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Mating Vetter Teraplane to Moto Guzzi EV question?
Quote from David Butler on June 24, 2020, 9:56 amI am starting to gather info and parts to mate my Teraplane to my 03 MG EV. If anyone is familiar with this match I’d love to pick your brain.
Jay from DMC has been helpful discussing mounting hardware, but his system changes the 3 point mounting over to a 4 point mount and gets rid of the trim feature, I really like the Trim feature of the Vetter, currently the hack is mated to a 1978 Yamaha XS1100 and the trim feature makes this rig adaptable to most roads, even without leading link or fork modifications, I have taken my hands totally off bars if I needed to, So I really want to keep this.
I’m interested in talking to anyone who has a rig in this configuration.
I live in West Central Mn near Lake Woebegon and see very few sidecars, I am not aware of any shop or sidecar experts in my area or with in a days ride.
Thanks for reading.Dave Butler
East Lake Carlos
Carlos Mn
I am starting to gather info and parts to mate my Teraplane to my 03 MG EV. If anyone is familiar with this match I’d love to pick your brain.
Jay from DMC has been helpful discussing mounting hardware, but his system changes the 3 point mounting over to a 4 point mount and gets rid of the trim feature, I really like the Trim feature of the Vetter, currently the hack is mated to a 1978 Yamaha XS1100 and the trim feature makes this rig adaptable to most roads, even without leading link or fork modifications, I have taken my hands totally off bars if I needed to, So I really want to keep this.
I’m interested in talking to anyone who has a rig in this configuration.
I live in West Central Mn near Lake Woebegon and see very few sidecars, I am not aware of any shop or sidecar experts in my area or with in a days ride.
Thanks for reading.
Dave Butler
East Lake Carlos
Carlos Mn
Quote from jaydmc on June 29, 2020, 12:48 pmWhile I know we went over this as many other people read these posts and they can stick around for decades and as no one has responded in 5 days. I am going to reiterate the information.
Vetter ran a 3 point mount where the upper mount was tied to the "roll bar". This worked well on bikes from its era which tended to be fairly standard up right motorcycles. Not cruisers or touring or having other "styling" as such many bikes you can not line up the upper rear mount to a solid part on the bike. Moving the upper mount on the sidecar frame is not easy as it has to pass through the sidecar body which of course requires a hole be drilled in the body and mounts welded to the "roll bar".
Then Vetter used for the lower mounts "Pylons" Pylons allow you to adjust toe but little else. Every bike needed its own pylons to the point when Honda changed the wheel size on the GL1100 Vetter had to change the pylons.
As these sidecars are quite old now, not a lot of demand for hardware. When I moved my home 6 years ago now. It made no sense to move the 4o foot container full of the last of the NOS Vetter parts. Moving and storing mounts for 40 year old sidecars onto 40 year old bikes cost more then the stuff was worth. So I sent it to scrap, thus ending the last of the Vetter Teraplane parts supply.
However in an effort to still be able to help owners of these sidecars we developed a bolt on mount that bolts on where the original pylons went that converts over to a 4 point boss and clamp type mount with struts going to the upper mounts. This allows us to provide mounts. You could use this system with out the upper mounts but you would need to figure out a way to hook up the original upper mount as there is little chance it would line up with our upper rear mount as we never intended it to as once the adapters are in place it will work with all of our regular mounting kits.
Of course with bike in the shop we might be able to built it as a three point mount.
Jay G
DMC sidecars866-638-1793
www.dmcsidecars.com
While I know we went over this as many other people read these posts and they can stick around for decades and as no one has responded in 5 days. I am going to reiterate the information.
Vetter ran a 3 point mount where the upper mount was tied to the "roll bar". This worked well on bikes from its era which tended to be fairly standard up right motorcycles. Not cruisers or touring or having other "styling" as such many bikes you can not line up the upper rear mount to a solid part on the bike. Moving the upper mount on the sidecar frame is not easy as it has to pass through the sidecar body which of course requires a hole be drilled in the body and mounts welded to the "roll bar".
Then Vetter used for the lower mounts "Pylons" Pylons allow you to adjust toe but little else. Every bike needed its own pylons to the point when Honda changed the wheel size on the GL1100 Vetter had to change the pylons.
As these sidecars are quite old now, not a lot of demand for hardware. When I moved my home 6 years ago now. It made no sense to move the 4o foot container full of the last of the NOS Vetter parts. Moving and storing mounts for 40 year old sidecars onto 40 year old bikes cost more then the stuff was worth. So I sent it to scrap, thus ending the last of the Vetter Teraplane parts supply.
However in an effort to still be able to help owners of these sidecars we developed a bolt on mount that bolts on where the original pylons went that converts over to a 4 point boss and clamp type mount with struts going to the upper mounts. This allows us to provide mounts. You could use this system with out the upper mounts but you would need to figure out a way to hook up the original upper mount as there is little chance it would line up with our upper rear mount as we never intended it to as once the adapters are in place it will work with all of our regular mounting kits.
Of course with bike in the shop we might be able to built it as a three point mount.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793
Quote from David Butler on June 30, 2020, 9:57 pmJay thanks I appreciate your response. I wanted to post this here just Incase someone else had come up with a safe and effective method Or experience of mating the Teraplane to an EV. At this time bringing the bike and car to your shop is not a option mostly due to the time and distance from west central Mn. However, I will keep this in mind. Reading about the specifics and details involved in safely mating a rig is daunting, not impossible but appears to be a very exact science to get it right. I’ve done mechanical work on jet fighters , rebuilt cars and bikes but for some reason taking this on feels a little over my comfort level. So I’m trying to gather enough info to increase my knowledge base before I make the decision about trying to do this myself or waiting until I have the time and funds to farm the job out.
Thanks Dave
Jay thanks I appreciate your response. I wanted to post this here just Incase someone else had come up with a safe and effective method Or experience of mating the Teraplane to an EV. At this time bringing the bike and car to your shop is not a option mostly due to the time and distance from west central Mn. However, I will keep this in mind. Reading about the specifics and details involved in safely mating a rig is daunting, not impossible but appears to be a very exact science to get it right. I’ve done mechanical work on jet fighters , rebuilt cars and bikes but for some reason taking this on feels a little over my comfort level. So I’m trying to gather enough info to increase my knowledge base before I make the decision about trying to do this myself or waiting until I have the time and funds to farm the job out.
Thanks Dave
Quote from LowriderBud on July 9, 2020, 10:13 amI have a Teraplane on a 1981 Honda CB900. It has the 3-point attachment, and it handles better than the other hacks I have owned. You have experienced the handling first-hand so I don't need to sell you on it. I will suggest you post your question on the Vetter Forum http://www.vetterowners.com/forums/terraplane-sidecar.41/ you might find someone there with some experience with a Guzzi attachment.
Later, Bud...
I have a Teraplane on a 1981 Honda CB900. It has the 3-point attachment, and it handles better than the other hacks I have owned. You have experienced the handling first-hand so I don't need to sell you on it. I will suggest you post your question on the Vetter Forum http://www.vetterowners.com/forums/terraplane-sidecar.41/ you might find someone there with some experience with a Guzzi attachment.
Later, Bud...
Quote from turbodog on July 10, 2020, 1:56 pmHi. Just to add another DIY experience, I mated a Terraplane to a 1983 Yamaha Virago. The Virago has a fine place for the trim-grip upper mount (the rear subframe, with suitable diagonal/triangulation member added), but absolutely no lower frame except the engine. I was able to make a subframe for the lower mounts and adapt to the (Goldwing, I think) pylons that came with the hack. It was a complicated install, to say the least. But, with careful measurement, over-spec of all materials, care to spread the force/stresses out over multiple mounting points (to aluminum engine cases) and over multiple welds in the subframe, I have a neutral-steering rig with good tire wear characteristics, which has served for over 5 years now with no cracks or failures.
So, with the experience you have - and if you can make safe welds - or know someone who can - I say go for it.
Hi. Just to add another DIY experience, I mated a Terraplane to a 1983 Yamaha Virago. The Virago has a fine place for the trim-grip upper mount (the rear subframe, with suitable diagonal/triangulation member added), but absolutely no lower frame except the engine. I was able to make a subframe for the lower mounts and adapt to the (Goldwing, I think) pylons that came with the hack. It was a complicated install, to say the least. But, with careful measurement, over-spec of all materials, care to spread the force/stresses out over multiple mounting points (to aluminum engine cases) and over multiple welds in the subframe, I have a neutral-steering rig with good tire wear characteristics, which has served for over 5 years now with no cracks or failures.
So, with the experience you have - and if you can make safe welds - or know someone who can - I say go for it.