1st Gen - Sidecar or Trike conversion??

[cabreco]

I am a planner, I like to always have a strategy in place. This being the case, I know that eventually (in time) if I want to keep riding 2 up with the wife, I will have to go on 3 wheels.

Using my 1st Gen as a platform (she only has about 15K original on her) would it be best to do a trike conversion or add a sidecar? I would love to hear the pros & cons from the group.

I'm sure each has their benefits, but since I have NEVER owned either I can only speculate.

 

I like the trike look but the sidecar may be more comfortable for the wife.

The added storage on each would be great too. & what about towing a trailer with a sidecar attached??

 

I would love to hear your thoughts so I can make an educated choice based on our needs

 

Thanks

[DragonRider]

I have been thinking sidecar for my 1st gen for some time, it would be cheaper than a trike conversion, and I dont think anyone is making the kits for the 1st gens anymore, but there are some nice sidecars out there, maybe even be able to find one used.

I am a planner, I like to always have a strategy in place. This being the case, I know that eventually (in time) if I want to keep riding 2 up with the wife, I will have to go on 3 wheels.

Using my 1st Gen as a platform (she only has about 15K original on her) would it be best to do a trike conversion or add a sidecar? I would love to hear the pros & cons from the group.

I'm sure each has their benefits, but since I have NEVER owned either I can only speculate.

 

I like the trike look but the sidecar may be more comfortable for the wife.

The added storage on each would be great too. & what about towing a trailer with a sidecar attached??

 

I would love to hear your thoughts so I can make an educated choice based on our needs

 

Thanks

[bongobobny]

I'm not sure if TriWing is still making them, but they were the only kits for trike conversion on a first gen. You might want to consider a Voyager kit which would be a lot cheaper. Hanniganmade a nice sidecar for the 1st gen. My feelings are go trike instead of sidecar as with a sidecar you turn real easy one way but not as easy the other direction...

[Ozlander]

Sidecar provides a lot of storage. However, when taking my wife and daughter to Mexico for 2 weeks I pulled a trailer also.

A sidecar rig turns just as fast in either direction.

 

[lsutley]

I bought my 86 with the sidecar attached. Two reasons that are kind of on the piratical side; it is easier for the passenger to use the car than climbing on the bike, and two the space between the seats is getting smaller. There are very few sidecar rigs on the road, estimated at only 2% of registered motorcycles. They are just a blast to drive (notice I did not say ride) and they seem to draw a lot of attention. The techniques to drive the rig are different than the trike and a lot different from two wheels. Your first sharp right hand turn, at a speed, a little higher than expected, can be a "Come to Jesus" moment, if you are not a trained or experienced sidecar driver.

 

My wife refuses to ride anywhere, other than in the sidecar. The seat is like a sofa. There are several groups that cater to sidecars only. The one that I like the best is SCT (Sidecar Talk) on Yahoo Groups. The link is SCT@yahoogroups.com.

 

There are a lot of different types of sidecars. They handle differently and the passanger comfort levels are all over the map. Do your research, attend a sidecar rally, ask a lot of questions and make your decision based on your own information and experiences. You will get many opinions (some a bit overbearing). I love the sidecar, my opinion!!

 

Try it, you may be as hooked as I am!

[greg_in_london]

Hmmm - sidecar or trike ?

 

I've had sidecars for years but never driven a trike.

 

Compared to an old brit bike the venture is not as easy to fit a sidecar to, but only because you need to think about where the fittings will go and will need to have some made up specially. That will still be much cheaper than building or buying a trike, though, unless you find someone who does not like the one he/she has.

 

The benefits of the sidecar for the passenger will depend on what you choose. If you want all-weather comfort that is easy to get in and out of, buy a fully enclosed sidecar (with good suspension) with large doors and/or a sliding or hinged roof. If you want fun for shorter journeys on sunny Sunday afternoons, get an open topped sidecar - they're much more fun, but tiring on longer journeys, especially at speed.

 

The issue as you get older is that a bike and sidecar (and trike too, presumably) needs to be steered physically and the suspension is not so accommodating - especially if you are hitting bumps with the sidecar wheel which rock the whole outfit (something that does not happen on a solo). What I'm saying is that you need to be ready to make some modifications if you want to ride such a big and heavy outfit as you get older. I know that mine is heavy, and that when I pull the trailer tent there is more weight still, and also that we do thousands of miles on it when we go on holiday, but... it's hard work and we break up the journey a lot. On a German Autobahn we cam travel all day (Thanks Squeeze for the good road surface). Off the major routes, into areas less well surface, or trawling up and down hills in traffic is much worse.

 

I still drive mine with telescopic forks, but many others use leading link forks, hub centred steering or something else that reduces trail and makes the steering easier and less flexible. Your brakes have to be well sorted. The suspension will ideally be uprated at some point and proper suspension on the sidecar will outperform simple isolastic trailer-type suspension for comfort.

 

Have a look out there at what you like. Driving one will be strange - you probably won't like it straightaway - so you'll need a chance to really adjust. Just don't have anyone in the sidecar while you're doing this - you're learning to drive again from scratch...

 

Depending on what you want the sidecar to do, you might find that a lighter bike meets your needs better, but that depends on where you live.

[Cougar]

I have had both side car and now trike. I myself like the trike much better for the turning part of it and the handling as well, lots more room etc. both wife and I really enjoy it. she did not like being in the side car at all. she however loves the trike and feels safer for some reason on it.

good luck on what ever you decide and welcome to the three wheel world.

Jeff

[barend]

trike: increased stability, more storage, lower mpg's, trailer rides centered behind the trike, two people. Never rode one!

 

Hack: a-symetrical trike> stable unless you do something stupid, much more storage, trailer rides centered behind rig or centered behind the bike (is there a preference?), three plus people, covered sidecars are for non claustrophobic people, you'll want to make sure your chair has it's own brake, especially on a 1st Gen; you'll definitely get the looks and allegedly you'll be safer because it looks different; expect to drop to 30-35mpg, convert to all LED running and tail lights on the unit to lighten the load on the stator; you have the storage to carry an extra battery and fuel in the hack. Unless properly set up, it's a bear.

 

As far as my experience with one, I have a leaning rig and my only experience with a rigid was driving mine home locked up as a rigid which left me wondering why anyone would want one. But!!! make sure it is set up properly and things will be much better. I have an open cockpit, which suits us since my wife would be tearing the canopy of if I were to have one to close on her. Brenda prefers the chair since it allows her to "sit up front" and she doesn't have to look around me all the time.