Why Did Lehman Go Belly Up?

[Baldy_54]

May be an old question. I thought that Champion bought them?? If they did, wouldn't they be able to provide parts? Or did they go out of business also??

 

[Papa Zook]

May be an old question. I thought that Champion bought them?? If they did, wouldn't they be able to provide parts? Or did they go out of business also??

Craig Arrojo, Champion Trikes owner, did buy what was left of Lehman in 2012, after HD started, then ended their short-lived business relationship with Lehman. Craig widened the Lehman body molds, probably built new ones, to fit their slightly wider Champion IRS running gear and sold quite a few Lehman branded conversions. Craig still owns and operates Champion Sidecars and Champion Reverse.

Lehman Trikes Sells To Champion

 

[Baldy_54]

Craig Arrojo, Champion Trikes owner, did buy what was left of Lehman in 2012, after HD bankrupted them. He widened the Lehman body molds, probably built new ones, to fit their wider Champion IRS running gear and sold quite a few Lehman branded conversions. Craig still owns and operates Champion Sidecars and Champion Reverse Companies.



https://www.bhpioneer.com/local_news/lehman-trikes-sells-to-champion/article_acfbe9d4-c072-11e1-b56d-001a4bcf887a.html

Thanks Randy

 

[Jack Klarich]

When HD starting doing in house builds, Lehman could not compete, They were acquired by I believe

CSC

 

[Jack Klarich]

Good thread with great info here

 

[Ray55]

John Lehman, co-founder of Lehman Trikes passed away in Jan. 2012. Eventually Lehman trikes shutdown and was bought by Champion Trikes in Garden Grove, CA. Champion produced Lehman trikes for a few years and somewhere around 2018 Champion Trikes closed their doors and were eventually sold to the owner of D & D motorcycle in Tempe, AZ and around 2020 Champion was reborn as Champion of Arizona.

When I bought my Champion Kit in 2013 champion was owned by some big investment company, which the original owner of Champion was part of. The owner of Champion was a big Corvette and car collector. Sometime around 2017 I was at Champion talking to one of their salespeople and asked him if he had a piece of scratch paper to write the answer on what I was asking about and he walked over to his desk and picked up a sheet of paper and gave it to me. I took some notes and folded up the paper and stuck it in my jacket pocket and came home.

When I took it out of my pocket and looked at it and on the back side was a receipt for a New Harley Road King and a side car that had been bought and the sidecar attached and was shipped to Shanghai, China for a total cost of just over $78,000.

 

[Papa Zook]

When HD starting doing in house builds, Lehman could not compete, They were acquired by I believe

CSC

That was not the case. HD did not initially do inhouse builds, they contracted with Lehman to co-design the TriGlide's trike assembly and to assemble and test the TriGlides at Lehman's manufacturing facility in Spearfish SD.

Lehman was under the impression or at least had a reasonable expectation that Harley would aquire their company, but that did not happen.

 

[Papa Zook]

Lehman was a Sponsor here just before that and were great to deal with.

 

[Gorilla]

I visited the plant in Spearfish SD in 2010. Got a plant tour. The tour guide showed us the Harleys that were shipped to them from the factory to have the conversion done. He advised that after they were done with the conversion they were all shipped back to the HD factory and distributed by HD from their factory.

The guide also advised that the HD conversion for Harley factory bikes was slightly different then what they normally built. This process with Lehman for Harley was only for the 2009 and 2010 Tri Glide. Harley took over the total build of the TriGlide in 2011. Like Randy said Lehman was under the impression that Harley would take them over and they would build Tri-glides in Spearfish.

Regrettably for Lehman that didn't happen. And because the HD factory conversion done by Lehman was slightly different and that designed belonged to HD, Lehman did not have any recourse.

 

[Jack Klarich]

Lehman was a Sponsor here just before that and were great to deal with.

I learned somethin new here, Thanks for clearing that up