Lehman wheel question

Hi all, I have a 2000 FLHTCU with a 2004 Lehman trike kit on it. It has stock Lehman wheels with drum brakes. Does anyone know if the stock tri-glide wheels will fit my kit? Thanks.....Mike

question is... will the drum brakes fit the tri-glide/ HA!

I think they are the same bolt pattern 4 x 4.25. You have a wide choice of wheels out there that will fit your kit. The TG is the one that is limited due to it's removable fenders. I have an early Lehman kit. I have a conversion kit (plans and details) for a disc brake conversion also. Anything that will fit the Ford fox-bodied family of cars with the proper offset will fit your trike. I don't think the drum brakes will be a problem. They are 10-inches overall OD. When I do a disc brake conversion, I use a 10-inch rotor and the TG runs a 9-inch (I think). Does yours have those monstrous 245 tires on it?

You can drop those down to a tire with a different profile and get better handling and fitment also. I run the stock TG size tire with the wheels that came on my kit.

1550vt, I can't believe I am finding your reply nearly a 18 mths after I made the original post. Thank you for the info, I still haven't changed the wheels but want to, and yes it does have those monstrous 245's on it.

I have a late 04 Lehman on my 05 Ultra. It has disc brakes, was this an option back then?

Lakeman, I am not sure about the disc brake being a option on your kit. It could be a conversion kit like 1550vt has. Does your kit have the stock Lehman aluminum wheels on it with the 245's, if not, what size tires do you run?

[QUOTE=blastr1;126917]Lakeman, I am not sure about the disc brake being a option on your kit. It could be a conversion kit like 1550vt has. Does your kit have the stock Lehman aluminum wheels on it with the 245's, if not, what size tires do you run?[/QUOTE]

Lehman stopped using the 245 tires and went to the 205/60 205/70 tires for most of their trikes in 2004. The narrower tire seemed to provide a better ride.

The disc brakes for the FLH-FLT was an option until new kits were produced in 2005. Disc brakes became standard on the FLH-FLT models. They used a Wilwood brake system when they became standard with an internal parking brake.

The Tri-Glide wheel has a different offset that the Lehman. They won't work unless you use 1.5 inch wheel spacers. If your intention is to make the rear tire easier to remove, a 215/60/15(16) or a 205/70/15(16) tire will give you that advantage, as well as an improved ride at 20psi.

If you are interested in different wheels or sizes, I might be able to help there.

Jim, thanks so much for the information, I haven't had occasion to remove the rear tires but it does look to be a tight fit. I would like to put different wheels on the rear but wasn't sure about the offset or bolt pattern. Also on most of the websites I look at wheels on, they don't offer many choices in 15's

This Suzuki - Lehman trike has the 245/60R15's and they're a bear to both remove and put back on due to the lack of clearance at the fender/wheel wells.

Could I put on either the 215/60/15's or the 205/70/15's using the same rim that the 245's are on now ?

Thanx in advance.......ThumbUp

[quote=sinical;227520]this suzuki - lehman trike has the 245/60r15's and they're a bear to both remove and put back on due to the lack of clearance at the fender/wheel wells.

Could i put on either the 215/60/15's or the 205/70/15's using the same rim that the 245's are on now ?

Thanx in advance.......thumbup[/quote]

are you sure they are not 245/50/15 ?
You can replace them with 225/60/15 or 205/70/15. The diameter of the tire (s) are almost the same but the tread width is wider in the 50 series than the 70 series. The rims are 7" or 8" wide and will fit.

[QUOTE=Lee H. Mann;227543]are you sure they are not 245/50/15 ?
You can replace them with 225/60/15 or 205/70/15. The diameter of the tire (s) are almost the same but the tread width is wider in the 50 series than the 70 series. The rims are 7" or 8" wide and will fit.[/QUOTE]

Thanx, Lee......Doubled-checked and they're Dunlop G/T Qualifiers, P245/60R15's. If I'm not mistaken, the first number is the tread width in millimeters. For example, the 245 would be 245mm wide, which is just shy of 9 3/4". More than anything, it seems to be the width of the tire that's fighting me every time.

As long as these original rims will accept 205 thru 245, am going to opt for 215/60/15's, approx. 8 1/2" wide and probably just the ticket for the much needed clearance.

Thanx again and enjoy the weekend ThumbUp

I know ..... OLD THREAD ..... but maybe it helps someone?

[QUOTE=Sinical;227589]Thanx, Lee......Doubled-checked and they're Dunlop G/T Qualifiers, P245/60R15's. If I'm not mistaken, the first number is the tread width in millimeters. For example, the 245 would be 245mm wide, which is just shy of 9 3/4". More than anything, it seems to be the width of the tire that's fighting me every time.

As long as these original rims will accept 205 thru 245, am going to opt for 215/60/15's, approx. 8 1/2" wide and probably just the ticket for the much needed clearance.

Thanx again and enjoy the weekend ThumbUp[/QUOTE]

First number is cross section of tire at fattest part side wall to side wall on a specific rim .... usually near center of range recommended for that tire.
Second number is aspect ratio ....

60 being 60%.

From bead to tread is thus 60% of 245 in this case.
Third is rim diameter.

As to the [B]245/60-15 Dunlop GT Qualifiers[/B] on a Lehman .... mine wore down enough that I started worrying about hydroplaning in even light rain and after some checking, I found that [B]215/70-15 [/B]were 4-5 pounds lighter each, the tread 1" narrower than the fatter ones, and I already knew they worked well on a 15x7" wheel. They are also just a couple tenths of an inch taller than the 245/60s so no loss in speed vs rpm with the 3.08 rear gear. I found [B]"LEMANS SR"[/B] white letter tires that look great on a Lehman" trike, same tire as a Firestone Indy 500 .... then ..... but they are no more so I need something else next time.
[B]
215/60-15s[/B] would work but at the sacrifice of trike rear ground clearance and elevate engine rpms at 60-65 even higher .... but it would make it pull harder with the shorter tires on the BRP ..... Hmmmmmmmm?

I also made some 1/2" spacers for between the wheel and drum and used longer tough Moroso Wheel studs cut down some to mount. This brought the tire sidewall back out towards the fender like it sets with the 245s, for asthetics.



I find easiest way to get tires off either way is to jack trike by frame ([COLOR=#B22222][I]made adapter for jack[/I][/COLOR]) carefully and slip jack stands underneath with axle hanging so tires are 3 inches or so off floor, then remove nuts and tilt bottom of tire inwards under trike as top rotates out and down.