1. After 20+ years it's time to pass the torch. If you are interested in acquiring this forum please contact support@cv-performance.com for details. Any spam will be reported and blocked.
  2. Welcome to Bike Talk, a forum for all bikers and motorcycle enthusiasts. If you are new to Bike Talk, be sure to register for free and join the conversation.

    There's always someone around willing to help out with questions or give a friendly wave back. All Harley and metric riders are welcome.

H/D Sidecar mounting

Discussion in 'Projects' started by seabee, Jan 18, 2011.

  1. seabee

    seabee Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2011
    Messages:
    32
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Eastern Iowa
    Is there anyone who can advise me about the interchange ability on H/D sidecar. Like from a newer one to an older one? :)
    Thanks,

    Bill
  2. chucktx

    chucktx Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2005
    Messages:
    12,545
    Likes Received:
    10
    not sure what answers you are looking for. are you handy with tools??
  3. cowboy

    cowboy Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2006
    Messages:
    9,926
    Likes Received:
    50
    Location:
    Alvin TX
    chuck look at the left side of his post :D but still not sure of what he's looking to do seebee can you be a little more planner on what your looking to change , or do IE hook a old side to a newer HD
  4. chucktx

    chucktx Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2005
    Messages:
    12,545
    Likes Received:
    10
    well, he ought to be handy with tools!! lol all we need to do now is find out the questions!!!
  5. cowboy

    cowboy Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2006
    Messages:
    9,926
    Likes Received:
    50
    Location:
    Alvin TX
  6. sarge7

    sarge7 New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2009
    Messages:
    1,738
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    NE Indiana
    No such thing as a stupid question ! -Seebee check on google for sidecar and you will get four or five listings on one of them the company goes into great detail about the ins and outs of mounting a sidecar.
    Since HD stopped makin sidecars in 2010 they worked up a deal with lehman to supply the request but I'm not sure at which stage they are at on the plans.
    I do know that Texas has 2 sidecar comp. and calif. has one and I think there was one in the state of Wash. which worked with custom builts - ther is also one in Iowa and Ky. - all were found from my sreach on google - so give it a try. :)
  7. seabee

    seabee Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2011
    Messages:
    32
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Eastern Iowa
    I guess I’m not smart enough to ask the right question. Let me start from scratch. I’m pushing 74 pretty hard; I don’t know how long my knees are going to hold out. I have an 81 FLHT, that’s in a lot better shape than I am. My thought was to look for a sidecar and install it on the 81. I need to know if the sidecars are made to fit only a specific year range or can they be adapted to older or newer machines? I do want to stay with H/D. I have no experience with a sidecar at all, I can recognize one when I see one.
    I do not want to get into the trike area, I don’t like them. Thanks to you’all, the Goggle thing might work.
    As far as knowing my way around a wrench, if I had the new cost of the tools in my tool box, I could buy a new Ultra and if I were to sell them, I’d be lucky to get a grand.
    Thanks,

    Bill
    :)
  8. hotroadking

    hotroadking Super Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2004
    Messages:
    13,682
    Likes Received:
    584
    Location:
    Mouseville USA
    You might want to consider a few other alternatives

    Buddy of mine has a shop here in FL he makes the Leg UP Landing gear
    it's designed for guys like you, need a little assistance with the bikes weight
    when stopped, don't want a trike,

    LegUp by Chopper Design - LegUp Home Page

    It's not cheap but it's way less than a trike or trike conversion and it's better JMO than a sidecar because the bike will ride and handle like a bike, not a bike with a hack....

    IF you don't setup the hack right the bike is a bear to ride, they steer like crap, I know of guys that have installed them and the first ride was into the shrubs across the road...

    So if you do a sidehack, be sure to ride slow until you get it down...
  9. sarge7

    sarge7 New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 12, 2009
    Messages:
    1,738
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    NE Indiana
    Good info - Might make a dern good alt. to the sidecar problem. I ain't gettin any younger and it's becomeing harder to balance at slow speed so this might the way to go.
  10. hotroadking

    hotroadking Super Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2004
    Messages:
    13,682
    Likes Received:
    584
    Location:
    Mouseville USA
    I have watched it work. He has put a lot of development and $ into it. Several controller upgrades new ram arms etc.


    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
  11. chucktx

    chucktx Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2005
    Messages:
    12,545
    Likes Received:
    10
    ok.....first off, as stated, if a hack is not set up it is a real bear to handle. the rake/trail needs adjusted. normally done with new trees. left turns are tricky...wants to tip and right turns are killer on the shoulders...ya have to really push the bars to get around the corner. i am mentioning this as i have ridden some and i am 62 with junk shoulders from working on trucks most my life. your a few days older than me and was in the same field, so i am figuring yours may be bad also. not trying to talk you out of it, just mentioning it.

    as for the install, they are fairly straight forward. try to get one near the same year as the bike. craigs list or fleabay may help you there. if you end up with one that is way off in years, it is still pretty simple to modify the frame of the hack to mount to the frame of the bike. some welding and cutting will be required. depending on what ya get a bracket may have to be fabricated from the hack to the down tubes of the bike....hope this helps. let us know and have fun!!!!! welcome to the forum!!!
  12. HarleysLR

    HarleysLR Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 14, 2007
    Messages:
    2,113
    Likes Received:
    13
    Location:
    Colorado Springs, CO
    I all ways wanted a sidecar so I could take my puppy with me. friend bought one and let me ride it 2 different times, it was the hardest thing I ever tired to ride other than a wild horse. Tried going around one of those circles they put in roads to slow you down, couldn't make it all the way around had to take a different way back to my friends house. never tired again.
  13. cowboy

    cowboy Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Apr 19, 2006
    Messages:
    9,926
    Likes Received:
    50
    Location:
    Alvin TX
    I had one foe a coulpe of years , could take it off or put it back on in about 30 min ,If I rode it with it & no one else I would put about 50lbs in it to help balence it out ,I was a lot younger then ,I got it to keep riding I could put my two youngest dauthters in the hack & my youngest son on back of me & go riding for hours , ,we all had a lot of fun with it & I never fell over ( I drank alot back then ) :eek: You do have to slow down for corners cause it can & will get hard to turn or start to slide on you :eek:
  14. seabee

    seabee Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 1, 2011
    Messages:
    32
    Likes Received:
    0
    Location:
    Eastern Iowa
    Chuck That's a good point about the shoulders, I've had both rotators cuffs rebuilt. I don't know how long they would go, the sawbones didn't give me any warranty. The construction mech and truck mechs professions aren't for wimps. With construction trade, where it broke is where it gets fixed. It doesn't get towed to the shop.
    The one thing that is a problem, is I think there are forged brackets that bolt to the bike. It would take some engineering to build something. Think I'll look around and see what might be available for a hack and go from there.
    Thanks for the advise and comments, I appreciate it.
    Bill:)
  15. chucktx

    chucktx Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jul 5, 2005
    Messages:
    12,545
    Likes Received:
    10
    when my time comes im going to a trike. one with the independent rear end......it will go through the corners as well as any two wheeler. and ya can haul more junk. they have kits to retro to your bike. have fun and let us know what ya decide!!!
  16. hotroadking

    hotroadking Super Moderator Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 16, 2004
    Messages:
    13,682
    Likes Received:
    584
    Location:
    Mouseville USA
    Sidecars are cool, but I'm betting the reason
    HD got out of the business this year isn't only
    demand, but liability..

    Just remember, tacking on a side car isn't all you have to do..
    You will have to change the front rake or you'll never be able to drive
    it around...

Share This Page