Howdy board, Looking for opinions on using a 2001 Velorex E with a 77 naked Goldwing, good combo et...? what do ya think?
Could be done but sidecar could be too lite for this bike.
Iam sure you can have added weight to the frame and make it work.
Anything can be done for a price!!!!!!!!!!!
Lonnie from Northwest sidecars would be a good source for getting more info. on you request.
The stock Velorex 562 will not be the best match in the world but has been done and can be made to work. Like Lenny said , you can add ballast. From there the sidecar suspension will be a little mushy and the rig will tend to heel over in harder left handers. Suspension can be upgraded. Sidestrider and dauntless offer suspension and axle upgrades as do others. Lonnie Cook is a good Velorex guy to ask as well.
I am finishing up building a Velorex conversion myself right now for Larry Osgood that has a torsional tilt adjuster, heavier suspesnion , added weight, different mounts and a 135R15 car tire conversion on a polished centerline wheel running under a Ural fender that is hooked to and moves with the sidecar swingarm. It will work well on larger bikes.
As per claudes last post depending on where you are located in CA
sidestrider is also great to deal with.
Doug Bingham built my rig in 1994 and its running strong today.
I never had to do anything to it except replace worn parts(50,000 miles on the rig so far).
Dauntless motors is also top self with its parts and help.
Originally written by jwebfournow on 11/30/2005 9:22 PM
Howdy board, Looking for opinions on using a 2001 Velorex E with a 77 naked Goldwing, good combo et...? what do ya think?
'98-'00 I ran a '76 GW with a Velorex 562. It was a real nice combo. Even though the GW was relatively light (by today's standards) the Velorex was still a little light. I did add one brace to triangulate the rear mount. This provided more stability and decreased adjustment intervals. Bob Darden of Texas Sidecars fabricated it for me.
My first sidecar rig was a GL1000 with a Velorex562 on it. If I would have only known what the difference could have been with a few mods early on it would have been made into a much more stable rig. It was fun though and we put a lot of miles on it...gotta say the sidecar tire wore real well as it was off the ground a lot of the time. Eventually I did modify the sidecar and it became a nice handling chair. It is still on the road today, now owned by a good friend, and hooked to an XS1100 Yamaha.
Matt (ural3wheels) mentioned the 'notorious' Velorex lower rear mount.The proble is th eclamp on th esidecar frame. They are famous for slipping around the sidecar frame rail. If you are going to use this stock clamp it is a good idea, as a minumim, to mark the location of it in relation to the sidecar frame after your rig is setup to your liking. This way if it does move you have a good reference point to go back to. If the strut can be placed in such a way that the mounting eye, the clamp and the strut are inline then this slippage is not as likely. Even the Velorex directions show it wrong..Lonnie and I were talking about this only a week ago. You can also mount the frame clamp so that it is 'rotated all the way' already so it cannot go any futher in some cases. Many folks have pinned the clamp or put a small weld on it. Personally I like to throw them out and weld a real mount onto the sidecar frame to receive the strut etc. .
The stock E suspension isn't going to work well at all. I know of people who have used this combo for lots of miles even with the baggers, but the rig will wallow unless the suspension is upgraded.
I have a bolt on suspension upgrade that will handle your GL and Doug at Sidestrider (nearer you) also has one available.
Lonnie
Thanks for the replies, this would be my first rig that I would be building, so I want to be very safe and careful with the selection, what do you think about the asking price an asking price of $1300.00 for the sidecar alone. Supposed to be in great shape with low mileage. Then wondering if it is worth upgrading the suspension as per sugested by others. Thanks again for any feedback
Another sidecar to consider is our Kenna, New with mounts specific to your bike rather then "universal" the sidecar is only $2495
Jay Giese
Dauntless Motors Corporation
www.dauntlessmotors.com
866-638-1793
I have a 76 Wing and Velorex 562. I have found it to be very acceptable as a unit. Without a passenger I carry 50 lbs of ballast, however with a passenger the rig behaves most excellent. I use a muffler clamp on the front lower strut to take care of the roll that others have mentioned. Feel free to contact me. Last year my wife and I enjoyed RonDeVoo 2. This was her first real road trip. We rode from Rochester Ny with no problems. Take a peek http://www.oldbikebarn.com/ReadersRides/?id=414
Having spend many thousands of miles on a similar package, I have a different aproach. Yep, it'll go on fine. It'll be very light. Consider switching to an automotive battery mounted in the trunk of the hack. Adds ballast nicely, and costs less than motorcycle batteries anyway.
Then, change out that horribly mushy stock shock. Upgrade to a beefy stiffer motorcycle shock.
Note though, my opinion usually pivots on "How can I do this without spending a lot, if any, money".
I have been riding a 82 Interstate Goldwing with a 74 560 velorexside car. Keep in mind the weight is light on the velorex so you would have to figure something out when you don't have passangers. My husband and I placed a dumbel weight in the back of the seat in the car that could be adjusted to the weight of your passenger. This way if needed you can take a weight ring out and put it in saddlebage nearest the side car. Good luck
