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


////////
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.

 

[MT Jackass]

UPDATE:
As far as I know and as of Wednesday the 26th of March the trike has not been taken into the dealer. It has been 2 weeks since the seller and I first talked by phone. I am beginning to think that he does not really want to sell, or something else is going on.

I would just walk but:
(1) It is an '07 Hannigan conversion w/low miles and no damage as far as I can tell from pictures. I was leaning heavily toward a Hannigan because of larger storage & their IRS setup. There seem to be few Hannigans for sale in my comfort $$ range w/o some other neg with the trike;

(2) I contacted the Honda dealer the seller said he was going to take it to and they actually had a work order. The seller called it in on the 17th of March but had not brought it in as of yet.

The seller seems sincere when I talk to him but has given me 2 different excuses for why he hasn't brought the trike in + he is vague about some items like whether or not the bike has ABS. And I don't mean vague like I think he is trying to mislead me, I think he really isn't sure. He has had the trike for 2 (?) years but has only put maybe 500 miles on it. In fairness, the shop is 85+ miles away from the seller and he is 80-81 yo. I am 74 and understand that age may factor into some of this.

I have been monitoring other trikes but don't want to waste a sellers time asking questions until I know this one is a loss. I contacted the seller again on the 26th of March and explained that I have a trip planned with fixed dates and adding in the 30+ days the shipping companies say to allow/expect delivery, I am already cutting it close.

My plan is that if he hasn't told me on or before next Wednesday that he brought it in, I will ck with the shop and if they don't have it I am going to kiss it goodbye.

I am just venting.

 

[pwhoever]

I understand your compassion for the seller. However, not trying to sound harsh, that really is none of your concern especially since you have possible options available. You are the buyer and don't have to buy from this guy even though it sounds like it could be a pretty good deal. The seller has made promises and failed to keep them. I would call and issue an ultimatum and if he can't follow through, move onto the next. And quite often, the shipping companies struggle to meet deadlines. Just something else to be aware of.

 

[MT Jackass]

I understand your compassion for the seller. However, not trying to sound harsh, that really is none of your concern especially since you have possible options available. You are the buyer and don't have to buy from this guy even though it sounds like it could be a pretty good deal. The seller has made promises and failed to keep them. I would call and issue an ultimatum and if he can't follow through, move onto the next. And quite often, the shipping companies struggle to meet deadlines. Just something else to be aware of.

Well I guess yelling into the wind worked!

I was just going to re-contact another seller that I made preliminary contact with yesterday and my wife noticed I had a text message from the original seller w/ the Hannigan.

He texted that he had just dropped off the trike at the shop and gave me the service manager's name to talk to him about the trike. Progress!

I hope the shop can evaluate the trike quickly so if it bombs I don't loose out on the other one.

Original trike is an '07 GW Hannigan w/ 20K miles silver, body looked great was mis-firing at higher rpms and had a code w/o number that would come up when turned on and then go away after being started. In shop to be evaluated.

The other one is a '10 GW CSC w/ 44K miles black, body looked great and had been well maintained per seller.

IIRC the '07 and '10 are basically identical bikes.

 

[pwhoever]

....

IIRC the '07 and '10 are basically identical bikes.

Basically yes. One difference would be the navigation system which if they are both ABS, they will have. The 06-08 navi is basically obsolete. No updates available but if you have some computer skills along with a Garmin that has lifetime updates and make your own mapsets. But there are still limitations on how it operates if you do that. The 09-10 also has no updates available but less limitations if you make your own mapsets.

Another difference is that 09-10 have XM satellite radio capability. And with that, the ability to have XM traffic and XM Weather integrated into the Navi.

I almost forgot but it's kind of a moot point since it's now a trike. The stock 09-10 will also have TPMS but it's pretty basic and a notification light will show if one or both tires are low on air. This gets disabled once tried as the OEM tire with TPMS gets replaced with trike rear end so no TPMS sensor for that.

 

[paul.r]

I had a Lehman Monarch trike for five years,last year 2024 i received a recall for airbag and rear brake,No Honda dealer in the UK would touch it although one dealer did the airbag but refused to do the rear brake recall,after being in contact with Honda UK Head office and being promised it would be done...nothing...they would not let me take it anywhere else to be fixed as it had to be a Honda Dealer....I always serviced it myself..... as much as I loved my Goldwing Trike...never again.... I would go for Harley at least they would look after it....

 

[MT Jackass]

I had a Lehman Monarch trike for five years,last year 2024 i received a recall for airbag and rear brake,No Honda dealer in the UK would touch it although one dealer did the airbag but refused to do the rear brake recall,after being in contact with Honda UK Head office and being promised it would be done...nothing...they would not let me take it anywhere else to be fixed as it had to be a Honda Dealer....I always serviced it myself..... as much as I loved my Goldwing Trike...never again.... I would go for Harley at least they would look after it....View attachment 131980

Nice looking trike Paul. Sounds like quite a hassle trying to care for your trike. My local Honda dealer does nopt like trikes but they will work on the front GW part. Seems like your problem is a bit different - you were told to have them do the work and they are refusing. Did I understand that correctly?

 

[MT Jackass]

UPDATE 2:

Forget the '07 and '10 GW trikes I mentioned above. I pulled the trigger on a 2015 Road Smith conversion with 16,251 miles.

It is a base model. No navigation so I will use my Garmin and no ABS. it does have the basics of what I need: Heated seats and heat by the foot pedals for those cool and cold Montana Spring and Fall days.

I posted 2 pics in the post pics of your 2017 and below trike.

 

[pwhoever]

Congratulations on your purchase! I think you made a good choice on going newer.

 

[MT Jackass]

Congratulations on your purchase! I think you made a good choice on going newer.

I do too. I liked the '07 because it was a Hannigan with lots of storage for camping stuff and low miles. The '10 was a CSC also with good storage and black (a good color). The '15 with the Road Smith doesn't have as much storage but I used to get all my gear on a 2 wheeler so the box and trunk should do. And the color (burnt orange and black) is sexy and rocking. ;-)

As far as I know the '07 and '10 are still for sale. I know we cannot post links to FB or Cycle Trader but I talked to both of the owners and they seemed like honest people, there was actually a '12 either Motor Trike or Road Smith w/ low miles (?) that I was also looking at - the seller of that one was also a good guy. All of them were motivated to sell. Anyway if anyone was in the market these would be good place to start. DM me if you want more info.