New Guy Here

Welcome Jim,

If you have problems you can contact John Dennis. He is also our Iowa State Rep.

Hi Jim, welcome to the offest universe. Please consider a couple extra things in the process of mounting and learning to operate your sidecar: 1) Seek out a sidecar training (S/TEP) class -- a sidecar looks like a motorcycle but does not drive like one; and 2) Look into steering modifications appropriate for 3-wheelers (such as modified triple trees) to make driving your new rig much more pleasant. Please keep us informed. And post pics when you can.

Joyce & Swampfox; I'm having my Hannigan setup by the Manufactuer in early February. I did a quick run through of the members posted here wondering if any really lived nearby. Perhaps one person one county away someone named R.Crull, in Washington, Iowa. It seems to be always my luck to never find anyone closeby. Once I get the two mated and home I'll post some photo's. Riding season for me won't likely take place till April. Regards. Jim

Jim--glad to hear that Hannigan will do the setup for you. They do great work. But you need to ask for the steering modification, sometimes referred to as the "EZ Steer". Very common on GL1800 trikes and sidecar rigs. Hannigan will know exactly what we are talking about and can set you up. Not cheap, but make for a much more enjoyable riding experience. I know that sidecar you bought--the one from Tennesee that was attached to a BMW, right?--and that's a very nice car.

Please do listen to the advice about getting some training. Driving a rig is totally different from riding a bike and being ignorant of the differences can get you killed. A good place to start would be to simply read "Driving a Sidecar Outfit" by David Hough. You can order it from Whitehorse Gear for $35. I still go back and read sections of my copy after every trip. Some people think I drive pretty good, but I still consider myself a rank amateur. David Hough, though, is the man. However, it's pretty easy to learn the basics, and that's all you need to get started safely. More advanced skills will come to you over-the-road.

Welcome Jim!

A fine bike and a fine car you'll have there! You're going to love the fact that you can carry more cargo and more passengers than you could on two wheels. You'll also notice that you'll be getting a lot of waves. Not just from other cycles, but from cars and pedestrians as well! Everyone seems to LOVE a sidecar rig!

The first big challenge you'll have ahead of you once you get your rig home is the non-symetrical nature of your new beast; pulling right on accelleration, pushing left on braking and the fact that you now have tip lines to deal with. The YAW (to steal a piloting term) you'll feel can be a little scary at first, but once you know what to expect, it can add a lot to the fun of driving a rig. Proper application of brakes will be very important!

The second challenge is that your Goldwing rolled out of the factory set up for counter steering. That's why you can make those sweeping turns with not much more than body lean. A rigid sidecar rig requires direct steering. When you turn, you gota WANT to turn and put some effort into the task. With factory steering geometry, your bike will protest a bit in perportion to how hard you are turning, your speed and the camber of the road. By changing the geometry with an EZSteer or a SteerRite tree, you and your bike will become one again in the goal of turning the rig.

With that all in mind, I'll join the previous posters in urging you to take a S/TEP class and get a direct-steer front end.

jimwing08 - 1/12/2013 11:14 PM

Hello all; Yesterday I purchased my first maybe only Sidecar if it turns out to be fantastic. It's a 2012 Hannigan HMS-SP2, that was listed for sale here on this site. I have yet to pick it up. It will be mated to my GL1800 Goldwing. I was wondering who here maybe from Iowa. I live in Decorah, which is Northeast approximately 15 miles south of the Minnesota State line and 45 miles west of the Mississippi river. This will be certainly a learning situation for me as I've never ridden witha motorcycle attached to a sidecar. I have ridden in sidecars though. Looking forward to this new experience and perhaps meeting some of you folks on the road as well. Regards. Jim Schell

From Decorah eh?
Wasn't Decorah some badass Soux chief in the area?
Lots of nice roads in that area but I notice that many of them turn 90 degrees at the apex of a hill in such a way that you get no warning as to which way they will turn or how sharp, or if they are off camber turns.

Where does someone find out the locations of Novice Sidecar instructions? I think not likely nearby me.

http://www.sidecar.com/Files/German%20SC%20HAK%20English%20.pdf
my prefered novice riding guide.
But be AWARE that the most dangerous moment in Your learning curve will be the moment when You start to feel confident. Normally after 1 month.
Then in some SUDDEN incident You will be TOO CONFIDENT and will react as you are accoustumed to as SOLO RIDER, right the opposite of what will be needed.
So the best is ALWAYS BREAK BEFORE THE BEND and don't show off, just stay on the safe side, its much better to pull the gas afterwards you come out of the bend.

By the way beginners are afraid of right turns. They can be handled much safer then You think.
You have to be much more carefull with the lefthanders. There is NO WARNING when you overforce a left turn.
See here what happens when too much of fun and beer met:

I wish You best luck. Myself my first ride on 13.12.1986 over 145km ended 3 times straight into the pasture...
But I do not miss any moment I lived with my rigs since then.
"Travel happy as a cow, but don't ask the cowboy"
http://sidecar.com/mbbs22/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=4567&posts=2&highlight=travel%20happy%20as%20a%20cow&highlightmode=1#M46366
Sven

jimwing08 - 1/14/2013 4:29 PM
Where does someone find out the locations of Novice Sidecar instructions? ....

Here's one source: http://evergreenmotorcycletraining.org/sidecar-training/step-national-schedule-training-locations/

Lee
MB5+TW200+CRF250L+GTV300+INT650
XL883R w/Texas Ranger Sidecar
Zuma 50F + Burgman w/Texas Sidecar<Mrs. SwampFox

 

I'm new to all this as well and have read hours of advise and tech tips on this forum........I have about 2 hours riding time on mine before I tucked it away for the winter to paint it......Big thank you to all on here.

Peter pan; Thanks for posting those 3 scenario's. I saved a copy of the German translated handbook. The video was certainly interesting. I hope never to do that action with mt=y sidecar as it would be likely totaled.

Swampfox; I looked at the few sites providing Novice training. Gee there's nothing close by. Just riding my rig to the closest location would be a training session in itself. I was wondering to any of the locations Example: University of Illinois champagin/Urbana do they supply rig's for those wanting to learn. I perhaps could see myself flying into a location, renting a rig and taking a course if available.

Old School/Drone; I contacted Hannigan yesterday and asked if the EZ steer was included in the attachment kit I'm having them put on. They said NO. There response was wait and see if you want to have your bike disconnected occasionally or keep it attached full time. They also stated if I had the EZ steer installed and seperated the bike from the car, the bike would be unsafe to operate alone. They further said any compentent Motorcycle shop could easily attach the EZ steer at a later time if I so desired to go that route. There EZ steer application sells for $995.00 + $275.00 installation. I asked the seller of the Sidecar I'm purchasingit from if he had a dedicated EZ steer set up on his bike and he said no, As he wanted to be able to change on/off at will. I will have the "Quick Disconnect" feature added though. So for the meantime I'll do a wait and see how I like it situation.

Vermond Wade does what You look for.
http://adventuresidecar.com/
With just viewing the fotos I get cribbling fingers...
http://www.sidecar.com/mbbs22/forums/thread-view.asp?tid=9681&posts=6&highlight=tipi%20camping&highlightmode=1#M60377
I have talked to him several times over the phone and he is a realy helpful and nice person.
Sven