BMW 850 GSA Sidecar?

Chain drive means you can easily choose your final drive ratio.

My 650 Vstrom was ample to pull a sidecar and tow a trailer. 

L

Though maybe not at superslab speeds.

A subframe is the 1st stop. 

Can you fabricate your own?

Who is close that can?

Let the games begin. 

I would love to take on the project at texas sidecars

@sidecarusa You are at the top of the list ... DMC is what I had prior .. have chatted with one of your folks over the past few months.

That sounds like an epic rig for exploring.  I like the idea of a "lighter weight" explorer.  @ben-franklin has an Africa Twin with a DMC sidecar.  If I remember right the original chain & sprockets lasted almost 20K miles, and those include lots of really rough off-road miles in the Arizona desert.   I'd bet your BMW will do great.

Please keep us posted on what you decide. Would be fun to follow along with your exploits. 😎 

@scott-h Chain and sprockets on my bike bmw/850GSA - only last about 20,000 miles ... or at least that is about what I'm getting ... my concern was/is whether to put a side car on a chain bike ... I am in the process of downsizing (getting older) ... and the 850 was a weight step-down from my 1250 GSA .. am moving to three wheels ..

I am not familiar enough with the over-all side car community and was /am concerned about the use of a chain drive with side car - but from what I'm hearing the maintenance is pretty much 'normal' ... still have to check/inspect/clean/lube/adjust chain every 4-600 miles - but for me an evening process when traveling and heading to sleep ...

In any case - thanks/all for the input - it helps ...

Homer, there is almost zero difference in mounting a sidecar to a chain driven bike, vs a shaft driven bike. As noted by @Brstr, you can more easily change the gear ration on the chain driven bike, to satisfy the need for more grunt with having a sidecar attached to the bike.

20,000 miles out of a chain and sprockets is not bad...very acceptable....many people gets less miles out of their chain and sprockets.

BUT....it is very easy to get MORE miles, in fact I will say you can DOUBLE the mileage on that bike for a chain and sprockets, if you install a ScottOiler.

The one you want is the V-model...NOT the E-model, or any of the other ones. The V-model.....only $ 139.00, easy to install, if you are in the Great Pacific Northwest, I will install it for you, for FREE. Never have to manually lube your chain again, much fewer times of adjusting the chain, and will double the life of the chain and sprockets.

https://www.amazon.com/Scottoiler-vSystem-Automatic-Motorcycle-Lubrication/dp/B0BQN913S8/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.a2hW7KweWXuDrIV_hZsNOnNAM9GgYz8yK_2pEgqvDcvBRQ3oGogDQvsgBpkB5jsUhjV-OLRaiG5WeZ8v1c_ziMHgiFNaoOTWwXRaIh5eAJfN7K63AbQPhfDFysdnoyogb8q6s9ko-mv7wBtocYDosNY_MW_eIe-qnEaD6WMCpocgRIhM7kpdTbtpoPvPpnYuOHD4ZvGo4vXIenntrE8N6ABxx7_n8jO8orgsFZgRIF-CZDafklRruLE2_3YB7kZam8DgcyXd2A06cAa4Eds0Gi55brmyCy25aO2AnOOeMME.3BrPpZVmrwIbkIbYCiXtKpK33NYMJrhDHxHVZ0f0bjQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=ScottOiler&qid=1722537607&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

@hlk Chain should be fine.

I kind of beat the snot out of Black Betty (that sweet girl), a Honda Africa Twin Rig, out in the desert sand and grit.  I got 20,600 miles out of a chain sprocket set before wear on the countershaft sprocket and a couple of "stretch" spots in the chain caused me to decide to replace it.

I run the Scottoiler "X" series 2 unit that picks up on motion to know when to drip oil at what ever rate you program in by touching a slider type switch.  Their series one unit was pretty lame, with problems on the reservoir actually holding oil.  The series 2 has now been on for a couple of years on my rig, and about 3 years on my son's AT.  They seem to have resolved that issue.  Scottoiler people were great to work with in this resolution, BTW.

Taking a quick look, I see they have evolved the "X series" to a version 3.0.  Kinda spendy at $268 off Amazon, but I liked the electronically triggered flow. The V series that Monkey Dude recommends is probably great, but I was too lazy to figure out a good spot to pick up engine vacuum to trigger it.

Last chain change out I "upgraded" to this fancy EK Chain.  Probably won't make the front sprocket last any longer, but at 10,000 miles, it seems to show no signs of wear.  I also cranked up the oiler rate a bit, which slings off more of the grit, as far as I can tell.  If the chain shows no signs of stretching, front sprockets are pretty cheap.  I may swap a new one in, and see how long it goes, once the current one shows signs of wear.

So anyway, I run a heavy DMC Expedition chair, with Jay's monstrosity "extreme duty" double wall frame, braced and gusseted with at least an additional 10 pounds of steel fixing his design problems in the form of braces and gussets where needed.  I generally carry about 50 lbs of misc. junk/tools, plus a winch and a big battery. I drive it hard in dirty conditions and got 20,600 miles out of the first, OEM chain set.  You will be fine with the BMW chain drive.

Good luck on your project; sounds like a blast!  The lads in TX will do a much better job than what happened in WA with mine; Jonny is paying attention and they have a better understanding of materials strength and geometry than Jay ever had.

Oh, one other thing.  Changing the gear ratio is a nice advantage.  I upped the rear sprocket tooth count by two on the last go around and liked it a lot.  I may go just a little farther, next time I change out a front sprocket and drop a tooth there, since larger rear sprockets are a little more difficult to source, beyond the 44 tooth I put on last time.  Reduced the final drive by 4.3% and find it helpful in lowspeed stuff in 1st.

As everyone has commented, a chain-drive MC is not an issue for sidecar duty. In fact, changing sprockets makes it easier and less expensive to re-gear the bike.

I would recommend going with the next size up sealed chain, i.e. heavier duty and STRONGER. They are slightly wider so less sand and grit is trapped between the sprocket and the chain. 

Google Nemo Chain Oiler for alternatives to the high dollar Scott Oiler. I replaced tires more often than chains on several rigs using an oiler.

Good luck with the build.

@miles-ladue Thanks - going to order one  = the version recommended.

Thanks for all the comments/input/suggestions and recommendations ---- this 'conversation' has taken a lot off my mind - particularly over the chain and maintenance issue ...

Talked with DMC folks today/1 August and responded to an e-mail ... looks like a 5 to 6 month wait for build - but OK with me ...

@hlk For what it is worth, after running out of the high dollar "Scott Oil" that they sell for their oilers, I switched to just running Synthetic 75/90w gear oil that I already had in my shop.  Works fine, lasts a long time!

Posted by: @ben-franklin

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@hlk For what it is worth, after running out of the high dollar "Scott Oil" that they sell for their oilers, I switched to just running Synthetic 75/90w gear oil that I already had in my shop.  Works fine, lasts a long time!

Ben (I invented lightning) Franklin, that 75w/90 might work well in the HEAT of the southern Arizona deserts, but those of us north of the 45th parallel, or north of the Mason Dixon Line, we use Marvel Mystery Oil, or 5w30 Mobile 1.

What Homer....being a "homer"....has failed to do is tell us where he lives.

So, Homer, if you live close enough to Eugene, Oregon, we have a frame builder you may want to meet.

And Homer, before you start to install that ScottOiler, if you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask me, as I have installed more than 20 of those, and never had a failure.

On recommendation, I tried using red ATF oil in the oiler. Worked great, cost less that other more expensive oils, easy to see if you are over or under oiling. It stands out from other oils.

@miles-ladue - Overall I'm somewhat overwhelmed ... 'frame' as in a picture frame, box frame, --- but assume you are talking about some thing related to a side car - like a 'under the car frame'? ... You-all (southern term)  should know that I'm generally a rider (in all fairness up to now I've generally ridden about 30,000 miles a year or more for about 20 years - only about 12,000 of that - total, not per year - with a side car) and when you (or anyone) start talking about oil weights, sprocket sizes (40 teeth vs 42), etc. - I generally get a blank look on my face - but in all fairness I do tend to look up and get answers/information (at least) about what is being said.

My location tends to be complicated - but - the 850 is physically located, generally, most of the time, etc. in Youngstown, NY - but it does travel a lot .. I have access to other bikes - at other locations - and use them as time, business and desire dictate ... As noted earlier I'm moving into the sidecar full time on this bike ... and just need to make sure that I can get from point A to Z - when needed ... and/or address issues as they crop up ... input so far has shown that the chain bike will work - and/but - I need to consider some things/areas I hadn't prior - that I didn't even consider/know about ...

So - thanks to all ... should note that I 'copy' your directions, information, etc. (no personal information) and store so I can go back and review/learn over time.

What I  meant by a subframe is a frame bolted to various points on the engine and frame of your bike to allow proper ( secure ) mounting of the sidecar to the bike.. 

Older bikes ran a steel cradle frame that went under the engine as well as over.

Giving ideal mounting points. 

I like that you take notes. 

Something I should do more as time goes by.

Of course then I'd have to read them...?