well, if you read my profile, much of this is a repeat. if not ... well, here u go. new to the world of motorcycles & hacks. my dad has been riding for much of his 43 yrs & it has been a dream of mine since i could say sturgis. i grew up in rapid city, so we went to sturgis every yr. got the h-d 2000 fltrise last april, rode it once in aug., drooled & sat on it a LOT. sent it off in feb to get the hack installed & picked it up y'day. i got a 1/2 hr ride in this mornin w/ my 5 1/2 yr old son b4 it began to rain. i think all the waiting & frustration w/ waiting will pay off -- i have no old/bad habits to relearn here. my purpose for posting is to encourage anyone with motorvation experience to send me a note & of course anyone else compelled to share knowledge is always welcome! we live in iowa, i'm an avid member of HOG (they're excited to have their 1st sidecar rig introduced, too!), & anxious to get as involved as i can this summer b4 i have to buckle down in school this fall. many blessings & safe riding! o yes... anyone know if there's anything else i need to do for "legality" in iowa to run the rig?
another question to add on ... what is the opinion of breaks? i didn't go w/ breaks on install frankly cuz i didn't have the xtra pennies. dad's talkin about puttin some integrated break link into the front break (i think!). opinions, thoughts, advice, warnings?? i just read 1 thread in which some1 stated they prefer no breaks on heavy bikes w/ the spyder. same opinion w/ the roadster? thanks again!
Rosy,
I'm not an admirer of integrated sidecar brakes. I've ridden hundreds of sidecar rigs without them and several with the linked brakes so I do have some experience with both. On a large doublewide they help out or on a smaller bike with a large heavy car they can help control it, but most aren't matched to the bike brakes in efficiency or swept volume. By the time you add variable loading to the sidecar and the difference in tire traction available when turning right or left, you lose the constant straight line braking control that is desired. I find that a cycle with (preferably)three disc brakes and most with only a single disc will handle the stopping chores quite efficiently without the sidecar brake. I've only found them to be an advantage when off-roading as an independent steering brake.
My opinion, (and I don't sell sidecar brakes) I'm sure others may differ.
Lonnie
Northwest Sidecar
Rosie, I just picked up my motorvation sc the last of april, with independent sc brake and found it to be quite helpful in right turns in the city, going slow of course. this is my first experience with sc so listen more closely to someone else who has much more experience.
As i said in anothe post I saw your rig at the motorvation factory and love the paint job.
Larry Reid
