Retired after working 33 years at General Motors, Larry Shepherd and a friend used their love for riding motorcycles to give them something to do.
Not wanting to work for a company, Shepherd and his friend, Jim Davis, decided to open up a business that made a special type of motorcycle.
Aging means that, for some motorcyclists, it’s more difficult to maintain their balance when they ride an 800-900-pound motorcycle. Besides the weight of an added rider, supporting the weight and maintaining balance can be tough on the back and knees.
‘Keeping you on the road? is the theme for Trikes of Oxford, a company that takes motorcycles made by Harley Davidson and Honda and converts them into ‘trikes,? a three-wheel motorcycle.
One of the main advantages of having a trike, Shepherd said, is that when stopping at a red light, you keep your hands on the handle bars and your feet on the floorboards instead having to move your limbs around to balance the bike. This especially comes in handy during stop-and-go traffic.
Shepherd, who’s had this business since 2004 and has been solo since the retirement of Davis in 2006, uses Champion conversion kits. It takes him five to seven weeks to get the conversion kit once a customer places an order and then two weeks to install it. ‘I build trikes the way they should be done,? he said. ‘I take time and do it right.?
Doing it right also means customizing trikes to the needs of each individual rider.
Despite the 200-250 pounds of added weight that come with the conversion into a trike, the gas mileage difference isn’t that much: standard motorcycles get about 45-50 mpg while trikes get about 40, Shepherd said.
He estimated that he does about 40 conversions a year. Shepherd figures to stay very busy, even though Harley-Davidson now features a trike (Honda does not) that it will be offering for delivery in 2010. He feels that instead of hurting his business, this will actually help it.
‘Harley-Davidson’s offering trikes to its customers validates trikes,? he said.
Besides, there are plenty of motorcyclists with older models that they need converted into three wheels.
For more information, visit Shepherd’s website at www.trikesofoxford.com or call 248-770-3423.