It has a Lehman Hobo kit with 10,500 miles on it. Before I go look at it does anyone have any info good or bad about this kind of setup?
It has a Lehman Hobo kit with 10,500 miles on it. Before I go look at it does anyone have any info good or bad about this kind of setup?
Are there larger, more powerful, more comfortable trikes that would be better suited for cross country runs ? Absolutely and you can check out many of those here on this site. At the same time, I wouldn't count out the Suzuki/Lehman as it can make long runs as well. It's a matter of what you're looking for in a trike to suit your own riding needs. <br />
<br />
I've taken on the maintenance of an '02 Suzuki/Lehman with roughly 11,000 miles on it where the maintenance was seriously neglected and it's still a very solid machine. <br />
<br />
You've got the Suzuki portion and the Lehman portion.......<br />
<br />
The VS800 is a good, dependable machine. 10:1 compression ratio, approx. 53 HP, not a screamer as a trike, but it's no slug, either. It'll do the posted speed limit as a trike no problem.<br />
<br />
Performing routine maintenance on the Suzuki portion ? Some good points, some bad points.
Changing radiator coolant is easy. Self-adjusting clutch is a nice feature. Changing oil and oil filter is easy. Battery access is not so fun. To change the air filters and spark plugs requires removing the seat and gas tank. But once those maintenance items are done, one doesn't have to mess with them until next time, so it's bearable.........only exception for me is not being able to access the spark plugs easily as even if one isn't changing spark plugs, I like to CHECK them periodically. <br />
<br />
Lehman portion ? Rear brakes must be adjusted manually, but again, that's not something that needs to be done every week, so one can live with that. There was a discussion in the link below......please make your own decision on that:<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.triketalk.com/forum/technical/7834-lube-7-5-ford-rearend.html" target="_blank">http://www.triketalk.com/forum/techn...d-rearend.html</a><br />
<br />
All in all, if you feel that the Suzuki/Lehman will meet your needs and the price is right, I'd say "Go for it!"<br />
<br />
Good luck and Ride Safe.........<img src="images/smilies/thumbup.gif" border="0" alt="" title="" class="inlineimg" />
Thanks for the reply Ol' Grey, the guy is selling it for someone on consignment and he said he just cleaned the carbs and other than a few scuff marks on the fender it is supposed to be in good shape. He did say that they are cold blooded but once warmed up they run great. Hoping to look at it later today.
My pleasure.........Many Japanese bikes can be cold blooded and the VS800 is no exception. In colder months, it can take a little longer to warm up than most, but yes, once warmed up, they're good runners.
Much less warm-up time during the warmer months, of course. Not sure what the temps are up your way, but I'd think it should still be warm enough that you should be able to have the choke all the way back in within a minute, 2 minutes MAX.
Encountered the choke knob not wanting to stay out on it's own on this one. If you ever find the same problem, just hold the choke knob out and turn the plastic dial directly behind it clockwise until the choke knob stays in place without having to hold it.....friction fit adjustment, same as a Harley choke.
Take a test ride, check it all out as much as possible........I "think" this '02 would have been $14k-$14,500 brand new....just to give you some idea what new would have cost, then you can gauge what the used price might be for yourself..........