sidecar heater

Sid, if you have sufficient electric wattage available, a small 12v heater or a 12v electric blanket might be much easier, such as this heater:

http://www.harborfreight.com/12-volt-rubberized-heater-with-fan-96144.html

Or this blanket:  http://www.jcwhitney.com/12-volt-electric-blanket/p2010968.jcwx?skuId=345793&filterid=c2613j1

I gave one of the 12v blankets to Jena for Christmas a couple of years ago, but since she generally rides her own rig we've never used it, so I can't comment as to how well it works.   A small pre-charged extra battery (lawn mower?) might work well in the sidecar to prevent draining the bike's main battery -- unless an "auto" battery is already intalled.

I'm already running heated handlebar grips so I don't know if I could run a 150w heater as well. The heaters are on eBay for a tenner so the easiest thing would be to buy one and see what happens. Pity they stopped fitting ammeters to bikes.

Sid

Sid, I'm thinking we'd plug the 12v blanket into our 12 "jump start" battery pack --not sure how long the charge would last tho.

I used to run pair of heated gloves off a 12v car battery when riding my old BSA outfit. The battery lasted about 30 mins but I don't know what power the gloves used to draw.

Sid

The easy way may be a heated vest with a PWM controller.........or check out the small heaters made by the streetrod industry. Speedway Motors has a web site and they have a heater that runs off the engines's coolant and is only slightly higher in price than a heater core at the parts store.

Depending on the year, you may be able to fashion an air duct into the car that draws heat from the back side of the radiator. Easily dismounted in the spring. I've been thinking of doing this on my '82 1100, but I dont have near the Tupperware to go thru as the 1500's and 1800's

The Oxford sidecar appears to have a box section under the front seat so, providing the Wing water pump can cope with the extra load, I hope to fit a heater rad and fan in the box section an the duct it to the passengers feet and up to the screen to demist it. When I've got the forks done, my EZ-Steer kit has got as far as San Francisco according to UPS so shouldn't be much longer, and I can get the outfit back on the floor I'll star measuring up to see what space I've got.

Sid

Read more: http://goldwingdocs.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=14578#ixzz2CWnL7Jvc

A transmission cooler would work well as a heater core.

Goldwings usually have enough wattage to weld with...but if you are worried and go electric then get one of these: https://www.kisantech.com/index.php?cat_id=5, I have a Kawasaki Drifter 1500 with an anemic alternator so I use this to monitor what I can have on at any given time.

Paul

I had a Gold Wing 1500 with the heat vents in front of the riders legs. I found that when it was 40 degrees outside the air coming out of the vents was probably only a few degrees warmer. After that experience I not so sure ducting heat from behind the radiator would have much effect.

If your Goldwing is a 1500 or an 1800 then you can put an over sized altenator in however I doubt that you will use all of the power that the bike now produces. Should you need a bit more power then you can change some of the bikes lights over to LED's and also change the head light to HID. All of the electric options mentioned work well, I have used all of these in the past. All would be better then opening up the cooling system and adding heat however if you want to go this route you could also add A/C on the GL1500 by using parts from hot rod air. The GL1800 the end of the crank shaft is only 10mm for turning the crank position triger so it is not strong enough to drive an AC compressor.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793

i've been thinking that a cuff around the exhaust like we use on the airplanes. it would face the front and then collect the air from around the pipe and route it to the sidecar through a 2 inch or so flex tube. works great in airplanes.. no shortage of heat... only downside doesnt' work when sitting still.. and the flex has to be rather large but heat in the s/c you will get. johnny

Heating something as large and leaky as a sidecar would take a lot of heat. Better to have the heat focused where it will do the most good:
http://www.warmnsafe.com/

Cold weather is no longer an issue for my passenger-- a heated liner and a windblock fleece over the feet and ankles and she's good to go!
🙂

Best,

GTRider

I like the last comment "Heating something as large and leaky as a sidecar would take a lot of heat. "
Right on spot.
In my job I have to make a lot of inventions and for small cheese maturing rooms I needed a small reheating for to achieve the right humidity and eliminate mould.
I used a chineese refrigeration condenser with its fan (for 1/4 ton fridge box = 20$) and a proportional 3 way valve (1/2" = 250Euro) hooked up to the warm side of a chiller. (in your case to the radiator hose)
plus some temperature control.
After that temperature and humidity became completely stable. within the technical limits (If the cooling would be on water I could have got it absolute right on the spot withaout any oscillation rest.

But if Your electric system is well over dimentioned a electric trouser and jacket as suggested is easier to install, plug in, done.
Sven
Sven