Ever have the feeling you’re headed for a bad blind date? As I eyed the trike sitting in front of me, I did. I stood face-to-face with the new Lehman Storm, billed as an entry-level, easy-to-operate, Kawasaki-Vulcan-900-based trike for those with limited motorcycle experience and/or no trike experience. I have 13 years of motorcycling experience but zero experience on a trike, so I fit the target market. 

But that knowledge didn’t matter. Eyeing the bright-red behemoth in front of me, it just looked so big—unmovable, unwieldy, unresponsive. Fun? Couldn’t wrap my mind around it. But I’ll eliminate the suspense now. When it came time to return the Storm to Lehman, I did so reluctantly—and delayed it as long as I could—because the surprisingly light-footed, lighthearted Storm simply won me over. 

To see how it stacked up, I put the Storm through my checklist of “desirable qualities wanted in a riding relationship.” First, physique. The Storm is big, but in a lean, muscular, well-proportioned way, wearing its 834-pound curb weight strikingly well. Its 26.5-inch seat height means throwing a leg over is easy, even for 5-foot-3, 29-inch-inseamed me. The Storm’s Kawasaki Vulcan 900cc cruiser platform presents a rider with supremely comfortable ergos—the bars comfortably reach your hands, the levers are wide and easy to pull, and the foot controls (with standard floorboards) don’t require a stretch to reach.      

 

The well-padded seat provides all-day riding comfort.

While it’s not all that necessary to be flat-footed on a three-wheeler, it helps to have both feet on the ground in order to move the Storm around, as it does not have reverse.

The Storm has definitely earned its letterman jacket for desirable quality number two, athletic talent. At first blush, its 900cc motor might seem a tad on the wimpy side, but the Storm knows how to rush the road with the speed and grace of a football fastback. The liquid-cooled V-twin provides more than 58 foot-pounds of torque at a low 3500 rpm—meaning it has plenty of get-up-and-go from a standstill—and delivers more than ample power for a trike of this size.

I rode the Storm on a variety of roads and in varying traffic situations. I felt it delivered quick, responsive power when I twisted the throttle and clicked through its five speeds, taking me up to 70 mph without breaking a sweat or seeming like it was trying too hard. Even riding two-up over a hill didn’t unnerve it. The Storm scrubbed off that speed quickly, too, thanks to its hydraulic-disc, dual-piston-caliper front brake with a 272mm rotor and its pair of hydraulic-disc, single-piston-caliper, 232mm-rotor rear brakes.

The brakes do a decent job of stopping the Storm.

The Storm also has an integrated parking brake.

Trike-riding friends warned me to beware of heavy steering and to prepare to use more upper-body strength to carve turns. Instead, the Storm made turning very agreeable, both on winding roads and with tight figure-eight turns. Lehman outfits the Storm with a triple-tree fork standard, kicks out the front wheel rake 5 degrees, and adds an adjustable steering damper to make steering lighter and easier.     

Next on the motorcycle dating checklist comes manners. Just how does the bike treat you during the ride? I watched for headshake—does the trike’s front end wiggle-waggle at slow speeds, making it difficult to hold the bars? Yes, the Storm did that. At first I noticed it an awful lot, but the more I got to know the Storm, the faster it went away—like a bad habit you overlook in someone you like. After four days, I detected very little headshake and chalked up some of that initial shake to my nervousness at riding a trike for the first time. 

I also noticed some side-to-side jostling at the rear, especially when riding over patches of small stutter bumps. Lehman’s trikes use a solid rear-axle design as opposed to independent suspension for each wheel, so I attributed that unusual rocking feeling to this particular suspension. However, normal bumps and holes uncovered no disagreeable attitude. In fact, I found that the Storm tracked surprisingly straight without a lot of coaxing from me. 

The Storm offers more than 2.5 cubic feet of lockable cargo space. You can fit items up to 30 inches long inside, and it will accept a full-face helmet. However, the cargo door sits on the right side, and it’s difficult to shove items to the trunk’s left side because of its irregular shape. Just make sure everything goes in before the helmet, as it will fit only right behind the door. 

The rear's sculpted design is unlike any other on the market. It has 2.5 cubic feet of cargo space.

A full-face helmet fits right inside the cargo door.

The Storm offers no reverse, but its low seat height and three-wheeled stability made it easy to back up. The Storm I rode was outfitted with optional accessories including a windshield, engine guards, passenger floorboards, passenger pillion and luggage rack—that increased the trike’s consideration quotient. The 72-spoke, laced chrome rear wheels are a Lehman accessory and retail for $649. 

The Storm is relatively budget-friendly. The 2011 model I rode retails for $16,195, and you can purchase 2009 and 2010 models starting from $14,495.    

Of the last two qualities to check off—looks and personality—the Storm has both in spades. It comes in black, blue and red, and judging from comments I received, most folks find it easy on the peepers. It’s cute. As for personality? Let’s just say if this fun guy asked me out for date number two, you betcha I’d answer yes.

Displacement: 903 cc, liquid-cooled V-Twin

Seat Height: 26.5 inches

Fuel Capacity: 5.3 gallons

Curb Weight: 834 pounds

Colors: Black, Blue, Red

Price: 2011 model: $16,195; 2009 & 2010 models from $14,495

New to triking? Think most trikes are too big for you? Then the Storm makes an ideal three-wheeler from a size and price standpoint. While the Storm is billed as entry-level, as a two-wheeler a 900cc isn't necessarily considered entry-level, so in terms of power the Storm works well as a beginner or end-all trike—one you would own awhile. And because you can easily outfit the Storm for touring, we suspect you’ll get very comfortable on this new offering from Lehman.