Looking for a complete rig FOUND • Looking for a complete rig FOUND • USCA Sidecar Forum • United Sidecar Association %

Gary Schoelen@gary-schoelen

10 Posts

#1 · October 31, 2023, 5:01 pm

I Probably want an ADV oriented rig, want to carry the dog and grandkids every once in awhile. I’m on the west coast. Been looking awhile and they just don’t come up that often so I figured I’d try the wanted section.

anybody?

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#2 · October 31, 2023, 5:31 pm

Gary, good luck with your search for the right rig for you. Every day there are rigs for sale across the country. Many expereinced sidecar owners have traveled half way across the country and further to acquire their rig. What is your budget and are you willing to travel to see the rig before buying?

Some buy a rig and have it shipped, but that can be risky if you are new to sidecars and don't know the right questions to ask. If the rig you are interested in is across the country, ask a local USCA member to take a look at it before you get too deep into the buying process.

Many of us are glad to help as we want your first sidecar experience to be a positive one.

Jan Daub

USCA President

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#3 · October 31, 2023, 5:58 pm

Gary, I would add......WHERE on the West Coast (best coast) do you live ? You may find out you have sidecar owners within a few miles of you.

And....can you be more specific as to what kind of ADV sidecar rig you are thinking about ?

A "BMW...GS" built rig ? A Ural ? A Honda Africa Twin sidecar rig? There is a multitude of different ADV sidecar rigs, many different price levels, and....what does ADV sidecar rig mean to you?

That question is...how far out into the boonies are you planning to go? Overnight camping with it? Or just forest service roads and light-duty trails?

Help US....to help YOU.

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Two Million Miles, and All 7 Continents

#4 · October 31, 2023, 6:31 pm

Gary,

Good luck with your hunt for right sidecar for you. Jan is correct, as we want your first sidecar/Rig experience to be positive and memorable.

I am on the west coast and recently purchased an ADV oriented sidecar. It's more of a road car with dirt/fire road capabilities and I couldn't be happier. Just completed my first 3 day trip. Positive! Oh' yes it was, even with a blowout on the sidecar wheel. The learning curve and experience was everything I had hoped for, even with a bonus. LOL

I looked high and low in the west and missed several nice rigs for sale. Be patient and keep looking. You never know where a lead may come from.

I was in Utah visiting my grandkids (and sniffing out sidecar leads of course) and the next I knew I ended up dragging home a BMW 1150GSA rig from Idaho. This may not be true, however I noticed the pacific northwest and east coast seem to have more purchase opportunities. Just maybe timing, not sure.

Take your time and consult folks in our community.

Dave B. aka Sierra Slider

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#5 · November 1, 2023, 9:14 am

Gary, this is probably not the type of rig you're looking for, and I'm not even sure if it's still for sale, but it is on the west coast. Seattle, I believe. So many unknowns, and it's not my bike, so it's just a dangling thread. But if you choose to follow up, let me know and I'll track down the contact informtaion. "A friend of a friend" thing....

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- "retired" WA state rep. Many years and many posts more than what show up here now.

#6 · November 2, 2023, 9:49 pm

Thanks for the replies. As far as a rig I imagine something with a m72 type tub. I can’t bring myself to buy a Ural, but possibly a BMW variant as the bike. Sidecar access is key for having an older dog. And I assume it would be sparingly used so I don’t need a cross country touring bike. Light off-road capable but dependability is key.

I've seen some Vstrom with what I describe as well. I’m in CA but can travel, however one of the issues I’ve had is not being able to travel at the right time. My schedule fills up with life while I’m looking. I went to a very small sidecar rally this last weekend and my grandson took a ride in a wing/Hannigan rig. I believe that’s a bit too big of a rig for me.

I honestly don’t know how to evaluate a rig once I find something to look at. And I travel a ton.

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#7 · November 2, 2023, 9:54 pm

Quote from FlyingMonkeys on October 31, 2023, 5:58 pm

Gary, I would add......WHERE on the West Coast (best coast) do you live ? You may find out you have sidecar owners within a few miles of you.

And....can you be more specific as to what kind of ADV sidecar rig you are thinking about ?

A "BMW...GS" built rig ? A Ural ? A Honda Africa Twin sidecar rig? There is a multitude of different ADV sidecar rigs, many different price levels, and....what does ADV sidecar rig mean to you?

That question is...how far out into the boonies are you planning to go? Overnight camping with it? Or just forest service roads and light-duty trails?

Help US....to help YOU.

Southern California, possible overnight with a dog or grandkid on not too harrowing of a road. I would expect light duty trails. Figure if a KLR650 could do it (which is an off-road pig), something like that.

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#8 · November 3, 2023, 11:50 pm

Gary.............HERE..............new listing today on the ADVRider forums, for the "hacks" for sale by inmates there.

https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/hacks-specific-flea-market-helpful-checklist-for-preparing-your-ad-is-in-the-first-post.1520680/page-23#post-49129595

If that link doesn't work for you, let me, or the 100 other of us here that are also on ADVRider, so we can help you.

Here is the text of that listing:

1999 KLR650 WITH SIDECAR $4500.00

Possible trade towards a middleweight dual sport i.e. DR650, tenere 700, Etc.
Located in Chesterfield MA 01012

15xxx Miles. Clean title. Brand new battery. Starts, runs, rides but needs some TLC. Fork seals and boots(included), rear turn signal, front tire pretty soon. Progressive Springs and Shock. For a KLR it rides pretty good. Includes windscreen (not installed). Bike was on the road last year, I haven't had any time for it this year.
Sidecar is Russian/Ukrainian as best I can tell, with Dauntless frame mounts. 2 Wheels with new tires, but the wheel that is mounted has some broken spokes. The other wheel needs a bearing/spacer to work correctly. I believe it can be swapped between the two. The sidecar also has some rust on the nose/floor-see pics. There is a cover and spare tire mount for the sidecar.
Feel free to ask for more pictures, ask questions. Please bear with me though I don't typically post on forums
ALSO AVAILABLE: TOP CASE, HANDGUARDS, whatever KLR parts I have...
This thing is a ton of fun and a pretty cheap entry to side cars.

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Two Million Miles, and All 7 Continents

#9 · November 4, 2023, 9:00 am

I saw that.. the unit is in MA, broken spokes, needs bearings. I took a look at the seam separation on the tub…..

couple that with the fact that I already own a much nicer KLR with the 685 kit -that turns it into a project I just don’t want.

I would remotely consider a KLR hack like that and in better shape closer to me where the owner was selling just the hack. Other than that it’s a complete rig I’m looking for and honestly would prefer.

I do search ADVrider as well.

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#10 · November 4, 2023, 9:18 am

https://www.advrider.com/f/threads/ogre-achiever-the-shrek-heads-south.1261835/

I didn’t see an edit button for my previous post so I’ll add this link. I’ve been on ADVrider for years.

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#11 · November 4, 2023, 9:26 am

Gary, are you saying....without having said it....that you are inmate @oneway on the ADVRider forums ?

The "edit" button is in the upper right corner of your finished post on these forums.

Two Million Miles, and All 7 Continents

#12 · November 4, 2023, 9:31 am

Yeah, I just saw the edit button. Yep, I’m Oneway. I’ve posted a searching thread in ADV as well.

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#13 · November 12, 2023, 1:04 pm

Gary, I just posted my father's rig which seems to match what you are looking for.

https://sidecar.com/forum/topic/08-bmw-gs-adv-w-color-matched-hannigan-dual-sport-11k-miles-asking-8499/

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#14 · November 12, 2023, 7:00 pm

which one of you mugs aced me out of this today?

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#15 · November 15, 2023, 10:40 pm

Found.
not an ADV type but this thing fell in my lap the other day and my dog likes it. I think it checked the dependability and value boxes pretty good.
2002 VTX1800/Hannigan with ECC. If I decide the ADV theme is an absolute must I’ll send this down the road and go that direction but this gets me on 3 wheels for now.

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#16 · November 16, 2023, 12:31 am

Congrats, and that is an excellent choice.

Two Million Miles, and All 7 Continents

#17 · November 16, 2023, 7:17 am

Yep ... and the dog likes it.

Take your time as you learn the nuances of piloting a sidecar rig. Looking fwd to pics from the road.

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Lee / Summer Grove, Louisiana: Ural cT, CJ750, Burgman/Texas Ranger, Zuma 50F, MB5, TW200, CRF250L, GTV300

#18 · November 16, 2023, 8:25 am

I’m lucky to live in a gated community with good roads and a variety of conditions with little traffic & a couple good sized parking lots. I called Hannigan yesterday and they emailed me an operating manual.

Tomorrow I leave for 3 weeks on a different trip so the rig stays in the shop till I get back.

I’ve done 2 short rides just a few miles each with the dog. The rig is pretty solid. I’ve played with the ECC at about 40 mph and I can feel the changes in steering response.

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