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How does a Sidecar feel?

9K views 27 replies 15 participants last post by  Walt Macon 
#1 ·
saw this today on Facebook
After having major back surgery, I am thinking about getting a sidecar for my 94 Gold Wing. I was just wondering if some of you have a side car and what it is like to ride and steer??


Answer: I had a sidecar on my Harley for 4 years. It made great memories because my boys were 2 and 6 at the time. We rode all over. But.... you asked how it rode. Imagine plowing a field on a tractor with a flat tire.
 
#6 ·
We owned a Ural sidecar rig for about 6 years before moving up to our GL1500SE sidecar 3 years ago - that's 9 years experience with sidecars. They definitely take some time to get used to - the biggest factor is the physics: when you roll on the throttle it wants to turn to the right; when you roll off the throttle, or hit the brakes it wants to turn left. The Goldwing, being heavier than th Ural, does not exhibit this as strongly as the Ural, but you still have to be aware of it, and you can actually use this to help you navigate through the twisties. This steering issue is caused by the asymmetric layout: the drive tire is on one side rather than in the middle so it applies force to the road off to the side of the center of mass. Same with braking: the force is off-center.



Because you're steering with the handlebars it takes more upper body strength than a 2-wheeler. When I first got our Ural my shoulders and upper back would complain for days after a ride - once I learned to relax that issue went away.


My wife absolutely loves the sidecar: with her artificial knees, bad back, and deteriorating hips she could not be comfortable on the back of the bike. In the sidecar she can move around as much as she needs, take a nap if she feels so inclined, and most of all she has an unobstructed view to the front! If not for the sidecar we would not be riding!
 
#7 ·
Years ago, Frank and I were working on a friend's GL1000 with a sidecar. That was the first, and last, time I drove and rode in such a rig.

It felt like that extra wheel kept trying to steer me in the wrong direction. And riding in the car felt like my head was at pickup truck bumper level.
 
#8 ·
Find someone who has been doing it for a while with a properly set up rig. If it pulls right or left, it's not setup right. If it lifts off the ground on a right hand turn, it's either too light for the bike or it's not setup right. If it's hard to steer, it's not set up right. I still own the 96 Aspencade/California rig I put together in 1999. I also own a 94 SE on two wheels. It's kind of an orphan though, as it spends it's life in the corner of the garage. I much prefer riding with the sidecar. I tend to be an aggressive rider and find I can corner at speeds that would cause my two wheeled bikes to slide. I've owned trikes and hated them. Almost to the point of quitting riding altogether. Fortunately, I came to my senses. Been riding since about 1965 and sidecars since 1980 or so.
 

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#9 ·
Yeah, sidecars are their own animal. I took one for a short ride on a training track recently. Not my cup of tea.

I watched a trainee perform a panic braking exercise between two rows of cones. (To simulate a single lane).

The sidecar shot through the left row of cones, which would have been into oncoming traffic.

Definitely not something to jump on and go. Could have bad consequences.
 
#10 ·
A sidecar rig is definitely a different animal. I don't have many miles on mine yet so I can't offer an educated opinion. I definitely like it so far.
I also had back surgery and bought the Hack in anticipation of not being able to hold my Valkyrie up at a light. That fear has gone away but I will be keeping the sidecar rig.
 
#11 ·
Before you choose a trike, take one for an extended test ride. I had the chance to ride a new Harley Triglide about 60 miles. I needed help getting off of it, my back hurt so much.

On a related note, yesterday I helped a friend assemble his first sidecar rig, after selling their trike. A 2019 Indian with a DMC sidecar. He and his wife took it for a 75 mile ride immediately after I got home. They love it.


 

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#20 ·
Sidecars



I misspoke. The gentleman in the black shirt owned the trike. After riding his brother's Indian rig, he has sold it and has ordered a sidecar.
 
#16 ·
I have just riden my sidecar across Australia from Perth to Melbourne and then boat to Tasmania. 2,500 miles.
Previous to that I had only done rides of about an hour so. I loved it and no sore muscles.
Often I could actually take my hands off the handlebars but it never required much more than a hand resting on the handle bars. As sidecarmike said it is all about having them set up correctly. I did the trip to Tasmanian but my wife will be doing the return trip with me. On the way over I just filled a lot of old plastic bottles with water and put them in the sidecar to give some balance.
Riding a sidecar requires you to develop a new mind set that says I am on a sidecar (not a bike or in a car). I did a training course with Australian Ural importer who said and I fully agree with that you need at least 10 hours (if not more) on one to develop that new mind set.
PS my wife loves the sidecar, sits in there with her Ipad and hand bag at her feet.
 
#23 ·
Walt I can take pictures of the mounting points from my Wing but depending on the model of car your getting they may not be what you need. what make and model do you have ordered
 
#25 ·
what brand car are you getting


each model of sidecar uses different type of mounting hardware that come from the car and go to the bike. depending on what type car you are getting will determine where it will mount to the bike and what would be needed because the cars subframes are different. as an example on mine it came with the hardware designed to fit my bike, it is a Motorvation II. I had to drill one hole in the webbing of the frame under the seat as the top rear mount, I had to drill and tap the threads larger on the frame at the front for the front lower mount, the top mount bolted to the frame at the radiator with a bracket for the arm and the lower rear bolted to the frame at the passenger floor board.
I did not have to touch my center stand.
now you take a champion sidecar and it will mount completely different and most likely in different places and require different type hardware
so as I said it depends on the car your getting as to whether pictures of my set up will help you
 
#27 ·
Walt, I can only strongly suggest that you get advise and help from someone experienced in installing sidecars. I can only strongly suggest that you NOT use universal mounts on your set up, especially with something as heavy as a Gold Wing
I say this for your safety. universal mounts just DON'T work for anything safely. sidecars when set up right are great and a lot of fun to ride, however if you use sub par mounting hardware it can very quickly become a NIGHTMARE not only in the struggle to get it together but in the risk of it failing while riding
Go to sidecar.com and ask for advise and help with you build. there are a lot of people that can offer advise and maybe even help you hunt down bike specific mounting hardware to work with your sidecar
you still haven't said what sidecar your buying
Good luck
 
#28 ·
Thanks, I have a very good Wing man doing this. He's been building and riding for about 40 years. My car is not to carry a passenger (except in case of emergency), it is to hold the bike up and haul groceries. 99 % of my riding will be within 20 miles of home. Mostly below highway speeds.
 
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