I also have an Ultra Classic but it has a Hannigan 2+2 sidecar which is about 50 lbs heavier than the Harley sidecar. As someone else said - not on the back with an "empty" sidecar. Because we have 15 cubic feet of storage, with luggage she can ride on the back all day and switch between the rear seat or the sidecar seat at any time. No luggage is sidecar only because you wouldn"t believe how fast you can go from feeling good to one wheel in the air.
Roger I’m glad to here you say “Because we have 15 cubic feet of storage, with luggage she can ride on the back all day” because that’s exactly what we’re after, the ability to ride all day with lots of luggage in the sc. Roger it looks me that tweaking the setup to suite my driving style, practice, and an equal respect for three wheels as has been given two, should get us started on the right foot. One of the other things I’ll look into is if my insurance and HD warranty will be effected if I modify the rig with a 5* triple tree, tires, etc..
DBrochu,
I just realized something.
Please forgive me for barging in …….obviously I’m not only new to three wheels, but forums too. sorry 🙁
Hey Duck,
It's General Discussion, feel free to barge in. We all do at times even if we do get a mouthful of foot once in a while. LOL
Lonnie
Claude,
Thanks for the advise, and the read the Hal recommendation, also I wouldn’t be bashful or apologetic about warning newbees or wannabees of what could possibly save a life. Thanks again!!
Okay here’s some thing you said that I need a little more help with, you said
“you can put your wife on the rear if the weight distribution and your setup is dialed in for it.”
Our new rig is a HD ultra with the tle car, there will be some dealer modifications to the motor, (stage 1 1690c.c. etc.) it should have enough power and torque. The little lady weighs about 140lbs., I go for 200+, what would you say a starting ballast weight to be for the car???
What I’m thinking is to gather up the cloths and stuff that would likely go on a trip and actually weigh them, and when we’re just out and about use an equal weight in the car,
by the way, around here when you tell a teenager that’s slouching in a chair to “SETUP” he will respond with, “ ah man we was way loose tonight”
Something you may not have thought about...
My daughter, a grown woman with three young children and a sidecar rig of her own, prefers the sidecar over the passenger seat. She says the view beats the back of my head and she always has a pocket full of paperbacks in case of boredom.
Claude, or anyone else who maybe able to do math equations like the Hal guy.
No way am I bright enough to figure this one out.
Bike =820lbs.
Car=260
Total dry weight of rig =1080lbs.
Driver= 200
Passenger on pillion= 140lbs.
Total 1420 el beez
How much ballast in the side using Hals formula ?
The contestant with the correct answer will win a custom chrome fairing trim piece for a classic or ultra classic. Go to www.clevelandsteel.us and click the bike button and you can get an idea of what it is.
You get the bike. You practice to get more familar with it with an empty sidecar in a safe place. You put her in the sidecar and practice some more. You then put her on the pillion and pracice some more..IN A SAFE PLACE. The you decide how much ballast you may want or need. Some like more ballast than others. It may depend on how the rig is setup too. The ones who get into trouble are the ones who refuse to practice in such a way as to expand their skill levels. If you pracice by putting around a parking lot a 3 miles per hour and all of a sudden think you have the sidecar mastered ..then put a passenger on the pillion and go out to assult the twisties it will be your own fault when you end up as a statistic. Practice is the key. Practice with the rig loaded the way it will be loaded when you actually drive it in the real world.
Just remember that as even on a solo bike..about the time you think you can do no wrong and have become the supremee master of your machine is usually about the time you end up seeing those flashing lights followed by the ceiling of the emrgency room speeding by as they wheel you into the OR.
Not trying to be a wise guy but only speaking from experience.
Using your figures, with the bike at approximately 1,200# gross weight, you can put your 140# passenger's twin sister in the sidecar for ballast. That will give you a nice workable 2/3rds X 1/3rd bike to sidecar weight ratio and a stable rig
That's one of those "Thumb rules" that everyone talks about but few follow.
With the sidecar load at about 1/2 of the bike load the rig stays pretty well planted on 3 legs. This is desireable for most of the people, most of the time.
And seriously..once you get your rig loaded do th e'stand on the left footpeg stability test'...we can talk about ballast and weight distribution on th einternet till we are blue in the face but noit until we get to th ereal deal will we really know what we got goin on. Stand on th eleft foorpeg with the rig loaded as it would be when you are ready (or think you are ready to drive it)..then while holding onto the bars shift(SWING) your weight to the outside of the rig in an effort to pick up the sidecar. If th esidecaqr barely come sup or you cannopt hardly get it to you have a very stable rig...If it comes up fairly hard and goes back down quickly...you have a well balanced rig ...If th esidecar pops up off th eroad and doesn't really want to go back down you have a rig that is not balanced well and can be very dangerous to drive. In that case STAY ON THE PORCH because trying to run with the big dogs will get you hurt! Spend time polishing the rig and admiring it but if you want to ride it Add ballast or whatever it takes to help the balance of the rig.
And then be sure to PRACTICE!
I think Hal's books have a little more 'ptrofessional' description of th eleft footpeg test.
'ptrofessional'
Wasn't that what a line of the precurser to the duck was called around the transition from the Jurassic to the Cretaceous?
I could be wrong...
Hey Duck you got a lot of info crap here and won’t remember a finger nail full of it while your ride your hack. If you start thinking to much about all this crap you'll be in the Funeral Home or someone else will be cuz you were not paying attention to riding. Hint # 1 about riding your new Hack ...get on it ride it feel it learn to be one. Ride it solo ride it 2 up ride it with the car full too. But just ride it. it is like you new cars ride them and leave the cell phone and bells and whistles alone just get to feel the scoot. If you have a single stage kit it will still be 1440 or 88 cu in but will perform a touch better than stock. Remember HD's like to breathe in & out so don’t restrict that. If you have a stage 2 kit or 1550cc / 95 cu in then get on hang on and ride the damn thing and for get about the techie crap. Once you get the feel then ask me how you can stand the scoot up on the Hack and scoot rear wheels. Doing wheelies with a hack is too cool.
Now there will be some that will say I full of it but if you ride your scoot and learn to feel it won’t lie to you. And I’m sure if you have a wife of 34 years you are use to being rapped up side the head if you get out of hand.
I have a ’03 Ultra and have ridden it everywhere both with and without the hack two up or in the hack learn to feel it all.
One thing if you try and pick the hack up on a right hand turn watch the front end it will want to fold under you.
Get your scoot and ride it. Ride it and leave the techie crap at home. Take my word for it you’ll enjoy it more.
Sidecar,
We really would rather use the sc for luggage, but I’m pretty sure she’ll take a ride in the hack.
Here’s my setup formula,
2-80lb bags shot blast strapped to the back seat
3-80lb bags strapped into sc
Ride around shop parking lot for necessary amount of time.
When ready put 140lb wife (160 – she’s been eating pretty good lately) on back seat, leave the shot in the sc until go on trip and replace bags with other bags
got kids? instead of taking all that crap for a ride ...how about your wife, kids or such they might like it better than the bags of crap. I know mine do. I have a 7 & 4 year old and they ride everywhere with me...from Northern Mich to Chattanooga and at highway speed too. Ride you scooot and with your family you will enjoy it.
To add to your weight equation from Harley Davidson ’03 Owner’s Manual. FLHTCUI (788#),w/ TLE-ULTRA (260), total weight 1048#.
With side car, rear tire air pressure should be increased from 36 to 40 psi.
If two passengers are carried, the motorcycle passenger should weigh no more than 0ne-half the weight of the side car passenger.
So using this infromation from the Motor Company, if you wife (150#)rides as a passenger on the bike you would need a hack passenger or weight equivalent to weigh 300#. I'll bet you that everyone riding a hack breaks this weight recommendations
