Bay Area sidecar enthusiasts?

Just sold my all-time favorite bike. The 2015 RT just got to be too much for a short old-guy. Are there any sidecar enthusiasts in the San Francisco Bay Area willing to talk with me about piloting a rig? Always said I might investigate sidecars when I got old...I guess this is the time.

A long way from the bay but planning on being at the 49'er in May if you want to check out an old EML. So what kind of riding are you planning to use a hack for? There are some good already assembled outfits out there which may be a good bet to get started with rather than having one built. Depending what you get here in the way of responses, you might also checkout the Adventure Rider website. They have a pretty active hack section.

I've heard there's a yellow book that's supposed to be a reference for sidecaring. I haven't read it. My friend Ozzie taught me to pilot a hack and since then I've put on about 200k. I'm sure there are plenty of folks on here who have more experience than I, but here are my two cents:

Regarding piloting a hack, there's really an art to it and it's very different from riding a solo bike. If they're set up well they handle like a dream. If they aren't, well that's another story. You steer them through corners versus leaning a solo bike. If they're setup well, they steer easily through corners. You learn to use your acceleration and deceleration to help you through corners. You learn to look ahead and plan how you're going to go through a corner: approaching a right hander, slow before you get to it and then accelerate through it; a left hander, carry more speed into the corner and decelerate going through it. You'll use more upper body strength but again, the better the hack is set up, the easier it will steer. Regarding miles per day, a 500 mile day on a hack can be like a 1,000 mile day on a solo bike, depending on weather, roads and again how well it's setup. Also with a hack, unless you have reverse which most of us don't, you always think about how or where you park, like having a car without reverse. You don't want to have to back it out of a parking spot with any grade. Your fuel mileage will be significantly lower than a solo bike. Depending on what you have, and if you roll, you'll probably be in the 30 mpg range.

Good luck with whatever you plan to do but a hack isn't just for old folks who can't solo bike anymore. Just ask some of the folks who got left in the weeds over the years by Ozzie. Take care and ride easy,
gp

Thanks for your thoughtful response, Gary. Should I decide to pursue this change in my riding life, two things are for sure: I would find a training course, and I would buy an existing rig rather than have one built. By the way, no offense meant about geezers-on-sidecars. I have nothing but the greatest respect for those who skillfully ride them. I do understand that it is a whole different skill set.

None taken sir. Take care.
gp

themayer said:

Just sold my all-time favorite bike. The 2015 RT just got to be too much for a short old-guy. Are there any sidecar enthusiasts in the San Francisco Bay Area willing to talk with me about piloting a rig? Always said I might investigate sidecars when I got old...I guess this is the time.

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Hi Guys, my name is Andreas and I´m a sidecar fan since 25 years, as well I´m trying to sell my rig while I live in Mexico now and to import the bike is to expensive. Maybe you can tell me where I can post the bike for sale.

Hey Andreas,
If you're an MOA member you can place an ad on the market place section of this website. If not, on the Internet BMW Riders (IBMWR), site in their market place, or on the Adventure Riders in their appropriate section. Good luck with your sale. Ride easy in sunny Mexico.
gp

United Sidecar Association also has a for-sale forum on their website at http://sidecar.com

Best,

DG

girscan said:

Hi Guys, my name is Andreas and I´m a sidecar fan since 25 years, as well I´m trying to sell my rig while I live in Mexico now and to import the bike is to expensive. Maybe you can tell me where I can post the bike for sale.

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Welcome to the forum!
In the tool bar you will see the MarketPlace or http://marketplace.bmwmoa.org/?tabid=137
Good luck.
Gary

6322 said:

I've heard there's a yellow book that's supposed to be a reference for sidecaring. I haven't read it. My friend Ozzie taught me to pilot a hack and since then I've put on about 200k. I'm sure there are plenty of folks on here who have more experience than I, but here are my two cents:

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The one that is usually referred to is-


Picture from Whitehorse Press/Gear- http://www.whitehorsegear.com/driving-a-sidecar-outfit-2nd-edition By David L. Hough.

OM

Bay Area Sidecar Enthusiasts ( BASE ) on Facebook.

Triquest Motorcyclesd > http://www.triquestcycles.com/

Call, the owner, Ski always answers.

Good info on operating and set-up.
http://www.sidecar.com/links3.asp