Hi Boatzo:
I can show you how to mount your California Friendship II on almost any bike without a sub frame. I never used a sub frame on any of my 450 sidecars. I guess I thought out of the box. If you are handy and can weld I can show you with pictures how to make the mounts and mount the sidecar onto your new bike. I'm helping around six guys off site at this time. Many are building sidecar frames from scratch. If you feel that I can help email me and I can send pictures of how I did it for almost forty years.
Johnny Sweet jsweet450@yahoo.com
I'm mounting a friendship 1 two my old kz650 c2, That bike wasn't my first choice but I already had it sitting in the shed so it fit my needs. I think bikes have gotten way too big over the past twenty years anyway. Find a nice older jap bike in the 1000cc range with an inline 4 or maybe a V4, that would be plenty powerful for hauling a hack.
VLAD - 5/16/2011 6:00 PM
SidecarMike - 5/16/2011 4:08 PM
VLAD - 5/16/2011 2:07 PM It will fit on GL1500 just right. Will not need stinking subframe. ...
I'd love to see how you attached without a subframe. I have one in the back that gives me both upper and lower mount, and a second in the front for my lower mount.
I bought sidecar with California factory installation kit for Gl1500. I gess you can call it subframe. Rear lower mount is a U shaped bracket connected to passanger foot pegs on both sides. Top rear mount is a weard bracket attached to the tryangle (?) frame under right side cover. Have to make hole in sidecover,but now i never will loose it unless i take sidecar off.
I did mine with a kit from Dauntless. Actually, it came from Scrambler Cycle, but it's a Dauntless kit. BTW Kevin Hahn (Hahnda) at Scrambler is a great guy to deal with. He will go out of his way to help you. www.scramblercycle.com He is especially knowledgeable when it comes to old Japanese stuff.
Well, this question really stirred up alot of great responses and food for thought. I haven't decided yet what I am going to do, but I am going to check out Johnny Sweet's ideas. Have read alot of his other posts.
As for "California Sidecar", I called them and they were very pleasant to talk with. They told me that they had a fire over a year ago and lost all their sidecar fabrication parts and facilities, they are only doing trikes. They referred me to Dauntless for any needs. I have been in contact with Jay and he has been very helpful as well.
I like the idea of putting the hack on my BMW as the bike weighs 900lbs and I could use the stability at stops and turning around in gravel parking lots. When my bride is on the pillion, it gets scary sometimes at stops. I am starting to get trouble with my left knee and right hip (it is he#* getting old). I can tell you all this, when up and running on the long haul, I have never ridden a more comfortable, powerful bike that the K1200LT (and they don't make em any more).
Again, thanks for all the input.
I've had a Velorex attached to a Suzuki GS1000G for four years now and it's been just fine. 🙂
My vote is also for either an older inexpensive UJM like a GS1000/850G (shafty) or if you want something newer and dont mind a chain, the Suzuki Bandit 1200.
There is also the GSX1100G which is a naked Bandit with a shaft, great tug if you can find one.
