Howdy, this is my first post. I'm an avid Buell nut, but my fiance and I recently got a new puppy and we would love to include her in our shennanigans.
I'm interested in building a utility sidecar. Think tubular frame and body (like a dune buggy), but with interchangeable body panels in either nylon canvas or sheet metal. My idea is something utilitarian for the dog, but something that can be used for people as well.
I have extensive experience in welding and automotive chassis fab, so the 'body' isn't a concern. My concern is the suspension. Sidecars are pretty limited around here so I can't just stroll into the dealer and checkout a sidecar for my own notes.
What kind of suspension do they generally run? Are there any websites that show this type of suspension fab? Can people post pictures of their suspension setups? Are leaf springs stil used on newer hacks? Or are they archaic? On the single sided wheels, how are they retained? Similarly to an automotive wheel? Do they use sealed bearings or roller bearings? Do sidecar manufacturers make parts readily available, ie, can I call Velorex and order up a control arm, spindle, wheel bearing, and wheel in order to build my own chassis around it?
Doing a one off can be a fun experience and an expensive one. Getting the right combination of parts the first time is even a time consuming task for an automotive engineer.
You may be better served by buying a used sidecar or rolling chassis and adapt it to your bike. Your fabricating skills will save you considerably here as commercially available mounting parts and subframes can run into 4 figures quite quickly.
Most modern chassis with a comfortable, controllable ride use coil over shock suspension systems. More suspension travel and weight control, if needed, can be had with this type of suspension. Rigid and torsional chassis are less easily adapted for a wide variety of sidecar usages.
Quarter elliptic leaf spring body suspension is to be had with some retro Chinese chassis (Chang Jiang) with torsional wheel suspension. Harley style rigid chassis with leaf sprung body.
Lot's of choices are there.
You might look here for an applicable used sidecar unit that would suit your needs and modify it to your taste.
(I have a nice solid URAL utility rig for sale here for a decent price).
We have Velorex suspension parts available too but do you want to pay up to $320.00 plus freight for a bare chromed spoke wheel?
Lonnie
Northwest Sidecars
nwsidecar@aol.com
Thumper,
Give me a call and I can help you get started. If you have fab experiemce you'll be fine.
570 837 5120 days
