I have had a 2009 FLHTCU with a Liberty Sidecar for 5 years. I have been pretty happy with it. However looking to upgrade to a newer 2020 FLHTK. Wondering if I should try and move the Liberty sidecar over to the new bike? Painting would be involved as well triple trees etc. I have seen a Champion sidecar as well as DMC looks like they have a similar sidecar. Liberty seems like the only one that has Leaf Springs as well as a sprung wheel. Wondering how much difference that makes to the ride? Basically just want a newer version of what I have.
We can help you with mounts for the Liberty, Your current mounts might work. I do not know how Liberty made these mounts. Our 2009 mounts only fit up until 2012. Our 2013 and newer mounts fit up to the current bike. Yes our sidecars and Champions are the same basic body. You might however consider your longer term needs. These sidecars are a tight fit for many adults and they can be hard to get in and out of. This could become and issue as you or your passenger age. There are many sidecars that are much easier to get in and out of. Having a sidecar that the trunk opens from the out side can be nice. Once the dealer delivers a customers new bike which could be as soon as tomorrow we are installing a Tomahawk SE onto a 2020 FLH complete with steering modifications and reverse if you live any where near us you could come see it before we ship it out. On the Tomahawk SE and the more popular Expedition sidecar they come standard with electric trim which can be nice to have so that you can trim for load, road and speed conditions. While these sidecars do not ride on the undampened leaf springs, they do sit on rubber vibration isolators, the seat have a high density foam for good support making for a nice ride and they are quite a bit larger for more passenger room. We can also build the classic onto our M72 type chassis which gives you a step built in and puts the Classic on vibration isolators. As we are the factory and build almost everything in house we can semi customize most of our sidecars.
If it were me, I would test the waters so to speak and see if any one wants to buy your nice color match Harley with Liberty sidecar. If they do not want the sidecar that would go a long way towards your decision making. If they want the bike and not the side and you have tree's to lower the steering effort you need to factor in what it will take to change your bike back to stock. Also, depending on where you live and your tax laws some times trading in your bike makes sense over selling it. Some places have over a 10% sales tax which is charged on the difference between the trade in and the new bike. As such if the dealer offers you some where with in 10% of what you hoped to sell the rig for then the convenience may be worth it.
Another thing to consider, time lines. No idea where Champion is, we are at about 4 month lead time right now. Repainting your current sidecar and getting it mounted depending on the paint shop could take several months as well.
If you are buying a new bike, and a new sidecar and do not want to do the work your self many people will buy the bike from our local dealer and have it delivered for us to install it. Shipping a bike with a sidecar is not a lot more money then crating and shipping a sidecar. You could also do the same with your current sidecar, get it and the bike to us and we would be happy to mount the Liberty sidecar for you.
Let me know if there is anything we can do to help. We work Monday - Thursday 6-4:30 west coast time however we will be closed Thursday and the following Thursday for the holiday's
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
jay@dmcsidecars.
866-638-1793
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Jay,
Thanks so much for your lengthy reply. I can't say enough how appreciative that I am for the help of the enthusiasts in this forum. All good points that you made. Pondering all of this. Thanks again.
