Hi guys,
Have been riding bikes for over 10 years, but don't know much about sidecars at all.
Looking for sidecar for my 2002 Honda Valkyrie.
How does this work, can any bike take any sidecar.
I am looking at COUPE ROYALE sidecar and don't know if it can be mounted on my bike.
Thanks guys.
The best short answer is to call Motorvation [www.motorvation.com] at 712.754.3664. Ask if they have a mounting kit for your Valk. I'm pretty sure that they will. Mary Sontag is the owner there and a really nice lady. If you get into tech stuff she'll probably hand you off to Gary.
About the "any bike - any sidecar" thing... You can probably physically mount any sidecar to any bike if you go to enough trouble and expense. That said, it probably isn't a good idea. In this case size does matter. Hooking a big bike to a small light sidecar isn't a great idea. Yeah, folks have done it but it won't result in a satisfactory rig.
Putting in our location might get you some local help, or at least an invitation for a cup of coffee. Sidecarist are kind of thin on the ground and finding another in your area could be the basis for mutual support and maybe some riding.
Good Luck!
The sidecar weight wants to be somewhere around 30% of the bike weight I believe. There are other much more qualified veterans that can help you further. Set up is fairly critical on these rigs and for safety and rideability wants to be done right.
The Coupe Royale will work.
A good bike to sidecar weight ratio is 2/3rds bike, 1/3rd sidecar.
This can be achieved with a large car, adding ballast, or load weight.
When the sidecar is mounted stand on left peg or floorboard with wheel turned right, grasp the bars and pull your weight away from the bike to the left. If the sidecar doesn't come up to easy you're good to ride.
Have fun,
Lonnie
