Hello folks -
I've done a fair bit of mileage on two wheels, but at 50 years young have been bitten by the sidecar bug the past few months. Trying to wait it out and see if it fades, but it doesn't seem to be diminishing. Anyway, maybe someone could give me a bit of advice about whether I'd be better off adding a car to one of my existing bikes or buying a complete rig. Details:
Me: Big guy, 300 lb. Would like a rig that I can take on longer trips at highway speeds. Passengers in the car would be my 15 & 19 yo daughters and my wife (one at a time, not looking for a double).
My '98 Moto Guzzi V11EV: Love it dearly, has 33,000 miles on it. Would look great with a sidecar, but want to ride it on two wheels regularly, too. Don't know if bolting up a car and taking it off would be a hassle.
My '76 Honda 550F: No way. Way too much fun on two wheels.
My '71 BMW R60/5: Just getting it on the road after some restoration work, haven't put many miles on it myself. Would be a classic look for a sidecar, worried that it would be too slow. It's a short wheelbase model, and I'm wondering if that makes it less adaptable to a sidecar.
My Ratty Goldwing: If I ever get moving on the project, I want to restore my '75. Seems like it would make a good sidecar tug, but I've got a fair bit of work to do on it to make it a trustworthy mount for longer distances.
Any and all advice appreciated.
Thanks - Lars in Minnesota
Why fight it? Sidecars are fun to drive, sociable and efficient. I'm not sure what to say about your bikes; I'm partial to Guzzi's, since I own 5 of them. I have a sidecar on a G5 and I'm wrestling with building leading links. The G5 pulls my light car fairly well. I'm happy up to about 60, but I think it would easily go faster. Your Cali would be terrific, but the Cali frame handles corners so well that it would be a shame to tie it down . The Gold Wing would make a good tug also. Ultimately, I would suggest dedicating a bike to the sidecar rig. It's a pain in the butt to put them on and take them off, no matter how easy "they" say it is. I would also suggest getting a name brand used car first time so you could take advantage of the considerable knowledge here. There's always some issue that comes up and if you have, say a Ural car, on your Wing...you know someone else has been there.
Jason (in Iowa)
We make mounts for all of the bikes you have listed. Why not go with the Guzzi and if you really want to ride it as a two wheeler take the sidecar off. It only takes about 10 minutes on this bike.
My wifes current bike is a Guzzi Quota with a Ural sidecar (for sale). The Guzzis work well. The Goldwing would also work well. The BMW or Honda would be ok. I would go with a Kenna or Sputnik on the BMW or Honda and a Ural or ? on the other bikes.
Jay Giese
Dauntless Motors Corporation
www.dauntlessmotors.com
866-638-1793
Jason,.
whatever bike you decide on, dont plan on taking it off.
A bike for a SC is set up different..IE heavier shocks, different forks or triple trees to lighten steering, flat tread tires..all not diffinately needed but highly recommended to set up the rig for ease of riding, and enjoyment.
I would go with the MG. good weight, power, ETC.
once you get the SC on the Guzzi, and set up correctly, you wont have any thoughts of removing it for 2 wheel riding. you still have the other bikes for that.
You will be picking out the MG rig for all your local trips to the stores, PO, back roads rides, whatever.
also, a rig is VERY people friendly! get waves from everybody in town , neighbors, old ladys in vans, at gas ups, restaurants, ETC. like riding in a parade every day. Fun!!
Or you could get another Guzzi to keep as a solo. I'm with Bob. Dedicate the rig. Get it set up right and you will never be sorry. You may also find that you don't need so many two-wheelers any more because you are having so much fun.
I have a Guzzi Cal II (1983) and it pulls the rig just fine.
Tom Hansen
The shorter wheelbase of the Beemer won't matter IMO. You'd probably want to put a R90 or R100 engine in there, though, along with a sub-frame, heavier shocks, etc. Next would be the GoldWing. I know what you mean about leaning into turns, anf the Gooz is nice. So is the little Honda (I have a 400/4 myself). Or sell the GW to finance another Guzzi...
Keep the Guzzi and the H-550, sell the BMW and the old Goldwing... If you want to make long, trouble-free trips buy a late model GL1800. Its got everything you might want, they don't break, and dealers are everywhere. Put a Hannigan GT on it (great combination in my opinion) and you can carry all you need for a 1-2 week trip without pulling a trailer. I've put 13k miles on mine in the last 8 months and plan a 3 week 5k mile trip to Mass. this fall. Looking way forward to it.
Rocketman wrote: If you want to make long, trouble-free trips buy a late model GL1800. Its got everything you might want, they don't break.
There have been some complaints of frame breakage posted here in regards to the GL1800's that have had sidecars mounted. Two specific weak points in the frames have been mentioned in earlier forums.
No 1000's, no 1100's, no 1200's, no 1500's have been mentioned but only the 1800's.
Lonnie
I believe that was a recall of early 1800 Wings that had nothing to do with whether or not they had sidecars.
Thanks everybody. The Guzzi seems to be the most popular suggestion, so I'm going to check out my options for the big V11.
Lars in Minnesota
You are correct about the frame recall on the GL1800. It was early models and had nothing to do with sidecars. No, not as "cool" as potato-potato-potato, not as "out-there" as a Guzzi, etc. But sure worth being on any long-distant rider's short list to consider for a hack.
Regarding early GL1800 frame problems:
Was going to buy an 1800 in '01 when they first came out and hang CSC FSIII on it, but when frame problems started, opted for a GL1500/FSIII instead and have had nothing but Praise for our '95 SE since I put our rig on the road in '02[almost 28,000 mi. ago]....and saved myself some $, too.
Per Honda['right from the horse's mouth']: If you purchase new 1800 or one with any warranty remaining on it and: tow trailer/trike it/hang sidecar on: warranty's immediately void. Just thought you'd like to know. TTFN....papasmurf in NH
Originally written by papasmurf on 8/3/2006 2:00 PM
Regarding early GL1800 frame problems:
Was going to buy an 1800 in '01 when they first came out and hang CSC FSIII on it, but when frame problems started, opted for a GL1500/FSIII instead and have had nothing but Praise for our '95 SE since I put our rig on the road in '02[almost 28,000 mi. ago]....and saved myself some $, too.
Per Honda['right from the horse's mouth']: If you purchase new 1800 or one with any warranty remaining on it and: tow trailer/trike it/hang sidecar on: warranty's immediately void. Just thought you'd like to know. TTFN....papasmurf in NH
You may want to check with another dealer. In June, when I was in Johnson Creek, Wisconsin my dealer told me I could hang a sidecar on a GoldWing, Rune, or VTX 1800 without affecting the warranty as long as the frame is not physically altered or welded in any way. When I expressed concern that another dealer may not honor it, he said he could get it for me in writing. On the way home I stopped at Vetesnik Honda in Richland Center, WI. They were in the process of mounting one to a new 1800. They also do Trike conversions. http://www.vetesnik.com/miscpage_002.asp
Actually, I checked with all the local dealers, Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Triumph, Polaris, HD, and Kawasaki, before I bought my Valkyrie in 2003. The only one that said it would void a warranty was Kawasaki. Harley said it would have to be a Harley manufactured sidecar to keep the warranty in place.
