Hacked - "dual sport" sidecar rig for my 92GSPD?

[TONY]

Hey ya'll, I ahve been trying to locate a source for a "dual sport" sidecar rig for my 92GSPD. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

[pmdave]

I'm partial to the Ural sidecar. It looks right attached to an airhead, has a VERY stout frame, a steel body, and both body and axle suspension.

However, attaching any sidecar to an airhead requires some additional strengthening, and a higher final drive ratio to let the engine spin up a bit. A leading link front end will reduce steering effort.

I suggest you contact Jay or Tara at Dauntless Motors. Enumclaw WA; 253/638/1793 or www.dauntlessmotors.com They specialize in mounting various sidecars to different motorcycles, and are a Ural sidecar dealer.

If you have not driven a sidecar rig before, be aware that handling a hack requires considerably different skills than a two-wheeler. A book is available: Driving A Sidecar Outfit, tel 800 736-1117. A training course, Sidecar/Trike Education Program is administered nationwide by the Evergreen Safety Council in Seattle tel 800 521-0778 or www.esc.org

I have an R100/Ural "dual sport" rig that I've taken over some very technical terrain. I prefer the double-sided rear swing arm, and an 11/37 drive ratio.

pmdave

[pmdave]

Here's a shot of my R100/Ural "dual sport rig". Note the 18" front knobby.

pmdave

[TONY]

PM Dave, I am well aware of the different characteristics involved in (driving) a hack. Thanks for the info..nice rig ya got there..Tony

[pilot]

Can you post some more pics of your rig, please?
Looks great from what I can see.

[pmdave]

I could take a few additional snaps. What would you like to see?

pmdave

[pilot]

I'd like to see the rig from the rear and the sides. Also down between the bike and car. Thanks

[sagerat]

I've got a Ural outfit and have been impressed by its robust build. I've also seen several Urals hung off of GS's and other airheads. Last time I checked just the tub goes for ~$2,500.

I'd recommend having the tub put on professionally as there are several things that need to be done to the bike. Dauntless does good work; I've chatted with several of their customers.

Just be forewarned: once you go hack, you'll never go back. They are utterly addicting. I ride my Ural Tourist year-round and it's a ball in the snow and ice.

[pmdave]

I'll take a few snaps in due course.

Does anyone have suggestions for posting images on some site that I could then link to a post, to provide larger, higher resolution photos?

note that "tub", "boat", or "boot" generally refers to the sidecar body. "hack" or "sidecar" refers to the whole sidecar that gets attached to the 2-wheeled motorcycle to make it a 3-wheeler, aka "combination", "outfit", or "rig". Sometimes the term "hack" is used as shorthand to mean the motorcycle/sidecar combination.

per state laws, typically a combination is a "motorcycle", but in some states a different motorcycle license is required for a 3-wheeler.

pmdave

[PAULBACH]

Recently had this Velorex added to 1981 R100. The car was added by Heid's in Johnsburg, NY.

It takes about a month to get used to riding one of these rigs. The less you know about motorcycles the easier it is to learn to ride a rig.

[JUNKLE]

Where are you located? There is a guy (Claude) who runs the yahoo SCT mailing list who mounts sidecars and does fabrication. He works with dual sport rigs often and installs swaybars on them for better on road handling.

If you are interested send me a PM.

j.

[pmdave]

For dual sport use, I'd suggest a stronger, heavier sidecar than any of the Velorex models. In shade tree terms, the sidecar itself should weigh about 1/3 the weight of the motorcycle. (wet, but unladen) A lightweight sidecar doesn't handle as well in the rough as a heavier car.

There are some "dual sport" sidecars being made (off and on) in Europe and England. The nicer "street" sidecars such as EML and EZS would be just too fancy to consider bashing around the woods.

The Dnepr used to be made in the Ukraine, and imported through Seattle. You can find used ones here and there. The Ural is still being made in Russia, and is available with a 19" wheel for extra ground clearance. However, Russians being Russian, the import of sidecars is sporadic. IMZ Ural of America still believes the Ural combination is the "SUV of motorcycles", and they would prefer to market complete outfits, not just sidecars.

Dauntless Motors (in the Seattle area) can sell more sidecars than they can get. I suspect they will soon be offering their own "dual sport" sidecar to meet the demand.

The older Urals were not especially reliable, and some owners have finally given up the battle and have complete rigs for sale. If you can find a combination that's not running well, for around say $2000, consider buying it just for the sidecar.

For anyone contemplating building their own sidecar from scratch, be aware that it's a lot more complex than it might appear to be, even for someone with considerable sidecar experience. I don't know of any plans for a sidecar, although certainly you could crawl around sidecars at a rally, make sketches, measure dimensions, etc.

pmdave

[sagerat]

For dual sport riding, look for a 2WD Ural Patrol or Gear-Up. Get a model of 2004 or later. They make much more off-road sense than hanging a tub off of a GS, IMHO.

[sgborgstrom]

I'll take a few snaps in due course.

Does anyone have suggestions for posting images on some site that I could then link to a post, to provide larger, higher resolution photos?



pmdave

Dave,
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Steve

[TONY]

Wanted to thank ya'll for the advise on my future dualsport hack. Update: I have purchased a "new" Dneper sidecar and have a subframe being made as we speak (Dauntless). The Sidecar is black but I am going to repaint it to match the red and white PD. I am now looking for the most durable paint I can get my hands on for the car...any suggestions...I thought maybe red and white Rhino lining.