The Sidecar Page

I've liked motorcycles for as long as I can remember.  After our 1st kid, it still wasn't a problem to get around on a cycle.  My daughter started riding when she was 3.  But after we had twins, I needed to find a way to haul myself and 3 kids around.  The truck just isn't much fun for errands.  So I started looking around for a sidecar.  I didn't want a Goldwing with a huge chair, I'm not that old yet.  I wanted something light and inexpensive.  I finally settled on a Velorex 520.  I put it on a 1984 Honda Nighthawk 650.  The installation was strait forward, but being my 1st it did take quite awhile.  I decided to do it myself when I was told that the installation typically costs $600-$1000.  After doing it, I understand the time involved.

My sidecar came from SCF Sidecars in Waterman IL (815-756-7001).  Kurt Liebhaber has driven rigs forever, and was a lot of help in talking about how to get everything set up.

It's certainly a lot different than driving a 2 wheeler.  But after a month or so I got it figured out pretty well.  The rig is fine at 60 mph and below.  It won't, however, pull 70 on the interstate all day.  If I ever put another rig together, I'd probably start with a bike of about 1000 cc's. The rig had a terrible headshake, which I understand is pretty common.  I built a steering damper using parts from a VW Beetle.  That took care of about 95% of the problem.
 
 

xxx

Sidecar Links:

 Sidestrider
 Sidecar.com
John Dreuning's sidecar and GTS 1000 page