The ROADSMITH Story
Passion. Innovation. History.
The Trike Shop
In the early 1970s, The Trike Shop was established in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area as a manufacturer of VW-powered trike kits. Initially a part-time venture, its trajectory shifted rapidly as word spread about a new type of motorcycle-based recreational vehicle emerging in the market. While other brands existed in California, The Trike Shop offered a higher quality kit than what was available from California-based manufacturers.
By the early 1980s, the company transitioned to building mostly complete trikes instead of solely DIY kits. A growing community of owners and friends regularly joined the owners, Dick and Helen Lindholm, on annual rides, with Dick and Helen also organizing their own excursions and groups heading to Sturgis. The trikes continued to evolve into more sophisticated touring machines, featuring unique options like automatic transmissions and larger engines.
The 1990s marked a significant turning point. The Trike Shop moved into its current, larger facility, initially utilizing only a small portion of the available space. Recognizing the bright future of the trike market and the exciting potential of motorcycle trike conversions, the company quickly assessed emerging motorcycle models and sought ways to improve upon existing trike designs. The obvious drawback of existing trike conversions was their solid axle suspension, which provided a rough ride. Drawing upon their experience with independent rear suspension (IRS) in their VW-powered trikes, they developed a motorcycle trike conversion with IRS, starting with the Honda Goldwing. They even pioneered the offering of an auxiliary fuel tank, an innovation unheard of at the time.
In 1997, Dick and Helen Lindholm relocated to Daytona Beach, Florida, to establish a dealership and gain greater exposure beyond the upper Midwest. Their son, Doug Lindholm, and friend, Jim McGurran, took over the operational management of The Trike Shop.
The 2000s witnessed exponential growth for The Trike Shop. While the VW-powered trikes continued to sell well, the trike conversions experienced even greater success. The Daytona Beach store and a growing network of dealers across the country achieved tremendous results. By 2008, trike conversion kit sales had surpassed VW trike sales by a factor of approximately 80, leading to the strategic decision to focus on the burgeoning trike conversion market.
In 2001, Honda introduced the GL1800 Goldwing, and The Trike Shop launched the HT1800 conversion kit, which became a major success within the touring bike community. The dealership network continued its expansion.
2007 marked the year that the name “Roadsmith Trikes” was established as the brand for The Trike Shop’s trike line. “Trike Shop Trikes” no longer accurately reflected the company’s primary focus as a manufacturer.
In 2011, Roadsmith was honored with V-Twin Expo’s Motorcycle Design of the Year award for its new HDTR model, featuring the innovative Accuride auto-leveling system for heavy loads.
2012 saw the introduction of the VTR trike conversion for Victory motorcycles, appealing to an enthusiastic new customer base.
In 2014, following the introduction of the Indian Chieftain, the ICR kit was immediately developed, with a kit for the Roadmaster model following the next year.
In 2018, Honda unveiled the highly anticipated new GL1800 with both manual and DCT automatic transmissions. Roadsmith developed and received a patent on their reduced trail modified fork, which allowed Honda’s unique front suspension to function perfectly on a trike.
In 2021, the ICP trike conversion for the Indian Challenger and Pursuit models was developed. This has proven to be a significant success, as the liquid-cooled V-Twin engine with its abundant torque provides an ideal platform for a trike conversion.