Sidecars anyone?

yeltoM

yeltoM

Well-known member
Forum Sponsor
I've been thinking about buying a sidecar to mount to a Bonneville. Can anyone tell me if there are additional restrictions or regulatory/legal requirements regarding sidecars? How about importing one from the States, I've found a nice used one? Any other GTAM'ers drive a sidecar rig?
 
There are no restrictions, you just need to tell your insurance its been fitted and they seem interested but don't care. They drive very different from what you'll expect and its a learning curve (short curve) . You can import from the US no issue, They need to be set up correctly so they don't push/pull your steering and track properly. The shop in Acton Ont, vintage cranks, are the provincial gurus on how they work/set up and some really good driving advice. All sidecars are not equal, personally I'd talk to them before buying anything, they are very approachable and helpful.
There is a guy in Newmarket making a beautiful car, but its about 12K all in, he builds for Indian.
 
I'm surprised insurance wouldn't care about such a huge modification when they won't even cover lowering a bike 1/2" due it's supposed affect on handling and ground clearance (or so several companies informed me).
 
crankcall said:
There are no restrictions, you just need to tell your insurance its been fitted and they seem interested but don't care. They drive very different from what you'll expect and its a learning curve (short curve) . You can import from the US no issue, They need to be set up correctly so they don't push/pull your steering and track properly. The shop in Acton Ont, vintage cranks, are the provincial gurus on how they work/set up and some really good driving advice. All sidecars are not equal, personally I'd talk to them before buying anything, they are very approachable and helpful.
There is a guy in Newmarket making a beautiful car, but its about 12K all in, he builds for Indian.
Click to expand...

I hadn't thought about insurance. I'm planning on stopping by OVC in Acton, when I get an opportunity. I have my eye on a nice rig in South Carolina that is/was setup for, and mounted to, a Bonneville.
 
John from motorcycle enhancements in Oakville custom built one for his dog.


102e62ba3fb8df6b9d8e7686241d9d28.jpg
 
In my much younger and stupid days. Rode with a friend who was completely nuts. I was in the sidecar and half the fun was getting the sidecar up. Not sure you can do the same today. What with HTA 172 and the designs of the sidecar.
 
cycling said:
In my much younger and stupid days. Rode with a friend who was completely nuts. I was in the sidecar and half the fun was getting the sidecar up. Not sure you can do the same today. What with HTA 172 and the designs of the sidecar.
Click to expand...

"Flying the chair", as they call it, is still easily done from what I understand. I'm pretty sure it would earn a stunting ticket though...feckin' killjoys.
 
You can also get "leaner" or "flexible" sidecar outfits: http://www.haulnride.com/leaner_sidecars.html

With a flexible sidecar rig, the bike still leans and steers like a motorcycle. They also typically don't require steering geometry changes, so it is much easier to drop the sidecar off and ride the bike in solo mode.
 
Ash said:
You can also get "leaner" or "flexible" sidecar outfits: http://www.haulnride.com/leaner_sidecars.html

With a flexible sidecar rig, the bike still leans and steers like a motorcycle. They also typically don't require steering geometry changes, so it is much easier to drop the sidecar off and ride the bike in solo mode.
Click to expand...


Man those things look wicked! Totally changes my opinion of having to get an older styled bike to have one.
 
I have a friend who put a sidecar on his main bike.
Then he had to finish his other bike so that he had something to ride.

They're fun, but in a different way.
 
I'm very tempted by them as well. Probably need to drive someone else's and discover I don't like it that much to get it out of my system :)

The leaning ones look cool but the guys at Old Vintage Cranks pooh pooh them.

One of my motivations for wanting one for me is because most of our road trips we end up taking the car so the dog can come along. With the right type of sidecar the dog could sit in between my wife's legs (it is a small 20lbs dog).
 
I have had one for 10 years. Hasn't moved much in the last couple of years. Its still sitting in the garage.

PM if you want to chat.
 
I would double check on importing a M/C with a sidecar from the USA. You can't import a trike. It has to be triked here and I don't know why a sidecar would be different.
 
nobbie48 said:
I would double check on importing a M/C with a sidecar from the USA. You can't import a trike. It has to be triked here and I don't know why a sidecar would be different.
Click to expand...
Maybe because a sidecar is a bolt on? (At least, I'm assuming so) But I didn't know that about the trikes.
OP, there's a member here with a Ural and sidecar iirc he posted a vid of him riding in the winter.

Sent from my custom purple Joe Bass mobile device using Tapatalk
 
Joe Bass said:
there's a member here with a Ural and sidecar iirc he posted a vid of him riding in the winter.
Click to expand...

Urals look like a lot of fun until you realize how unreliable the ancient tech inside them is and how horrible the fuel economy is.
 
plutoz said:
Urals look like a lot of fun until you realize how unreliable the ancient tech inside them is and how horrible the fuel economy is.
Click to expand...

There is a saying "If you don't have troubles you don't have fun." I get the feeling that a trip to Barrie on a Ural could be a lot of fun.
 
Joe Bass said:
Maybe because a sidecar is a bolt on? (At least, I'm assuming so) But I didn't know that about the trikes.
OP, there's a member here with a Ural and sidecar iirc he posted a vid of him riding in the winter.

Sent from my custom purple Joe Bass mobile device using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I knew a guy that took his Goldwing to the states to be triked and couldn't bring it back. Also he couldn't easily sell it there due to the Canadian registry. The guy that triked it erroneously thinking it could go to Canada un-triked it and shipped the parts to Canada where it was legally assembled.
 
nobbie48 said:
I would double check on importing a M/C with a sidecar from the USA. You can't import a trike. It has to be triked here and I don't know why a sidecar would be different.
Click to expand...

H-D builds a trike, its imported from Milwaukee and sold here. I ride with a woman from Oakville that owns one. My last sidecar came home from Arizona, came off bike here, bike went back south minus car.
Forum Sponsor
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom