Hey gang looking for real world experiences with Texas Ranger and Standard units. They look ok but would like to hear what others have to say about them. I may be looking to mount one to my '97 Heritage Springer.
Thanks to all.
P.S. Anyone have one within 150 miles of 60148 ? I'd love to look at one in person.
I put a Ranger on my 2011 Suzuki Burgmam in Nov 2013. It was a bit of a hassle to get the right subframe mounts because Bob had mixed up his notes after redesigning the setup. The finish of the tub is excellent gelcoat. I elected not to paint it, just added a wide stripe to match the bike. Finish is much better by far than Liberty and Hannigan right out of the mold. I did find that one caged nut holding the shock required a longer bolt and nyloc nut so it would not come loose. The stock windscreen is way to tall and I added 5 mpg when I cut it down to 7 inches, which is adequate. The snaps for the tonneau area PITA. I added a cabinet lock to the seat to be able to secure the storage area.
Note that this sidecar sits lower than most. Mine has a 12" tire but there are other sizes available. After having a Ranger that's a nice size, I think the Standard would be pretty small. The sidecar is light and I still use 25# of ballast. Light weight means that a sidecar brake is not necessary if you have goo brakes to begin with. I have ABS and straight stops are no problem even at full braking with ABS kicking in. I also see no need for a camber adjuster and ride both crowned country roads and superslabs.
Overall, I'm quite satisfied. Then again, I did copy the mods and setup done by someone else. It would be good if you could find someone else that has a rig like you're contemplating. Even though I had someone whom I could ask many questions, getting the alignment right too 6 months. Oh, and don't even consider a sidecar without modifying your triple tree, not just for lighter steering but better ability to handle corners.
I'd go with the Ranger. The Standard is just too small for the Heritage. Either will need ballast added.
Lonnie
Hack'n - 5/18/2015 6:17 PM
I'd go with the Ranger. The Standard is just too small for the Heritage. Either will need ballast added.
Lonnie
^^I agree.^^ We've had two Rangers, one on my former Sportster rig and the 2nd on Mrs. SwampFox's Burgman rig. The Texas sidecars are simple yet sturdy sidecars, the Ranger is roomier than it appears (hip room is wider than cockpit opening), and as Paul points out, the gelcoat has a good finish, such that we didn't paint either of our Rangers, but rather added racing stripes to one and matched the bike to the other. After gaining hack piloting experience, we found 25lbs of permanent ballast was sufficient for safe operation - but this could differ on a larger bike.
Lee
MB5+TW200+CRF250L+GTV300+INT650
XL883R w/Texas Ranger Sidecar
Zuma 50F + Burgman w/Texas Sidecar<Mrs. SwampFox
I installed a Ranger on my Road Glide over two years ago and have no regrets whatsoever. I've also installed them on several other Harleys, including two Heritage Softails, and the owners are very happy with them. IMO the Ranger is the best bang for the buck if you want a low cost, robust, no frills sidecar. I use 52lb of Bulldog as ballast, but recommend a minimum of 50lb of canine, human or organic/mineral material at all times as the sidecar is fairly light. On one of the Softails I bolted a full length 3/8" steel plate between the tub and the frame, it worked out to about 68lb and made the rig very hard to deliberately raise the outboard wheel in a right hand corner.
Thanks for the great pictures Mike, do you have any more especially Softails.
Thank you.
I've only done the two Softails so far, but here's a pic of the Electra Glide with a Ranger...
I have had my Texas Ranger for a short while ( couple months) and i really like it. Compliments my Super Glide well in my opinion.
