"Note the grin on the mask to the left." Okay - just don't load it up with gunpowder and head for parliament....
I work in computers at the US House and so I guess I work at what some consider a target (from a variety of perspectives).
Have you considered wearing that mask while driving your outfit in to work? Might make a powerful statement.
No wait... I'd hate to find out that Homeland Security took it all too seriously.
Originally written by archon on 2/1/2008 7:42 PM
Have you considered wearing that mask while driving your outfit in to work? Might make a powerful statement.
No wait... I'd hate to find out that Homeland Security took it all too seriously.
I can picture the interesting reaction wearing the mask, a long dark flowing cape and the appropriate hat (which would be a real trick with a helmet). But I'd be more inclined to ride it through Georgetown on Halloween, rather than become a target for the Capitol Police. Since military types with automatic weopens and flak jackets began showing up on street corners during evacuation drills after 9/11, we don't joke around much anymore.
The dealer got one part shipped overnight and found another problem or two with the sidecar install, due to some of the options I'd had installed, so I wasn't able to get the rig this weekend. I'm attaching a couple of pictures that I took at the dealer of the sidecar on the pallet and my Ultra in pieces. Hopefully, I'll get it next Tuesday.
Originally written by skaeser on 2/2/2008 2:53 PM
The dealer got one part shipped overnight and found another problem or two with the sidecar install, due to some of the options I'd had installed, so I wasn't able to get the rig this weekend. I'm attaching a couple of pictures that I took at the dealer of the sidecar on the pallet and my Ultra in pieces. Hopefully, I'll get it next Tuesday.
I'm wondering how many hours your dealer is getting to install the sidecar. Mine wanted 10 hours. I wasn't planning to have them do it but I asked them anyway.
It took me a lot longer that that but I spread it out over two weeks since I work alone and don't have to look good for the "boss".
Regards,
gnm109
Originally written by gnm109 on 2/2/2008 8:43 PM
Originally written by skaeser on 2/2/2008 2:53 PM
The dealer got one part shipped overnight and found another problem or two with the sidecar install, due to some of the options I'd had installed, so I wasn't able to get the rig this weekend. I'm attaching a couple of pictures that I took at the dealer of the sidecar on the pallet and my Ultra in pieces. Hopefully, I'll get it next Tuesday.
I'm wondering how many hours your dealer is getting to install the sidecar. Mine wanted 10 hours. I wasn't planning to have them do it but I asked them anyway.
It took me a lot longer that that but I spread it out over two weeks since I work alone and don't have to look good for the "boss".
Regards,
gnm109
If memory serves, they charged a flat rate for "Delivery and Installation" and that was around $900. I think someone said that it was a 10 hour installation, but some of the add-ons that I got have wiring and cables that have to be dealt with, and that's complicated it a bit.
Originally written by skaeser on 2/2/2008 7:38 PM
Originally written by gnm109 on 2/2/2008 8:43 PM
Originally written by skaeser on 2/2/2008 2:53 PM
The dealer got one part shipped overnight and found another problem or two with the sidecar install, due to some of the options I'd had installed, so I wasn't able to get the rig this weekend. I'm attaching a couple of pictures that I took at the dealer of the sidecar on the pallet and my Ultra in pieces. Hopefully, I'll get it next Tuesday.
I'm wondering how many hours your dealer is getting to install the sidecar. Mine wanted 10 hours. I wasn't planning to have them do it but I asked them anyway.
It took me a lot longer that that but I spread it out over two weeks since I work alone and don't have to look good for the "boss".
Regards,
gnm109
If memory serves, they charged a flat rate for "Delivery and Installation" and that was around $900. I think someone said that it was a 10 hour installation, but some of the add-ons that I got have wiring and cables that have to be dealt with, and that's complicated it a bit.
That's exactly the $ number that the dealer quoted me. They get $90 per hour as well so it's 10X90. The local shop in Elk Grove, CA is an excellent dealer as dealers go and the salesman went out of his way to find info on sidecars for me. I paid the exact MSRP. Even the dealerships are short on customer data for the sidecars. I refer (jokingly) to the sidecar program as Harley-Davidson's "dirty little secret". LOL
Mine is set up with exactly 3/4" toe-in using two 1-14" X 9' square steel tubes with feet welded on. They ae perfectly straight and they permit me to get a true reading. With the bike set about 1 degree out, it rides the roads almost pefectly. I'm extremely pleased with the new (1998-on) frame as it's much easier to set up and the latest ones (2002-on) are even better with the double-threaded standoffs. These don't require removal to set the sidecar since they act like large turnbuckles.
You said that a part was missing....I wonder which one? It's hard to believe that the crew at Tomahawk could have missed anything since my sidecar came so beautifully packaged.
In any case, I would encourage anyone to get the sidecar book and learn to set the rig up yourself. The dealers will even charge you for extra breaths of air when at the shop. LOL
P.S. Make sure that you get all of the take-off parts from the dealer when they are through installing the rig. There are a lot of them!!!!!!
Happy Trails!
I need to ask about the left over parts, which is something that I hadn't thought of since this is a new bike for me. I've had them do other upgrades and I'll bet I can't get my original parts at this point.
The part that was missing was some sort of stabilizer, and they gave a longer name but I didn't write it down and it didn't ring a bell. The second issue they ran into was the length of the wire that connects the alarm siren, which doesn't fit with the sidecar installed. There's a small part to correct the issue, and it could be added later after the sidecar is installed, but that stopped their work for a couple of hours while they researched it and got the part on order.
I'm on too many forums, but I pointed out in one post that every time HD makes a design change, it can impact a gazillion add-ons from Harley and others, and 99% of them are tested by fire at the local shops who discover the problems. My adjustable backrest was unable to fit normally on the new '08 Model (I believe because of the ABS controller) and it took a while to find out that HD already knew about the issue and just hadn't let the Parts Department of the Dealers know. They spent hours on my bike and finally found a way to make the cable fit, but of course that had to temporarily come off for the Hack installation.
One decision I made was to have a Champion reverse system installed before I had the Sidecar put on. The mechanic warned that he'd be forced to charge 10 hours to remove and reinstall it to put the reverse gear on later, and so I bit that bullet early. At over 1,000 pounds, I'm not pushing it very far, unless it's pointed downhill.
Steve
Steve
I was lucky in that I live in the City where my sidecar was made and had the manufacturer, Liberty Motors Inc. do the install and so forth. I believe I was charged $500 to have the rigging done (though it was part of a larger package of sidecar and raked triple trees - pricey but I got the quality I was looking for in the purchase so absolutely no regrets). The Road King and Liberty look and run fine together.
Originally written by skaeser on 2/3/2008 8:27 AM
I need to ask about the left over parts, which is something that I hadn't thought of since this is a new bike for me. I've had them do other upgrades and I'll bet I can't get my original parts at this point.
The part that was missing was some sort of stabilizer, and they gave a longer name but I didn't write it down and it didn't ring a bell. The second issue they ran into was the length of the wire that connects the alarm siren, which doesn't fit with the sidecar installed. There's a small part to correct the issue, and it could be added later after the sidecar is installed, but that stopped their work for a couple of hours while they researched it and got the part on order.
I'm on too many forums, but I pointed out in one post that every time HD makes a design change, it can impact a gazillion add-ons from Harley and others, and 99% of them are tested by fire at the local shops who discover the problems. My adjustable backrest was unable to fit normally on the new '08 Model (I believe because of the ABS controller) and it took a while to find out that HD already knew about the issue and just hadn't let the Parts Department of the Dealers know. They spent hours on my bike and finally found a way to make the cable fit, but of course that had to temporarily come off for the Hack installation.
One decision I made was to have a Champion reverse system installed before I had the Sidecar put on. The mechanic warned that he'd be forced to charge 10 hours to remove and reinstall it to put the reverse gear on later, and so I bit that bullet early. At over 1,000 pounds, I'm not pushing it very far, unless it's pointed downhill.
Steve
Steve
Once the siecar has been first installed on the bike with the necessary mods, it takes about one hour to remove it. Another two hours at most would re-install it. Ten hours would be too much at that point.
I'm going to forgo the Champion reverse. I can do without it by considering how and where I park. The worst part is having to tell people that I don't have a reverse since that's the only question I ever get.
The cables for connecting the Ultra sidecar can be quite daunting.
Good luck.
P.S. the main parts removed to make the changeover are:
1. Rear brake lever
2. Brake master cylinder
3. Right saddlebag hinge unit
4. Clutch cable
5. Lot of miscellaneous nuts and bolts
6. Probably more I'm forgetting, LOL
If they have to replace the Brake master cylinder, then I hope they use the new Brembo parts, since I've got ABS on my bike. I'm not sure how that will be handled completely, but after some confusion and discussion before I made the decision to buy it, they said that it was doable.
at least in the past [before brembo] they dont actually change the rear brake cylinder - they change the rear brake reservoir and install a remote reservoir.
of course what i am VERY interested in is that the manuals just changed [this month] and 08 bikes with antilock can be used with a sidecar - so something really changed - the earlier antilock could not be used with a sidecar.
when that is all done PLEASE post pictures of the rear brake master cyl etc.
thanks
to
When I bought my rig as a package in 2000 it was 3 hours for the rigging. My dealer - Gail's Harley-Davidson of Grandview, Missouri - has a factory trained rigger on staff.
I recently had some work done in which they had to pull the sidecar off and later re-install it. The rigger (still there!) first set it up empty and then with one of the techs in it - test riding it both times....it's better than ever before!
Regarding colors - mine is a 'Nightwatch Blue" - same as the bike of course. This is a Police only color option (I bought it through my Department) so I would guess it's possibly the only TLE of that color in that year. The other Police colors being black and Birch White. The H/D site shows sidecars - just check out the "Police" section - the TLE is shown right there with it's specs.
Having had this bike (FLHPI) and sidecar combo for 8 years now I couldn't be happier with it - it's a great rig, a fine combination.
Happy Motorin'
Dean
In retrospect, I think that the 2003 sidecar production figures that I posted might have been only for Road King TLE sidecars.
