I’m looking at buying a complete rig, or something I can assemble easily, rig.
I’ve been looking at something for a sportster (because I have one), and looking into the various other manufacturers with emphasis on the Ural, Gen 2 klr650, and various BMWs.
and I’m stuck,
My needs are, mainly on road but occasional off road, across light to moderate terrain. Low maintenance, or could be made so with mods. I’m pretty mechanically inclined and can fix most anything, but the more I have to fix the more time away from other stuff I’m giving up. Parts can be found easily (that’s a big one), may be a stretch but the less electronics the best excluding something like usb plugs, have decent power so if it’s the kiddo, the wife, and the dog and I, with some gear, I’m not going 55 the whole time.
that’s pretty much it, as of now anyway.
so what’s on the masses minds?
oh and I’ve never ridden a sidecar rig before
@Glenn Fleming, there are a lot of already complete sidecar rigs out there, for sale, right now, and there are a few "just" sidecars available too. It comes down to where to look for them. We have a relatively decent Classified's section here on our forums, but you can also check the Big List....over on www.advrider.com, and look in the forums labeled the "hacks".
https://www.advrider.com/f/forums/hacks.56/
Once on that page, look at the "sticky" items at the # 1, and currently # 5 position on that page, as they are the listings of sidecars for sale, both complete rigs, and individual sidecars.
I know of a few that would fit what you are looking for, but....we need your help. What kind of budget would you like to be within, and...what part of planet Earth are you currently residing ?
No sense in us finding you a sidecar rig, or just sidecar, that is located in San Diego, CA, if you live in Fairfax, Virginia, and are not wanting or willing to go that far to get the rig or sidecar.
On the ADVrider forums, in the hacks section, inmate Qwik, here as Tim Lankins, has a very well built 2011 Ural...named Olga...that is a proven machine. He rides it almost every day in the Aspen, Colorado area, during snow storms that would stop most 4x4 pickup drivers. I believe he is asking $ 9,000.00, or possibly $ 9,500.00 for it, and we have all seen it is a very well maintained machine, so worth the money.
For the higher end of the equation, Mike Paull @LBS-USA can build you the perfect, and we do mean PERFECT sidecar rig utilizing a Ural, or his newest creation built on a Kawi KLR-650 foundation. His pricing is at the top end of the budget, but...you absolutely do get every dollars worth with a @LBS-USA built rig. Mechanically and electrically they are works of art.
Also, one of our guys here has a 1998 Yamaha Royal Star V-4, with a Hannigan Astro 2+2 sidecar rig, VERY complete rig, even with aux fuel cell on it. It too is a proven rig, seen at many of the sidecar rallies, owned by a competent rider and mechanic, and I believe he is asking around $ 9,000.00 for that complete sidecar rig. He is located in Central Nebraska....contact @Thane Lewis here for more info. It is probably listed in our classifieds section, under the Complete Sidecar Rigs for sale. That rig is a shaft drive, tons of torque, has more than enough room inside the sidecar to carry the kids, your wife, a family of dogs, and/or a pack of wolves.
Here is the link to it: https://sidecar.com/forum/complete-rigs-for-sale/98-royal-star-with-hannigan-astro/#post-11431
As your very first sidecar rig, I would politely advise you to buy an already completed sidecar rig, and try to stick to a less than $ 10,000.00 budget, so that you can test the waters, per se, and see if this is the kind of thing you really want to be doing.
So, where do you live, and what are you comfortable in spending ?
Two Million Mile Rider...All 7 Continents
Exploring the World in Comfort
@Glenn Fleming, check out these listings here....as found on our own classifieds section:
https://sidecar.com/forum/complete-rigs-for-sale/98-royal-star-with-hannigan-astro/#post-11431
Two Million Mile Rider...All 7 Continents
Exploring the World in Comfort
@miles-ladue Hey thanks for the info!!
Im out in Kerrville Tx, plan on doing a lot of riding up to the big bend area and pretty much where ever I get the urge to go. Mostly driven around town here with some weekend off road/camping stuff.
Sidecar wise Id like to get one that I can mount gas or water cans to for those off road adventures.
Budget wise Id say 9k is about right. Time frame wise would be June or July purchase date. Open to pretty much where ever purchase wise as I can always ship it if needed
@Glenn Fleming, it comes down to the hard truth...how much OFF-Road are you really planning on doing, and...what do YOU consider Off-Road ???
IMO, the 1998 Yamaha Royal Star V-4 w/Hannigan Astro 2+2, listed for just under $ 9,000.00, in Central Nebraska, is the perfect On-Road sidecar rig, if you want to carry the entire family. I know this rig, and can vouch for its' mechanical condition, and road-worthiness.
But, if you want to do some off-road, then the 2011 Ural...named Olga...owned by Tim Lankins, located in Aspen, Colorado, is THEE rig for you. It can carry additional fuel and water, has the 2 wheel drive when wanted/needed, is somewhat speed limited because it is a Ural, and a 2wd, but that hasn't slowed down the current owner, and he is a large man, and can get around quite well on Olga. The people around Aspen, Colorado have come to fear him, and love Olga...so it all evens out.
Both of those rigs are less than $ 10k, so your choice....
The '98 Yamaha Royal Star "CAN" be driven off-road, with common sense and logic, as can almost any sidecar rig. I don't hesitate to take my much newer, much fancier sidecar rigs off-road, but a rider needs to know their limits, and just how far their sidecar rig can go.
Both of these owners....Tim owns Olga, the Russian B*t@h, and it is truly in GREAT condition. Thane owns the Royal Star V-4, is quite well known in our sidecar community, and I personally would not hesitate for a nano-second to drive his sidecar rig from Coast to Coast, with a friendly stop in Kerrville, TX.
Two Million Mile Rider...All 7 Continents
Exploring the World in Comfort
And....@Glenn Fleming, I would kindly suggest, given your timing, that you make time to attend the USCA National Sidecar Rally being held this year in Iuka, Mississippi, in very early June, I believe it is June 6 - 9. There is a ton of info on this site about it.
At this sidecar National Rally you will see, breath in, and experience more than 100 sidecar rigs, from all over the country. You can talk to almost all the owners, look at the rigs up close and personal. I know that @Thane Lewis and his 1998 Yamaha Royal Star rig will be there, as he is one of the officers of our USCA organization.
And hey, it is only 852 miles from your house to the Rally headquarters in Iuka, MS, so.....plan on being there. The education you receive by attending this National Sidecar Rally will be worth its' weight in gold.
Two Million Mile Rider...All 7 Continents
Exploring the World in Comfort
@flemgunner Really like your thought process on getting into the world of hacks. 👍
Having just gone through this process last year (new to the hack world) there is a lot of excellent input from Miles, based on his crazy amount of experience with sidecars. The part I liked best was starting off with a well sorted rig, versus putting one together yourself. That sets you up well for the future.
Good luck with your choice.
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
Glenn, my first piece of advice is to think of this search like buying your first pair of cowboy boots. You might find a pair in the store that look great and fit well but after a few months you realize that they are not, in fact, the right boots for you. But those boots taught you a lot about what you like and what you don't like, so you'll know better when you go shopping for the next pair. (Plus, you will have learned how to walk in cowboy boots!)
Your first rig should look good on paper, but should be something easy to resell a year from now. Even if you lose a thousand or two, you will have learned a lot, and you had a lot of fun, so the money is well spent. (And you will have learned how to drive a sidecar!)
In terms of going "off-road" we normally mean "off-pavement." I've been on some gnarly roads where 10mph was too fast, but they were still roads. On the other hand, I've driven 60mph "off-road" on gravel for miles and miles. But these were lovely well-graded gravel roads through wheat country. Any street rig can go off-pavement. But once you get into steep, rocky, muddy, rutted, or potholed, then your street rig is overmatched.
My current rig is a BMW R1200GSA. This rig will go all day at 70mph down the interstate. And this rig will handle the ugly stuff. But in truth, it prefers ugly stuff that still lets you get along OK in 2nd gear. As soon as the road deteriorates into 1st gear territory, the GS struggles. That's when I wish I had a KLR or DR650 rig.
Everything's a compromise. 🙃
Have owned 5 rigs but Rig #2 is my current one!
And....@Glenn Fleming, I would kindly suggest, given your timing, that you make time to attend the USCA National Sidecar Rally being held this year in Iuka, Mississippi, in very early June, I believe it is June 6 - 9. There is a ton of info on this site about it.
At this sidecar National Rally you will see, breath in, and experience more than 100 sidecar rigs, from all over the country. You can talk to almost all the owners, look at the rigs up close and personal. I know that @Thane Lewis and his 1998 Yamaha Royal Star rig will be there, as he is one of the officers of our USCA organization.
And hey, it is only 852 miles from your house to the Rally headquarters in Iuka, MS, so.....plan on being there. The education you receive by attending this National Sidecar Rally will be worth its' weight in gold.
that my friend is a damn fine idea!!
@scott-h thanks man, honestly I’m itching to rid and wanna get a turn key gig!! 😆
Purchasing a proven rig from someone that has a history of using it has a huge up side. Purchasing a bike and then sidecar. Getting it mounted all adds up in time and cost. A ready to ride rig makes it a lot easier and can save a lot of cash in the long run.
If you are new to sidecars your learning curve may be a bit longer than you expect. Riding around a quiet town a bit is not the same as getting out in traffic or making a turn down a less than improved road.
Just because you see a rig online does not mean it works well. It may look great but come up short . If one catches your eye reach out to the USCA.
Someone may know or the rig may be near by and can look at it.
A question about putting a sidecar on his bike by a man I had never met. Turn into a long friendship.
2 things: 1) your assemble yourself rig, will cost you as much as an already done one. Trust me on this. Get something that matches the bike in size and quality, and usually that happens when you buy them together. 2) don't get the Ural. I'll get bopped in the head for saying this, but the quality just isn't there. I gave up and sold my 2019, it literally melted the rear end twice, maybe a third time. The third screw up, I sold it without figuring out what it was, but the symptoms were similar (think it might have been a clutch though). There's no reason to go through 3 clutches in a couple thousand miles, let alone 3 rear ends. Just say no, get an 80s BMW instead, it's much more technologically advanced than a 2020s Ural. (Ok Ural uses fuel injection and electronic ignition now, but probably because it cost less.)
Oh, @Jeff_Online...everything you posted above about the Urals...is true ! 
Whilst I am NOT a fan of the Urals....I can attest, and will do so in a courtroom filled with fellow sidecarists, that the 2011 Ural Patrol owned by Tim Lankins, the Ural known to all of us as Olga...is a very fine mechanically maintained machine. It has already gone through its' growing pains, its' oops, and failures, but has come out the other side with a newly rebuilt engine done by the Ural reps in Redmond, WA. The current owner is NOT trying in any way, fashion, or manner to pass off a broken down Ural on to anyone else. He drives it daily through the snow storms of Aspen, Colorado.
Again, I am not a fan of Urals, BUT....this is one that I will defend....dang it !
As for an '80s BMW....So sad that the best thing that can be said about buying a BMW, is that a buyer should look for an '80s bike, and whilst I agree....the '80s BMWs were FAR better than anything produced by BMW since then....there are FAR better sidecar rigs out there that can be bought for less than $ 10k (the OP's chosen price level).
A poll was just taken, and it turns out that 93.14159 % of us agree....building your own sidecar rig will cost you MORE money than buying a similar one that is already put together, and running properly down the road. I have experienced this, as well as most others have experienced this.
For the OP... @Glenn Fleming to buy a new or used sidecar to attach to his H-D Sporty, then buy the mounts, then spend a few weeks or months figuring out how to correctly mount it to his Sportster, learning, learning, and...learning, he will have spent much more than the $ 10k budget he hopes to stay within, or under.
By keeping his H-D Sportster as a 2 wheeled bike, whilst also owning a new-to-him sidecar rig, he can switch off and on between the 2 wheeled bike, and his sidecar rig, and more better evaluate if sidecars are for him, or not.
There are currently 1218 sidecar rigs for sale around this country, and 747 of those are priced at $ 10k or less, so he has many choices....but NOT a '80s BMW. They have become somewhat of a collectors item, and the prices for an '80s R80GS are through the roof right now, compared to a 2005 R12GS.
(that's all I have to say about that)
Two Million Mile Rider...All 7 Continents
Exploring the World in Comfort
Case of right tool for the Job. My light weight 750 HD rig is fun. And doing crazy stuff with it a blast. It can get 100 MPH and get there quick.
Darn good fuel mileage. But when it is time to roll on down the road The RGL is the go to rig.
Oh, @Jeff_Online...oh no you didn't just say all that, did you?
I will respond....whilst I am NOT a fan of the Urals....I can attest, and will do so in a courtroom filled with fellow sidecarists, that the 2011 Ural Patrol owned by Tim Lankins, the Ural known to all of us as Olga...is a very fine mechanically maintained machine. It has already gone through its' growing pains, its' oops, and failures, but has come out the other side with a newly rebuilt engine done by the Ural reps in Redmond, WA. The current owner is NOT trying in any way, fashion, or manner to pass off a broken down Ural on to anyone else. He drives it daily through the snow storms of Aspen, Colorado.
Again, I am not a fan of Urals, BUT....this is one that I will defend....dang it !
As for an '80s BMW....HA......HA, I say to you. So sad that the best thing that can be said anout buying a BMW, is that a buer should look for an '80s bike, and whilst I agree....the '80s BMWs were FAR better than anything produced by BMW since then....there are FAR better sidecar rigs out there that can be bought for less than $ 10k (the OP's chosen price level).
A poll was just taken, and it turns out that 93.14159 % of us agree....building your own sidecar rig will cost you MORE money than buying a similar one that is already put together, and running properly down the road. I have experienced this, as well as most others have experienced this.
For the OP... @Glenn Fleming to buy a new or used sidecar to attach to his H-D Sporty, then buy the mounts, then spend a few weeks or months figuring out how to correctly mount it to his Sportster, learning, learning, and...learning, he will have spent much more than the $ 10k budget he hopes to stay within, or under.
By keeping his H-D Sportster as a 2 wheeled bike, whilst also owning a new-to-him sidecar rig, he can switch off and on between the 2 wheeled bike, and his sidecar rig, and more better evaluate if sidecars are for him, or not.
There are currently 218 sidecar rigs for sale around this country, and 147 of those are priced at $ 10k or less, so he has many choices....but NOT a '80s BMW. They have become somewhat of a collectors item, and the prices for an '80s R80GS are through the roof right now, compared to a 2005 R12GS.
(that's all I have to say about that)
curious, how did you find all those bikes for sale?
