Sidecars

Well after watching Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, i decided it might be fun to own a bike with a side car.

I know there are many downsides and its "not two wheels so its not cool" however it might be kinda fun. I ride two up a lot so that may or may not be good.

Thats all.

sounds like you want a Ural

Bonus, it comes in 2wd (sidecar wheel driven)

Not all Ural's come with powered sidecar wheel. Yes there BMW copy but they've been getting better each year. If you buy a used one 90's and earlier be prepped to replace hardware after every ride. that seems to be the down fall of the early Russian imports no QC on nuts and bolts. When I was looking at picking up the line one dealer in Washington state i called told me he had two high schoolers who job it was to strip each new bike and replace the bolts, nuts and studs. His Urals make many miles and he had the least amount of warranty claims. Some day I'll get one for myself.

I did a clutch on an older Ural. The plate was fastened with flathead screws.

If you know what you're getting into with the Communist-era BMW copies - constant fettling, sorting and maintenance - you'll do okay. Best bet would be to find a cheap one, tear it down to the bare frame to go over it fastener-by-fastener, replace the motor with an airhead BMW and make a coffee table or boat anchor out of the commie lump. Then you'd have a pretty cool rig.

There's one on my list, too.

Apparently they drive VERY differently from motorcycles. The Ural dealer I looked into wouldn't let you buy one without a side-car endorsement.

I just read this guy's blog post about trying a Ural: Embracing the Ural Patrol I think he does a good job of describing the weirdness that is riding a hack. I followed an excellent ride report on ADV about a guy who did a circuit of the US on a Ural and it was a bit surprising how little trouble he had with the thing. They must be building them pretty decently these days. The problem with them, for US riders anyway, is that the top speed is pretty low. And, despite being a Russian bike, they are pretty expensive.

Yeah, they don't ride like motorcycles at all. But if you're a proficient rider, you won't have much trouble adapting to a good rig.

The toughest part about learning to ride on a hack is that a bad setup will cause tons of problems. I would shy away from just about anything with a "universal" sidecar, as they're usually the worst offenders. Setup of the third wheel is critically important in terms of stability in a straight line or around right hand corners. I've ridden some that are hands-off-the-bars stable at 90+mph, some that shook their head violently enough that I was actively scanning for a soft place to bail, some that wanted to lift the inside wheel suddenly at surprisingly low speed, and some that were easy to loft the chair and float it for as long as you wish. The good news is that the Ural (like the rest of the Commie-era rigs) is based on early BMWs, which remain pretty much the best platform for a sidecar.

The new Urals are a totally different beast than the old ones. Evidently their quality control has improved exponentially in the last few years. I agree that they seem a little pricey, but I suppose there's a price to pay for not having parts actively fall off as you ride.

I would consider one ....

We race at the New Hampshire Vintage (Loudon) every year. And we share the weekend with vintage bikes including the racing outfits. Great fun to watch.

More Here

There's an old guy who lives along my commute and I see him riding a motorcycle every day, regardless of the weather. When it snows, he rides the Ural with the sidecar.

For Sale new, in Cleveland, where Lakewood meets Rocky River.
http://www.clevelandscooters.com/enfield.html

I speak from experience when I say that you don't know what crazy is until you've raced sidecar motocross

Did somebody say URAL?!

From what I understand the Ural Patrol is the only legal road going ATV in the U.S. It has a shaft that runs from the drive wheel on the motorcycle to drive the other wheel on the sidecar. Pretty sweet.

Also, the sidecar rider in sidecar racing is called The Monkey. That is all.

Phone my friend Ray. He's got lots of Urals. He also has whats gotta be the worlds largest collection of Honda CBX bikes.

He's a bit of an odd guy.

http://www.cossackcycle.com/

Xceler8x wrote: Also, the sidecar rider in sidecar racing is called The Monkey. That is all.

And sidecars are called hacks.

In the 70's, sidecar motocross got popular for a while. There were bikes built which used the then new CB750 Honda engine, among others. I never had a chance to ride on one, dangit.

Zomby woof wrote: I speak from experience when I say that you don't know what crazy is until you've raced sidecar motocross

Eff that.

Is that bloke also missing an arm?? Hardcore.

My friend Bob Manifold rides and his son is the monkey.

http://www.race-uscra.com/trials.html

Yup trials with a side hack rig, over streams and monster hills etc. They've traveled the world racing the rig. http://www.sidecartrials.com/Gallery.htm

44

jrw1621 wrote: For Sale new, in Cleveland, where Lakewood meets Rocky River. http://www.clevelandscooters.com/enfield.html

Nice chair (well, it's a replica of a nice chair, anyway), but the bike's a bit of a dog.

44Dwarf wrote: My friend Bob Manifold rides and his son is the monkey. http://www.race-uscra.com/trials.html Yup trials with a side hack rig, over streams and monster hills etc. They've traveled the world racing the rig. http://www.sidecartrials.com/Gallery.htm 44

So if they both dab how is that scored? Remember, 'no fives'. My favorite pics from their gallery page:

Curmudgeon wrote: In the 70's, sidecar motocross got popular for a while. There were bikes built which used the then new CB750 Honda engine, among others. I never had a chance to ride on one, dangit.

You would have loved it

The one I was (monkey) on was 850 Norton powered. The guy I ride with is our #1 pro. We've talked about building a rig, and running it in the local events. Our club is very pro vintage, and would probably allow it.

Everybody's favourite Newfie goes sidecar racing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNritwnjZnc

can you DIY a sidecr? Nothing too extravagent but a simple sidecar. Heck, it does not even need to hold a passenger just enough to carry stuff.

Stability?

also not o much to hold more stuff, i know they make bags and all sorts of storage, i am thinking more of for wintery driving.

I figure i could build a frame and all but how do they connect to the bike in a GRM manor.

Also, this is not for world speed record but should be stable at highway speeds easily

I thought sidecar racing was the pinnacle of nuts, but I was not aware that they motocross sidecar racing! My definition of nuts has been adjusted.

When I had my CX500, there was a Silverwing (CX650) with matching sidecar that I used to pass on my way to work. I thought that would be a great touring rig for a married guy with a daughter. Still kinda want one.