What Harley would make the best side car and why?

[AR198]

Hi all

Im jumping over from the Freewheeler forum so please don’t tell anyone haha.

Recently I’ve been looking at side cars on Pinterest and it’s got me thinking what a good project it could be to create a side car.

This may have been asked before so I’m sorry if it has, but what Harley would make the best side car, and why?

Thanks for any reply’s in advance

Andy

 

[FuzzyWuzHe]

You mean the best Harley to add a side car to??? If so, I have a buddy tat has a street glide with the side car ... it is absolutely gorgeous.

 

[Smitty901]

Any for the Touring bikes are fine. The softails work but require a little more work mounting. Creating your own. One thing to take a good frame and make your own body. but to make the frame requires a lot of work. A sidecar must be done right if you expect to use it. You need to list more of what is going on in your mind. often with sidecars the are few yes and no answers.

Some of may agree you can put a sidecar on anything, even if you shouldn't.

You have taken the first step in a journey . Keep asking question and collecting information. Never listen to the they say crowd. Listen to those that have their but in the seat of one. Listen to those that build and sell them for a living. Be warned a sidecar and Trike have little in common.

1996 FB Slightly under powered but worked great

2015 Harley Street 750. can't be done won't work. Ok but we disagree works amazing well.

2017 RGU. A whole different world

 

[stacebg]

You mean the best Harley to add a side car to??? If so, I have a buddy tat has a street glide with the side car ... it is absolutely gorgeous.

there is no "best"

most any harley will work

all depends on what you want to do..

bear in mind you will probably want to modify the front end with either a leading link OT raked triple trees ease the steering and reduce the wobble at low speed

 

[AR198]

You mean the best Harley to add a side car to??? If so, I have a buddy tat has a street glide with the side car ... it is absolutely gorgeous.

Hi Alan

Thanks for the reply.

Yes that’s what I was meaning. I bet something as large as a street glide is a great choice for a side car. Plenty of power to pull the additional weight. Anything with a 114 or 107 engine would do the job.

 

[AR198]

Hi Robert

Thanks for the reply. The street 750 is my preferred look out of the pics you have kindly added.

My only concern would be power. A big tourer obviously has the advantage of this but loses the look I like.

Maybe a fat boy/ fat bob would work. It has a good look and the power.

 

[AR198]

Hi Stacebg

Thanks for the reply.

My plan would be for long distance touring. To add a level of comfort for my wife, whilst adding a great look with the right bike match up.

I guess it’s not just the right bike though, after looking further into side cars, there is such a great variety of styles to chose from for the side car itself. Open but luxurious would be what I’d be after. Leaning towards more old school than modern.

 

[Smitty901]

Hi Robert

Thanks for the reply. The street 750 is my preferred look out of the pics you have kindly added.

My only concern would be power. A big tourer obviously has the advantage of this but loses the look I like.

Maybe a fat boy/ fat bob would work. It has a good look and the power.

All depends on your plans. If you are a lighter person and the passenger is also short trip/rides the street rig works well. Stable at high way speeds quick off the line. It has more of a learning curve due to being light and smaller. It is a budget Rig.

Looks over function is a big issue. Out Hannigan twin was build to serve a purpose and it fit it well. Some Sidecars that may look cool do not fill the needs well. owning a sidecar you will soon learn why is is a big advantage to have a bike and sidecar that will except a car tire . Not a big deal if you only ride a little. But if you use it tire wear even on the best setups will cost you.

Softails require a little more work mounting.

Sidecar models require a lot of home work to decide on only 2 places I recommend now Hannigan or DMC. The other two go twos are having serious issue now.

http://www.hannigantrikes.com/product-type/sidecars/

http://www.dmcsidecars.com/

Do your home work. Once you purchase a sidecar it is yours. You will never get what you put in it back. Do it wrong it sucks. Get it right you will likely enjoy it. We are here to help .

Here you will get a lot of answers from those with experience.

30 degrees out some light snow expected. I will be picking Payton up at school today in one.

 

[Thundertaker]

I like my rig for this reason.

I have a 2002 Ultra Classic with a factory sidecar (1998). I also have a Honda 1100 Shadow Ace Touring with a California sidecar. I love them both, but the Harley has what I think might be an advantage over most other sidecars. I first thought that the design of the sidecar frame was archaic, and it is. However, it has no suspension on the chassis. The only suspension is on the body itself (leaf springs). My California sidecar has a fully sprung chassis with solid mounted chair. When you take a right hand turn (sidecars are mounted on the right side), the California chair will "unload" and if you are not used to it, it can be unsettling. Because the Harley chair is not sprung, you don't have that same feeling. The California chair does have electric camber control which is nice. I don't notice any harshness in the ride of the Harley with having no suspension. My passenger (wife) indicates both chairs are very comfortable. The Harley chair is a bit harder to get in and out of while the California chair opens up and you just step in.

 

[hogcowboy]

View attachment 84822View attachment 84821I have a 2002 Ultra Classic with a factory sidecar (1998). I also have a Honda 1100 Shadow Ace Touring with a California sidecar. I love them both, but the Harley has what I think might be an advantage over most other sidecars. I first thought that the design of the sidecar frame was archaic, and it is. However, it has no suspension on the chassis. The only suspension is on the body itself (leaf springs). My California sidecar has a fully sprung chassis with solid mounted chair. When you take a right hand turn (sidecars are mounted on the right side), the California chair will "unload" and if you are not used to it, it can be unsettling. Because the Harley chair is not sprung, you don't have that same feeling. The California chair does have electric camber control which is nice. I don't notice any harshness in the ride of the Harley with having no suspension. My passenger (wife) indicates both chairs are very comfortable. The Harley chair is a bit harder to get in and out of while the California chair opens up and you just step in.

I've always wondered about the handling of bikes with sidecars, so I have a question. Can you take any right hand turn at the speed indicated if there is a curve sign with a speed limit suggestion? Or do you have to take them slower than the suggested speed? Or can you take them faster but only slightly faster. I'm used to a bike where you can always take one twice the suggested speed and many three times. But I know as you indicated in this bold and underlined statement, that caution is advices on right turns. I was just wondering how restrictive sidecars make right turns. Well, before you are flying the thing that is. I ask because I wouldn't want to get scared into not riding at all. I know one guy on another forum who was very active until he got a sidecar rig and I could tell by his posts that he was not having fun anymore and I suspect it had something to do with how easy it is to get the rig off the ground in right turns. If you can't take a right turn at least at the suggested speed limit then I think I understand why he just vanished on that forum. I just hope he didn't buy the big one. I like the idea of a sidecar but worried about the limitations. I don't mean to hijack the thread but see the answer as potentially helping the OP as well.

 

[Tramp]

Speed/handeling

No two curves are the same. Take tail of the dragon for instance, 3X speed limit not quite. Speed comes from experiance and confidence in you and your machine. I can't overstate the Importance of proper setup and alignment. If not correct it can be downright dangerous. After talking with many, that's the reason they gave up the sidecar because they couldn't control it. That's a result of poor setup. I can keep up with most any touring bike on mountain roads, a lot of times they can't keep up with me, but that's 200,000 miles of sidecar experiance showing. As far as which H-D is best, get the biggest motor you can afford on a touring bike. If you're riding yourself any will do. If you ride with others your not going to keep up on an evo/sidecar rig when there riding newer bigger motor bikes. Keep in mind, pulling the sidecar is like dragging a sportster along side you, that's not running... takes some extra muscle to drag that thing around.

 

[hogcowboy]

So you are saying that you can't assume if the sign says 45mph for the next right hand turn, that you can take it at 45mph, because the car could and will take flight if you don't know what you are doing. If so, then I can see why this guy I'm thinking on another forum, just vanished after a few post indicating he wasn't too happy. Probably didn't help that he was doing this on a Royal Enfield he had a dealer install to car for him on. Lots of things going against his success I guess then. I just didn't know if suggested speed limit would be safe and it sounds like, no. Kinda explains the vanishing act I think. Too bad but that's why I ask. I don't want to be him but I'd sure like to keep my saddlebags when I go to 3 and this just about the only way.

 

[stacebg]

So you are saying that you can't assume if the sign says 45mph for the next right hand turn, that you can take it at 45mph, because the car could and will take flight if you don't know what you are doing. If so, then I can see why this guy I'm thinking on another forum, just vanished after a few post indicating he wasn't too happy. Probably didn't help that he was doing this on a Royal Enfield he had a dealer install to car for him on. Lots of things going against his success I guess then. I just didn't know if suggested speed limit would be safe and it sounds like, no. Kinda explains the vanishing act I think. Too bad but that's why I ask. I don't want to be him but I'd sure like to keep my saddlebags when I go to 3 and this just about the only way.

as mentioned every bike is different... i had a kz1300 w a champion legend i stated w some weight in the sidecar an reduced as i felt comfortable... if i was on a "spirited" ride which was most of the time i would leave some in..and still go faster than posted speed on curves..with no concern about lifting... with a passenger ..pretty tough to fly the chair... with that rig..

you rig will probably differ

 

[irmagoo]

my wife lov's the sidecar if i was to hand build a car i would use moly tubing and would set it up with electric lean angle actuator so a push of a button would correct angle for high crown roads or side wind ... i have thought about adding it to my hd sidecar for years but i think it would be quicker to build new frame .

 

[hogcowboy]

Hmm...interesting comments for sure. Sure would be my best option to go 3 for sure. I got the weight I can use to give some ballast. Us country boys can just rob a weight off some piece of farm equipment, so I got that covered. Will have to give this some serious consideration.

 

[stacebg]

my wife lov's the sidecar if i was to hand build a car i would use moly tubing and would set it up with electric lean angle actuator so a push of a button would correct angle for high crown roads or side wind ... i have thought about adding it to my hd sidecar for years but i think it would be quicker to build new frame .[/QUOTE\

imo moly is a waste of $ if you want to race, by all means but in this case most likely you want some weight..



not sure how the spindle is attached on a hd chair but dont think it would be more work than building a frame from scratch.. put the wheel on a swing arm and the linear actuator and a spring.. you would have a better ride and the tilt as well.. if its not a hd car its even easier

 

[Smitty901]

So you are saying that you can't assume if the sign says 45mph for the next right hand turn, that you can take it at 45mph, because the car could and will take flight if you don't know what you are doing. If so, then I can see why this guy I'm thinking on another forum, just vanished after a few post indicating he wasn't too happy. Probably didn't help that he was doing this on a Royal Enfield he had a dealer install to car for him on. Lots of things going against his success I guess then. I just didn't know if suggested speed limit would be safe and it sounds like, no. Kinda explains the vanishing act I think. Too bad but that's why I ask. I don't want to be him but I'd sure like to keep my saddlebags when I go to 3 and this just about the only way.

Once you know your rig you will know what speeds you can take a curve. On my RGU rig I can take any cure above the recommend posted speed. Even on twisty roads like the Dragon I can keep up with most. It takes time to get your muscle memory trained to drive a rig. It will come in time. You learn to with out thinking to use the throttle to help in or out of curves, use brakes to help ,or hold steady. Like learning to ride it takes time but most will get it. Most negative things you read about sidecares is lack of time to learn or setup issues. I am often ask how the Hexx did you stay with us. My response is I was waiting for you to get going.

Neither of our Rigs require any extra weight in them. Of course the smaller 750 Street will fly the car. But not is anyway dangerous long as you learn to drive it.

2019 on the Dragon. You may not notice it but we were being very aggressive on that ride.

At the end of this link you will see some short video from the sidecar. A friend that had never been in one wanted to see if it really could be pushed. You won't notice it but at times speeds of 90 mph .

On the RGU you will not fly the car If you know how you can force it but it is hard to do. On lighter Rigs Flying the car is a skill you can learn to use to your advantage.

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmHQMaen

 

[hogcowboy]

I'm beginning to think that the guy I'm thinking of just had a poorly adjusted rig. He said he wanted the ability to easily remove the car so don't know if that played into it as well. Being new and not really knowing what he was doing, I can sure see getting things crossed up and then blame everything on the car. I mean, it could never be the riders fault. I haven't seen a single post from him in over a year so assume he's left the scene of sidecars.

 

[Smitty901]

I'm beginning to think that the guy I'm thinking of just had a poorly adjusted rig. He said he wanted the ability to easily remove the car so don't know if that played into it as well. Being new and not really knowing what he was doing, I can sure see getting things crossed up and then blame everything on the car. I mean, it could never be the riders fault. I haven't seen a single post from him in over a year so assume he's left the scene of sidecars.

The RGU rig car will come off in 20 minutes or less and the bike rides great with out it. The problem is it is so much fun with it one . You just don't want to take it off.