dual sporting

When bikers find out about sidecars, the emphasis is often on carrying additional passengers (children, dogs, etc.) or driving down the street and having people wave at you.

After a few years of hacking on the street, I discovered the fun of drifting around unpaved roads. Frankly, I'm not comfortable trying to ride a bike through technical situations--such as deep loose gravel. But on a rig I'm comfortable doing stuff I wouldn't try on a two wheeler.

So, if you're thinking of a hack only as a street rider, consider that there are lots of roads that aren't paved, capable of taking you to spectacular scenery, and most of all--fun.

pmdave

Lot's of dirt roads around my place. I used to ride them alone on my PD...now I take my wife and/or kids.

Nothing like a three wheel slide
with my sweetie, white knuckling at my side...

The rigs used for the sidecar class I took in Oregon were Kawasaki KLRs with a mixture of homemade and store-bought hacks. An absolute blast to ride, and while my present rig is street-only I think a rig using a KLR or F650GS would be grand fun!

Best,

GTRider

Absolutely... specially with a car tire as a pusher!

Be well... Ara & Spirit

My thoughts were extending the season and any roads any time.
One of the first trips I made on my hack was on gravel.

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_popper/4684078587/" title="A Waterfall on the way to Spada Lake. by GrafikFeat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4066/4684078587_64cc879dc8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="A Waterfall on the way to Spada Lake." /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_popper/4235052146/" title="Ice Capades @ the Spada Sign In Station. by GrafikFeat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2734/4235052146_bf8db7f42b.jpg" width="500" height="281" alt="Ice Capades @ the Spada Sign In Station." /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_popper/3733798794/" title="Riding on the Moon. by GrafikFeat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2116/3733798794_84ea0d3c62_z.jpg" width="640" height="429" alt="Riding on the Moon." /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_popper/2619006163/" title="Dry Roads. by GrafikFeat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/2619006163_d3e138aa8b_z.jpg" width="640" height="429" alt="Dry Roads." /></a>

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/jim_popper/2619002729/" title="Quiet Riding. by GrafikFeat, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2165/2619002729_8c1814ca71_z.jpg" width="640" height="429" alt="Quiet Riding." /></a>

Beemerchef said:

Absolutely... specially with a car tire as a pusher!

Be well... Ara & Spirit

Click to expand...

On my R100/Ural outfit, I prefer a serious motorcycle knobby on both ends. I have different sets of wheels/tires for dirt vs street.

pmdave

GTRider said:

The rigs used for the sidecar class I took in Oregon were Kawasaki KLRs with a mixture of homemade and store-bought hacks. An absolute blast to ride, and while my present rig is street-only I think a rig using a KLR or F650GS would be grand fun!

Best,

GTRider

Click to expand...

The DMC Enduro rig based on a KLR is a lot of fun, and will do highway speeds, too.

pmdave

just out of curiosity, has anyone ever tried dualsporting a trike?


with a set of knobbies and maybe jacking up the suspension a bit, something like this could do some serious damage....



i searched and searched for a pic of a GS trike conversion with no luck. so it's either a bad idea or no one has tried it yet.

ian

There are several issues that make a trike less useful for off-pavement.

The triple track doesn't agree with most unpaved roads, which may have two tire ruts and a big berm in the center. It's difficult to keep the middle wheel on course when it's bouncing around over an unused part of the road.

Street trikes tend to have low CoG, and very limited ground clearance. Jacking the trike up to a level that would provide adequate clearance would also raise the CoG, which would make it very tippy.

Street trikes are often designed with "car" wheels and tires, which provide less traction in grotty conditions than a comparable offroad motorcycle tire.

The drive system of trikes such as the Can Am Spyder are unsuitable for use off pavement.

More than a few offroad hacks have been built based on the BMW GS.

pmdave

pmdave said:

There are several issues that make a trike less useful for off-pavement.

The triple track doesn't agree with most unpaved roads, which may have two tire ruts and a big berm in the center. It's difficult to keep the middle wheel on course when it's bouncing around over an unused part of the road.

Street trikes tend to have low CoG, and very limited ground clearance. Jacking the trike up to a level that would provide adequate clearance would also raise the CoG, which would make it very tippy.

Street trikes are often designed with "car" wheels and tires, which provide less traction in grotty conditions than a comparable offroad motorcycle tire.

The drive system of trikes such as the Can Am Spyder are unsuitable for use off pavement.

Click to expand...

You could change your mind after having a look at this one:

http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/11242005134912MWEH2T.htm

BTW, I use my sidecar mainly to extend my driving season here



And make occasionally long trips.

Visian said:

just out of curiosity, has anyone ever tried dualsporting a trike?


with a set of knobbies and maybe jacking up the suspension a bit, something like this could do some serious damage....

i searched and searched for a pic of a GS trike conversion with no luck. so it's either a bad idea or no one has tried it yet.

ian

Click to expand...

A friend rides a CanAM Spyder on dirt roads quite a bit. She initially had problems with the automatic traction control constantly engaging to the point where she had to stop. She resolved it by taping over the ABS sensors to trick the system. She's very happy with its dirt road performance now.

Well, I HAVE to drive a gravel road on my Spyder, because the community road and driveway to my place is hard packed gravel.

The potential problem with a Spyder on loose gravel is that the final belt drive can pick up a loose stone, and jam it betweeen the belt and cog wheel. The belt won't stretch, so the result can be a severely damaged belt and potentially a broken cog wheel. Either way, there is no quick fix, so you'd need to call the sky crane.

Now, there might be a way to further guard the belt, but it would be complex. Besides, my Spyder is clean and shiny. For serious off-pavement driving, I can drive my dirty/dented/scratched R100/Ural sidecar combo.

I've been on various roads where the center has been washed away by monster rain storms, or plowed up into a center berm by the 4x4 folks. If the sidecar can't bridge the slot or clear the berm, it's possible to pick one side and fly the car. I've flown one wheel on a trike, but it was extremely difficult, and with a differential, drive power goes to spin up the "flying" wheel. According to the latest MCN, the Harley-Davidson trike does not have a differential, so it's potentially an off-roader.

pmdave

Visian said:

just out of curiosity, has anyone ever tried dualsporting a trike?
with a set of knobbies and maybe jacking up the suspension a bit, something like this could do some serious damage....
i searched and searched for a pic of a GS trike conversion with no luck. so it's either a bad idea or no one has tried it yet.

ian

Click to expand...

There was this I posted a few months ago...

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This is why i don't drive a sidecar outfit, unless i have to

I would been leaning in the opposite direction than this driver is...

pmdave said:

The DMC Enduro rig based on a KLR is a lot of fun, and will do highway speeds, too.

pmdave

Click to expand...

Hanging off toward the low side is a ticket to a down-slope rollover.

pmdave

Obviously a professional rider on a closed course. Do not attempt this at home.

palica said:

You could change your mind after having a look at this one:

http://news.motorbiker.org/blogs.nsf/dx/11242005134912MWEH2T.htm

Click to expand...

now that is what i am talking about!

with some real tires, this thing would be unstoppable...

i've seen regular sidecar bikes running hard at the Six-Day Trials... they look almost unmanageable compared to something like this.

really can't believe there hasn't been more noise about this thing. watch out pmdave... comin' to getcha!

yep...pretty awesome indeed....you order one yet??? Might be tough on Jesse's single track stuff though......

Where do you find this stuff???? I am glad you do.....