No Stallions for 2011

[Trike Talk News]

We just received an email from Thoroughbred Motorsports informing all Stallion Dealers that there would be no 2011 Stallion Trikes built this year. So we do not misquote or misread TBMS's intent for the Stallion line, we are posting their email here:

Good Afternoon & Happy New Year to Everyone,

The purpose of this mailing is to let you know what we are doing with the Stallion. We will not be offering a 2011 Stallion this year. There are a number of reasons for this decision and we will review them right now. The 2.3L motor that we have been purchasing from Ford will no longer be manufactured in the United States. It will be made in Spain. We were told that it would be manufactured in Mexico, but that plan was changed. The price of the motor and all of its related components were raised 40% which has priced us out of the motorcycle market.

The question you are asking right now is "Is the Stallion dead?". The answer is no. Last year we did not have a warm fuzzy feeling about the response we were getting with Ford. They are a great company but we are such a small part in their business plan and we can only purchase what they have to sell. The decision to stop the Ranger and not to proceed with the F-100 put us in a position where we may not have a power plant we could purchase. We had to seek our other alternatives and we have. We will have information available to you in the next 45 days as to what direction we will be pursuing.

Thank you for your patience,
Jeff & Diane

source: Motor Trike

[deanone98]

This announcement is quite a shock to us Stallion owners. It brings up questions about repair work and warranty work. Needless to say that it will not help the resale market either for the Stallion.
Dean

[Carbon_One]

While this may or may not be a set back for TBMS it looks to me that they do intend producing them once they get their engine/trans vendor squared away. Being that sales are slow anyhow and the time it'll take ramping up another companies engine & trans I can see why they are shutting down production at least for a while.
Larry

[pasadenajim]

There was a thread posted 12/11 by molinoman about the 2011's. I responded to that thread on 12/19. The gravaman of my post was for TBMS to man up on what was happening with the Stallion. That there will not be a Stallion produced for 2011 is no surprise to those cautious prospective buyers who have been burnt by motorcycle hype and hoopla over the years.

I'm sad the unit won't be produced, yet I'm glad I didn't plunk down a "nonrefundable deposit" required by dealers. I would trust that this site would permit the public identification--the "outing"-- of those dealers who don't quickly refund those "nonrefundable" deposits. I won't bother commenting on all the "they'll make it good" posts in the Stallion forum. For an outsider, a non-owner, all the problems and issues were omens.

Rather than wait another year for a model that may NEVER be manufactured again, I will update my current trike. Parts were ordered today. I suspect a number of prospective owners are now out of the Stallion market...for good. For those currently Stallion owners, as one trike owner to another, I wish you good luck.

[Gorilla]

There was a thread posted 12/11 by molinoman about the 2011's. I responded to that thread on 12/19. The gravaman of my post was for TBMS to man up on what was happening with the Stallion. That there will not be a Stallion produced for 2011 is no surprise to those cautious prospective buyers who have been burnt by motorcycle hype and hoopla over the years.

I'm sad the unit won't be produced, yet I'm glad I didn't plunk down a "nonrefundable deposit" required by dealers. I would trust that this site would permit the public identification--the "outing"-- of those dealers who don't quickly refund those "nonrefundable" deposits. I won't bother commenting on all the "they'll make it good" posts in the Stallion forum. For an outsider, a non-owner, all the problems and issues were omens.

Rather than wait another year for a model that may NEVER be manufactured again, I will update my current trike. Parts were ordered today. I suspect a number of prospective owners are now out of the Stallion market...for good. For those currently Stallion owners, as one trike owner to another, I wish you good luck.

My only comment is that when TBMS was first taking orders for the Stallion we were the 25th order. We were advised it would be about 1 year to delivery. We put down a $3000.oo non-refundable deposit. As the year approached TBMS was having pre-production issues and we were advised that a delivery date could not be forcasted. WE WERE OFFERED OUR DEPOSIT BACK without even asking. We did not and we took delivery 6 months later. NO regrets.

I believe that Stallion will deliver a 2012 model with a different drive train. It will take that time to make the drive train fit the current frame. Wiring will be different, but not a big deal. Allot of vehicles out there have had to change the drive train for whatever reason. The older model will still be a viable item. Ford is not going to stop honoring the ranger warranty because they are no longer produced so they should still service the Stallion drive train under the Stallion warranty as they have been. TBMS is a sub company of Motortrikes so I believe they will continue to stand behind the current production without issue. In my dealings with Jeff and Diane Vey over the last 4 years is they have done everything they said they would. They have had unexpected issues, that all have been dealt with.

[jimjel]

What a shame, but not unexpected. TBMS unfortunately timed their market entry (through no fault of their own), to coincide with a severe economic downturn. Companies without a product to sell or trying to sell into a declining market, generally don't make it. With the US economy just beginning its trek in a southerly direction, I doubt that you will see a 2012 Stallion. TBMS won't be the only trike manufacturer that goes down the river of government destruction.

JJ

[tomg]

Sure hope they come thru with a new drive train--hopefully a Chevy drive train this time !!!
Tomg

[3-togo]

Hello,
Not trying to be difficult,but wall street,mortage banks,(madoffs ect.) were not responsible for the worst recession in our history? How about all those people who willingly purchased no interest loans. All have gone unpunished and the tax payer will foot the bill. All of us in some way are resposible for the financial debacle. Perhaps we as citizens should be more responsible for who we vote for and thier policies. Thank goodness social security was'nt given to wall street.

[Gorilla]

What a shame, but not unexpected. TBMS unfortunately timed their market entry (through no fault of their own), to coincide with a severe economic downturn. Companies without a product to sell or trying to sell into a declining market, generally don't make it. With the US economy just beginning its trek in a southerly direction, I doubt that you will see a 2012 Stallion. TBMS won't be the only trike manufacturer that goes down the river of government destruction.

JJ

The Stallion is not having a 2011 production due to lack of sales, I believe the factory sold all the 2010 production. The issue is having to raise the price to much because of the power train cost increase. i believe a new power train will be adapted and production will continue. The demand for this limited production item is there.

[John Luciano]

Why was it every time I asked what motor is in this I was told FORD Focus Now I hear F100 and Ranger??? I did notice for the last 4 months (OCT to JAN ) that the MT ADD in GWRRA was no longer carried. The Stallion was missing and the I REAR was the main point of the ADD. If they choose to use a different drive train , all depends on what one , the Value of the Old may go UP or down. May be a smaller power plant less HP or bigger less MPG ... Only time will tell. :yes:

[skuuter]

Why was it every time I asked what motor is in this I was told FORD Focus Now I hear F100 and Ranger??? I did notice for the last 4 months (OCT to JAN ) that the MT ADD in GWRRA was longer carried. The Stallion was missing and the I REAR was the main point of the ADD. If they choose to use a different drive train , all depends on what one , the Value of the Old may go UP or down. May be a smaller power plant less HP or bigger less MPG ... Only time will tell. :yes:

All of the ones I have looked at were Ford Ranger powered...

[tfdeputydawg]

So, Ford is not different than the other's! Took the jobs away from US workers, getting the motors cheaper(the auto big wigs words not mine) but, gonna charge you more. No wonder Ford didn't need any stimulus(our tax $$'s)monies

[molinoman]

tfdeputydawg...I kind of think that was a cheap shot. A lot of automobile parts and systems are made outside of the US...it's reality...don't necessarily like it but since "costs" is the main determining factor on how well something like the Stallion may sell (or any vehicle for that matter) and you know as well as everyone else does "we" strive to get the "best" price we can when we buy something, I can see why they were checking on where else that engine or similar type could be produced...and the news wasn't good. Ford makes a lot of engines especially in this range I'm "fairly" positive that if TBMS sticks with a Ford drive train that a similar if not better engine can be made to fit. Moving to a V6 however (as much as I would like to see it) may add enough weight that it may no longer be classified as a motorcycle. That would be unfortunate but there are still a lot of proven 4 cylinder engines out there (Fords) that could be adapted if necessary. The question is will Ford sell those engines to TBMS or are they only ordering enough for their run of car vehicles...I guess that will depend on how TBMS negotiates with Ford. I figure they, if production resumes, will keep a lot of the other Ford sourced parts as part of the final assembly.

tfdeputydawg...the above is what I was referring to in my opening comment to you...regardless of where the final componets come from there are still Americans assembling the Stallion (I hope) and selling them off of their sales floors, doing warranty work and delivering them to the various dealerships thru out the US.

But a lot of the concerns here are legitimate as far how long will this take, will they be able to rebound after a, hopefully, temporary hiatus from the market place, will the cost be close to what they were or is there going to be a big increase in price due to the new drive train? Time will tell.

Dennis

06 dtg KAF
09 dtg Dubai
10 dtg Thunderbird'n time

124 dtg Dubai
127 dtg HOME for good!

[tfdeputydawg]

Dennis, 1st thanks for your comments and not flaming me.
I will say no more. This is a motorcycle/trike forum and I am not going to turn it into a political debate, which seems to be the case on another board.
Noticed where you are located-Stay safe brother!
Dawg

[Blondie Gal]

tfdeputydawg...I kind of think that was a cheap shot. A lot of automobile parts and systems are made outside of the US...it's reality...don't necessarily like it but since "costs" is the main determining factor on how well something like the Stallion may sell (or any vehicle for that matter) and you know as well as everyone else does "we" strive to get the "best" price we can when we buy something, I can see why they were checking on where else that engine or similar type could be produced...and the news wasn't good. Ford makes a lot of engines especially in this range I'm "fairly" positive that if TBMS sticks with a Ford drive train that a similar if not better engine can be made to fit. Moving to a V6 however (as much as I would like to see it) may add enough weight that it may no longer be classified as a motorcycle. That would be unfortunate but there are still a lot of proven 4 cylinder engines out there (Fords) that could be adapted if necessary. The question is will Ford sell those engines to TBMS or are they only ordering enough for their run of car vehicles...I guess that will depend on how TBMS negotiates with Ford. I figure they, if production resumes, will keep a lot of the other Ford sourced parts as part of the final assembly.

tfdeputydawg...the above is what I was referring to in my opening comment to you...regardless of where the final componets come from there are still Americans assembling the Stallion (I hope) and selling them off of their sales floors, doing warranty work and delivering them to the various dealerships thru out the US.

But a lot of the concerns here are legitimate as far how long will this take, will they be able to rebound after a, hopefully, temporary hiatus from the market place, will the cost be close to what they were or is there going to be a big increase in price due to the new drive train? Time will tell.

Dennis

06 dtg KAF
09 dtg Dubai
10 dtg Thunderbird'n time

124 dtg Dubai
127 dtg HOME for good!

Appreciate your open and frank response. That's the tone we look for on this Forum, and you have enough to deal with for another 127 days. Thank you for your service, and we look forward to your coming home safe & sound.

BTW - who's the cutie-pie in the Triscuit box? (I'm essentially a cat person even though a 110-lb German Shepherd thinks differently.)

[molinoman]

That's "Barney the Entertainer" our "ragdoll" cat when he was a kitten (I think back in '08). He is a lot bigger now, fiesty and keeps my wife in stitches when he is "on his game".

I did try to be level headed about the topic...I am disappointed as well...after doing a lot of research, assembling pictures of the Stallion and as many mods as I could find...I thought it was/is an excellent trike vehicle and I do hope it comes back, bigger and better than ever...because eventually I will tire of motorcycles and will one day be in the market for a trike...the Stallion was my pick.

tfdeputydawg...thanks for your measured and thoughtful reply...to my reply...I wasn't sure if what I was going to say would come out right and did not want to offend you in any way I just had to disagree but in general there are a lot that have those same sentiments and on the surface I can't really blame you...I was just mainly referring to the predicament that TBMS found itself in.

Home in about 10 more days for some R&R (12 days...it'll have to do).

Dennis

05 dtg KAF
08 dtg Dubai
9 dtg Thunderbird'n time

[Mattel]

Ok, I think it is time for me to say some of you were correct regarding the Ford engine. I will man up and say I am now eating crow.

I can look at the bright side of anyting (including a mortal wound). Here, I belive this will give TBMS a chance to look at two types of power plants. One I hope they consider is a lighter more fuel efficent version that is not all about super power sir-race-alot! The other one should be a balls to the wall 100plus HP version for all of you who like to let is all hang out while evading the Po-Po.

I don't think (even though I have been proven wrong before) that replacement parts will be too hard to find, based on the fact that so many of these engines were produced. The only problem we may have is specific TBMS parts will be at the whim of TBMS to stock and produce. But, based on what I have personaly whitnessed I am not that worried about that.

I do wish TBMS the best of luck in this critical time. For they have just established a market for their product, and it is back to the drawing board to re-invent a lot of parts they have put blood sweat and money into over and over again. I feel for them as this is not their fault, but they will bear the costs and heart ache, and possible loss of their company due to factors beyond their control.

As to Ford moving jobs out of the USA, who cares if it is Mexico or Spain? Take a look at why they are moving them at all, that is the root of the problem. All I can say is bring the production job to NC. In NC we have a work force that will do the job at half the cost of the northen rust belt states!

I guess I have one more thing to say..... For those of you who think Stallions are not dependable take a close look at any blog on any Motorcycle and you will see the same thing. Many know I ride a Ducati and the issue with expanding gas tanks, hard starts, timming belts, valve adjustments, brittle fram wields, ect... OOhh, and the fact that you cannot run ethenol blended fuel!!!!! The fact is when you get down to it people will complain about anything.

Ride safe everyone, enjoy the wind in your face, and the freedom of the open road!

[oilslick]

motors are 2007 ford 2.3 ranger. Keep the oil & filter changed & you will go well over 100k. So why worry. Hope you bought it to ride and not to make money. Still the best Trike out there.
oilslick

[Bernie Bianchi]

All I hear is about the Ford motor. I'm looking for a owner. I'm thinking about buying a stallion. All I can find at the dealers are '09. I would like some feed back on how they ride and handle, and if there are any problems with them.

Bernie B

[Gorilla]

All I hear is about the Ford motor. I'm looking for a owner. I'm thinking about buying a stallion. All I can find at the dealers are '09. I would like some feed back on how they ride and handle, and if there are any problems with them.

Bernie B

Welcome aboard Bernie. There is a lot of information in the various threads in the Stallion section. My wife has put about 30k miles on hers in 3 years. Minor issues all were handled immediately by the factory. She loves it and gets out as much as possible. We have done several 2000 mile plus runs. Good luck in your search.