I'm moving on from my car which was declared a total loss. Now, I pretty much travel to work and the park with my dogs daily. Can anyone recommend a motorcycle and sidecar? Someone recommended a Suzuki Boulevard S40. Any good? I was originally going to go with a Stella scooter but someone said it doesn't have enough power.
Thanks,
Arbywan
I can't speak to the sidecar but I tell friends that want to get into motorcycles not to get anything under a 750cc. These bikes are not that much heavier than a 400-650 size and you will want all the power a 750 can put out in short order. In other words you'll out-grow smaller bikes very quickly. Also, I wouldn't think you'd want to put a sidecar on anything much smaller than that either.
Thank you for your advice. I was thinking of getting a Stella Scooter with a sidecar but since it's 150cc, you're saying it doesn't have enough power?
http://www.epicmotosb.com/new_vehicle_detail.asp?veh=302912&pov=3994280
It depends a lot on what kind of sidecaring you plan to do. In-town under 35 mph, the scooter will probably do you well. Daily rider/grocery getter will take something larger and more comfortable. Long-haul touring, you'll want big and roomy for passenger and cargo. Off-road will require more of a rugged and highly reliable machine.
This will definitely be my main ride since my car was just declared a total loss. I want reliable transportation city or highway and the side car for the practical things, taking my dogs to the park and work commute.
Also recommended was the Suzuki Boulevard S40 with a side car. Is 650cc enough? Will I get good gas mileage? I'd get the Snyder 3 Wheeler if it was available, next years models will have ac and bluetooth =).
A sidecar will not be cheap transportation !!!!!!!!!
You need to replace the tires every 8 - 10 miles
Gas milage is not as good.
And you are at the mercy of the weather.
You will be better off buying a "beater car".
My wife rides a 650 Burgman with small car. Gets 45 mpg. Will cruise freeway speeds with no trouble. I think you would outgrow the Stella in a short time. Check the classafides for a used 650 up rig to start with. Don't jump right in with a $20,000 rig to start with. You might find a rig is not for you. Don't know what the weather is like where you are. A 30 mile commute in 20 degree weather can get old in a hurry.
J.R.
Sec.
Tex. Rep.
First and foremost, get a bike that speaks to you and fits you well. This should be a fun thing so what bike you start with is important. Next make sure that sidecar mounts are made for the bike, "universal" type mounts seldom work out well in the long run, then figure out what sidecar you want, not all sidecars are safe on all bikes.
Even had JR not already said it, given what you say you are looking at I would recommend the Suzuki Burgman 650 scooter. Next choice is the BMW C650 Scooter and last choice in scooters would be the Honda Silverwing 600. We have mounts for all of these. Our most popular sidecar for these bikes is the Kenna single. If you want to go with a bike that no mounts are made for and or want some one to assemble it for you then if you buy a bike local to us we can do the work and ship you the finished rig for not much more money then the cost of shipping a crated sidecar. The S40 we do make mounts for and our M72B would work well on this bike however I have found them to be a bit lacking in power for a 650cc bike. Other things to consider, larger bikes have larger brakes, Brakes can be a good thing, not all sidecars have brakes, we always recommend a brake on the sidecar, not all companies do so it becomes even more important that the bike has good brakes. Next when ever you convert to three wheels steering effort goes up. Pick a bike that you can modify the steering on. We have not developed steering modifications yet for the BMW Scooter but could with the bike in the shop, the other scooters we have. And last a larger bike may end up getting better millage with less maintenance then a smaller bike that you are always working hard.
In the end, if you are looking to do this to save money, skip the idea and buy a cheap car. The right reason to do this is that it is a lot of fun!
If you have not ridden sidecars before you might want to take a class and make sure that it is for you. In the classes bikes are provided http://evergreenmotorcycletraining.org/
I would be glad to work with you on this.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793
