The GF sent this to me this mor'n. A listing for a Harrigan Astro sidecar that somebody listed on eBay, item #110202749487. Telling me she was glad that I didn't buy one of these.
Her biggest complaint during the some 3000 mile trip we took was not being able to see things/stuff on the left side of the bike. Guess this Harrigan would be good for somebody that just wanted to make the trip and not see anything. Was just wondering if anybody has one of these and are they as confining as the pictures indicate ??
o~o
I've got one, The ebay advert is mislabeled - it's not a Hannigan Astro, but an earlier Hannigan Comet, a common mistake with those not familiar with the history of Hannigan sidecars. It was made from 1985 to ~1991 or thereabouts, first in Scarborough Ontario, then Oakville Ontario, Canada, before Dave Hannigan moved his operations to Murray, Ky and the refined Hannigan Astro sidecar was then born. The Hannigan Comet was designed in a wind-tunnel facility in Ottawa Ontario.
Yes, it is a non-traditional, closed sidecar.. people have described the ride akin to being inside a missile. The top does come off of the bubble, for a little more of an open air experience, but you are still sitting inside the bubble.
I didn't buy mine (very second hand) for a passenger.. 99.5% of the time it sits empty. It's not a sidecar for the physically limited to get in or out of. It is the perfect sidecar if you are on a trip by yourself, and you want to pass on the expense of hotel rooms.. it provides for a sealed, mosquito-free sleeping space in all-weather conditions.
It's definitely a different sort of sidecar, and physically larger, than even the Astro series. I've got mine adapted to, and mounted on a Suzuki Bandit 1200. Dave Hannigan's 'show rig' of the era was a Honda CB900F mated to a Comet. My experience with the conversion process to mount it on my sport-standard, was akin to teaching a hippo to dance with a ballerina. The Comet was/is best suited to large touring rigs of it's day.
