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Showing results for tags 'sidecar'.
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I was driving down the road today and had to flip a u-turn and follow this rig until he pulled in to a auto store. It is a Boss Hoss with a Chevy 350. The side car is how you ride?/drive? this rig. The driver/rider was the builder. He built it for a paraplegic friend. Took him 2 years. It is all custom made and he said only two exist since he has built one other with a Honda. A friend skinned it with the fiberglass. You actually drive/ride from the side car with all controls in the custom sidecar. The passenger rides on the bike. He had incredible suspension, disc brakes, shifting etc. He said he can disconnect the sidecar with 4 bolts ( they were big bolts) and all the bikes controls can be moved back t the bike. The bike only had 550+ miles on it. Unfortunately his friend passed away and the "rig" has been sitting. He decided to get it back on the road. The wheel chair ramp is electric. Just thought I would pass it on: -
Well these aren'tthe best pictures in the world, but I thought some might be interesting. This bike was my first experience of towing. I was a mobile motorcycle mechanic, specialising in fixing punctures on couriers' bikes around London. The trailer had fifty or sixty inner tubes, a tool box and axle stands etc with half a dozen tyres on top. The bike carried two or three more tyres, a CO2 bottle for tyre inflation, a radio, spare cable and assorted other stuff. At 40mph-ish the bike went into a violent weave, but with experience and a strong upper body you could keep control. At the time we just thought that was what you had to accept pulling a trailer. The biggest hazard was climbing a kerb, when one trailer would hit before another, jerking the back of the bike to one side. http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/venture/cx500andtrailer.jpg Later I picked up a trailer to pull behind a Suzuki GT550 bike and sidecar. I haven't found a picture yet, but I'll keep looking. I later fitted over-run brakes because I began to pull a lot of weight. After the GT (which I still have and is for sale..) I began using an XJ750 and also had use of a motorcycle trailer, so in answer to the thread about whether you can tow a bike with a bike, here are a couple of pictures of just that - a GT550 and a ZZR250: http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/venture/towinggt550.jpg http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/venture/zzrontrailer.jpg And here is a picture of a sidecar body on a trailer: http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/venture/towingsidecar.jpg This was the only time that I ever got pulled by the police about towing. It was actually after I had dropped off the sidecar body and was returning the trailer (mine was possibly too small for the sidecar body). :cop:He was a young bloke and walked around the trailer, saying, 'You can't pull that trailer, it's too long, no it's too wide, no it's too heavy, er..' 'No it's not,' I said as I picked up a corner and put it down again. It was probably difficult to tell me that something was too heavy if I could pick it up with one hand, so he muttered something about a public weighbridge and went to consult some booklet he had on his bike. He then came back saying that the trailer couldn't be wider than 1m, max weight dada, max length dadada and that I really should check these sort of things. I apologised, but said that people in the sidecar federation had checked them and that the title on his page clearly said the regs applied to solo motorcycles. He went on for a bit longer, calling his desk sergeant, telling me it was a grey area, saying that I was doing something wrong and that he'd have taken me to the weighbridge (although he didn't know the weight regs..) if thetraffic weren't so heavy. I avoided saying that Construction and Use Regs, section (then) 81a (later 83a, maybe in the nineties by now), subsection one paragraph C says that a sidecar may pull a trailer, not being a broken down vehicle, which has an unladen weight of not more than 254kg, as that would have made me sound like a smartarse and nobody likes them... I'm sure there must be more pictures of us with a trailer on our travels, but this is a recent one of us after camping with the trailer tent hitched up. http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/sidecar%20rally/DSCF2071.jpg And again while the tent was erected. http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/sidecar%20rally/DSCF2011.jpg No particualar purpose to posting these, except I said I would in the 'can a bike tow a bike' thread. Hope they're of some interest. -
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.
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Who says you can't ride in the snow!
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I never thought id be saying this but life style changes have caused me to look for a sidecar.... ive really like the hannigan styling... but finding one used may be a problem..... any other suggestions???
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We took our 07 out last Sunday and I had a very tough time with the wife on back, at stoplights, parking lots, etc... Over the years, I have heard more than a few guys tell me that they used to ride, but had to give it up because of their hips &/or legs. I don't want to be one of those guys! A couple of years ago, my wife and I took a trike for a test drive. We only rode 3 or 4 miles or so and didn't like it. I couldn't get used to the steering. When I got back to the dealer, he said that I should've taken it fo 1/2 hour or so to get used to it. But we didn't want to take it back out. - Now I wish we had. So, now here I am AFRAID to take my 07 out. I CAN'T give up riding! My wife is obsessed with it! AND, I refuse to ride Bit$h! So, I am back to considering a Trike or maybe even a sidecar. Our thoughts on a sidecar are that when THIS bike wears out, we can simply transfer it to a new bike. Also, we can carry a Grandchild with us or luggage or ??? But a Trike, we lose the Saddle Bags, (but we own a Bushtec trailer). But the biggest hurdle for me about a Trike is the price AND the price every time you get a new one!! I am only 50years old, hopefully I have a long life ahead of me. So, my questions for you folks are, 1. Any pros & cons that I haven't thought of? 2. I heard that sidecars are tougher on a bike. Is there any truth to that? 3. I heard that sidecars are tougher to steer than a trike. True? Which QUALITY sidecar would Look best with an 07? Craigr
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just wondering if anyone has any photos of the way their sidecar mounts attach to a second gen 99 .i just picked up a sidecar and before i start making mounts wanted to see how others have attached theirs. thanks
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Looks like I may need to reinforce the mounting braces..... The good news is the $0.01 XXL cover will cover the sidecar too.
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My wife and I are planning a month long tour in September thru October. We plan on riding into Ottawa Canada to visit my wife long lost relatives. I will be riding my 08 RSV and trailer and a sidecar. Could there be a problem with us crossing into Canada? What documents do I need to take? What about inspections of my bike sidecar and trailer? Rick A.
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Had an overnight visit from Walter. It was good to see him and his "new" sidecar! :thumbsup:Wish we'd had time for a ride!
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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 -
I bought a Steerite modified triple tree for my 99 RSV from Side Effects www.sidecars.ca Why did I choose this company? Customer service and a great product! Father/son team of Peter and Brock Smith are fantastic. Every email and phone call has been promptly and thoroughly answered, and they also gave me added information to help with the sidecar set-up. They even offered to call and talk me through the alignment process. The mechanic who did the work for me also stated that they were very helpful when he called. They had the triple trees in stock. You just send back the old one when you have the new installed. To say this has made a difference in steering my rig is an understatement. They tell you it's like adding power steering, and it is amazing. About 175 miles last Sunday throught twisty country roads and it was great! I know there aren't many folks here with sidecar rigs, but they also do work for trikes, too. (and if we aren't allowed to endorse a product, moderator, please delete )
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Well, my health issues are not getting any better, and I think it may be time for me to consider a trike or sidecar option for my venture royale. Anybody have any input on either? Anybody know of any used kits for sale? I really didn't want to spend more on a trike kit than the bike is worth. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks. -
I have decided on a third wheel and have always liked the idea of a sidecar. Who still use one and what options for manufacturers do I have. I already have looked at Hannigan and Texas Sidecar. I am confused with Motorvations options list but will contact them soon.
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New to this talk of the Kumo tire. I have a 2000 Ventura and just put a sidecar on. The sidecar has its own brake and I can remove it for two up. At 74 I might not do that very much, wife has problems with legs on long rides when two up. From what I read its as good as the regular MC tires. Do you think one would work on the front to help with steering. Won't rake front in case I want to ride without sidecar. Thanks, labill
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I wasn't sure where to post this. It's about tires, but it's on a sidecar rig and it's got a little bit of darkside throw in for good measure. I decided to put it where I thought it might get the most eyes. I have a '83 with a California Friendship I sidecar. I've been getting about 3k miles out of a Dunlop 404 on the rear. Ideally with a sidecar rig I'd run a car tire but after doing MUCH digging, it appears that a car tire isn't an option with the 16'' wheel. So I'm looking for the meanest, nastiest, live forever tire I can find. It looks like a lot of people are running Avon Vemon's or Dunlop Elite 3's. Is there anything else I should be looking at? I see a lot of chatter about the Avon's cracking so I'm shying away from them, but the E 3's in 1st Gen sizes aren't radials. I don't know why, but I think I should be running a more modern radial tire. Any issues with running bias ply's? I even looked into swapping in a 15'' Vmax wheel but couldn't find any one that had actually done it and there is very little clearance between the swingarm and the stock tire. So even if you could get a Vmax wheel on there, I doubt that I could find a car tire that would clear. Thoughts? Comments? Rude remarks? -
Ride a 2003 RSV with a champion escort sidecar. RSV passenger headset wiring is piped into the sidecar and rider in car accesses with a plug just as bike passenger would. There is extreme engine noise and interference over the intercom. Volume adjustment does not eliminate this static/whine/interference. That's one issue. Looking for help. I'm in the Seattle WA area. The sidecar electrics operate off the bike. The SC is wired for hydraulic brakes, tail lights, turn signals. Lots of wiring under the driver seat. The problem is the bike often stops...quits, becomes a nice looking pile of metal/plastic/rubber. And I know zip/nada about all things electric. So any recommendations for a solution, in the Seattle area, would be appreciated. :
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I've been thinking about moving some lights around as well as replacing my old old fog lights with some more up to date LED night time driving lights. I've found these: http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&category=TRUCK&Page2Disp=/specs/wlcwhp10_specs.htm the frontal area of the S25 model is basically the same as my current lights but they are less then half as deep. I am thinking of having these on a separate switch and just turn them on at night when I need/want the extra light. I do have Squid's bracket s to put them on. Anyone have these, and what are your impressions ?? I also have some amber LED marker/daytime running lights under the sidecar which I want to move to the bike and hook into the headlamp/front turnsignals, after which i want to put something like these under the sidecar: http://www.superbrightleds.com/cgi-bin/store/index.cgi?action=DispPage&Page2Disp=%2Fspecs%2Fdrlcw8hf_specs.htm#photos I think that if i do all that I should theoretically have enough light up front
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I'm looking for one of those to put on the sidecar (which will make my wife happy). I know JCWhitney has some very basic ones, but I am looking for a door mount style with a cone shaped housing. I need the right hand side one. Every website I have gone to either requires a log in or asks for a make and model. They just don't seem to list my sidecar. A friend of mine has an old car sitting in a barn but he seems reluctant to let me pull the mirror off. Something about it being worth 60K (as is). If you have one of this style mirrors lying around and want to part with it shoot me a pics and price; if you're better at surfing the web and finding this kind of stuff, I'd appreciate the link. Y'all have a great weekend, riding tomorrow!! :happy65:
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We put a sidecar on our RSV for the wife, couldn't handle the long rides anymore. We have a 10 yr old Lab and she wants to go riding so looks like the dog will win out. I have her in a harness and short lead attached but was wondering if anyone has a different setup for their dog? Dogs rule. Thanks, labill
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I messed up and bought a Bushtec Roadmaster Trailer. Don't get me wrong, the trailer is outstanding and worth every penny, but I wonder if I should've bought a side car instead. I have bad hips and realize that holding up our bike with our combined 400lbs is getting to be an issue. Since a Trike conversion is sooo expensive, I was thinking that if I had bought a sidecar rather than a trailer, I would've been better off for close to the same money. I could've hauled our extra luggage on long trips in the sidecar AND been able to take a 3rd passenger on short cruises! So, do you agree? Did I mess up?
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Hi, Has anyone done something similar to this, with a first gen venture? As I understand it, the bike leans despite the sidecar, thanks to a pivoting linkage, beneath the bike. The height offset in the front and rear sidecar linkage pivot points, causes the side car wheel to steer into turns in either direction. Ingenious. Common s/c setup? Any one done similar with a first gen venture? I don't own a sidecar, yet, but the dogs are looking more like sidecar passengers than pillion. Thoughts, experiences? Thanks, Brian H.
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I'm going to look at a 1983 venture with California 2 sidecar this week. It has roughly 50k miles on her. The owner states they have put several grand in it fixing it up to near perfect. It has all the bells and whistles and supposedly everything works. Pictures look good. There is no leading link for the sidecar though. He says his bottom dollar is 3700. Seem reasonable? I may ditch the sidecar if I really like the bike but have trouble steering. I'm coming from a new Harley ultra classic which is nice, but not nice enough for the payments I'm making. Any thoughts are appreciated. He did say the transmission has been fixed I saw that was a problem on these forums.
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I hate posting this but I just had a pretty major electrical fire in my sidecar. While going to breakfast my son put a dime in the electrical outlet on the dash of my escort. By the time I was able to pull over there was smoke coming from under the dash and then the electrical connector to the bike started smoking and melting, followed by smoke comining out from under the seat. Luckly everybody was able to get out with much more than a red spot on a finger. I unplugged the sidecar but it doesn't appear that the sidecar was wired very well when it was put together for me as they didn't use the right sized fuses and it appears to have fried my dash panel on my Royal Star Venture. I cannot get the brake lights or turn signals to work but all the running lights are working. The connector is fried, wires melted enough to break and the wires under the seat are melted pretty bad. I tied calling SideStrider to see if they could help but I havent gotten a call back yet. I'm not sure about getting home or what to do. Any help in the Universal City area of Los Angeles would be greatly appreciated. Ron McDonald Normaly from Lakewood Washington but currently stranded in Los Angeles
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Read some of the posts regarding power problems. Not sure it fits mine. I have a 2000 Venture and just put on a sidecar for the wife. It weighs 225 lbs. Expected to loose some power and fuel milage. However, I went from 35/40 down to 20/25 MPG. I don't expect to go get the good MPG back but this is a hit. Going up grades on the interstates is a struggle. Have changed plugs, no wet ones when I did. Does not starve or stall out. Looking for ideas, suggestions. Thanks, Bill
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