Author Topic: A little something on the side (Read 5331 times)

gerhed · « **on:** February 03, 2007, 07:38:14 AM »

--Put together a sidecar out of wood, canvas and Kindorf.
--Doesn't actually act like a motorcycle anymore,but it is still a blast ride (drive?)

bill440cars · « **Reply #1 on:** February 03, 2007, 07:50:36 AM »

That's cool Phil

, What about some more shots of it?

It does me good to know that the old Chiefs are still out there doing a job and bringing pleasure.
Later on, Bill

gerhed · « **Reply #2 on:** February 03, 2007, 08:36:26 AM »

Bill----couple more pics

Uncle Ernie · « **Reply #3 on:** February 03, 2007, 08:47:06 AM »

Is this your first day with the new camera? We need side shots from both sides. Bill loves his sidecars, so I'm sure he'd love to see how the struts attach. We need to know what the heck ever possesed you to make your own sidecar. Everyone in Asheville has been asking if that thing floats. Maybe a 3/4 shot about belt level would be good too. Then Bill is dying to know some history on the bike. (He's shy)

How'm I doin Bill?

bill440cars · « **Reply #4 on:** February 03, 2007, 09:05:51 AM »

Thanks there Uncle, and yes, I'm always interested to know details of the old Indians and the sidecars too. I appreciate any and all shots of them and I also like to see shots that show as much detail of them too.

My Mother always said that she thought I was half motorcycle (Since I was little and when I became a teenager, she added that the other half was a car).

Later on, Bill

gerhed · « **Reply #5 on:** February 03, 2007, 09:24:41 AM »

Actually there is a long and noble tradition of nautical looking sidecars--I think.
I have priced actual Indian sidecars and the prices are prohibitive.
So, I thought the next best thing would be a rig that didn't even pretend to be be original and cost about 6 Grand less!
Box sits on 2 longitudinal leaf springs as did the originals.
Pointed nose does have a tendancy to dip down when loaded with a passenger.
If it dug in things would get exciting quickly.
Pics attached

bill440cars · « **Reply #6 on:** February 03, 2007, 09:56:12 AM »

Thanks for the pictures Phil. I've got a sidecar but it's not mounted on an old Indian though. Mine is hooked up to an 80' CB750K. I don't have any pictures yet. Mymain camera is a Wal Mart Disposable and right now, it's been disposed of. The 750 was acquired by trading a Phantom "Black Shadow" (for those who don't know, the Phantom is a bike built in Taiwan in the early 70's using the early Yamaha CT 175 motors. They were the ones before the reed valves were added. And they were an Enduro style) for it ( I actually had less than $50 in the Phantom). The 750 was a runner but was loaded with a fairing and such, which I almost immediately removed. The 750 was in bad need a good carb cleaning, needed tires, a paint job, seat (king & queen was shot) and needed a headlight along with turn signals. The sidecar is a pretty trim small one that I'm not sure of who made it. It looks kinda like a "California Sidecar" model called a "Companion" and I gave $500 for it. There's a picture of a CB500 with a sidecat, in the FAQ lpost about sidecars and mine looks a lot like that one.

I know of a guy here in town that has a H-D with a modified sidecar. That sidecar has only the nose portion of the body, has diamond plate floor and ramp. The guy was in an accident where he lost the use of his legs and is wheelchair now. He rolls his wheelchair up into the sidecar, raises the ramp, straps the chair in, moves over to the bike and rides off. I haven't seen it real close, so I don't know any more than that. I'd like to see and know more about that one. Myself, I will be transporting a "Special Needs" young man that I work with (James) and I'm trying to figure out the easiest way to get him in the sidecar and out of it. I have gotten a wheelchair that is easily folded up (his chair isn't) and I'm planning on how I'm gonna make a carrier for the chair. More Later.

Later on, Bill

Cowboy · « **Reply #7 on:** February 03, 2007, 09:57:39 AM »

Very cool project, Phil! I especially like the little windscreen on the chair! I have one like that on my 53 MG. I hope yours is more effective!

I haven't noticed a tendency for the front of my sidecar to dip down when I have a passenger. Maybe you can play with the mounting points, and try shifting the passenger's weight back a little to alleviate the dip.

For Bill's benefit, here's a shot of my sidecar rig, that even shows some of the mounting system:

Cowboy · « **Reply #8 on:** February 03, 2007, 09:59:37 AM »

Bill, does your sidecar have a trunk, so you can mount the wheelchair the way the spare tire is mounted on mine?

Cowboy · « **Reply #9 on:** February 03, 2007, 10:06:48 AM »

Phil,

As I look at the photographs, it appears that your sidecar sits pretty far forward, in comparison to mine. My sidecar actially sticks out behind the back wheel on the bike, as you can see in the photo below. In part, this may be because mine has a trunk, and I'm guessing that the added weight of the trunk and spare helps bias the sidecar weight toward the back, too.

gerhed · « **Reply #10 on:** February 03, 2007, 10:08:00 AM »

Cowboy,

Your sidecar rig is a beaut.
You are right about the windscreen-does almost nothing--actually sits too low to have any effect on a passenger.
But saw 'em on some vintage race cars a while back and thought I could make one that was close in appearance.

Gerhed

bill440cars · « **Reply #11 on:** February 03, 2007, 10:10:21 AM »

Cowboy,
Thanks for posting that. Nice looking rig. How does it do on that white stuff? Hopefully, I'll get mine lined out soon and get some pictures of it to post. Then the challenge will be for me be able to post them.

Later on, Bill

Cowboy · « **Reply #12 on:** February 03, 2007, 10:15:11 AM »

I'm sure the little windscreen on my MG was inspired by vintage racers as well. In fact, in the MG parts catalogs they are sold as "racing screens", or "Brooklands screens" (for the Brooklands racetrack). The large winscreen folds down on my MG, and then you have just the little racing screen in front of the driver. I've used it a few times, and it's good for giggles, but doesn't do much to keep the bugs out of your teeth!

Cowboy · « **Reply #13 on:** February 03, 2007, 10:31:56 AM »

My rig handles ok in the snow and on ice. The day I took those photos, I drove on everything from six-inch deep snow to clear roads, to absolute sheets of ice. The rig never slid sideways except when I tried to make it slide. The only real drawback to riding on snow and ice is that you have to push with your feet sometimes to get started, as you only have one driven wheel, and sometimes, it has inadequate traction to get you moving.

Since they were designed for military use, you can get a kit for my bike that adds an axle over to the sidecar wheel, so you have two-wheel drive. It would probably be necessary if you planned to do much riding on snow/ice or on soft dirt. The bike is a former People's Liberation Army (Chinese Army) bike, that has been restored with a paint job to resemble the 38 BMW R72, which was the basis for the sidecar rig the Nazis used in WW2. Later, it was copied by the Soviets and Chinese for their own military use. You can buy the former PLA bikes in China, restored like mine, for about $4000.00, and have them shipped over for about $1000 more. (If you are IN China, and have friends in the business, you can buy them much cheaper. My father-in-law lives over there, and rides an identical bike, with the guys who do the restorations. He bought this rig (freshly resstored) for $1650.00!

They are great fun for little money, in comparison to ther sidecar rigs. But don't buy one unless you enjoy turning wrenches!

HITMAN · « **Reply #14 on:** February 03, 2007, 10:43:35 AM »

Side cars are a lot of fun, it took a bit to get used to a different riding style though. My CA-Sidecar is rigid mounted with suspension at the wheel, later I will be adding some springage to the car. So far the only change I made was a water tank under the car for ballast when I want to go without a 'monkey'.

My car has some ability to change the distance from the bike, in the past I rode with a wheelchair rider and he folded his chair and placed it in a mount between the bike and car.

Uncle Ernie · « **Reply #15 on:** February 03, 2007, 11:04:02 AM »

Cowboy, your rig looks like it has the ball and clamshell up fron, so you should be able to raise the front end up some. The front end diving can definitely be a problem if turning left too hard. Is yours a Chang Jiang? Some Ural models come with 2WD (you knew that, didn't you).

gerhed, your motorcycle is not a motorcycle anymore- as you've dicovered. If this is your first rig, please take the time to practice in big parking lots. Getting used to right-handers especially can get scarey.

The United Sidecar Association has a website where you can download Hal Kendals book about set-up and driving technique- if you know how to do that sort of thing. The forums are packed full of info, and you can ask any question in the world and get proper info. www.sidecar.com

I'm sure they would love some pix of your rig.

OH- positioning; most rigs put the sidecar axle about 8 or 10 inches in front of the bikes rear wheel axle. This has to do with turning, though, not really weight distribution. Harley puts their SC and rear wheel axles even. I don't get it but it may be because HD SCs are a 3 point mounting system. Very strange to me. Anyway, putting the SC axle too far forward or back will for sure paly a part in ease of turning either way, plus how much it dives.

bill440cars · « **Reply #16 on:** February 03, 2007, 11:19:33 AM »

Quote from: Cowboy on February 03, 2007, 09:59:37 AM

Bill, does your sidecar have a trunk, so you can mount the wheelchair the way the spare tire is mounted on mine?

Cowboy, My first thought was to do some kind of mount between the bike and the sidecar. My 2nd thought was a mount behind the sidecar and my 3rd thought was to build a mount and attach it like you might do a lefthand saddlebag. I really am not sure exactly which way I'm going yet. My sidecar does have a trunk of sorts that you gain access to by tilting the seat up and forward. There is a luggage rack mounted on the back of the sidecar now.

Hitman, when I bought the sidecar, it came with a sort of duffle bag that had about 100lbs of weights in it that was to be used for a ballast. As I mentioned above, I've considered a mount between the bike and the sidecar myself.

If anyone has seen a mount that was used (or could be used) for a wheelchair, I'd like to see some pictures or drawings of it (or them).

Guys, Uncle Ernie is pretty knowledged on these things.

Later on, Bill

HITMAN · « **Reply #17 on:** February 03, 2007, 11:34:16 AM »

Hey Bill, if you have a CA-Sidecar or similar do you have a 3 or 4 point connection? I am currently going through all my pics as I did take some clear pics of the connection that can be altered, unfortunantly I didn't get pics of the guy I rode with but his setup was the same as mine and very simple to do. If you have the mounts that 'clamp' on to the tubes for the sidecar frame you'll have an easy job.

I used to have a bag of mason sand for ballast but it was a pain to move around, simple small water tank hidden under the sidecar allows me to fill anywhere and empty if I pick up someone along the way. Sooooo glad I did it.

Give me some time and I will find those pics.

bill440cars · « **Reply #18 on:** February 03, 2007, 12:47:36 PM »

Hey HITMAN,

My sidecar has a 4 point hookup. And I'd like to see (and hear) some details on that
water tank setup. Take your time cause I'd like to see your pictures.

Later on, Bill

Uncle Ernie · « **Reply #19 on:** February 03, 2007, 01:19:54 PM »

Bill, could you not do some kind of mod to your luggage rack or make sort of a bike rack kind of thing so the wheel chair could hook onto that? Perhaps two big "J" brackets/hooks with the chair held in place with a rubber strap?
I don't know what your SC looks like... you may have to hang the chair far enough down so your passenger doesn't whack the back of his head.
Again, there are several people who have modified their rigs to accomadate kids and such with learning and/or physical disabilities at sidecar.com. You should try posting there to see what people have to say. There is more expertise there than there is on this forum even. (hard to imagine, huh?)

HITMAN · « **Reply #20 on:** February 03, 2007, 01:27:54 PM »

couldn't find my pics (packing up to move into a new house), so I went out to snap a few.

Rear Mounts

Front Mounts

Sorry pics are not that good, if your mounts are clamp style they can be extended. Or like the guy I rode with, he just removed his right-side bag and extended the car as far out as it would mount and had 10" of space.

HITMAN · « **Reply #21 on:** February 03, 2007, 01:38:02 PM »

The water tank I found at an RV center that ordered it for me, fits inside the rectangle frame and holds 6-7 gal. Has a large fill tube at the back and a petcock for draining. It helps for milage when you have a passenger and drain the tank (fun when your driving), and you can fill it anywhere. Keeps that 'oh-crap' effect in check, on those right turn intersections in town.

Uncle Ernie · « **Reply #22 on:** February 03, 2007, 02:14:55 PM »

There's another good point- the wider the track, the less weight/ballast you'll need to keep the SC down.

HITMAN · « **Reply #23 on:** February 03, 2007, 02:26:40 PM »

Quote

There's another good point- the wider the track, the less weight/ballast you'll need to keep the SC down.

Very true, there are drawbacks especially if you have a heavy sidecar. I can go out 3" more but the tourque/brake steer isn't very fun when you don't have a brake on the sidecar wheel, and at $450 for a Friendship 2-SE it won't be happening.

bill440cars · « **Reply #24 on:** February 03, 2007, 03:43:10 PM »

Uncle,
Terry (cb650) suggested a carrier similar to what you did. I'll just have to make time and see what would work best for it. I will keep you all posted though.

HITMAN,
Thanks for the info and taking the time to shoot some pictures for me. I do appreciate it.

Guys, anything and everything offered and suggested will be taken into consideration and I thank you all.

Later on, Bill

This is mine. Bear with me, I'm still learning on the picture thing.

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Author Topic: A little something on the side (Read 5331 times)