Skip to content

USCA Sidecar Forum

For some extra information about navigating the forum you can go to Forum Tips

Please to create posts and topics.

hello new old guy here

been interest in getting a sidecar for a while + am here to learn what will serve me best. thanks in advance for any replies + help

Welcome to the slightly off-center world of sidecars, Rodder!

What kind of sidecaring do you want to do? Highway mile eating? Back road explorations? Off-road? Camping? Around town grocery getting? Grandkid hauler? Lots of options out there.

Do you have a bike already or are you looking for a complete rig?

mostly paved secondary roads in my area, i enjoy the fresh air of the mountains + country roads except when the poop goes on the farmlands. i have a 2013 Victory Hammer that will prolly be my two wheeler + a 2012 mag wheeled bonneville which has slightly rear set pegs that i find less comfort in these days. so trading the bonnie on a more comfortable model for me + suited to sidecarring is my thoughts at the moment. there is a sidecar dealer fairly close to me, freedom sidecars in middleburg pa that i will be visiting for more insight. i would not turn down a built combination if it suited my somewhat particular tastes. i researched the urals a bit + theres a dealer about 75 miles away in state college, reverse is prolly nice but although urals are specifically built + newer fuel injected models are better they still seem crude + low powered. i like triumphs + their decent price, power, + weight seem a good combo for the motorvation spyder which looks to be a good setup for me. i am looing + learning + appreciate any input + feel a lot of research on forums from owners as well as dealers can teach me a lot

Claude & Company at Freedom are top notch blokes! You can have confidence that they'll set you up right.

If you go to a custom shop like Freedom sidecars you can go with almost any bike you want however if you want to be able to do this your self or have done closer to home you should chose a bike that mounting hardware is made for as well as steering modifications. What ever company you chose to work with check on lead times. No idea where Freedom is, There are posts on this site from customers of anther company that are closing in on waiting two years for their sidecars. We have what you would need for the Triumph. As you already have a Victory but very little is made for the Victory you might consider the Indian's. We have sidecars, mounts and steering modifications for all of the Indian's including the Scout. What ever company you chose to go with insist on paying with a charge card. It gives you protections (see the post on safer whole sale) If the company will not take a charge card, do not deal with them.
Another thing to think about is how easy is the sidecar to get in and out of should you have a passenger. Some sidecars are not easy at all to get in and out of while others are quite easy. We offer both. I would be glad to help you in any way we can. I have posted a photo of an Indian with one of our Tomahawk SE sidecars.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793

Attached files

Jay G DMC sidecars www.dmcsidecars.com 15616 Carbonado South Prairie RD Buckley WA 98321 866-638-1793 Hours Monday - Thursday 6-4:30

Jay is also a top notch guy with a well respected shop that does beautiful work. Lonnie, Johnny Sweet and many other vendors here are also great to work with. But as Jay points out, there are a few bad actors around. Do keep an eye on this forum and others and you can quickly sort out the wheat from the chaff.

+2 on taking a ride out to see Claude at Freedom Sidecars. Dude is top notch, all right guy willing to give free advise and point you in the right direction.

thanks for all the replies, Freedom is only about 40 miles from me, glad to hear good about them. thats a nice Injun setup, but even the scout is not for me. i am looking to test ride the Octane, scouts evil twin + if theres a mount kit for the scout i would think it would fit the octane which is better looking IMO + cheaper @ 10,500. then theres the new 1200 cc bonnies with better torque, suspension + dual discs + ABS standard + its 11,500. prolly a double downtube frame like the models before it but it has a small radiator up front, kit fitment will need to be verified of course. too bad my present 2012 bonnie with slightly rear set pegs is not comfortable any more as it suspension + brakes have been upgraded. for financial reasons i would prolly trade for an almost new T-100, scrambler, or the most comfortable speedmaster, whichever would be best. Jay @ DNC do you have a kit for the speedmasters which i thought had a single downtube but has the same dual downtube as other bonnies

Yes, we make sub frames for the speed master.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
http://www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793

Jay G DMC sidecars www.dmcsidecars.com 15616 Carbonado South Prairie RD Buckley WA 98321 866-638-1793 Hours Monday - Thursday 6-4:30

thanks for the reply jay, when you say you make sub frames for the speedster is that saying its a made for the bike kit i can install without welding anything xtra on. i had mentioned several triumph models + from reading i would think the speedmasters fork angle would be better for a hack? if i had the more comfortable T-100 i would prolly use it but since i am changing bikes i am looking for a model that works + is not too spendy. i do like triumphs for many reasons, reliability, handling + lo cost, + having a good dealer fairly close. i will look at the sputnik you mentioned, thanks again for your input + time

The mounts are 100% bolt on for the Speedmaster. Fork angle has nothing to do with any thing. Fork angle is known as "rake" when we lower steering effort we do so by reducing trail. If done with triple tree's people often wrongly call it "raking" the front end. We change the angle of the forks in relation to the steering stem. The stem is what sets "Rake" so what we end up doing looks like we have changed the rake but in fact we have not. We have however reduced trail. It really makes little to no difference what the original rake angle is as long as we design for it.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793
http://www.dmcsidecars.com

Jay G DMC sidecars www.dmcsidecars.com 15616 Carbonado South Prairie RD Buckley WA 98321 866-638-1793 Hours Monday - Thursday 6-4:30

My experience with Claude at Freedom SC is all good. He and Dave installed a Hannigan Classic on my F6b and it has run fantastically. Have travel all around the local area in Eastern NC and back & forth to Fla. twice in less than 4 mon. Claude is a fantastic resource. I learned more from him while they were installing the SC than you can from any book. I have not met anyone who hasn't had a great experience dealing with he and his crew. Not pushy, just plain smart! I don't think you can go wrong dealing with him! Your very fortunate to have such a great resource so close. Good luck with your decision.

Wow...haven't been here to sidecar.com lately as we are quite busy but feel almost embaraased by all these good words. LOL. Thanks all. In any case I would be pleased to discuss your plans with you and see if we can work together on the best route for you to take. Feel free to call the shop at 570 837 5120. Jay are you really serious when you say you have no idea where we are ? LOL.

thanks again Jay, you are making me smarter by the moment-post. gotta get up to my local, Hermy's triumph dealer to see what i can do on a trade. so does a lower # for trail indicate less trail + how important is ground clearance.

Ground clearance is really important for off-roading when taking on ruts, rocks and logs. Not so important for paved roads, thou if you unexpectantly come across roadkill you may be happy to have a few extra inches. Remember though that the taller the rig (higher center of gravity), the greater it's tendency to fly the chair. Fun if you are ready for it, but will "stain the seat cover" if you're not. A lower center of gravity and less "air" under your rig will give you better stability at higher speeds too.

Claude, I said I have no idea where you are as to your back log, I know where you are located.
Jay G
DMC sidecars

Jay G DMC sidecars www.dmcsidecars.com 15616 Carbonado South Prairie RD Buckley WA 98321 866-638-1793 Hours Monday - Thursday 6-4:30