compatability question

There will be a way to do it with Harley parts and only bolting things on and taking things off. Assuming its the one in Mass. that is on a 2007 bike now, it may not take any new parts. I don't know exactly the difference if any between a 2007 and a 2008 set of mounts. If there is no difference in the touring frame between 2007 and 2008 it will bolt right up with the mounts that are on it now. Just make sure you get all the sidecar parts if you buy it. To get the bike side rear mount off you need to remove the muffler and maybe the exhaust pipe in front of it. That mount replaces the passenger footboard mount. (My bike and sidecar are older but I think you will still have to do this to get this mount.) The other mounts are easier to get at.
Your best bet is to get a 2008 sidecar service manual off ebay. This will have a table with the 2008 bike and the 1998 sidecar and it will tell you which connection kit, wiring harness, etc. that you need for that combination. I will attach a PDF of the sidecar installation instructions I have that are closest to your year bike so you will get an idea. There is more to it than just the three mounts but its not that difficult.

Thanks Dave. I did a little research on-line and it seems that other than a bracket above the motor for a larger fuel tank in 08 the frame didn't change substantially until 2009. However, they did change to Brembo brakes in 08 so that might affect something, maybe the aft mount? I don't have anti-lock brakes so that's a plus as far as a sidecar goes. The seller has manuals for the car so I'll check that out when i go to see it, and I can size up / measure my bike vs. his. As long as I can find the parts i need I think I'm good to go. Thanks again for your help.

Here's another PDF for the 2009 bike. There are some changes in 2009 for sure. The upper front mount looks different and the brake line is different from earlier bikes. They use a double banjo bolt on the rear caliper to hook up the sidecar brake. That may have changed in 2008 with the Brembo brakes but I don't know for sure. I don't think the brakes will make any difference to the mounts. One big change is adding the brake reservoir to have enough brake fluid capacity for the added sidecar brake. That change started with about the 2000 model year bikes. My bike is a 1993 so it already has the reservoir and I didn't have to change anything. You should be able to order the brake parts from a dealer.

That's awsome! Thanks for the PDF's. I have some reading for tonight. You guys rock!

I am not an expert on HD sidecars however in 2003 Harley dropped a fitting on the side of the frame on the bike. This fitting looks like a large nut welded to the frame. This was for the sidecar to attach. So the sidecar from the 1998 would have been set up to attach to this mount while the newer bike will not have it.
Should you go with a non Harley sidecar we can help with mounts and of course we also make sidecars (which unlike every Harley sidecar actually have suspension), we offer reverse as well as steering modifications.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793

The newer rear mount does not use this additional bolt hole. The older rear mount uses three bolts, the newer one uses two. There are pictures of the newer rear mount in the PDF files above. The attached picture shows the fitting Jay is talking about. This picture is of my 2000 FLHTP (no sidecar attached).

Here is a picture of the older style mount with three bolts. The third bolt is down low behind the exhaust pipe so you can't see it. The passenger footboard is removed to make it a little clearer. The bolt to the left of the clevis and rod end is the bolt that goes into the tapped hex fitting welded to the frame. The sidecar rear mount replaces the existing passenger footboard mount. This is my 1993 Tour Glide with a 1996 TLE sidecar.