Hi. I've lurked here for a few years since I've been interested in sidecars. I became interested in sidecars mainly for two reasons: slimy dirt roads and hauling capacity. What first piqued my interest, however, was seeing "Scooter Bob" on his Dneper, barreling past me on Route 60 in the freezing rain in the winter of 2004. So after successfully talking myself OUT of sidecars for the past four years, I finally gave in and decided to purchase one. Originally, I thought about adding a sidecar to my 650 VStrom, but then decided to buy a rig already put together -- to decide whether I really wanted one or not. I figured I'd lose less in depreciation value if I decided it wasn't for me. But all the rigs that were of interest were way too far away to make it reasonable to acquire. Then I came across an '84 Honda NightHawk 700 with a Velorex 562 -- within 500 miles. I figured from what had I read here, it would serve my purposes well. I picked it up last Friday and have been riding it around the farm all week and have finally braved the backroads -- and have put about 70 miles on it over the last few days. And of course, I was expecting a big learning curve, going from two wheels to three wheels, but I think I'm adapting well. The rig seems to handle well, other than it's a little narrow. The track width is only about 40", which is great on the narrow gravel roads, but a little twitchy on the very curvy 2 lanes. I plan on exploring options to widen it out. I think it is set as narrow as it can be. I would like to widen it out at least 6-8". I'm looking forward to participating in the world of sidecars and lots of slimy dirt roads hauling stuff.
P.S. My wife typed this, because it would have taken me hours, and the grammar would have been horrible. God love her.
The previous owner may have had a narrow trailer or storage area.
These rigs work well with about 12" frame to frame separation.
Just be sure there is at least 1 1/2" of threaded clevis bolt in the strut tubes when you are done widening it, for safety reasons.
Lonnie
Northwest Sidecars
Thanks Lonnie for the info and reply.that makes me feel better there is about 12 inches between frames.And I road some more today and it is awsome on the gravel roads its almost like a atv.the narrow width does work great on our very narrow back roads.
Lorne
If it seems light you can toss a 60# traction sand tube in the trunk for a while.
Lonnie
I put about two hundred miles on it and was getting pretty used to driving it, but still felt it was kind of "twitchy" at speed on the highway. So I sought out the help of a professional. I took it to Bob Wark in Marietta, Ohio. A great fellow. He said it was set up [ok] but could be a lot stouter and could handle better. So I left it with him, where he sent the shock off and rebuilt and totaly re-rigged it with a 5-point mount system to make it as sturdy as possible. I picked it up yesterday and put the body back on it and took it out for about a 20 mile ride. It is SO much better than it was before. Looking forward to riding it a lot and getting even more used to it.
