New Gen 3 Dream sidecar by Hannigan

FM, what is that edging you are putting around the windshields? Rain water deflector?

Definitely riding in style!

It was fun meeting Miles, Dan and Chuck.

The longer I work with Chuck (well at least spectate, while he works) the more I come to appreciate his craftsmanship and love of doing things right.

I will definitely have a wonderful Leading Link at the end of my visit.

Quote from CCjon on November 24, 2022, 9:54 pm

FM, what is that edging you are putting around the windshields? Rain water deflector?

 

 

CCJon, that edging is the slightly newer version of the olde-school Saeng TA windshield trim. Intentionally engineered to be used for motorcycle windshields, and it creates a 4" buffer zone above the edging, to throw the air UP above the edge of the windshield. I cut the original Hannigan windshield down 1.5" so my wife can look OVER it, rather than through it, then added the Saeng TA trim to it, and it acts like the windshield is 4" taller.

https://saeng.com/product/gen-4-edging-noise-turbulence-reduction/

Same thing on my bike's windshield. Been using this product since the beginning of time, as we know it, so that is a Looooong time.

Even DRONE took note of this trim on my windshield, so he ordered some for himself...or his bike.

My bike's windshield has a natural flip towards the top, to throw the air UP, but that doesn't stop the rain from coming over the top edge, and hitting my helmet faceshield. But this Saeng TA trim does stop that rain from coming off the top of the windshield, and channels it along the edge, and away from the rider.

Thanks Miles for the link. I had  Saeng edging on a bike many years ago, thought it was great. Did not know they were still in business. 

Given the weather we have had in The Great Pacific NorthWET, I decided to put my rig inside my shop, and do a few things to it.

Time for a 30,000 miles service, which is nothing more than a complete oil & Filter change, including the DCT filter, and the Rear Diff Fluid.

Life is hard on us olde-timers, so making it easier with the rig 6' up in the air...no laying on cold concrete floors for this olde man.

That hoist and shop is really nice.

FM, we're jealous.

I'd have room for a hoist like that, but can't convince my better half that her car needs fresh air and should live outdoors... 24/7. 

@CCjon, you know you want to live closer to DRONE, and live in The Great Pacific Northwest, where there are more sidecar owners than any other region of these United States, so............I will sell you my ranch 3 years from now...so you can move up here, and have ownership of my shop, and be able to store 20+ sidecar rigs under cover and inside garages.

I mean, if you are truly a Texan....what is a Texan without a RANCH.

My Ranch can be yours. By then all my critters will be long gone, so you and the missus can start your own herd of Scottish Highlander cattle.

Quote from FlyinMonkeys on December 7, 2022, 11:26 pm

@CCjon, you know you want to live closer to DRONE, and live in The Great Pacific Northwest, where there are more sidecar owners than any other region of these United States, so............I will sell you my ranch 3 years from now...so you can move up here, and have ownership of my shop, and be able to store 20+ sidecar rigs under cover and inside garages.

I mean, if you are truly a Texan....what is a Texan without a RANCH.

My Ranch can be yours. By then all my critters will be long gone, so you and the missus can start your own herd of Scottish Highlander cattle.

I was going to ask if goats came with the sale.  Then again, I do have a source in the NOT FLAT state of Nebraska for miniature Scottish Highland cattle if that’s a deal maker.  Alternately we could give Orygun a run for its money and make the Sandhills of Nebraska a node of sidecar hoolignism!

Thane, currently there are two olde goats that come with the ranch, plus 7 olde chickens. The plan is that once all the outdoor critters have gone to that big ranch in the sky, that is when we will sell................or...............if someone wanted to take over and care for our olde critters, then they could buy it now...........or............if (not likely) we decided to stay here for eternity, we might have to get some of those miniature Scottish Highland cattle via your connections. Would love to sell this ranch to a family that has kids in FFA or 4H, as it has all the barns and buildings to support that life.

Now DONE with all the wanted/needed maintenance issues, and improvements to my new sidecar, these past 4 days I have slowly been making some changes/improvements to the rig, whilst I had it in the shop and on the car lift.

I removed the Kuryakyn windwings that were under the bikes' mirrors, and installed baker Built air wings, as they offer a larger surface area to divert air away from the upper torso and hands of the rider.

Also removed the Kuryakyn windwings that were on the lower sides of the fairing, for the same reason as stated above.

As most of us are aware, with a sidecar attached to a motorcycle, we now have created a funnel of air that channels between the bike and the sidecar, which is more noticeable when it is very cold out. Some riders divert that funnel of air by different means. I found that the Baker Built air wings...whilst they make look chunky and not as fashionable as the Kuryakyn products, do function better.

The bike already came with the Kuryakyn air wings on it, when I bought it, so there was no wasted money on my part.

Baker Built also has front/lower leg wings, to block the air even lower, so I installed those too.

All of the mid-fairing and upper air wings are adjustable, so a rider can divert the air according to needs, whether cold, or hot.

Additionally, since I previously cut down the windshield on the sidecar...cut 1.5" off the top...then installed the Saeng TA windshield trim (as previously noted in another post), this caused the original tonneau cover to be ever so slightly loose on the front sides. Didn't flop in the wind, but on the latest ride back from Eugene, where Ben Franklin was having a new Leading Link front end built for his 2021 Honda AT/AS-DCT by 54vintage, I found that in a pretty hard rain I got some of that rain driven past the edges of the tonneau cover, and into the sidecar. Maybe it was the 100+ mph that caused that rain to be pushed past the tonneau cover, or maybe...oh...who cares...all I know is that I got some rain inside the sidecar.

SO....I ordered a small SNAP installation kit, only 6 snaps and the small tools to install the snaps. Went through the process, and installed 4 new snaps onto/through the tonneau cover, and onto the sides of the sidecar. Looks good, fits better, and now I have to wait for it to rain, so I can go test to see if it works.

Also installed a short piece of rubber trim, only on the left side of the sidecar, where the rain and wind gets channeled between the bike and sidecar, and this new 9" piece of rubber trim is designed to stop any wind or rain that "might" creep under the newly tightened tonneau cover, and channel that creeping wind or rain along the side of the sidecar, and not allow it to creep into the sidecar interior.

All in, the snap kit, and the rubber trim cost me less than $ 18.00, and installation was a breeze.

Not great pictures, but...without pictures, it never happened.  It's a little hard to see, but I added 2 new snaps to each forward side of the tonneau cover.

Surprised you did not go with the twist fasteners.

Dana, first...I'm Back.  Did nothing wrong, other than one ISP didn't like another ISP, and we had our own version of ISP World Wars.

But it appears that Whirled Peas have been served up, so all is well....let's hope.

Next, I went with the Snaps this time, as they are much easier for the home shop hobbyist to install. Still have a 2 to 1 ratio, of quarter turn fasteners to snaps.

As long as it works, I am happy.

Also, have had more than a few people ask me about that much wider front end on my bike. These newer Honda Goldwings...2018+ models, have a Hassock style front end on them, and when adding a sidecar to the bike, companies like Hannigan will give you a choice, trail reduction with a standard width front end, so you can still use the original front wheel and tire...130/70-18.....or the much wider front end, with trail reduction, but now with a custom made 16" front wheel, and a 180/55-16 Michelin Commander lll tire.

Here is a picture to show the difference. The silver colored Hassock fork is the OEM original front end. The Black powder-coated Hassock fork is the much wider front end.  I choose the much wider front end, so they moved my original front wheel and tire over to the sidecar.

Boss Monkey (wife) and Grease Monkey (I), took the BattleWing Galactica out for a short ride today, as our New Years' Day ride.

'twas 46* out today, and that's not bad for living north of the 46th parallel.

Ride was a short 23 miles, out on the Tenino Proving Grounds, on the first day of 2023.

For those that are not familiar with the Tenino Proving Grounds, many famous and some infamous sidecar owners have driven the Tenino Proving Grounds, owners such as High Octane out of South Dakota, and DRONE out of Western Washington, and szurszewski , also out of Western Washington and Oregon. Only one place on Earth named Tenino, so it's easy to find.