Anyone have problems with the Lehman clutch?

[DonnaT]

Hi - I'm new to the forum and registered to see if anyone else is having trouble with a Lehman clutch on a trike. My guy has a Lehman CrossBow powered by Victory Vision trike. The clutch needed to be replaced at 350 miles. There's some conversation about whether the clutch is covered under warranty. They say he didn't ride it correctly. They now tell him that he's supposed to wait 2 seconds after putting it in gear before opening it up. Anyone ever hear anything about this, or have any trouble like this?

[Lucky]

Welcome DonnaT! Glad you joined us.Sorry no helpwith your ?

[DonnaT]

Welcome DonnaT! Glad you joined us.Sorry no helpwith your ?

Well, thanks anyway for the welcome!

[Ol' Grey]

Typed in "Victory Vision clutch action" on Bing and was surprised to see no small controversy regarding clutch problems on some Victory's..........Others have toasted clutches at low mileages and some dealers have been trying to blame it on "owner negligence". Guess the clutch lever has a harder pull than other bikes and the clutch doesn't engage until near the end of the clutch throw........there's more, but you can read this thread and check out other threads by typing in the same as above.......Sorry to hear of your friend's disappointment and sure hope that he gets it resolved to his satisfaction.........Ride Safe.

victory clutch - Topix

[DonnaT]

Typed in "Victory Vision clutch action" on Bing and was surprised to see no small controversy regarding clutch problems on some Victory's..........Others have toasted clutches at low mileages and some dealers have been trying to blame it on "owner negligence". Guess the clutch lever has a harder pull than other bikes and the clutch doesn't engage until near the end of the clutch throw........there's more, but you can read this thread and check out other threads by typing in the same as above.......Sorry to hear of your friend's disappointment and sure hope that he gets it resolved to his satisfaction.........Ride Safe.

victory clutch - Topix

I'll check it out. Thanks for the response!

[DonnaT]

He's had this bike about 7 months. Before this clutch problem at 350 miles, he had the trike in the shop 3 or 4 times for the reverse going out. The bike has been in the shop at least half the time he's had it, no lie. He keeps saying he wishes he bought a Harley. Polaris, Victory and Lehman all point the finger at each other saying it's not THEIR fault, it's the other guy's fault. Now, they're saying it's the rider's fault. The only reason he even paid to have the clutch fixed is because he needed it fixed because he had promised Make A Wish that they could use it to give a disabled kid a ride. Now, he's talking to everyone and his brother at Victory and Lehman trying to get reimbursed for this clutch. It's crazy.

I'll admit I don't know much about bikes, or trikes, but Victory is saying he's supposed to wait 2 seconds after changing gears before giving it heavy acceleration and the dealer was supposed to tell him this. I call BS.

[Ol' Grey]

Here's another 3 page thread (typed in "Victory motorcycle clutch problems"), I skimmed it briefly......slipping clutch, ultimately having clutch pack replaced, question about possible tranny problems......some owners are getting cooperation from the dealers, some not so lucky. Majority of bikes not seeming to have any problems, but most definitely enough with problems to safely assume that the manufacturer is at fault, NOT the rider/owner. Whichever dealership (Victory ? or Lehman ?) the trike was purchased from should make good on this. If not, contact the Corporate office. Your friend paid good money and is entitled to have a dependable machine.

As far as that 2 second wait between shifts, I've never heard of that before. Even read some online Rider's Reviews and they never mentioned it, either. Pretty sure some guy in this thread was also told that "the transmission had to be broken in"....never heard to that kind of thing before either. Sure, there's the normal break-in period on any new bike, but essentially, they should be ready to rock right off the show room floor.

Clutch Problem Advice Needed? - Victory Forums - Victory Motorcycle Forum

[DonnaT]

Thanks Ol' Grey.

To clarify -- Lehman claims this 2 second wait is ONLY for the trikes. But, they're saying the Victory dealership should have told him this. I think it's their way of blaming Victory for the problem instead of admitting it's their fault. I'm a writer, and he's told the dealership that if this isn't resolved to his satisfaction, including some sort of compensation for all the riding time lost, he'll A) get a lawyer and B) have his girlfriend (me) devote all her spare time reporting about how bad a trike this is.

[Ol' Grey]

Since it's a Victory/Lehman trike, I'd think it'd be a "shared responsibility", with the dealership that sold the trike being the one to have to make it right, even it that requires assistance from the other manufacturer.

Are they saying that one shifts into 1st, has to wait 2 seconds for heavy acceleration, then shift in 2nd, wait another 2 seconds before heavy acceleration, etc. ? If this is the case, that's both ridiculous and poor design....regardless of trike or 2-wheeler.

It's a well known safety practice that when stopped at a light, one should have the trike/bike in first gear with the clutch lever held in. If a nearby car was heading your way out of control, one could engage the clutch and try to get out of the way. If one had to engage the clutch and wait 2 seconds before heavy acceleration, that 2 seconds could make all the difference between avoiding an accident or becoming a statistic!

I sympathize with Y'all. Keep after it, good luck and please keep us posted....

Ride Safe

[msocko3]

I don't have any experience turning wrenches on a Victory so I'm not familiar with gear ratios, I have however done a little nosing around to see what type of clutch their using. The clutch design their using is similar to what Harley uses on the big twins, a frictions and steels with a pressure plate and a diaphragm spring. The excuse of waiting 2 seconds after putting it in gear to what I'm going to assume is release the clutch is plain silly. Polaris has a design issue that shouldn't be that difficult to take care of. They may have to go with a heavier diaphragm spring or different friction and steel material, maybe even more frictions and steels. The mediocre clutch design is more than likely aggravated by the added weight of the trike installation and possibly a poor 1st gear ratio. For Polaris and Lehman to point fingers at one and other is plain silly also.

[DonnaT]

Since it's a Victory/Lehman trike, I'd think it'd be a "shared responsibility", with the dealership that sold the trike being the one to have to make it right, even it that requires assistance from the other manufacturer.

Are they saying that one shifts into 1st, has to wait 2 seconds for heavy acceleration, then shift in 2nd, wait another 2 seconds before heavy acceleration, etc. ? If this is the case, that's both ridiculous and poor design....regardless of trike or 2-wheeler.

It's a well known safety practice that when stopped at a light, one should have the trike/bike in first gear with the clutch lever held in. If a nearby car was heading your way out of control, one could engage the clutch and try to get out of the way. If one had to engage the clutch and wait 2 seconds before heavy acceleration, that 2 seconds could make all the difference between avoiding an accident or becoming a statistic!

I sympathize with Y'all. Keep after it, good luck and please keep us posted....

Ride Safe

Yes, that's exactly what they're saying -- go slow for 2 seconds, before heavy acceleration. I think this is way their way of blaming it on the rider. AND they're saying he's supposed to do this after EVERY gear.

[Gorilla]

welcome aboard thank you for bring an important issue to light.

[Ol' Grey]

Yes, that's exactly what they're saying -- go slow for 2 seconds, before heavy acceleration. I think this is way their way of blaming it on the rider. AND they're saying he's supposed to do this after EVERY gear.

Good grief, that's not even funny!

There's an obvious design flaw and "msocko3" has been kind and patient enough to offer Polaris/Victory/Lehman a clue on how to remedy the problem. It might be more pronounced on the trike models, but the referenced threads also speak of slipping and toasted clutches on the Victory 2-wheelers as well.

No one should have to adjust their riding style (meaning NORMAL riding style) to compensate for a factory design flaw.

Thanx for the head's up on this problem.......I won't be recommending either manufacturer to anyone unless or until we hear that they've sorted this one out.

[Lehman Trikes]

Hi DonnaT – our sincere apology to you and your friend for the experience you have had with your new CrossBow trike. Customer satisfaction is a priority at Lehman Trikes and I would like to share some additional information with you and any of the readers that may be interested.

We were contacted by the dealer regarding the clutch issue with your friend’s CrossBow. Our response was not as prompt as we would have liked because it is an issue we have not seen before. We were concerned that the cause of the problem had been identified and that it had been properly repaired. That communication took longer than it should have and is still on-going. The first time that we spoke with your friend directly was on Friday, December 9th. After discussion with him, he faxed us a copy of the repair bill and on Tuesday, December 13th a check was in the mail to him for full reimbursement. If he has not received the check in the next few days, please contact us so that we can follow up.

The Lehman Trikes Engineering Dept did extensive testing on the CrossBow trike before it was released. As a result of some of that testing they did design, test and approve a small change to the clutch engagement mechanism that is unique to the trike. This change is transparent to the rider and is designed to improve the life and performance of the drive train.

I do not know where the “wait 2 seconds” message has come from. I have seen nothing from our Engineering or Product Support Departments that suggests such a recommendation. I apologize, again, for any part we may have played in this misunderstanding.

With regard to the issues your friend has had with the reverse on his trike; that will need to be handled through a Victory dealer. That is a Victory option that they offer on their Vision motorcycle and many of the CrossBow riders ask to have it installed on their trikes.

I trust that with the repairs completed now, your friend can enjoy many trouble free miles riding his new CrossBow.

[DonnaT]

I sincerely appreciate the response from the Lehman representative.

Not to be argumentative, but in the interest of presenting the facts, I would like to clear a few things up.

A) The "2 second rule" was explained to us (and I was present at the time) by the dealer in Phoenix. My guy bought the trike in Vegas, but takes it to the dealer in Phoenix because that's where he lives. The manager said he spoke to someone at Lehman, and that person gave him this "wait 2 seconds" information, and informed him that the dealer in Vegas should have instructed my guy to ride the trike in his manner, which they of course did not.

B) When my guy talked to Lehman on the 9th, he was under the impression that Lehman was going to try to keep their customer satisfied. The representative was going to get back to him and let him know what their offer would be to make him happy. When the offer came back earlier this week, it was to reimburse him for the cost of repairing the clutch. Which is what should have been done in the first place. It was presented as a peace offering, designed to try to make him happy. Which it did not, quite frankly. The manager at the Victory dealership in Phoenix was trying to get someone (anyone!) to compensate him for the inconvenience and time lost with this trike. He paid quite a bit of money for this trike, and we expected to use it all spring, summer and fall. It only has 500 miles on it at this point, because it's been in the shop more than in his yard. Victory and Lehman let him down. The dealership in Phoenix seems to be the only ones that care.

C) According to the news reports, Lehman is having some trouble, and is considering selling the company. If Lehman sells their company, how does that effect the consumer's warranty?


And one final note -- Mainly to the rest of the board for added giggles -- to add insult to injury, the Vegas dealership where my guy bought the trike never transferred the title into his name. So, if there were any changes or recalls, he never received the notices. So, that's one more headache my guy has to straighten out.

[Ol' Grey]

On one hand, it's cool that Lehman reimbursed your guy for the clutch costs even tho' the bad clutch is actually a Victory item. On the other hand, we read this:

Lehman wrote: "The Lehman Trikes Engineering Dept did extensive testing on the CrossBow trike before it was released. As a result of some of that testing they did design, test and approve a small change to the clutch engagement mechanism that is unique to the trike. This change is transparent to the rider and is designed to improve the life and performance of the drive train."

Seeing as your guy's trike had his clutch go south at 350 miles, it doesn't appear that the Lehman up-grade helped very much in your case.

If you type in "Victory clutch problems" on Bing you'll see two different aftermarket companies (S&S and Sav-Ur-Ride) that are capitalizing on Victory clutch complaints.

[Subsailor]

I am new to this forum. I know this is an old post but read it with fascination as my wife just bought a Victory Crossbow in February this year. After reading these posts there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that it is the same trike that DonnaT was writing about. It has already been back to the shop here in Vegas for problems with reverse. The mechanic let us know that he was very familiar with this trike and the problems. The bike runs great. My wife loves it. The mechanic basically told us that it was a problem with the switch not disconnecting the reverse properly and it was all due to the dust in the desert. The bike now has just over 3400 miles on it. From these posts and from what the mechanic has told us it has been in the shop several times in Vegas and Phoenix I suspect for the same thing. I am thinking we need a better answer. To make it more interesting apparently the Dealer in Phoenix was still having trouble finding the title. I am guessing we are in for some 'fun' with this one and will not be using reverse for now.