Armec Sidewinder prices, etc.

This is a universal complaint i think. If you surveyed most sidecar and sidecar parts retailers on their websites, you'll find 4 out of 5 won't have anything indicating pricing.

I've been trying in vain to get pricing on a front-end and car tire wheel for the past 5 months. So far, i've gotten a response back from Charnwood Motors and UNIT sidecars, but it took a lot of emailing to get a response from them. EZS, EML .. and others, are non-communicative. I'm currently working on the EZS distributor for Canada to get a front end, but progress even for the distributor is nauseatingly, tediously slow in communicating with the factory in Holland.

It's a shame, at least online, the vast majority of the sidecar manufacturers seem to use their websites as showcases .. not as a retail presence for serious customers interested in their wares. Perhaps it's a reflection of the volatile pricing changes that can occur with such a low volume, high cost, highly customizeable product.

Thats an interesting statement in as much as I had no problem whatsoever in getting a price and build on my sidecar. Of course I knew exactly what brand and model I wanted so it was just a matter of getting the acessories and paint matters taken care of, having it built and delivered to my installer.

Ditto, my experience with Armec. I definitely was not impressed with their poor responsiveness to my phone inquiry. EZS distributor in WA was very helpful in all ways. I was considering converting a R1150RT, but ended up purchasing a used EML rig. I would have gone with EZS because of the knowledge and expertise of the distributor, based on my phone conversation with him. Service and expertise is just as important as the product itself, in my book.

MikeS

Thanks for the notes. I spoke with Pete Larson at EZS and found him to be everything that Armec was not. He is a good guy and, from what I can gather, is very good at what he does. I may yet (if the bucks will allow it) get a rig built up by him, but it probably won't be this year. The EZS Dealership was in the hands of the NJ crowd prior to him getting it. The rigs were vastly overprice and the company was not responsive to inquiries. That has all changed since Pete took the EZS dealership. Perhaps somebody needs to smarten up the manufacturer.

I have been dealing with Mike Wagner of Wagner's Cycle Shop in AR. I ordered a new Ural Patrol from him and it will be stateside shortly. I rode my BMW R1150RT today and had to watch very carefully for sand and gravel on the road. The temperature was 18 when I left the house. Yes, that's 18 F. Everybody asked me if I was cold. I wonder why in hell they don't ask these bozos on snowmobiles if they are cold.

Anyway, if anybody has any clue as to the pricing on the Sidewinder and know of an owner who would talk with me, I would appreciate hearing from them.

Thanks,

"I wonder why in the hell they don't ask these bozo's on snowmobiles if they are cold....Everybody asked me if I was cold"

I know one thing for sure, I am not a BOZO. I am a snowmobiler in the winter and a biker in the warmer months.

Secondly, the generalization that sledders are bozo's is not true. I'd consider anyone riding their bike when it's 18 degrees outside to be more of a bozo than a properly dressed (for cold) sledder any day.

You probably LOOKED cold and were. They (the bozo's) didn't and weren't.

Go buy a good snowmobile suit and then ride. Better yet, get a sled and keep the Bimmer in the garage in the winter. It will last longer and so will you.

I tried to get a price on the sidewinder for my 1100rt. after filling out their form at the website and giving my email address, I received an email directing me to an online quote form that said it would cost $25 just to get a quote. That seems ridiculous. If i threw $25 at the manufacturer for every sidecar I looked at I'd be out thousands of dollars by now. If anyone could give an estimate of the cost, it would be well appreciated.

If anyone has a sidewinder on an rt, what do you think of it?

john

I don't think any slurs were meant. The skin must get a little thin up Deerfield way this time of year. This Bozo has been out a couple of times on a sidehack since the first of the year. Cut off my pony tail and shaved off my beard on New years eve so it gets real cool on the face but bundle up and it's all good.
Bikes, hacks, snowmobiles or boards, it's all good, just get out and do it!

Lonnie

John - The guy running Armec has probably spent too much time answering quesitons and not enough time making money. I will agree that he has chosen a strange way of making money, but there you go.

Are you interested in the Sidewinder because it will go on and off easily or because you can still lean your bike? If it is the former, Hannigan specializes in that market, though their experience has been that the car tends to stay on after a couple of on and off cycles. If you are looking for a "leaner" a bunch of folks will chime in, I'm sure.

I'm gett'in a little cabin fever. No snow, so no sled. Road is real muddy so no bike. No deer to hunt and the wood stove is running hard. Where is April?

Steve,
I can sympathize with the guy at armec. I don't want to waste his time either and that's why I am here. i am hoping that I can get a ballpark price range and the opinions of sidewinder owners.

john

CHECK WITH HANNIGAN THEY ARE NOW PUTTIN SIDECARS ON RT'S COSIDERING DOING MY 04 II5O RT SOMTIME IN THE FUTURE

I'm new at this, who is Hannigan and are you talking about Armec Sidewinder?

Thanks,

Steve

P.S. Please cc me any email you send to this forum so I get it right away.

Good Morning Steve

How is the weather in Maine ?
One of the United States manufacturers of SideCars is a firm called

Hannigan Motorsports
4044 US Highway 641, South
Murray, Kentucky 42071
Phone: (270) 753-4256
Contact is Dave or Ruth Hannigan – Principals, or Reno – Office Manager

You can visit their Web site at http://www.inb.net/hannigan/
New SideCar's from Hannigan average around $7,500.00 (Depending on Model and Options)

The ARMEC Sidewinder if manufactured by a firm in Switzerland
ARMEC – ARMEC Stands for (ARegger MEChanic)
Lohrensaege
CH 6020 Emmenbruecke
Tel: (011) (41) 41-280-75-00

You can visit their Web site at http://www.armec.com/sidewinder.html
According to High Performance SideCar folks, the ARMEC Sidewinder deliveried here in the United States is arounf $30,000. (Yup 30K)

If you need any additional information, will try and help you

Regards

Thanks for the info Best Buddy.
I remember someone on a discussion mentioning that his sidewinder may be for sale for $30,000 and I thought he meant the whole rig. It's a bit more than I wanted to spend on my first rig. I guess if you won't pay $25 to ask, you can't afford it.

I was interested in both the lean ability and the quick disconnect. But mostly it looked like a lot of fun to be so close to the ground in a sidecar. Like riding in a go-cart, but much faster. It also looked very cool.

Hannigan has a great website. They are also kind enough to provide prices on their sidecars, services and extras. I'm sure it took them a lot of time to set up their price list but I bet they save more time not having to answer pricing questions every day.

I've been having a lot of fun obsessing over choosing my first sidecar. I'm sure my wife thinks there's pornography behind all the hack pics on my computer screen.

My dilemma is this: I want to try a sidecar for the kids and the dog. I have a two bikes now. A beautiful but under powered 1995 750 Virago and a 96 1100rt. I don't think I would be happy for long with the Virago setup. but I couldn't give up long solo rides on the rt so it would need a quick disconnect. Hannigan has the best looking sidecars i've found at prices I can live with, but they'er a 4000 mile round trip. Right now I have the itch, but I can't take that much time off.

Right now I'm leaning towards selling the virago (<50hp) and finding a well set up used rig that will cruise the highway without much trouble.

thanks
john