hey everybody. i am new to the forum, but have been watching it for awhile. i ride a vulcan 900 that started life as a classic, but i have made alot of changes to it, so now it looks like a custom/classic hybrid. i am in the process of figuring out a sidecar setup. i am going to be building it myself, with the help of my dad, who is real good at welding. he is an airplane mechanic, so building it and aligning it wont be to much of a problem. i am going to be doing mine different that alot of peoples, in that i am going to mount it on the left side. now before i start getting flamed for putting it on the wrong side, and the safety issues, and all the other junk that i am sure that will be said, this is a personal choice, and i am very comfortable with it. a left side hack wont be any harder to ride that a right side would be, because i have rode both before. i guess its just what you get use to. anyway, good to be a member of the forum, and i look forward to chatting and talking tech with everybody. ride safe.
The trick to riding with aleft side hack is to always carry a passenger. When you want to pass something big enough to block your view, just watch your passenger's expression as you pull out. 
i am never in that much of a hurry anyway, usually its people passing me instead. nowadays i just cruise along, because i figure i'll get there whenever i get there. so that shouldn't be much of a problem for me.
shoot, ya never know, i might wind up going with a normal right side hack instead. but if i do, i'll definately have to put quiet pipes on my bike again. i mean, my pipes aren't straight drags pipes, i've got a roadburner velocity pro 2-1 setup, but it would still be loud in the passengers left ear probably. dont know yet, but i really like the left side hack idea.
Is it legal to put your hack on the left hand side?? In Australia all our hacks are on the left and I am sure it is illegal to mount one on the right. Not that I have ever worried to much about laws when I am riding but thought I would ask the question?
I found this
http://www.ehow.com/list_6769499_sidecar-regulations.html
Placement
When installed onto the motorcycle, the space between the bike and sidecar frame should equal about 12-inches. Other regulations, including axle placement, toe-ins and lean-outs, need to be determined by the installer. When operating a motorcycle with a sidecar, placement on the proper side of the motorcycle is essential. The placement of the sidecar depends on the road laws for the country it is being operated in. The sidecar must fit onto the motorcycle so that it is on the opposite side of the dividing highway line. In the United States, the sidecar should be placed on the right side of the car.
Read more: Sidecar Regulations | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/list_6769499_sidecar-regulations.html#ixzz2JH6WzqN6
This is the West Virginia law I could find
(d) A person operating a motorcycle, motor-driven cycle or moped shall ride in a seated position facing forward and only upon a permanent operator's seat attached to the vehicle. No operator shall carry any other person nor shall any other person ride on the vehicle unless the vehicle is designed to carry more than one person, in which event a passenger may ride behind the operator upon the permanent operator's seat if it is designed for two persons, or upon another seat firmly attached to the vehicle to the rear of the operator's seat and equipped with footrests designed and located for use by the passenger or in a sidecar firmly attached to the vehicle. No person shall ride side saddle on a seat. An operator may carry as many passengers as there are seats and footrests to accommodate those passengers. Additional passengers may be carried in a factory produced sidecar provided that there is one passenger per seat. Passengers riding in asidecar shall be restrained by safety belts.
Sporty, this is the first I have seen any actual laws requiring sidecar passengers to be restrained by seatbelt. Interesting.
i'll put a lap belt in anyway, to be used in states that require it, but here in arkansas, the sidecar laws are pretty lax. as long as it is safely mounted, they dont have any laws covering anything else. it can be left side, right side, seatbelt or not, no size or spacing requirements, or anything. believe me, i checked just to be sure. but i will still make it conform to the other states general guidelines, so i can ride through them without having to worry about some cop trying to meet his quota.
You know the saftey issues, There is also the question of getting it set up right to work on a road that is crowned for drainage to the right. Also if you have any interest in resale, mount it on the right.
Any way. If you do mount it on the right we offer bike specific mounts for this bike as well as new from billet triple tree's to lower the steering effort.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793
WEST VIRGINIA CODE
§17C-15-44. Safety equipment and requirements for motorcyclists, motorcycles, motor-driven cycles and mopeds; motorcycle safety standards and education committee.
this is were the code came from.
NO JOKE I have had several WV , VA and MD police officers talk to me about my rig while my grandson was riding with me and they actually asked ME about the codes/requirements for a 3 year old to ride in there. I then proceeded to show them the seat belt(which came already mounted in my Velorex) , the seat height matched the car seat , my "Redneck HANNs device" and the upper tether on the carseat attatched to the custom rollbar behind the seat that was installed well before I ever purchased the hack. They were impressed with my set up but still they dont know anymore about the codes 🙂
Noone (Police)really knows because they RARELY ever see a sidecar let alone have to know whats right or wrong about them
BUT I DO KNOW THIS IS WRONG ON THE STREETS
it might be wrong, but its still kinda fun to do sometimes...............but only if its on purpose. 😉
