Yes, at the sidecar and trike classes both sidecars and trikes are provided. If you pass all you need do is take the completion card to the DMV and give them money and you will have your three wheel endorsement.
The Evergreen Safety council administers the program http://evergreenmotorcycletraining.org/ I like to recommend Pacific North West Motorcycle safety which has a range at the supper mall just off of Highway 18 a few miles from I-5 360 779 6378
BTW, we have mounts and sidecars for the R80RT, The Versys and your CB550
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793
On two wheels I usually averaged about 15,000 miles a year, sometimes more depending on trips. Because of medical issues my wife had to sell her bike and we decided to purchase a sidecar rig. I sold my 02 GW in 2009 and found a 03 GW/Escort rig in Illinois with only 15,000 miles on it. The prior owner had been a high mileage owner, traveling all over the USA & Canada with prior sidecar rigs. But then came down with Shingles and then other health problems slowed him down. At 80 years old his family & doctor convinced him it was time to give up three wheels. The bike sat in his barn for three more years before he finally sold it. I purchased it in 2009 with only 15,000 miles on it and rode it home to Washington. Now I am having my own health issues and the rig still only has about 49,000 miles on it In five years I've only put 34,000 more miles on it.
My point is that sometimes life just forces you to slow down which reduces those riding miles.
I put 100000 miles on my last 2 rigs. Due to advancing age Avanell and I trailer a lot of the time.
Friend Dub Huddelston put oer 100,000 mile on 2 Harley rigs. I averaged 15000 miles a year for a few years. Some people due to work etc. don't have as much riding time as others. My 93 Dodge pick-up only has 105,000 miles on it. Lets keep on hearing from other High-Low milage riders.
J.R.
Sec.
Tex rep
My current rig has 67XXX on it. It has been border to border and coast to coast. But I feel like a piker next to some of you guys. My first rig I would estimate had 10XXX that I put on it before we decided to go with a bigger sidecar which necessitated a bigger tug. I concur with a lot of the responses. A lot of people suffer from bad rigging. I know I did on my first rig. It came on a CB1100 and drove like a truck. I installed it on a R90 BMW and it still suffered from bad rigging (Mine). When we got the Motorvation the tech at Sibley set it up for me and it has been great. I don't have a special fork and sometimes wish I did but I get along. It helps me stay in shape. All this to say - a poorly rigged sidecar sits in the garage and doesn't accumulate miles. It isn't a case of bolt it on and ride.
jwshort - 8/20/2014 8:39 PM
... a poorly rigged sidecar sits in the garage and doesn't accumulate miles....
Yep
Lee
MB5+TW200+CRF250L+GTV300+INT650
XL883R w/Texas Ranger Sidecar
Zuma 50F + Burgman w/Texas Sidecar<Mrs. SwampFox
Barry
I hesitated to respond to this thread but felt like I should encourage someone getting into the cult. I rode bikes a lot when younger. Swore I wouldn't get back into it. Now, I'm 69 but have a 13 year old daughter and feared she would get hurt (?). Broke down about a year ago and bought an Enfield and attached a Kozi sidecar. We are having a ball. Have put over 4,600 miles on the rig and can't wait to get more. Working on a bigger rig to haul the wife and daughter long distance. Think some of the previous comments were right on target. Some buy the rigs and realize they take extra effort. Like many things in life, what you get out is directly proportionate to what you put in. Big problem now is I'm car pooling and can't talk the other girl's mama into letting her ride on a "motorcycle", ""it's too dangerous!""
Mike in MS
there are so many answers to this question .years ago i had a truckload of police bikes and sidecars .i sold them off .i ran in several of the people at swap meets and other bikers events. most had sold them .they didn't understand how different the handling is from a motorcycle without a sidecar .plus they did not understand setting up the sidecar so the handling was more than likely terrible .that can be a factor .if it scares you you ride it less and less .if you buy it from a young person maybe the wife was scared of it or figured it was too dangerous for the kids .its no fun riding alone .[good reason to have a dog ] if its an older person they may have bought it to extend their riding years because of health reasons .then they ride less as the health problems pile up .or the grandkids grow up .i went back to a sidecar because i could barely walk at one time .now with 2 new hips i am enjoying riding again.do i ride as much as i did when i was in my 30s no .most of my friends from those riding days have passed away or no longer ride very much.then there are a few that are riding as much as when they were young . .the bottom line is not to be one of those owners of a low mileage ride ,ride it as much as you can .
I normally average between 10k -15k a year on my bikes. Some years the 2 wheeler wins out sometimes the rig. This past year i put 10k on the rig and only 2k on the solo. Part due to breaking in a new rig and partially due to the fact he boss monkey traveled a lot with me and she much prefers the rig. Just picked up a new to me solo so we will see what happens this year. Headed to Ironhorse M/C resort this labor day weekend on the rig so it still gets the nod.
Well if you look at the list of plain motorcycles for sale you will likely find all of them in the low mileage catergory also. What you wont find for sale is a ride or a rig with high miles because we have set them up right and we love to ride . I have 40,000 on my Sportster but only about 10,000 of that is with the sidecar and my now 5 year old grandson along for all of those sidecar miles. So just like the Motorcycle OWNERS who dont ride them you have Sidecar OWNERS who dont ride either and decide to sell the dust collector in the garage.
wvsporty - 8/25/2014 11:31 AM
Well if you look at the list of plain motorcycles for sale you will likely find all of them in the low mileage catergory also. What you wont find for sale is a ride or a rig with high miles because we have set them up right and we love to ride . I have 40,000 on my Sportster but only about 10,000 of that is with the sidecar and my now 5 year old grandson along for all of those sidecar miles. So just like the Motorcycle OWNERS who dont ride them you have Sidecar OWNERS who dont ride either and decide to sell the dust collector in the garage.
Your mention of the Sportster reminded me of an incident while on a ride up to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. I had stopped at a scenic point when another couple riding a Sportster stopped. They were from Florida and probably 70 plus years old and blessed with good health. They were coming back from Prudhoe Bay and was a little disappointed that he couldn't take a photo with their bike on the shore line. While talking to them he first made a comment that people try to tell them that they have the wrong bike for the kind of riding they like to do (his Sportster was fully loaded for two-up and camping gear), to which he would tell them them, "Hell, it has almost 100,000 miles on her and still running fine. A few minutes later he made another comment that people often tell them that are to old to be riding a motorcycle around the country like they do. He then smiled and stated, "As you can see, we don't listen very well." It was priceless.
I wrote down the encounter in my log book so I wouldn't forget. What I do regret from the encounter was I didn't take their picture. They were so full of joy just enjoying life.
wvsporty - 8/25/2014 11:31 AM
Well if you look at the list of plain motorcycles for sale you will likely find all of them in the low mileage catergory also. What you wont find for sale is a ride or a rig with high miles because we have set them up right and we love to ride . I have 40,000 on my Sportster but only about 10,000 of that is with the sidecar and my now 5 year old grandson along for all of those sidecar miles. So just like the Motorcycle OWNERS who dont ride them you have Sidecar OWNERS who dont ride either and decide to sell the dust collector in the garage.
Your mention of the Sportster reminded me of an incident while on a ride up to Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. I had stopped at a scenic point when another couple riding a Sportster stopped. They were from Florida and probably 70 plus years old and blessed with good health. They were coming back from Prudhoe Bay and was a little disappointed that he couldn't take a photo with their bike on the shore line. While talking to them he first made a comment that people try to tell them that they have the wrong bike for the kind of riding they like to do (his Sportster was fully loaded for two-up and camping gear), to which he would tell them them, "Hell, it has almost 100,000 miles on her and still running fine. A few minutes later he made another comment that people often tell them that are to old to be riding a motorcycle around the country like they do. He then smiled and stated, "As you can see, we don't listen very well." It was priceless.
I wrote down the encounter in my log book so I wouldn't forget. What I do regret from the encounter was I didn't take their picture. They were so full of joy just enjoying life.
Thank you Will,
This did a good Start of the Day.
Don't take life so seriously,
its only temporary!
Sven
I still can hear, but don't listen very well...
As the years go by, I'm hard of listening, don't sound so good, and not too good lookin' (don't smell as good either).
Lonnie
