More advice

I had looked at the Ural. I might've been able to buy one about 85 miles from where I live. It looks to be a good sidecar and it's heavy and easy to get into. Somewhere I read that the standard axle was too small in diameter to take the stress of heavy bikes.
At any rate, since my son and I were going to do the install and since we never had done this before, I opted for the Motorvation. The complete package was there including the sub frame which was required on the Valkyrie. That made it easier for first timers. IMHO buying a sidecar is the first step. Installing it is the second and most important step.
Having seen a Velerox mounted on a beatup old 750 Honda 4, I was surprised as to how small it appeared.
Just my .02 for what it's worth coming from another newcomer.
Wayne

i have done several of these bikes using our Hannigan classic sidecar.it weighs about 225 and is as light as i would want on this bike. the additional weight of the CLC over the C,most of it up high,will leverage the car up pretty easily.they are excellent tugs,though. you may find you need a steering damper on it , i believe the fairing contributes to this,as i have never needed one on a C,only the CLC.

When I bought the Spyder sidecar, I thought it was a little light at 200 pounds for the Valkyrie at 800 pounds.
I presently have 120 pounds of sand bags in the car for learning purposes. I am installing a Steerite triple tree to reduce the trail. At that point I'm thinking of sliding the sc out to widen the track width from its present 46 inches to help make up for the lighter weight of the car. I heard that rule of thumb is that the car should be about 1/3rd the weight of the bike. I also know that the wider track width will aggravate the pulling and slow down the ability to maneuver. Newcomers like us could use any input on this that you experienced drivers might have.

wayne

Thanks for your input, Wayne. Richard McClure has recommended a guy in Clearwater to install my sidecar. He did a good job for Richard. I wouldn't even attempt it. I've never been much of a mechanic.

Hall

Good idea Hall. Although my son is a master technician for a Pontiac dealer, he never tried mounting a sidecar before. We had two false starts and learned a lot but it's not for everyone.
If you can, hang around while he's doing it. We found that there always "minor" corrections until it works right and a little knowledge will let you know what's going on.
Good luck, Hall! You'll like it.

Wayne

Originally written by vs1100star2002 on 11/25/2006 9:16 AM

i have done several of these bikes using our Hannigan classic sidecar.it weighs about 225 and is as light as i would want on this bike. the additional weight of the CLC over the C,most of it up high,will leverage the car up pretty easily.they are excellent tugs,though. you may find you need a steering damper on it , i believe the fairing contributes to this,as i have never needed one on a C,only the CLC.

I just went back and looked up the weight of the Velorex and it's only 154#. Do you mean you would not recommend using it on my CLC? I really like the look of the Velorex more than the Hannigan, as well as the price. I'm not going to be traveling a lot with the rig -- just one trip to DC per year, of about 2000 mile rt, and there'll b eno one in the car for that trip.

Are you affiliated with Hannigan?

Hall

with an 800# bike you will need a SC weighing at least 235-250 pounds, EMPTY.[no passenger]
Even, as you say , if you will only go on one trip, 2000 miles or so, a trip around the block can be disasterous with a SC that is too light.
add the ballast, as far out and to the rear as possible.
Also, with the Velorex, make sure the axle is upgraded to the heavier axle available.
you might not need 100 pounds more. add some and try it..keep adding until you feel safe on right turns,at reasonable speeds...IE slow...but...PRACTICE!!!!

OK, Bob. So, with the Velorex, I'd need 80 or so pounds of ballast added with no passenger. That's not too bad, I reckon.

I'm well aware that the amount of traveling I'll do doesn't relate to the dangers. I was trying more to give an idea of the wear and tear on the car. I know the Hannigan is probably a better product than the Velorex, but i'm not sure that the difference in price is warranted for the sort of use I'll put it to.

Hall

The Ural is a good, stout, no frills sidecar. Go look at one. Look at the chassis, axle and mounting struts and then compare it to the Velorex. I suspect that you will find the Ural is of much stouter build and more appropriate weight than the Velorex for your intended use. Even the Sputnik is probably a better match. Remember, cornering will put severe loads on the axle, mounts and chassis. A sidecar designed for use with a small displacement bike may not be up to the loads imposed by a heavy road bike in a corner.

There are many sidecars out there that are a better match for a heavy bike and are of better quality than any of the above mentioned marques. Look at the Kenna, the Motorvation and the Champion lines, among others. You can probably find a nice used sidecar in a similar price range but of higher quality if you keep shopping.

This is not to say you can't make a good rig out of the Velorex, Ural or Sputnik. I am sure you can. Like anything else, if you start with better quality and a better match to your bike, you won't have to do so much to end up with a really nice outfit. If you spend the time, and money and have a clear idea of what you need, you can certainly bring the cheaper rigs up but you may not save much money by the time you get done.

One last thing- no one can tell you how much ballast you will or will not need with the Velorex or any other rig. It will depend on how you set it up and how you drive and will probably change as your skills improve and your rig evolves. Try it out, and go slow. You may find you don't need much at all, but assume you need it to begin with and then try a little less(in a safe environment) and see how it goes. Think about what tools or comforts you may want to keep handy and see if you can use that for part or all of your ballast. Whatever you use, strap it in so it won't shift and don't put it in the nose of the sidecar!

Hall, (and all),
The 154# weight mentioned constantly in these Forums applies only to the early 562 and 562E models which are history. All subsequent models are heavier. All 2005 and later models also have heavier suspension and a 20mm axle. The Tour models are all heavier than the Cruiser models, the Cruisers are heavier than the earlier Standard Models. The Tour models all have a three rail reinforced frame, 130x16' tire and other upgrades. The 565 Tour weighs closer to 180#.

Lonnie
Northwest Sidecar

Specific on the relative weight - general practice is that the weight of the sidecar, empty, be in the range of 30 to 35 percent of the weight of the bike, plus driver. Thus, if bike = 600 lbs, and driver = 200 pounds, then sidecar should be in the range of 240 to 280 pounds. If the sidecar is actually 220 pounds, then ballast should be from 20 to 60 pounds. Note: assumkes that sidecar is itself of adequate construction. ie - do not use a 150 pound sidecar with 100+ pounds of ballast. The frame and especially the suspension, wheel, and axle components likely will not be adequate construction. Tremendous lateral forces are generated on turns after a sidecar has been added to a solo bike. Also, the higher end of the weight scale should be considered when first learning in the newbie stage. Some ballast may be removed as you gain driving experience. Better to be a little on the heavy side than on the lighter. Let you feel guide you as to when to reduce ballast. This should be done slowly. Some rigs are so sidecar light that they are scary and virtually undriveable.

Thanks, Vernon. I think that I'm coming around to your way of thinking. what do you think of the Hannigan Classic as a match for my bike? I really like the idea of having the front lift up for handicapped access.

Thank you, Lonnie. That's good to know.

Hall

Thanks, Again, Veteran. I think I'm slowly getting the idea on the relative weight thing.

Hall