Fantasy Rig

Greg,

I too have not been at this too long so I know I am going to learn more than I put in to this.

Just about a year ago I started asking a lot of questions and a part of the great feed back I got was a question. “What do you want to do with the rig?”

As I have said I do not know a lot about sidecar rigs but I have been a sailor all my live and I know there is no “The boat.” I have been gone from home port and lived aboard for up to 2 ½ years on a big slow 55 footer and that was “the boat.” I have raced 22 footers on lakes and they were “the boat.” There is a saying “The bigger the boat the more time it will be at dock.”

Now back on subject. I have a Honda 1100 Shadow with a Velorex 565. The ways of this rig was for one was cost. The Honda is a 98 that I bought right. It also had enough power to get me out of the way of the nuts on the road here. he he. I looked at a number of hacks. The Velorex is low in price, I could get one here, and I liked the looks. The reason cost was so big for me was I had not been on a bike in over 30 years and did not know if I would like it. Today I love it so would I change any thing? I think maybe a better hack. I like the California GT and some others. I have no plans to change hacks today. Yes I am planning on some changes to what I have a sway bar would be nice. I like all three wheels to stay down.

I live in Fla so have a lot of good riding time. I ride every day almost. Right now I ride in between the rain. I have found I can make it around the state and when I do things like Beaver, AR I can put it rig on a trailer and go. I am not planning on going around the world today so this is the rig for me.

Greg,
I have put my responses, for what they are worth, within the >>>> <<<<>>>To me a sidecar rig can never have too much power. It is nice to have the low end grunt though and not have a peaky power band.<<<>>>This is a personal choice of what is good for you. Some like an upright seating position some laid back and some leaning forward. After breaking my back in a cycle crash a few years ago the leaning forward position is best for me. Have done a couple of 1000 in 24 runs with no problem.<<<>>>To me not needed.<<<>>>Agree on the spare fuel! Not that one may want to ride from tank to tank but knowing you can is a good thing.<<<>>>All rigs are a compromise in some areas. A rig like you V Strom can be made to handle quite well as you and I spoke of the other night. However it will no more be a hannigan bandito than a jeep will be a sports car. By the same token that HPS rig would not be very happy in the rougher stuff. Don't get me wrong that V Strom could be massaged into a sports car too ..lol.<<<>>>All of the above would make nice rigs but would be quite diferent. The Ninja and the K12 make me drool but don't rule out the Hyabusa as it has tons of power down low.
The Goldwing is of course the tug of choice for many as is the BMW LT.
Road King? No problem here and for what it is has a large following.
Pesonally I would build my own based on a 1400 Ninja or Hyabusa ...but keep the V Strom. It would have a center hub front end with adjustable trail, large tires, swaybar, torsion bar suspension all around, extra fuel capacity, a little more upright seating position but not much, maybe a couple of sidecar body options to switch back and forth and whatever else came to mind during the build. Then later on maybe a tubo would be fun on it:-)
Other than that to me the ultimate rig would be built like the sidebike zeus (Google side-bike zeus) with a more conventional cycle and sidecar body and one of the front wheel drive auto engines that is good for hopping up. Turbo, large intercooler etc etc. One wheel drive though ...no driven sidecar wheel.
Claude (570) 765 8310 <<<<

greg

I've had my rig for about a year and been about 15k miles so far, so not a lifetime of experience to report on. Have been riding 2-wheelers for 42 years. I drive a GL1800 with a Hannigan Astro GT. The more I read and learn about sidecars, the more I am very glad I made this choice for my personal use. I ride to work in Houston, make 4-5 hour trips to other cities on a regular basis, and will be making a 5,000+ mile ride in a few weeks. This thing is GRRREAT out on the highway. I can cruse at 70-75 with ease, passing at 90-100 mph is no problem no matter how much weight I'm carrying, and feels very stable at these speeds. Don't get me wrong, I don't drive this like a Ferrari, but it will GO when I need to. The Hannigan GT has so much room that Miata owners are jealous... It is more comfortable than my Ford F-150 SuperCrew. Has enough radios to make my finger tired from pushing buttons, etc. So, to me this is the ultimate all-around rig for my general riding. HOWEVER, there are times that the 'Busa with the trick Hannigan HP sidecar would be fun for some of my riding, but I couldn't live with it on a full-time basis.

Tally-Ho!

Richard, I think you are spot on. There is no "perfect rig". Proabaly why I have so many bikes (lol).

Claude, I am sort of leaning in the direction you might, get the Ninja ZX14 with the Hannigan "Bandito" HPSC. Clearly, i will keep the Strom. It is really working out well, Connie (and our maltese..Princess) love it. I have heard Kawasaki might release a sport touring version of the Ninja, shaft drive, better ergos,less all out hp, more mid range. Might be a better tug?

David Hannigan said I could test ride one of his HPSCs if I come by his shop. Need to figure out how cold it gets in Kentucky in the winter, may just ride out.

Originally written by RocketMan on 9/12/2006 5:25 PM

I've had my rig for about a year and been about 15k miles so far, so not a lifetime of experience to report on. Have been riding 2-wheelers for 42 years. I drive a GL1800 with a Hannigan Astro GT. The more I read and learn about sidecars, the more I am very glad I made this choice for my personal use. I ride to work in Houston, make 4-5 hour trips to other cities on a regular basis, and will be making a 5,000+ mile ride in a few weeks. This thing is GRRREAT out on the highway. I can cruse at 70-75 with ease, passing at 90-100 mph is no problem no matter how much weight I'm carrying, and feels very stable at these speeds. Don't get me wrong, I don't drive this like a Ferrari, but it will GO when I need to. The Hannigan GT has so much room that Miata owners are jealous... It is more comfortable than my Ford F-150 SuperCrew. Has enough radios to make my finger tired from pushing buttons, etc. So, to me this is the ultimate all-around rig for my general riding. HOWEVER, there are times that the 'Busa with the trick Hannigan HP sidecar would be fun for some of my riding, but I couldn't live with it on a full-time basis.

Tally-Ho!

Last year I rented a GL1800 for several days. Some friends at Cruiser Magazine kept tellng me how great a bike it is.

They were right. The torque (and sound) of the engine are intoxicating. Handling was a shocker. Not sure when, but I WILL get one.

Thanks for your input.

Easing into retirement, I've been looking at RVs. Over at www.aliner.com I found hard sided popup camping trailers as light as 150 kilograms, narrow as I.2 meters wide, and less than a meter tall. Now ready for the road that unit is going to weight at least 200 kilos, so it's going to need more than my 50 horse airhead motor to pull it. In fact, with a 300 kilo bike + a 150 kilo doublewide sidecar + me and 2 passengers the total weight could reach a ton. That's as much as a small car, and 100 horses is considered the minimum for them. Belt or shaft drive are a neccessity too.

The only HOG product that can reliably produce 100 horses is the V-Rod. It's a great design and only weights 300 kilos, but the Harley dealer network has disowned it so it's off the short list. The 4 cylinder K bikes have delivered at least 100 horses right from the start, so they look tempting, with the exception of the overweight K1200LT and the new Yamaha 1300 clones. Then there the Gold Wing/Valkrie flat sixes. I'd prefer the lighter Valkrie, and avoid the 1800 and it's troublesome frame. The only complaint I've ever heard about the Valkrie was gas mileage- it may be the perfect tug for a big hack.

Any other suggestions?

Originally written by Hack'dBeemer on 9/14/2006 8:24 PM

Easing into retirement, I've been looking at RVs. Over at www.aliner.com I found hard sided popup camping trailers as light as 150 kilograms, narrow as I.2 meters wide, and less than a meter tall. Now ready for the road that unit is going to weight at least 200 kilos, so it's going to need more than my 50 horse airhead motor to pull it. In fact, with a 300 kilo bike + a 150 kilo doublewide sidecar + me and 2 passengers the total weight could reach a ton. That's as much as a small car, and 100 horses is considered the minimum for them. Belt or shaft drive are a neccessity too.

The only HOG product that can reliably produce 100 horses is the V-Rod. It's a great design and only weights 300 kilos, but the Harley dealer network has disowned it so it's off the short list. The 4 cylinder K bikes have delivered at least 100 horses right from the start, so they look tempting, with the exception of the overweight K1200LT and the new Yamaha 1300 clones. Then there the Gold Wing/Valkrie flat sixes. I'd prefer the lighter Valkrie, and avoid the 1800 and it's troublesome frame. The only complaint I've ever heard about the Valkrie was gas mileage- it may be the perfect tug for a big hack.

Any other suggestions?

Diana, if you buy one of those little ALite 400's I'll pull it around for a while and let you know how the Valkyrie likes it. :0)

Another fantasy rig? How about a Boss Hoss? One with an aluminum 513 cubic inch Rodek in it. Nitrous could be added later if more power was wanted. Sidecar? NOT a Velorex! Probably homemade.

There is a recall for the GL1800 frame issue. I've looked over the detail welding procedure and they look good (I do mech. engineering work in the oilpatch), so once the fix is made I don't believe there is any issue with the frame. I've been pulling a Hannigan GT (34k miles so far) with no problems. I don't think I would rule out the GL1800 just from the frame issue.

Originally written by claude #3563 on 9/15/2006 3:35 PM

Another fantasy rig? How about a Boss Hoss? One with an aluminum 513 cubic inch Rodek in it. Nitrous could be added later if more power was wanted. Sidecar? NOT a Velorex! Probably homemade.

Connie and i are at BikeFest (Las Vegas) as i type this. Boss Hoss has a display. My first thought was "what a tug this would make"

I don't know if they have reverse or not (presume not) which might be an issue on something that heavy.

Also, I think I like the idea of something that handles really well, again, not sure the Hoss would so that.

They are cool on their own way though.

Originally written by RocketMan on 9/16/2006 10:10 AM

There is a recall for the GL1800 frame issue. I've looked over the detail welding procedure and they look good (I do mech. engineering work in the oilpatch), so once the fix is made I don't believe there is any issue with the frame. I've been pulling a Hannigan GT (34k miles so far) with no problems. I don't think I would rule out the GL1800 just from the frame issue.

For a lot of reasons, the GL 1800 is a top choice. The engine, reverse, Its a Honda, plenty og alternater output, aftermarket stuff, etc etc.

The only issue i have is they are so big. Kinda dumb reason I suppose,(since all rigs are big compared to bikes) and I would love to have one as a regular bike. I need to see one with a SC.

I may still do some follow up re: a HPSC type setup on the GL.

Originally written by Hack'dBeemer on 9/14/2006 8:24 PM
Then there the Gold Wing/Valkrie flat sixes. I'd prefer the lighter Valkrie, and avoid the 1800 and it's troublesome frame. The only complaint I've ever heard about the Valkrie was gas mileage- it may be the perfect tug for a big hack.

I thought Honda had discontinued the Valkyrie? Used would be OK anyway.

Does the Valkyrie have a reverse gear as well?

Originally written by gregbenner on 9/16/2006 3:52 PM

Originally written by Hack'dBeemer on 9/14/2006 8:24 PM
Then there the Gold Wing/Valkrie flat sixes. I'd prefer the lighter Valkrie, and avoid the 1800 and it's troublesome frame. The only complaint I've ever heard about the Valkrie was gas mileage- it may be the perfect tug for a big hack.

I thought Honda had discontinued the Valkyrie? Used would be OK anyway.

Does the Valkyrie have a reverse gear as well?

Yeah, the Valkyrie 1500 was discontinued in 2003 when Honda used up the last of the 1500 engines. The 1800 cc Valkyrie Rune is still available, though I've not seen one with a sidecar.

I did get a chance to see a Triumph Rocket 3/Champion rig last weekend in Anamosa Iowa. Dauntless put it together for the older gentleman who couldn't say enough good about the combination. Unfortunately, we were packed and on our way out of town and I couldn't get to my camera.

Darn it Mike I forgot about that Triumph Rocket 3...THAT would be interesting. Actually I have been talking to a person who is considering having us put a hack on one. I hope he goes through with it as it would be an exciting ride.