Looking for a sidecar for my 1999 Honda Magna 750

Kathleen,  what is the status on the battery in that bike ? If it hasn't been replaced somewhat recently,  that's the one thing that could be a trip interrupting problem. 

Whether new battery,  or slightly used, I would suggest installing the leads to the battery for a  Battery  Tender,  so that you can keep the battery  charge UP.

I personally am a big fan of the Battery Tender Jr., and they generally cost around $ 35. for one, at a dealership,  or from  Amazon. 

Don't get a cheap imitation knock off,  get the real Battery Tender Jr, easy to attach the positive and negative leads to the battery on the bike,  then secure the connector end of that lead up high on the left side of the bike, using a tie wrap, like to a chrome bar on the rear trunk rack area, so you can easily plug the Battery Tender Jr. wires into the lead wires on the bike.

Have a FUN & SAFE picnic with your  Dad.

One thing Honda motorcycles do not appreciate is a weak battery.  It might crank, but won't fire if it's weak.

     Kathleen, you said you have absolutely no sidecar knowledge so you should follow Thane's suggestion and practice in an empty parking lot. If you take a right hand turn too fast you will surely raise the sidecar wheel and scare yourself.  Does the sidecar wheel have a brake, is it linked to the bike rear brake?  With linked rear bike and sidecar brakes applied you will stop straighter.  If no sidecar brake, you probably will notice the rig will pull to the left while stopping due to the weight of the sidecar pushing you left.  Conversely, starting up you may notice slight pull to the right.  The book The Sidecar Guide 3WB by Rod Young is a good book with a section on learning to ride a sidecar rig.  His two main rules are only put your feet down on the ground when getting on and off and you must allow for the extra width of the sidecar.  There are other good books and the time spent reading and practicing will surely benefit any new sidecar owner.  Good luck be safe and enjoy.   

Also,  Kathleen,  as I  write this from  Prague, Czech.....we have several very experienced sidecar owners in Pennsylvania,  and at least one within shouting distance of you. 

@drew, and @MJ......if you can, reach out to Kathleen,  and see if you can offer some personal instructions,  like....in person. 

Kathleen,  it pays to be gregarious around here, so.....do not hesitate to ask for help or information. 

Gregarious?  So THAT's what we are?   

Hi Kathleen!

Sorry I'm late to the party. Congratulations on your lovely rig!! 

As you can tell, the experienced folks here are the absolute best at answering questions, offering suggestions, and sharing a laugh.

I'm about 20 miles north of Pittsburgh, PA if I can be of any help. Sounds like you are doing great! As they said, be prepared for SDF, sidecar delay factor, anytime you stop 🙂 Folks love to ask questions and check out the sidecar.

What everyone said here...practice, practice, practice. I read everything on this website and downloaded the manuals when I bought my first rig. Then it was a whole bunch of empty parking lot time. I had absolutely no motorcycle experience (except for the safety course), which made for an interesting learning curve. 

We're having a gathering in September in Cook Forest and would love to see you there. It's listed in the other events section.

Mary Jo

Kathleen, how did  picnic day with your Dad go ?

Hello everyone,
  I am not often on a computer, so I apologize for my slow response. This is my first time in a chat room situation and I’m not up on the etiquette. I have had many responses with helpful tips and kind words, thank you all! It’s always fun to connect with other folks with the same interests. My husband laughs at me every time I join a new club because I have been in so many, too many to mention, having to do with dogs, horses, flying, Sports cars, crafts, and on and on. I appreciate the helpfulness and camaraderie and fun of special interest groups. But these meetings have always been in person and not in chat rooms so I am probably going about this the wrong way. Too wordy and too slow to respond I’m sure. 

So at the risk of irritating my new friends by sending a book, since time has passed since I first posted, I will babble on. Here goes…

I I would like to start by thanking everyone for their helpful suggestions and warm welcome.      My dad put a new battery in the Goldwing as soon as we bought it home. If fired right up. I do have a hook up for a battery tender. I will have to check what type of battery tender I have if it’s not the battery tender Junior, I will switch up and buy that model. Thank you Miles For that Info, and also thank you for reaching out to MJ and asking her to help me.

Gene J, The side car has no brakes and the Goldwing brakes are very poor indeed – something I will address right away as soon as I find a mechanic willing to work on this bike. Thank you for the suggestion of the book. I will definitely buy it and study it!

There is a radio, but it does not work, which doesn’t bother me since I don’t really listen while I ride Or drive anyway.

MJ, thank you so so much for your Kind offer to help me out! We are several hOurs away from each other, I would have to be very proficient with this bike before attempting such a long haul.   Since you said your first foray into riding was on a sidecar equipped bike I felt more encouraged that I’ll get a handle on it – thank you for that!!          Cook Forest Sounds like my cup of tea though it is 200 miles away so it Won’t be a trip for this season for me. I have to develop my skills so I’m not a hazard to others sharing the road.

I know that was a long text! My sister-in-law gets very annoyed if Text Are more than two or three sentences long so I hope I didn’t annoy everyone.

I do have one question when I referred to my motorcycle in this group chat, should I refer to it as – my Goldwing? My bike? My rig? Or my bike with a sidecar?

I will send a Message about how my first Rides went, in a separate text so in case this type of long text, makes everybody mad I will know To shorten it…

Thank you all for your helpful tips and encouragement!

Kathleen

Two terms are most often used when describing sidecars: "Rig" (most common), and "outfit".

The car attached is called the "car" most frequently.

The motorcycle providing the propulsive force for the rig is frequently referred to as "the Tug" or the bike.

Around here we are a most generous group and will encourage new members (Miles, let her get settled before adding too many details!) in any way that is helpful, even if it's overwhelming!

You've entered the "hybrid" aspect of motorcycle operation in which you will need to know something about your classic tug and also how it is affected by the 400 lb car attached.  I'm no expert on classic Goldwings so that will have to be left to someone else.  There are a number of fora and clubs dedicated to classic Wings so they are going to be your next homework assignment for questions about brakes, etc.

Kathleen,  where is the rest of the book....the "rest of the story" ?

If you think your post was long winded, you haven't read my dissertations on here.

I am the resident expert on the more modern  Goldwings,  but not a practical genius on your  1983 GL-1100, despite having owned a brand new 1981 GL-1100.

Your 1983 is the best year of all Goldwings,  of those made from 1978 through 1989. Honda has made the  Goldwing since 1975 to today,  only skipping  the 2011 model year. 

The brakes on your bike are old school,  and the rubber brake hoses tend to deteriorate over 42 years. Whilst you probably need to check,  and most likely replace all the disc brake PADS.....you would save time and money by replacing the brake hoses.....especially the hoses to the rear brake caliper. 

Finding a  GOOD mechanic to work on your 1983 Goldwing will be difficult,  as most have died, and the  newer mechanics don't know,  or want to work on a 42 year old motorcycle. 

If you lived closer to me. I would do it,  at no charge,  and those that know me will tell you that is how I am. 

But, And western Washington is 2805 miles away from your driveway.

Take your time.....feel the bike.....learn to  trust it.

Do not rush into throwing money at it. Enjoy the old school attitude it gives off.

Make it safe....make it stop as best as possible....and enjoy learning. 

@thane-lewis 

thank you for letting me know what to call my new outfit! 
I hope I don’t end up calling it “Lemon”

After arriving home yesterday, it would not start again. There must be a drain on the battery somewhere.  
I just stopped by the mechanic who worked on my 1999 Magna. (Others had turned me away due to its age)  well- he did not want to work on something that old and didn’t know of anyone who would. 
Then stopped at another shop and the same story. 
I’ll keep trying.luckily I have the trailer to bring it-if I get lucky and find a place.

Walmart near me sells winches- I think I’ll need one to load the bike on the trailer. 
one more shop to check out before they close at five.

arrrrg

@kfedor where are you located in the hope that someone “knows someone” that works on older bikes?

Hi,

I am in New Freedom Pa. About on the Maryland Pennsylvania line. Nearest city is York Pennsylvania 20 miles north of me, and Baltimore, Maryland about 40 minutes south of me.

Yeah, I did a little running around and calling around today and had five rejections. I did disconnect the battery today so that it would not continue draining.

I don’t have my notes with me. I left them at my dad’s but as I recall, one of the mechanics told me to get a voltmeter. Connect the negative to the negative positive to the positive and it should read 11 to 12 V. Then run the engine at 2000 RPM and it should jump up to 14. if not, it could be a part. I’m sorry he mentioned the name and I can’t recall, but I have it written down at my dad‘s house. I’m not there now. Anyway he said if it was that part that wouldn’t be a bad thing to switch out , but he also said he didn’t want to work on it because electrical problems like this are notorious in that bike and that it would take many many hours of trying to figure it out , And possibly not even coming up with a conclusion in the end, as to what the electrical problem is.

Anyway, it was very discouraging, but I will keep searching. I have to wait until Monday to start calling around because it’s Sunday. Everything will be closed.

I’ve always had older vehicles, classic cars, And classic motorcycles, but my dad has always been able to work on them in the past to suddenly not have anybody available to work on them is a bummer.

I remembered the name of the part. It’s a regulator rectifier.

Kathleen, I ask this respectfully....can your husband not do some of this work ?