Hi everyone, I picked up an 07 Velorex 562 with the intention of mounting it to my 07 V-Strom. I've been talking with Jay, and it sounds like it may end up being more expensive than it's worth to make the necessary modifications to make it work. Now I'm thinking about buying a tube frame bike and using the stock Velorex mounts instead.
What I need to know is, what bikes lend themselves to being mounted to a Velorex without any/much modification? I'm thinking a middle-weight cruiser (650-800cc) would be a good place to start. What bikes have you ladies and gents had success with mounting up to a Velorex?
Thanks.
I am partial to BMW airheads for this size of sidecar. R75, R80, R90 all would be a good weight match and the tube frame is easy to adapt to but a subframe is necessary to reenforce the tube frame of the Beemers.
Thanks, I'll give them a look. I'm not a cruiser guy, but I've been looking at the Suzuki Savage 650, Harley Sportster 883, and the Honda Shadow 750 as other possible tugs for this outfit. I'm open to other suggestions as well.
Things to keep in mind with the Velorex, in general you can not get the wheel lead where it needs to be with out modifications of the lower front mounting arm. Also in general the "universal" type clamps do not work all that well even with a bike with a full frame. They tend to slip and as such you are constantly having to align the sidecar. I also feel that while Velorex still claims that they are suitable for any bike over 400cc (one of their dealers even put a 562 onto a GL1800 a few years back) I feel that they are suitable for much smaller bikes, engine size is not really as important as how heavy the bike is. At the end of the day, you really need to go with a bike that stirs your passions. You are going to put a lot of effort into this as well as money, if you do not like the bike in the first place, adding a sidecar more then likely will not change that. Chances are all of the needed hardware for your V strom is still less then buying, licensing, insuring and paying taxes another bike.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793
www.dmcsidecars.com
I have a Velorex 563 on a 2003 Suzuki VL800 (later became the Boulevard). I bought it from the original owner who set it up himself using the Velorex mounting hardware. I cruise at 60 MPH no problem and the rig handles pretty well. Brakes are not that good, but I account for that while riding. The older Suzukis (2000 to 2008) are relative inexpensive. All that said your cheapest solution is to go with the DMC mounts/subframe and your '07 V-Strom.
Good Luck, Bud...
I should clarify, my original plan was to mount the sidecar to my V-Strom, and pick up another bike for my daily transportation. I can't give up two wheels! So I'm looking at the expense of another bike regardless of the direction I go.
Bud, I was kind of wondering about the C50/VL800. I was very much in love with that bike way back in the long, long ago. If I go that direction, I may hit you up for some photos of how yours is set up.
Right now I'm leaning toward a Savage 650 due to their low weight, which would suit the Velorex, low price, and simple maintenance. It looks like Lonnie used to mount them up with 562's with out too much modification. Thoughts?
We have redone at least two Savage's that Lonnie had done, the Velorex mounts "almost" work. One issue is the main down tube is much larger then the Velorex "universal" clamps will work with. I have attached photo of a Savage we had some fun with for a customer who's last name was Harms.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793
Thanks for the heads up. The single downtube is concerning. I wondered if it might be an issue.
I just put a Velorex 562 on a 1997 Honda 750 Nighthawk. It seems to be a pretty good match. I had to build a bracket that mounted to the center stand mounts for the lower rear mount, and a part for the shock mount for the upper rear mount. It seems to be working well with about 25lbs of ballast in the car when my dog is not with me.
I have a Velorex on a 2007 1100 Shadow. The older ones with the 15mm axle definitely need an upgrade. The suspension is too light for a bike that size. I'm still in the upgrade phase, so not sure how it'll turn out yet. I will say, the car seems to be much too light, I plan on about 100# of ballast. Never think ballast means you don't know how to pilot, even if it helps a lot when you don't know how to pilot... 😉
I have had a Velorex on my 01 883 since 2011 and almost 20k miles. Love it and I only made one bracket for the rear lower mount to get it back farther on the sidecar frame. I did remove the original wheel and axle and put a utility trailer hub and 12" tire on.
Thanks for all the replies folks! Keep them coming. I missed a deal on a Bonneville that might have worked out because I was at work. I'm looking really hard at a 2006 Savage (S40) right now. Hopefully I can get something sorted pretty soon. Spring is coming.
You did that trailer wheel mod too? Did you use Lonnie's or did you do it yourself? See our upgrade thread.. uh somewhere around here... We were discussing this and any pics to help me design my own would be appreciated. 🙂
