra muscle at slow speeds.

My primary concern is the error light. Which will hopefully be figured out after servicing. I wasn't sure about the "missing" at higher rpms but thought it might be relatively minor issue.

I really like the Hannigan since they supposed to be the best at handling curves. I had not seen many in my search in my price range.

Thanks again!

 

[pwhoever]

Well I'm curious to know the exact error showing up on the screen. Like I mentioned, it won't be an ABS error message. If it is the suspension error "susp adj error" that can be easily shut off normally by disconnecting negative battery terminal for about 30-40 seconds and leaving the suspension adjustment buttons alone.

 

[MT Jackass]

Talked to the seller -- he is going to take the trike to the nearest Honda dealer which is 85 miles away to have it ck'ed over. Dealer said they would need it for a week. Busy I guess. I am going to tickle my calendar for 10-12 days.

He said there are no words or code #s with the error message. If I heard him correctly he said that the message comes on when the key is turned to ignition but goes away after it is started. I believe he said that the original owner told him that the "error" was the computer looking for the rear air suspension which is gone. I didn't mention anything about tying a reset since it is going to be ck'ed at the dealer.

He tried to ck the color of the triple trees but just said it was dark and he couldn't see. He didn't think it had been installed since "it doesn't turn like it has power steering".

I had him start it up while we were on the phone -- it cranked 2-3 times before it kicked in. I couldn't really tell much from it running. He has it stored in a building and it may have been backed against a wall -- sounds were echoing.

He said it has not been ridden much since he got it. That is all I know until it gets back from the dealer.

 

[pwhoever]

Well looks like it's time to hurry up and wait then, LOL!

Hopefully you get good news when he gets back from dealer.

 

[MT Jackass]

Well looks like it's time to hurry up and wait then, LOL!

Hopefully you get good news when he gets back from dealer.

tick ............................................................... tick .................................................................................. tick

I am expecting good news. But still ck'ing new trike listings just in case.