greetings!
its been a while since ive been around what with winter and all (if thats what you want to call what we had)...
ive determined that my '94 1500gl SE has NOT had any steering geometry modifications and would like to pull the california sidecar hack from it for some plain ol' two-wheeled riding...
i see which bolts ill need to remove to detach the car but i dont have A CLUE about the brake line. its a braided SS line that comes OUT of the bike (from under the seat?) runs out in the open then goes INTO the bottom of the sidecar to the wheel...
ive heard that this can be just out and out disconnected but if it has a 'quick-disconnect' fitting it has to be bleed after reattachment. i would think that a QD would alleviate any bleeding requirments but first i have to figure out how and where to undo it...
can anyone post a picture or three? ive got a book (from CS) but i didnt see any connection diagrams...
thanks!
The quick disconect will be made of brass and look like the fitting on the end of a air hose like air tools use. If you disconect it about every 5 times or so you will need to bleed the brakes unless you before you conect it back up you have a drop of brake fluid in the female side of the conector which keeps a seal when you reconect the line such that you do not allow air back into the sytem.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1783
Jay...
THANKS! im going to look and see what i have because as much as i like the side car, i really miss riding in the manner of a motorcycle vs. an off-center trike...
besides i only need the hack when my wife joins my daughter and i. otherwise its just 200 lbs of added drag...
thanks again
i got my books out today and i see that i DONT have a manual for the sidecar, but a booklet written for the USCA on generalities of sidecar ownership and operations...
is there just a plug in connector i need to disconnect for the hack and then re-plug in for the right hand rear turn signals? do they normally just remove bulbs or something other i need to know?
i REALLY dont want to have to start dismantling the bike to ride it solo. i was told that it shouldnt take more than about 20 minutes to detach the hack...
thanks again for any info you have...
There is no standard way to do the wiring, There should be a plug hidden under the side panel. When we do the turn signals we often remove the bulb, tape over the end of it and put it back into the socket.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793
The sidecar may be removed in minutes for solo use if there is a quick disconnect brake fitting. However the subframe itself is another matter. On many GL setups the subframe mounts for the sidecar limit road clearance when leaning into a right turn.
L.
well i pulled the bulb socket for the right turn signals (in the trunk) and sure enough, all i need is a bulb (i assume)...
i pulled the seat and found the quick disconnect and this wiring harness connector!
there was also this little pigtail, that LOOKS like its part of the hack wiring but i couldnt tell for certain...
i dont think the hardpoints for mounting will present TOO much of an issue for my style of riding. looks like id have to get it pretty far over to cause any interference...
thanks!
taking it off to go riding, assuming that the bike has stock steering and stock wheels takes 5 mins
putting it back on and getting it aligned etc - may or may not take two people all day to do
usually folks take it off and discover how much work it is to put it on that they just dont
to
timo482 - 3/18/2012 8:32 PM taking it off to go riding, assuming that the bike has stock steering and stock wheels takes 5 mins putting it back on and getting it aligned etc - may or may not take two people all day to do usually folks take it off and discover how much work it is to put it on that they just dont to
Removing the sidecar should not alter the alignment in any way. If you put a dolly under the sidecar tire and fashion up a couple casters under the sidecar frame you should be able to mount it by yourself in under 30 minutes. For years I dropped the sidecar off on Sunday nights and rode all week without it, then slapped it on Friday night to take the family camping for the weekend. I'd get home from work around 5 and we'd be at the campground 2 hours away, before dark.
If you set it up properly you should only have to pull four bolts, unplug the wiring harness, and roll the sidecar straight away from the bike.
Removing the sidecar should not alter the alignment in any way. If you put a dolly under the sidecar tire and fashion up a couple casters under the sidecar frame you should be able to mount it by yourself in under 30 minutes. For years I dropped the sidecar off on Sunday nights and rode all week without it, then slapped it on Friday night to take the family camping for the weekend. I'd get home from work around 5 and we'd be at the campground 2 hours away, before dark.
If you set it up properly you should only have to pull four bolts, unplug the wiring harness, and roll the sidecar straight away from the bike.
okay. im slow. i also didnt have a wheel dolly or any kind of caster system (stacked up some 4x4s) and it took me about an hour to dismount the hack by myself. it took about 12-15 alone to fish the brake line out of the frame work of the bike!
the electrical and brake connections are first to go...
i know now to disconnect the steering damper first, followed by the adjustable (but dont touch the settings!) cant tie-bars then the two frame-mounts (they have the swivel fittings to allow the canting turnbuckles to alter the lean angle)...
i might need a second pair of hands to help line up the frame bolts but once i get the proper size wrenches assembled in one place this shouldnt be too difficult to reattach...
Here is copy of an old post on how I do it; This was with my Motorvation sidecar on the Moto Guzzi EV11.
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It varies a lot from sidecar to sidecar and from bike to bike. If you make sure all mounts are straight up and down, making all bolts horizontal., you'll find you can remove it in about five or ten minutes and reinstall in maybe twice that. The big thing is to get it down to a sequence that you do the same each time.
I start by raising the sidecar and placing a dolly under the tire.
This allows me to move it away from the bike at 90 degrees. Next I mount something under the left frame of the sidecar. It can be another dolly, or a set of home made casters. In the case of my current car, I got a set of these when I bought it.
Once these are clamped on, I unplug my wiring, pull the two top strut bolts, lean the bike over on it's sidestand. If you are building your own dolly wheels, do it at this height to facilitate remounting. Now pull the bottom two bolts.
Now I can roll the sidecar straight away from the bike and roll it straight back in to the mounts without disturbing any adjustments. As an added plus, now I can roll it out of my way or move it around at will.
You'll probably find that as time goes on you won't remove it nearly as often as you think.
If you are like me, you'll discover pretty soon, I discovered that I prefer to ride with the sidecar. Now I only pull it off if I need to service the bike and want it up on my lift table.
As I've said elsewhere, I don't use a steering stabilizer or brakes on the sidecar.
took the daughter to dance class tonight on the back of the wing (car-less) and everything went just fine...
i dont think i need to worry about dragging the mounting points. if THEY drag then the handlebar ends will be on the cement!
thanks for the help!
I'm looking for a car for my GL1500. If you want to sell, please call. 209-232-9420.
Thanks
well its now just shy of 4 months later and i needed the car back attached to the bike...
it took me about 40 minutes to reattach. the hack was blocked up (with 4x4s) so it was pretty immovable. i was able to get the bike rolled right up to it and get the hard points mounted up. the hardest part of the entire job was either knocking the 4x4 out from under the frame or getting the bolts back into the seat mounting holes. the passenger side doesnt line up without some work. if those two things were squared away, i could have been done in 20 minutes or no more than 30...
ive got a guy at work going to weld me up a dolly that will tote the wheel about 1/4" off the ground so with casters, the car will be in almost perfect orientation right from the get go...
