Just thought I'd start a thread to discuss the selection, care, and feeding of Motorvation sidecars. This thread is to help both newbies and old timers with any question related to Motorvation sidecars, and if the question is beyond our abilities to answer, we'll refer the questioner to Motorvation. I'm drawing on my experience of 20+ years of riding over 130,000 miles with Motorvation's Spyder and Formula sidecars, and I'm sure there folks here with experience beyond mine that will chime in. And of course, all the usual disclaimers apply: Your mileage may vary, don't necessarily follow this advice, motorcycles and sidecars can kill you if you're dumb enough to shoot yourself while sitting on one, don't run with scissors, etc.. So, any questions?
I stopped into Motorvation a couple of years ago while researching sidecars. Nice folks, got the grand tour. I ende up bolting a Champion Escort to my 82 CB900 myself. Lately I've been thinking of trading my K1600 for a new Indian and having a Spyder fitted to it. Anyone have a pic of a Motorvation Spyder on a Indian Roadmaster?
IIRC, they've got a new Indian bagger there now awaiting a sidecar and installation. Being literally "just down the road" from the Polaris plant that builds the Victory and Indians, Motorvation has probably mounted more sidecars on them than anyone. Estelline is only a bit over a hundred miles from Motorvation, so you might want to stop by again and see how they're doing with mounting the Indians.
I have a Formula ll and love it. I have had a Ural, an older CSC and a newer CSC. The Formula ll is the best of the lot. The only problem is getting the grease fitting on the bottom of the torsion tube to take grease.
RE Indian sidecar, We just developed triple tree's for the Indian Vintage, the first set have been machined and are being installed this week. We also have a new for Indian sidecar in development.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793
Found this Pic...
Not a Roadmaster (a 2015 Vintage) but sharp Rig none the less.
In 1982 I bought a very early Spyder for $2300 to hook to my '76 Gold Wing. Jim spent quite a bit of time with us to be sure my wife would be comfortable in one with her bad back. Then, when I picked it up he spent even more time with me explaining the general alignment stats to start with when setting it up. Worked super right off the bat using what he recommended.
I put about 5k miles on it just as it came from the factory, then the additions began. I fabricated a really nice "V" windshield with a steel frame for it. Then, I added an early Airheart go-kart disc brake to it. Then I added an air pump and regulator system to adjust the air shock for varying loads in the car.
Later, in about 1984, this same car was swapped onto my brand new '83 Kawasaki Voyager. Had to weld just one tab onto the Voyager's frame to do the connection correctly. At just 165lbs this car was a bit light for such a heavy bike (900lbs!), though, so I made a 10gal tank on the floor for it and mounted a larger battery in the trunk. Next, I tapped into the upper and lower radiator hoses of the Voyager and, using quick disconnects, ran water lines over to the car for a small heater I made up from an oil cooler and a Voyager radiator fan. I also put a small, axial, inline pump to assure good water flow. That addition also eliminated the chronic slow-speed/idling overheating problem these bikes are known for! Of course, during hot weather I would shut off the water flow with a valve that also regulated water flow. With a snug-fitting tonneau cover around the passenger and that heater, you could ride year round very comfortably! I also added a cable extension for the helmet intercom system built into the bike. The car also had it's own set of stereo speakers for the audio system on the bike.
The early versions of the Spyder had the sportier-handling five-link suspension system. Looked a whole lot nicer with those chrome struts, too! They came with a seven-spoke cast aluminum 16"wheel painted black. That was fine for my Gold Wing, which I had also black-anodized it's rims and hubs, but the new Voyager had the typical Kawasaki gold wheels, so I cleaned the car's wheel and bought some gold paint from the local Kaw dealer and painted it. Then it was a perfect match for the Voyager! Same spoke count, spoke shape and color!
That Spyder and Voyager clocked just over 212,000 miles, not to mention the 57,000 miles the Gold Wing put on it. Then the Voyager, without the Spyder, was t-boned and all of it's plastic was shattered. I sold the bike and sidecar to a guy who had another Voyager with a blown motor. He put all of his plastic on my old bike and is still driving the rig today in So. Cal.
I now have another '85 Voyager and sure do wish I had that Spyder back. They may LOOK the same today, but I much prefer the original suspension system! WONDERFUL little hacks! I may be building my own copy out of aluminum.
269,000 miles on a sidecar... Wow, that may be a record!
Prolly 20% of that mileage was just the solo bikes around town and to work and while I was modifying the car.
Also, I was a USCA member back in the early-mid '80's and I recall an old guy and his daughter that rode some old derelict-looking Harley rig all over the country. I saw them at the Griffith Park, Calif. rally one year (maybe '83?) and as they pulled up she pitched a small rock over her shoulder that had a string attached. It was their "anchor"! The whole rig had to be 50 years old! Maybe some of the old timers here will remember who I am talking about? Seems they LIVED on their rig and just wandered around the country. I would bet they have far more miles than I ever racked up! I have slides of that rally somewhere that I need to digitize so I can post them here. A few of them are of their rig, even showing that rock!
When you get a bike and sidecar that are well matched and set up for comfort, they just MAKE you want to stay rolling. All of Motorvation's cars will do that on the right bike. My Voyager/Spyder rig saw all US states except Hawaii and Alaska.
Saw this Motorvation Formula II on eBay and just cried! How can people put so much effort into color-matching and custom details, then let the car get so decayed? Lots of rust, ripped top and upholstery, lots of body dings. I made an offer of $900, but was declined. This is the non-flip-top model. Anybody who wants a good Motorvation hack but is willing to put a little money into restoration, then go for it.
Bruce, I suspect he'd sell for $1000... I was going to buy that Formula for $1000 and pick it up on my way to Florida. but I'm taking my sweet time getting to Florida and he wants to get it sold soon, and it's too far for me to make a trip from southwest Minnesota just to pick it up. The seller and sidecar too I presume are in southern Illinois and southeast of St.Louis a bit.
Grrrl,
If you really want that Formula, and he will take $1000, then buy it and I would go pick it up and hold it until you came through the Kansas City area. It would take me about $60 in fuel, round trip. Hate to see the loss of an aquisition just due to distance and timing. I have a storage garage where it can sit for as long as you need. Yes, it said it was just southeast of S.L.
I wasn't really thrilled about how much work it would take to put it back into pristine condition. I can build my own for that amount of work! Not really thrilled about the mass and weight of those Formulas, either. I did really like the styling to go with my Kawasaki Voyager 1300, though! I also really liked the styling of that rag-top. Thought about converting that manual leanout system to an electric screw-jack.
I've already got a Formula, so I'm quite happy to pass it up for now. If it's still for sale when I go through southern Illinois after xmas, I'll probably buy it.
Is your Formula the flip-top or solid body? Do you know what it's stated weight is? Pics?
Ya know, if you let this eBay one just sit, it gives me more time to convince myself that $100 isn't worth quibbling over! (muttering to himself,....."Hmmm, now. Some S.O.S. pads on the chrome pieces, a can of Rustoleum on the frame, a quick re-covering of that seat cushion and just remove the top for now and it could be hooked up and running!")
OK, Grrrl, you made me do it, so I offered him $1000 (didn't really want to go that much!), but he countered with $1100. He said it was the least he could take for it! BS! It was simply attached to a parts bike he bought. NOPE! I can build my own design for far less and it will be lighter. I half expect to hear from him again to accept my $1000 offer.
The good part is that I downloaded his pics of the car and I compared profiles of it against the profile of my Voyager, and the back end of the Formula is a total match to the rear of the trunk on my bike! The front of the Formula is also a sort of wedge, like the area around the headlight on my Voyager, too!
Oh, well! I can match those styling elements even better by building my own.
