just got back from riding thru the mountains at high speeds and i got thinking about this thread. most of you that have problems with handling have cheap motorcycles and/or rigs. i ride a HARLEY DAVIDSON ELECTRAGLIDE WITH A GENUINE HARLEY DAVIDSON ULTRA SIDECAR. never have any handling problems like the cheap,russian,european,and chinese products you all are complaining about. learned a long time ago- ya get what ya pay for. quit complaining or send us pics of your pitch poling mishaps- i need a good laugh.
Shortcut,
You better take a look at where a whole lot of your "Genuine Harley Davidson " parts and accessories are manufactured. You may find that the GL's and several other "foreign" bikes are more Amurrican than yours.
Brand loyalty is nice but Chauvinism is a bit outdated in our present world economy.
Lonnie (another Genuine Harley owner)
Originally written by shortcut on 6/12/2007 2:15 PM
just got back from riding thru the mountains at high speeds and i got thinking about this thread. most of you that have problems with handling have cheap motorcycles and/or rigs. i ride a HARLEY DAVIDSON ELECTRAGLIDE WITH A GENUINE HARLEY DAVIDSON ULTRA SIDECAR. never have any handling problems like the cheap,russian,european,and chinese products you all are complaining about. learned a long time ago- ya get what ya pay for. quit complaining or send us pics of your pitch poling mishaps- i need a good laugh.
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LOL...Holycow Holyrider. Are there really mountains In Alabama?
Seriously,the Harley sidecars are rigid. No suspension other than between the sidecar frame and body. This does have some advantages up to a point in left turns as the sidecar will not 'dip' the same as a sprung sidecar will. Also the Harley is a heavy bike in the rear which also helps stability in left turns..again, up to a point. Notice i did say 'up to a point' twice now.
However, a Harley sidecar will come up in right handers just like any other rig. It can also be affected quickly when the sidecar wheel hits a hole or something due to no suspension to absorb the impact. Not saying this is good or bad but it is different than some.
As far as 'riding thru the mountains at speed' goes? Speed can mean a lot of different things to a lot of differnt people. If anyone wants to see 'speed' with a sidecar rig, real speed, take a look at some of the High Performance Sidecars out there sometime. Yes, some have been built with a Harley as a base but the fastest ones are based on some ol 'cheap' european or japanese motorcycle. And yes they can be expensive.
No compliants here though as we are all in this together to have fun right?
The Harley sidecar is not completely rigid. It has some give in the three point mounts, it has suspension on the body and it has one of the widest stances of any sidecar. All of those help to absorb shock.
I'm not in favor of suspension on a sidecar wheel either. It doesn't do anything for stability.
BTW, I don't like the bike bashing going either direction. Everyone should be more tolerant.
when i want to experience "real" speed- i ride my suzuki hayabusa. yes i own one of those as well. so much for "bike bashing". IMO- THE HD/HD sidecar has been the best set-up for sidecar stability that i have ever experienced and the suzuki hayabusa is the fastest 2 wheeler i have ever rode.
BTW- somebody,anybody post a video of a GENUINE HARLEY DAVIDSON ELECTRAGLIDE / GENUINE HARLEY DAVIDSON SIDECAR "pitch polin'" and i'll eat my words. the challenge is offered. claude?
do us a favor and video tape your own rides-then we can all benefit watching your displays of riding skill and daring do
Originally written by shortcut on 6/12/2007 9:53 PM
BTW- somebody,anybody post a video of a GENUINE HARLEY DAVIDSON ELECTRAGLIDE / GENUINE HARLEY DAVIDSON SIDECAR "pitch polin'" and i'll eat my words. the challenge is offered. claude?
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Tell ya the truth I have no intentions of trying to do anything to have you 'eat your words'. You obviously like the rig you have so good for you. Many others like theirs too.
I do have a question for you though. If you get into a left turn way too fast what happnes? Does the front end break traction? (some do) Does the rear end break traction? (some can) or what?
Originally written by gnm109 on 6/12/2007 9:06 PM
The Harley sidecar is not completely rigid. It has some give in the three point mounts, it has suspension on the body and it has one of the widest stances of any sidecar. All of those help to absorb shock.
I'm not in favor of suspension on a sidecar wheel either. It doesn't do anything for stability.
BTW, I don't like the bike bashing going either direction. Everyone should be more tolerant.
Last year i was asked to ride a new Harley rig with a 102 inch screaming eagle setup. It took a couple of miles or so to get used to the mounts flexing and so on but overall it handled pretty well and was stable.
Suspensions are good for many reasons but it is not being said that rigid does not work okay too under most conditions. Heck even though it is mandated by the rules for saftey reasons, face it, racing hacks have been rigid for years and still are.
Bike bashing stinks and there is no call for it at all.
By the way what is the track width of a newer Harley rig?
Well, Shortcut, pardon me and my cheap rig. Have fun riding. Hope you have lots of friends to ride with.
To each their own! imHo, I see the attributes, advantages, and even the beauty in all types of rides. But what do I know?
noticed your H was missing. Guess that sums it up...
Originally written by claude #3563 on 6/12/2007 8:01 PM
Originally written by gnm109 on 6/12/2007 9:06 PM
The Harley sidecar is not completely rigid. It has some give in the three point mounts, it has suspension on the body and it has one of the widest stances of any sidecar. All of those help to absorb shock.
I'm not in favor of suspension on a sidecar wheel either. It doesn't do anything for stability.
BTW, I don't like the bike bashing going either direction. Everyone should be more tolerant.
Last year i was asked to ride a new Harley rig with a 102 inch screaming eagle setup. It took a couple of miles or so to get used to the mounts flexing and so on but overall it handled pretty well and was stable.
Suspensions are good for many reasons but it is not being said that rigid does not work okay too under most conditions. Heck even though it is mandated by the rules for saftey reasons, face it, racing hacks have been rigid for years and still are.
Bike bashing stinks and there is no call for it at all.
By the way what is the track width of a newer Harley rig?
The width of the sidecar from the rear bracket on the side of the frame to the inside of the wheel is listed as 53.3 inches.
I don't like bike bashing either. It can be very subtle as well. I notice that in several links mentioned on this website for U.S. Made sidecars there is no mention of Harley-Davidson sidecars. It's fine with me but it is evident that many do not like Harley-Davidson, probably becvause it's proprietary and not avaialble through outside dealers.
"I notice that in several links mentioned on this website for U.S. Made sidecars there is no mention of Harley-Davidson sidecars. It's fine with me but it is evident that many do not like Harley-Davidson, probably becvause it's proprietary and not avaialble through outside dealers."
You know I've looked at and checked this list of US Manufacturers at least a couple of hundred times. This wasn't an on purpose omission by any means. They will be added. Anyone with additions to our lists are encouraged to click the contact link at the top of each page and things will get fixed.
Originally written by Joyce on 6/13/2007 10:22 AM
"I notice that in several links mentioned on this website for U.S. Made sidecars there is no mention of Harley-Davidson sidecars. It's fine with me but it is evident that many do not like Harley-Davidson, probably becvause it's proprietary and not avaialble through outside dealers."
You know I've looked at and checked this list of US Manufacturers at least a couple of hundred times. This wasn't an on purpose omission by any means. They will be added. Anyone with additions to our lists are encouraged to click the contact link at the top of each page and things will get fixed.
Thanks. I have no financial interest in any sidecar manufacturer. I just believe that on this site, all of them should be represented so that the buyer could make a better-informed choice. All of the companies have their place inthe scheme of things.
Regards,
gnm109
Originally written by Joyce on 6/13/2007 10:22 AM
"I notice that in several links mentioned on this website for U.S. Made sidecars there is no mention of Harley-Davidson sidecars. It's fine with me but it is evident that many do not like Harley-Davidson, probably becvause it's proprietary and not avaialble through outside dealers."
You know I've looked at and checked this list of US Manufacturers at least a couple of hundred times. This wasn't an on purpose omission by any means. They will be added. Anyone with additions to our lists are encouraged to click the contact link at the top of each page and things will get fixed.
Thanks. They all have their place.
Regards,
gnm109
