who on this forumcan i contact about buying parts to hook up a 1980 CLE to a 1998 FLHR? I know parts r available from HD, but, boy r they expensive.
thanks in advance, joe
motojo346@yahoo.com
used hd sidecars often come missing lots of very expensive parts.......
ive seen various bits on ebay constantly
craigslist sometimes has parts.
happy hunting
to
Originally written by jammer on 8/8/2009 8:50 AM
who on this forumcan i contact about buying parts to hook up a 1980 CLE to a 1998 FLHR? I know parts r available from HD, but, boy r they expensive.
thanks in advance, joe
motojo346@yahoo.com
It won't fit with standard mounts. The CLE was a sidecar for the earlier bikes with either rigid frame or the later four-speed FL and FX Harley-Davidsons.
The difference between Harley sidecars for the early or later CLE type was the length of the frame at the left inside where the rear mount goes. The early ones, as for a Knucklehead or a Shovelhead had a long tube going rearward that connected to a lug on the frame with a special mount.
Later on, when the four-speed Shovelheads came out, the same sidecars were used for a few years by connecting the rear mount to the swing arm with another special square mount. This bolted onto the right side of the swing arm. Still later, that long arm was cut off at the factory and the rear mount was connected to the frame at the passenger footrest pad. (Two 3/8" bolts, generally after 1978-1/2)
In that regard, the CLE and early TLE mounts are connected with large threaded fittings rather than 3/4" bolts through Balled Heim joints as the later TLE sidecars for the rubber-mounted frames commencing with the later Shovelhead era. Notice that I didn't say it couldn’t be done.
Back in 1995, I mounted a 1980 model four-speed sidecar to a 1993 FL (Same basic frame as a 1998 model that you are concerned with. I used a torch and bent the frame up and modified the cross bar so that it fit the new mounts. This worked but if I were to do it again, I world leave the sidecar alone and simply build new custom mounts.
As to buying the parts, forget it since there aren’t any available commercially that you can use. Your best bet is to hook up with a welder/fabricator or do it yourself. It can be done using sufficient quantitles of 3/8" steel plate and it would be far less expensive and wasteful than modifying the sidecar or purchasing anything from the Motor Company, unless, of course, you could get some that would fit.
The rest of the tub and windshield is the same all the way up to the present day with only minor differences.
Good luck. I don't mean to discourage you. Just trying to save you a lot of time, sweat and money.
Give Claude, Lonnie or the other knowlegeble guys a visit....
Sven
