Hi, I am new to the forum. I have a 2006 Ural Troyka. I have been thinking about buying a Honda Goldwing sidecar rig. What I'd like to know is if the sidecar pulls and pushes like on a Ural. I enjoy driving my Ural but it is tiring on the lower back.
Thanks in advance for your answers and experience. Rick
all sidecar rigs are going to push/pull to some extent, the key factors that determine how much are mainly
if the rig is set up correctly and all adjustments made as close as possible (toe-in is important)
if the set up has electric tilt and trim, and this is a biggie for me anyway
I found having easy steer installed also has some effect on the push pull, not a huge amount but some
Matching the sidecar and bike for weight is also important. A relatively light bike with a heavy sidecar is going to be more difficult to keep tracking straight when taking off from a start and when stopping quickly.
Al Olme can give you more detailed information on the ratio of weight on each of the three wheels for safer handling.
Hey Rick, welcome to the USCA forum. A Goldwing with EZ steer is like having power steering. Less work than a URAL, ( I've had both).
The key, as mentioned above, is if it is set correctly. A Wing rig is ideal for long distance freeway travel, not so much backroads and gravel trails. It doesn't have the ground clearance of a Ural. But it has better reliability and better cruising speed.
What Goldwing? What sidecar? Goldwing's have been around no 45 years. A GL1000 is going to be a bit different then a GL1800. Unless a rig has full time sidecar wheel drive it is going to have a pull to the right (assuming right side mount) on acceleration and a push to the left when slowing down. There are resources on this site with more information, better still sidecar classes are offered. Or we offer the book "Driving a sidecar outfit" By David Hough which is also a great resource. It can be ordered off of our web site with some of the profits going to the sidecar safety program.
I would also be glad to help you via the phone answering any questions you may have. I personally have ridden about 200K on Goldwing sidecar bikes as these are what I rode exclusively for about 15 years. I now tend to lean towards BMW GS rigs.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793
www.dmcsidecars.com
I'm looking at a 1994 Goldwing with a california sidecar.
You will have fun driving this rig. It lot more powerful and comfortable then Troika.
Nice, that is a very clean looking rig and a good match up. only down side is 94 is before they started using the heavier transmissions. there are some pretty interesting looking cars in there. So what are they asking for it and how many miles does it have on it.
62222 miles, $9,000
Based on age and miles, unless it has been done, figure on replacing timing belts. You can use automotive belts. Same belt just for less money.
Bad things happen if the belt fails.
Based on the low mileage for a Goldwing from 1994, it may have spent a lot of time not being ridden. How old are the tires? When was it last serviced?
I can not tell in the photo if it has triple tree's or not, If it has tree's and the electric trim option then the price is still a bit on the high side for what these have been going for. On the other hand, paying a bit more to have it now rather then spending a year or two looking then having to have a bike trucked to you may be worth it.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793
Looks like a CSC Friendship 1. Only challenge is if your riding partner has some mobility limitations - it could prove challenging to get in and out of for them. Friendship 2 has a hydraulic cylinder lift for the front of the chair.
Beyond that - very nice looking rig.
Illegitemi non carborundum est!
I don't think the bike has triple trees. Bike is in Illinois and I'm in NY. I'm still in the thinking about it stage. I'll try to find out if it has the belts changed. Thanks
I went from a 2006 Ural Tourist to a 1994 GL1500SE with the same Friendship I sidecar. I found that the push/pull from the sidecar is almost non-existent with the much heavier Goldwing - it's still there, but not nearly as pronounced as with the Ural. When we bought this rig we drove our car from San Jose, Ca up to Eugene, Oregon to buy the rig - a distance of almost 700 miles. We checked it out, handed over a wad of cash, and hit the road for home. Going from a 750cc Ural to a 1500cc Goldwing was quite a change! But 700 miles later I felt that I could have kept going it was so comfortable to ride. My wife was following behind me in the car and she was more worn out than I was.
Sadly our rig is now up for sale because my wife can no longer climb out of the sidecar - she has 2 aftermarket knees and we're looking at installing aftermarket hips this year or next year. Along with her sciatica it's real hard for her to lift herself up out of the chair.
Quote from Alan_Hepburn on April 2, 2020, 12:54 pmI went from a 2006 Ural Tourist to a 1994 GL1500SE with the same Friendship I sidecar. I found that the push/pull from the sidecar is almost non-existent with the much heavier Goldwing - it's still there, but not nearly as pronounced as with the Ural. When we bought this rig we drove our car from San Jose, Ca up to Eugene, Oregon to buy the rig - a distance of almost 700 miles. We checked it out, handed over a wad of cash, and hit the road for home. Going from a 750cc Ural to a 1500cc Goldwing was quite a change! But 700 miles later I felt that I could have kept going it was so comfortable to ride. My wife was following behind me in the car and she was more worn out than I was.
Sadly our rig is now up for sale because my wife can no longer climb out of the sidecar - she has 2 aftermarket knees and we're looking at installing aftermarket hips this year or next year. Along with her sciatica it's real hard for her to lift herself up out of the chair.
Sorry you have to let the rig go. What are you going to ask for it? You are too far away for me. Thanks for sharing your experience from Ural to Goldwing.
While we have not done any in years and do not want to do any currently, if you go to the Champion Escort or the California Friendship 2 SE (which many of the parts are the same on the SE, lifted off of the Champion) with the flip nose, you can add an electric seat lift making it much easier to get in and out of with mobility issues.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793
