Saw on eBay a new sidecar parking brake for the 09 Harley is $1,149. Whoa! Velco around the front brake lever sounds even better now. 🙁
Thanks for the tip! I wouldn't have thought of that.
i dont know what the current brake is like
but the one i got for my 07 goes out of adjustement in about 5k miles
it works - but i never know if its going to hold or not
later
to
With all due respect and due deference to those who may have already purchased one of the HD parking brakes for their HD sidecar, they are a waste. It's an expensive fix for a non-existant problem.
I've been leaving my bike in first gear for many years. It never moves when I do that. A parking brake would be like a "belt and suspenders" idea. Sure they work, but do you really need one?
Harley used to make a battery-powered reverse for the drum brake (pre 198) sidecars). Those didn't sell either so they quit making them. They were around $1,400 when they were available. That wasn't exactly a bargain.
It's almost ironic that HD quit making and selling the one sidecar accessory that would really have been worthwhile, their former 46 pound cast-iron weight.
I rode the hack to a car show yesterday. I left it in first gear for three hours and it was still in the same place when I returned. Who would have known? LOL 🙂
Some countries require a sidecar outfit to have a working parking brake in order to license the rig.
Since the Harleys are sold internationally that may be the reason they are even in the accessory parts lists.
Lonnie
Hack'n - 9/28/2009 3:25 PM
Some countries require a sidecar outfit to have a working parking brake in order to license the rig.
Since the Harleys are sold internationally that may be the reason they are even in the accessory parts lists.Lonnie
Good point but I wasn't addressing the law. In California, they could care less. In the Vehicle Code, a sidecar is considered to be an accessory and the only regulation is the color of the taillight. Oddly, they require the riders to wear helmets as on a motorcycle, yet they don't require a motorcycle endorsement on the driver's license and there is no test for operation of a sidecar.
So if they require one in some jurisdictions, that's the reason HD makes them.
In Québec, all three wheeled vehicules require a parking brake. I've had two rigs inspected for licencing and no one has ever checked if I had one (I don't). I carry a large cable clamp in sidecar just in case someone were to ask, but have never used it. I like the velcro strap idea.
Denis
once you go hack, you never go back
