Hello,
A potential newbie here, any advice would be greatly appreciated.
I have a 1988 honda shadow 600 that I'm considering resurrecting and attaching a sidecar to. If it's something I (and the dog) enjoy, I might put it on my HD sometime down the road.
A couple of initial questions, and probably many I don't know enough to ask.
1. would the formula II be too heavy for the shadow?
2. motorvation has a mounting kit for shadow's on their site, but mine is an older model and does not have the metal rear fender brace where they show the upper rear mount stud. It's a plastic fender and hidden shock (like a softtail). anyone know if this is something that could be worked around?
Thanks for taking the time.
--Lew
Send me a couple of shots of the right side of your bike. So I can see what you are working with.
I've got pix of '85 500 and '87 1100 Shadow rigs but not the '88 600.
Lonnie
Northwest Sidecars
Email: nwsidecar@aol.com
The first picture in this link is identical to mine, sorry I don't have any pictures of my actual bike. It's a little hard to tell from the picture, but the rear fender is plastic and wraps around under the seat. The piece where the VLX logo is, that is a plastic cover that hides the battery. hope that helps, and thanks!
http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/1687/bike1o.jp g" target="_blank">
--Lew
Not much help. Looks like you will have to breach the plastic side cover to get an attachment spot.
The Harley would be a better candidate for freeway work or touring.
Lonnie
I've got a Formula II on an 1100 Moto Guzzi. I would hesitate putting it on anything much smaller unless you will limit your riding to low speed back roads.
I too think that the 600cc is too small, I have a 1100 Shadow with a Companion sidecar which is not a large car and it's as much car as I would recommend to put on a 1100cc, put it on the Harley IMHO.
Thanks everyone.
I was asking about a formula because there is one listed for sale relatively locally. Never have ridden one, I'm a little hesitant to put a car on the Harley before knowing if I like it.
Would something like motorvation's spyder be ok on the shadow and/or the Harley?
Or am I better off forgetting about a car that will work with both and just decide which way to go?
Thanks again.
--Lew
I would suggest using the bike that would most fit your needs and expectations for a sidehack rig.
Cross country touring, Local back road use, Camping, Occasional joy riding, second utility vehicle, group events, etc.
The small bike will handle some of these usages. The larger bike will handle all of the above.
The sidecar will not be all that easy to shift from one bike to the other as no "universal" mounts are really completely universal. Some concessions must be made for differences in motorcycles. Sub-frames or special mounting brackets may be required. Anytime a sidecar is moved from one bike to another it will have to be realigned, which can be a time and labor consuming process. Usually some different fittings will also be needed to accomplish the mounting.
Lonnie
You might consider buying a used rig. I bought a basic one, used it three seasons, then upgraded. Lots of good deals this time of year. You can probably get a starter rig for the price doing your own setup. Try it. If you like it, sell your rig and upgrade.
I've ridden a Honda 600 Shadow. It's a nice machine but I would suggest that it's really a bit small for a sidecar. I think that any sidecar rig should be able to at least keep up with freeway traffic in a pinch. It would be difficult for a 600 VTX to do much more than 60 mph with a sidecar. It would be fine for around town and back roads but I can't see it for anything more.
An 1100 Shadow or equivalent would be a better size. Lonnie's suggestion to perhaps pick up a used rig and see how it goes would be my approach as well. Then you could uprade at the closest opportunity. JMO
Thanks everyone.
I'm glad I asked, rather than let my impulsive side get the better of me.
I would be mostly using on the back roads, but can see how the 600 would be underpowered.
Thanks for all the suggestions. I'm thinking a used rig is the right call, now to find one..
--Lew
