Will TLE or RLE fit.......

i "think" they cross fit across quite a range

the older ones might have a shallower notch for the suspension [they lowered the body ride ht in the early 90's or there abouts] - so it might be dodgy to put a old body on a new frame - but the reverse should be fine.

what happened to yours - the bike looks fine - but the sidecar body is messed up.....?

nice paint job - are the headers wrapped?

to

A big FORD truck stopped a little quick and I slid on a little gravel into his massive read bumber.
I almost hit with my front tire but got it a an angle
Very lucky I guess, My dog is usually with me but i was on my way home from work.
Only fiberglass and indshield damage Luckally
no the pipes are just dirty fish tails
Thanks
I'll stay way back now.here is from a couple days earlier

The body looks repairable. Any body shops, boat shops or big rig shops that do fiberglass work in the area?

Lonnie

Originally written by Hack'n on 2/17/2009 9:19 AM

The body looks repairable. Any body shops, boat shops or big rig shops that do fiberglass work in the area?

Lonnie

Yes but they said go to the dealership because insurance is paying.
I will call my adjuster today and see.
It looks easy to fix to me.
Thanks

Originally written by jabud59401 on 2/17/2009 8:33 AM

Originally written by Hack'n on 2/17/2009 9:19 AM

The body looks repairable. Any body shops, boat shops or big rig shops that do fiberglass work in the area?

Lonnie

Yes but they said go to the dealership because insurance is paying.
I will call my adjuster today and see.
It looks easy to fix to me.
Thanks

Hi,

Too bad for your trouble. I'm almost certain that most any year, all the way back to the metal tubs will fit on the front and rear mounts of your sidecar, regardless of the frame application. The CLE was the older version for the FLH's. Some had a mount that bolted to the square portion of the rear swing arm. Later on, they shortened the rear swnigarm extension and bolted the rear mount to the right rear passenger footpad pad, At some point, they started calling them TLE's.

The RLE, was actually a TLE supplied with mouunts for a Police FXRP. There may have been some other changes, such as police lighting but, again, the tub had the same mounts.

As mentioned by Lonnie, any good fiberglass shop, such as a Corvette specialist or an upper end boat or truck shop could do the fiberglass repair. The dealer is the last place that I would go because they simply never have enough contact with sidecars or fiberglass. Mostly they replace things.

I've repaired deep gouges in the earlier TLEs on several occasions. One was on the lower inside and I couldn't reach it. I drilled out all of the rivets underneath the central rubber stip snd took the two halves apart. That's what should happen with yours if they don't offer to replace it. That decision would have to do with the labor and paint costs. I did a nice repair with fiberglass cloth and epoxy that I bought at a plastic shop. When finish sanded and primed, you couldn't tell that it had ever been repaired. The tubs, by the way, if it makes any difference, are made from chopped fiber blown into a mold like a Corvette. They reinforce them here and there and actually use some wood under the fiberglass, particularly where the three bolts go through at the lower front and rear to mount the tub.

The tubs were lowered in 1994 when Harley dropped the multi-leaf spring and went to a single leaf (P/N 88100-94) probably for ease of manufacturing rather than just for lowering a couple of inches which was a side-benefit. Those newer springs will fit earlier years with the proper bolts and securing plates. The tub mounts remained the same, however.

Your biggest problem will be redoing that nice paint. I would negotiate with the insurance cmpany and see if you can get a new tub, otherwise have them send you to a fiberglass specialist.

Good luck!

Originally written by gnm109 on 2/17/2009 2:53 PM

Originally written by jabud59401 on 2/17/2009 8:33 AM

Originally written by Hack'n on 2/17/2009 9:19 AM

The body looks repairable. Any body shops, boat shops or big rig shops that do fiberglass work in the area?

Lonnie

Yes but they said go to the dealership because insurance is paying.
I will call my adjuster today and see.
It looks easy to fix to me.
Thanks

Hi,

Too bad for your trouble. I'm almost certain that most any year, all the way back to the metal tubs will fit on the front and rear mounts of your sidecar, regardless of the frame application. The CLE was the older version for the FLH's. Some had a mount that bolted to the square portion of the rear swing arm. Later on, they shortened the rear swnigarm extension and bolted the rear mount to the right rear passenger footpad pad, At some point, they started calling them TLE's.

The RLE, was actually a TLE supplied with mouunts for a Police FXRP. There may have been some other changes, such as police lighting but, again, the tub had the same mounts.

As mentioned by Lonnie, any good fiberglass shop, such as a Corvette specialist or an upper end boat or truck shop could do the fiberglass repair. The dealer is the last place that I would go because they simply never have enough contact with sidecars or fiberglass. Mostly they replace things.

I've repaired deep gouges in the earlier TLEs on several occasions. One was on the lower inside and I couldn't reach it. I drilled out all of the rivets underneath the central ubber stip snd took the two halves apart. That's what should happen with yours if they don't offer to replace it. That decision would have to do with the labor and paint costs. I did a nice repair with fiberglass cloth and epoxy that I bought at a plastic shop. When finish sanded and primed, you couldn't tell that it had ever been repaired. The tubs, by the way, if it makes any difference, are made from chopped fiber blown into a mold like a Corvette. They reinforce them here and there and actually use some wood under the fiberglass, particularly where the three bolts go through at the lower front and rear to mount the tub.

The tubs were lowered in 1994 when Harley dropped te multi-leaf spring and went to a single leaf (P/N 88100-94) probably for ease of manufacturing rather than just for lowering a couple of inches which was a side-benefit. Those newer springs will fit earlier years with the proper bolts and securing plates. The tub mounts remained the same, however.

Your biggest problem will be redoing that nice paint. I would negotiate with the insurance cmpany and see if you can get a new tub, otherwise have them send you to a fiberglass specialist.

Good luck!

Thanks
You filled me in on alot of stuff I was unsure of. the paint should be ok because the guy that did it is still around.

if insurance is paying id insist on a new tub & a new liner [taking the liner out tends to wreck it] and get new of all the various bits that got damaged. and then insist they pay the painter.

the seat will just bolt in for certain.

hope to see it fixed soon

to

just wondering - in 1980 they still offered the raked front end for sidecars - does yours have it?
did they still offer reverse?
does yours have the smaller trans sprocket they listed for sidecar use?

i remember when i got my first new hd in 1979 that there was a sidecar rig available - but i had no hope of that much cash. i just cant remember the details.......

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