Looking for an HP rig

Posted by: @jdwinger

↑

Hi all, I guess the title really says it all. hoping to find something with Bill Ballou's center hub steering 

A couple of guys in the community have graciously taken some of their time to help me get a leg up in my search and one of the resources they told me about is here!

The specialized site HPsidecars.com seems unresponsive at this time (I hope the admins find themselves in good health and fortune)

but onward ho!
thanks for reading

James Winger.............WELCOME to the Greatest Show on Earth.

I wasn't aware that Hewlett Packard made sidecar rigs, but then when you mentioned center-hub steering, I think I caught on to your...drift.

Don't be fooled by the notion that an HP rig with center-hub steering is all that it promises, or is the cat's meow, as there are sidecar rigs that don't have center-hub steering that can be driven like a High Performance rig, as some rigs have the horsepower, have been built properly, and handle well enough that "In The Right Hands" can be as good, or better than a so-called HP rig.

That's all I have to say about that !

@miles-ladue 

HP? It's all Panasopnic Toughbook for this kid (I work arnd water...and I'm super clumsy. maybe that's whysidecar! My wife call it my tonka computer)

hey thanks so much for reading and writing! I really appreciate it

I hear ya on the soft definition of HPsidecar Bill Ballou was just saying a few days ago (over email - what a nice guy, he's on tour I think but took the time to write) about the same thing with soft definitions/interpretations

I trained on leading link (and years ago, ugh decades ago back when I was a track rider got to experience a hacked together hack that probably didn't have much done besides bolting that sucker on and more preload. boy howdy I was in my bloodnickels for that one.) Wife found LL quite heavy in terms of the steering and the few people I've talked to who have CH really sing its praises, so I was interested in checking that  out(as is the wife)

but sure, I dig what you are saying on that.

while I had great funsies flying the chair (I'm a trike..now I'm a bike...now I'm a trike) , I don't anticipate doing a lot of that 🤪 and going to the (quasi)darkside seems to make sense from a mechanical perspective (maximum chicken strip! 😀 ).

Speaking of which ...I haven't been on the track in, oh gosh almost 30 years now. How's the club racing scene in the PNW?

thanks again! 

Action hotdogs are ready 

<a href=" removed link " target="_blank" rel="noopener"> removed link

Posted by: @jdwinger

↑

Action hotdogs are ready 

<a href=" removed link " target="_blank" rel="noopener"> removed link 

James Winger, it appears that your "link" got kinked, and not posted, probably due to you being so new here, or because they don't like external links, unless posted a certain way.

Not to worry, A Shrek Man named Thane will be along any moment to fix things for you.

And....with a name like "Winger", this is all the HP sidecar rig you need.

The front tire on this rig, with a custom made 16" front wheel, is a 180mm wide tire.

@miles-ladue ah the helmet graphics..it reminds me of 

well i'd post a pic [the bikes from the abomination that was Galactica 1980, the Battlestar galactic spin off], but currently I think I'm on double secret probation.

The pic was just my ballast of action Corgis in their PFDs  (which makes them look like hotdogs) on the wife's boat (corgis are actually drovers, cute as they may be, they are get it done doggos)

https://www.youtube.com/embed/L5n1U9BUxdo

Posted by: @dirtydr

↑

https://www.youtube.com/embed/L5n1U9BUxdo

heh those are they

back in the day I had a Seca turbo. While it was an...interesting exploration of engineering (not bad mind you, just made out of 80% quirks - I'll admit I have a soft spot for them)...the sound when it spooled up was pretty cool.

fuuuutuure biiiike

The red bandana biker!! I guess he's Marolowe Thomas's brother b/c I know him as "that guy" as in That guy, you who he's been in everything,I can't actually name any of the things..but like, everything!

James Winger, to continue on your search for a CHS sidecar rig,  I met Bill Ballou at the National Sidecar Rally in Topsham, Maine last month, with his entourage of 3 CHS rigs, 2of which were Kawi 1400 Concours rigs, and 1 was  Suzi Hayabusa rig.

I was surprised that Bill asked me if he could drive my BattleWing Galactica rig, a 2019 Honda Goldwing w/DCT  transmission, and a Hannigan Dream Sidecar. 

I forewarned him that it would not handle as well as his CHS Kawi 1400 Concours, but he wanted to try it. Even more surprised when he offered to let me drive his CHS Kawi  1400 Concours rig.

I did post a picture of Bill Ballou in the thread of pictures from the Sidecar Rally. 

There is no doubt that his CHS rig handles much better than my fat tire front end rig.

Tell me where you live,  and let's see if we can find you a sidecar rig. 

one is listed on Facebook marketplace in NY state