New sidecar threads and fittings

[greg_in_london]

I hope having sidecars added to the forum title is welcome - the styling choices and motivations of trikers and sidecarists may be different, but lots of the technical challenges will be similar.

 

There aren't a lot of kits available to fit sidecars to ventures, so unless you make your own subchassis, you have to hunt around a bit for places to mount to, not least because the seat and panniers attach to a bolt-on sub frame which is quite narrow tubing. I didn't think it suitable for attaching fittings to. (Unlike bikes which have twin shocks, where the tubing around the top has to be more substantial.)

 

Either way, I took some pictures for someone who asked how I sorted my sidecar fittings and would be interested in knowing how other people achieved the same aims.

 

Bear in mind that I'm in the UK, so the sidecar is fitted on the left. Also I fitted it several years ago, so excuse the grotty paintwork.

 

This is a view of the fittings between my 1983 VR and Squire QM1 sidecar:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/venture/frontview.jpg

 

I was a little worried about the stiffness of having all the mounts so far forward, so used three fittings at the back, but it was also because I could double triangulate across from the sidecars two chassis rails.

Here you can see the bottom two fittings:

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/venture/triangulatedrearlowermount.jpg

And here they are again from above

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/venture/rearmountsfromabove.jpg

I used a box clamp on the sidecar frame to have some forwards/backwards rigidity. I felt that I needed a good strong fitting on the left of the bike that would prevent there being any movement / flex when cornering, so I replaced the footrest hanger with a steel plate I could weld two eyebolts to.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/venture/footrestplate.jpg

There was a couple of inches of tube that I could squeeze a clamp onto, so that sorted the rear top mount on the bike.

 

At the front I had the conventional two fittings. I couldn't manage a clamp on the lower front bike fitting, so I used a female eyebolt onto an engine mounting bolt. I used an extra plate to spread the load, but in retrospect I'm not sure it makes much difference.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/venture/frontbottombike.jpg

At the top there is even less space so I had to make up a frame clamp - an eyebolt welded to a piece of plate, with holes drilled to accept U-shaped exhaust clamps. They never fail to amaze me just how durable these clamps are - much stronger than we have any right to expect.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/venture/fronttopbike.jpg

The mounts to the sidecar are not unusual on the front, but the bottom is the box clamp and gives some rigidity, the other is only there to stop the bike flexing towards the sidecar.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/venture/frontmountssidecar.jpg

There's another fitting at the back, which to be honest I mainly put on because I liked the way it swept around the pannier, so I've not shown it.

 

Not necessarily the best way of doing it, but it has worked for me for several years and twenty thousand miles, mostly pulling either a camping trailer or a trailer tent, usually with luggage.

 

Hope it's of some interest.

[SteveW]

Hi Greg

Well all I can say is that since I have put the sidecar on my 2005 I would not take it off.

Like you I had to come up with some creative hookups. All in all I like the way it handles and have alittle over 8,000 miles on my rig.

 

It does take some getting use to and in the twisties it can wear you out .

[greg_in_london]

I find that it's not too bad in the twisties so long as I can drive at my own speed, rolling on and off the throttle to relieve the effort of steering. It becomes a nightmare when you get stuck behind someone crawling along as you find yourself braking when you should be accelerating and your shoulders get no relief.

 

The worst time (on very long journeys) is long downhill curves on motorways when you don't want to go any faster. You have to ease off the throttle and the whole rig wants to go right, but you have to keep haulng left. (It would be the otherway round for you.)

[SteveW]

When we do the twisties and I'm in a group I just drop back to last place and take my sweet time.

Its a lot more fun that way.

I also carry 2 steel plates in the floorborad under the carpet for a better ride and keepin the rig stable ( 100 lbs. total )

Being the sec. gen's are top heavy anyway and weigh so much I like the extra weight in the hack.

[Black Owl]

"I hope having sidecars added to the forum title is welcome - the styling choices and motivations of trikers and sidecarists may be different, but lots of the technical challenges will be similar."

 

Not a problem as far as I can see Greg.

 

I suspect there is actually more than a bit of interest in hooking a hack to the scoot.

 

Interesting fittings by the way.

 

[Mantree]

I am hacking my 1300 using a old friendship side car and was wondering how your front lower mount was holding up I am using a small chunk of plate with a mount welded to it

[lsutley]

Welcome to the three wheeled world!!

 

The link below is to an album showing the mounting for the Motorvation rig attached to my 86.

 

I would not give up the sidecar, now that I have tried one. Good luck and watch those right-hand turns.

 

http://www.venturerider.org/forum/album.php?albumid=1100

[MJ44]

Yeah sidecars!

 

Check out sidecars.com, lots of information.

There are companies that make bike specific mounting kits, but it looks like you've got that all figured out!

 

Switching out the triple trees will reduce the effort to steer. It's the only way I'd drive with a sidecar.

 

Have fun!