• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

R1200R Classic Sidecar?

gunderwood

New member
I'm contemplating purchasing a R1200R Classic (wire spoke wheels, black with white stripe, etc.) and setting it up with a sidecar. The motivation is mostly to allow kids to ride along.

Questions:

1. Any suggestions for a high quality (price isn't that critical of a factor), "matching" sidecar?

2. I'd like to be able to remove the sidecar someone easily so I can ride the bike without it. Thoughts on attachment mechanisms?

3. Thoughts on attaching a side car to a R1200R in general?

4. Thoughts on a single vs. double seat arrangement?

Thanks.
 
1. Any suggestions for a high quality (price isn't that critical of a factor), "matching" sidecar?
I think a good old-fashioned Steib would look great with the R12R Classic. So would a Watsonian.

2. I'd like to be able to remove the sidecar someone easily so I can ride the bike without it. Thoughts on attachment mechanisms?
My personal opinion is - have a sidecar rig & a separate bike. With all the extra hardware that has to go on a BMW to facilitate a sidecar, it won't ride right as a solo bike.

3. Thoughts on attaching a side car to a R1200R in general?
Why not? The most important part is matching the 'car to the bike weight-wise. That's a great question for a mounting/sidecar expert!

4. Thoughts on a single vs. double seat arrangement?
Whatever works best for you!! I'm a big fan of singles, but there's nothing wrong with a double setup :)
 
Clarification

My personal opinion is - have a sidecar rig & a separate bike. With all the extra hardware that has to go on a BMW to facilitate a sidecar, it won't ride right as a solo bike.
I already have an F800ST and I don't plan on getting rid of it. The R1200R would be in addition to the ST, but they are very different bikes and I'm assuming that I'd want to ride the R separate too.
 
Whoever builds your rig will have to fabricate a substantial subframe in order to attach the chair. That, in addition to the mods needed to reduce trail (so you can steer the rig), will likely make the R unsuitable for solo use.

Getting into hacks also made me susceptible to Multiple Bike Syndrome. I used to have 1 bike - now have 4 (2 with chairs).

A Ural sidecar would look good on a Classic. They're getting hard to find, though. Claude Stanley in PA and Dauntless in WA build beautiful Ural clone chairs that are far superior to the original. They'll build you a custom sidecar as well as do subframes, steering mods etc.
 
I already have an F800ST and I don't plan on getting rid of it. The R1200R would be in addition to the ST, but they are very different bikes and I'm assuming that I'd want to ride the R separate too.

Most sidecar setups use a modified front end to increase trail and make steering the sidecar easier and more stable. This will adversely effect the bike handling when used solo.
 
I've been thinking about doing this with my F650GS twin. Fitting it with a sidecar rig. But I just want to leave it on that way, which apparently is the way to go anyway.

This thread is giving me ideas. Does anyone have contact info for this Claude fellow in PA?
 
Back
Top