Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - May 2008 - (Page 45)

AMERICAN CYCLES Tips for Sidecar Shopping Shopping for a sidecar to attach to your motorcycle isn't easy. There are just a few manufacturers, and let's face it, sidecars are a small part of the motorcycle business. Good information about sidecars IS hard to come by. If you can find someone near by (say within 300 miles) who sells and installs sidecars, you're lucky. One of the best ways I know to get general information on sidecars is to contact the United Sidecar Association. USCA, 130 S. Michigan Ave., Villa Park, IL 60181. The two factors that occur to people when they begin think about sidecars are, PRICE and LOOKS. As far as price is concerned, historically sidecars have run about 30% to 50% the cost of a new motorcycle. If you have a $15,000.00 touring bike, expect to pay anywhere from $4,000 to $7,000.00 for a good sidecar for it. If you start looking at some small imported sidecar that is priced at about $2,000.00 for your Honda GL 1500 or Harley FLHTC, you're kidding yourself. In fact Harley's factory sidecar for the Ultra Classic is about $6,000.00. Don't buy a cheap, used sidecar and try to get it on your bike with home made hardware to see if you'll like sidecars. I guarantee that if you have a mismatched, ill handling rig, you'll never like sidecars. Safety should always be your main concern in motorcycling, and motorcycle sidecars should be no different. You wouldn't try to put on the front forks from a Honda 350 on a big Goldwing or Tourglide would you? Of course not, and you should never bolt a sidecar onto your bike using clamps attached to the crash bar. That may sound silly to you, but believe it or not, some manufactures have actually done it this way. I've seen sidecars installed in just those ways, and it makes me shudder every time I hear about that kind of thing. After all you're going to put your wife and kids into the sidecar, and it definitely has to be safe for them, doesn't it? Don't do anything when mounting a sidecar that seems the least bit foolish or marginal. WHEN IN DOUBT, MAKE IT STOUT. That's how we design and build sidecars here at Motorvation Engineering. Another good way to get information about sidecars is to get out to sidecar rallies and events and talk to sidecar owners. They'll generally be more than happy to share their experiences with you, and you'll find they're a pretty nice bunch of people. Again, The USCA can help here because the SIDECARIST lists sidecar events all over the nation. A list of questions to ask sidecar owners: 1. Does it continually pull to the right when you add a passenger, ride into a headwind or the road is crowned to the right? 2. Does it lift easily in right hand turns, or do you have to carry extra weight to hold it down. 3. Does the sidecar push the motorcycle to the left under braking? 4. Did you find the mounting instructions you received with the sidecar complete and easy to understand. I WALNECK’S CLASSIC CYCLE TRADER® WALNECKS.COM I MAY 2008 45 http://WALNECKS.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - May 2008

Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - May 2008 Contents American The Buzz w/Buzz Walneck Indy Re-cap Bench Racing w/Mark Zimmerman My URAL Indy - A First Timer’s View Spokes for Hungry Folks Bob Wark of The Wark Shop An Interview w/Mitch Boehm of Motorclist Retro A Few Tips & Stories from Sidecar Insiders 1977 Harley-Davidson FLH Walneck’s 30 yrs in Review Events, Listings and Advertisements British 1971 Triumph 650 TR6R Biker Quiz - Results & Winners Motorcycle Tips w/Mike Brown European 1973 BMW R75/5 Japanese 1976 Kawaski KZ900 LTD Antique Cycle Clubs Competition Motorbikes and Scooters Memorabilia Parts, Accessories. Want Ads How to Place a Word Ad How to Place a Photo Ad Area Code Directory How to Subscribe Let Us Help with Your Event

Walneck's Classic Cycle Trader - May 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.