Advice/help needed/injury

[193679]

Good morning everyone
Recently fell off a ladder, 7 foot fall onto concrete. So I need to explore options. Sell my bike due to balance issues or is it possible to trade my 2011 perfect condition GS 1200 for an RT with a sidecar? Any and all thoughts appreciated and respected. Feel free to contact me directly at w.brandon6217@yahoo.com if you like. Bill

 

[stevenrankin]

Sorry

I am sorry to hear about your accident and the outcome you are facing.

I have seen custom side car rigs built for all kinds of degrees of loss of function. I may be writing about heresy but a long time back an acquaintance and his party were sitting out a dust storm on the side of the road when a car plowed into them. One of the riders was paralyzed severely. My understanding at the time was he had a rig built for him so he could continue to ride.

I can try to get in touch with my acquaintance and find out more about it if you would like? No promises as it was a long time ago. St.

 

[tx_mike]

Can you add a sidecar to your GS?

 

[stevenrankin]

Gs

There are as far as I know companies that will build a rig out of a GS, not sure if there is a high or low age cut off. Perhaps the sidecar section guys could help? St.

 

[bigjohnsd]

@Akbeemer to the white courtesy phone

 

[akbeemer]

Bill,

There are three ways of getting a sidecar; having one built; building your own; or, buying an existing rig. Having a rig built is the most expensive way to go and can cost north of $30K, not including the cost of the bike, and as little as the low teens. I’ll list a few of sidecar builders at the end, but you should know
that in the US there are no standards or regulations controlling building and installing sidecars. Anyone can go into business and start fabricating bits and pieces. Building a sidecar is not for a novice, even if one is using a kit or parts from fabricators. Buying an existing sidecar can get you an excellent rig for much less than building one. It can also result in one overpaying for someone else’s poorly constructed or sorted out machine.

My advice:

- Start visiting the Hack forum on ADVRider. (https://www.advrider.com/f/forums/hacks.56/). There are people there that have been riding sidecars for decades and are helpful. They also have two ‘For Sale” threads in which just about any rig on the market is listed and in many cases discussed. If a rig is on eBay, Facebook, Craigslist, Bring a Trailer or other sites, it will probably show up there.

- Consider starting with a small existing rig to learn and decide if sidecars are for you. Airhead rigs, Urals and other rigs based on mid-weight bikes are available and relatively cheap.

- Try to find local sidecar riders and talk with them, perhaps get a chance to ride a rig in a parking lot and someone to potentially mentor you while you learn to ride. Sidecars are much different than a two wheeled bike to ride.

- Get a copy of David Hough’s book “Driving a Sidecar Outfit”, known as the Yellow Book. An excellent starting point for a novice rider. Also see if the are three wheel riding courses in your area. Someplaces have them, but many do not.

- Trading the GS for an RT based rig is an unlikely thing to do. I recommend that you consider them two separate deals to pursue. Your 2011 GS would make an excellent choice for using for basing a rig on.

- If you decide to buy a rig try to have an experienced sidecar rider help you evaluate the rig. Used ones are often significantly overpriced.

Good luck on whichever path you choose. And…. Stay off of ladders.

Some builders (an online search while reveal their contact info):

- Liberty Sidecars, Washington State

- LBS-USA, Washington State. Only works on BMWs, uses parts from LBS in the Neatherlands. Probably the premier builder in the US

- Freedom Sidecars, Pennsylvania

- Texas Sidecars/DMC of Texas, Texas. One company that recently bought out DMC sidecars formally in Washington State.

 

[Visian]

Have you considered a Spyder? I hear they handle way better than a traditional sidecar.

 

[skibum69]

I would argue the sidecars and Can Am's are apples and oranges. They both get you down the road on 3 wheels but they are entirely different machines. I would suggest thinking about what you think you want and as AK said see if you can test ride both to see what works for you.

No more ladders for you!

 

[stevenrankin]

Depends

The question I read was trade my GS for an RT with a sidecar? As I wrote, there are sidecars that can be added to the GS. The fellow already has a perfectly good GS, I assume he is happy with it and would like to continue to ride it? I am assuming a lot I guess.

Or, is he looking to change to something with a bit more weather protection as the RT would provide but still wants a sidecar?

I may have gone over board with my first reply, in that his injuries are not so severe to have a custom one off rig built.

LOL, I have no idea who is in the side car business now that would put one on a GS or RT. St.

 

[pglaves]

The question I read was trade my GS for an RT with a sidecar? As I wrote, there are sidecars that can be added to the GS. The fellow already has a perfectly good GS, I assume he is happy with it and would like to continue to ride it? I am assuming a lot I guess.

.

In his first post he mentions "balance issues" due to an injury. I inferred that two wheels had become a problem.

 

[52184]

Have you considered a Spyder? I hear they handle way better than a traditional sidecar.

No, they don’t. The only advantage trikes hold is that their steering is symmetrical instead of the asymmetry of a sidecar rig. “Bump steering” is an issue on trikes with wide front tires, even more so with two wide wheels up front. And with a trike, you always hit potholes that are easily straddled with a sidecar rig. I put 50k+ miles on a sidecar rig in the US, Canada, and Mexico and it took only one short trike ride to convince me of the difference.

Besides, trikes are for geezers but sidecars still have sex appeal!

When I can no longer do 2 wheels my ride will be a GSA with sidecar…
Best,
DeVern

 

[akbeemer]

If you ride a sidecar, then you will constantly be held up at gas pumps and parking lots by people with questions, comments and gawking. If you ride with a woman in her own sidecar, then the delays will become more common and of greater duration. And, if you put dogs in sidecars, then you might as well plan to not get out of those situations anytime soon. If you put a dog in a sidecar, then get one that looks mean and growls a lot.

I have several friends that ride Spyders. They seem to feel the Spyder is better than nothing. When people ride sidecars they seem to love them or hate them. Nobody rides a sidecar by accident.

 

[BC1100S]

If you ride a sidecar, then you will constantly be held up at gas pumps and parking lots by people with questions, comments and gawking.

At my ex-club's rally (which has since been permanently cancelled. Don't get me started on that...) we used to arrange for anyone who showed up with a sidecar - usually 5 or 6 - to take people from the old folks home for sidecar rides. Seeing 90 year olds lining up for their first ever ride in a sidecar was great. And the women were more adventurous than the guys, sometimes wanting a second ride.

Anyhow, I had never been in a sidecar so after we had taken all who wanted one for a ride, i hopped in one attached to a GS. What a gas! If you've never had a ride in a "hack", do yourself a favour and avail yourself of one asap. You will not regret it.

 

[Paul_F]

Have you considered a Spyder? I hear they handle way better than a traditional sidecar.

View attachment 93196

I rode a friend's Spyder once for almost an hour. Haven't ridden a rig so I can't compare. However the Spyder rides like a snowmobile. Took a bit to get used to it until I realized it was a snowmobile on wheels. I later found out that an acquaintance that has a Spyder (a long time snowmobiler) agreed with me that they rode like a snowmobile; no complaints, just not like a bike nor a rig.

My friend has a larger version that the one that displayed Ian. She rode/drove it from SW Ontario to a Nova Scotia Rally and then directly to the MOA Des Moines Rally. What impressed me was the trunk space, front and back. All of her gear fit inside the Spyder.

 

[BC1100S]

I rode a friend's Spyder once for almost an hour.

They are becoming more and more popular. When I tour I see lots of them on the road.

 

[akbeemer]

At my ex-club's rally (which has since been permanently cancelled. Don't get me started on that...) we used to arrange for anyone who showed up with a sidecar - usually 5 or 6 - to take people from the old folks home for sidecar rides. Seeing 90 year olds lining up for their first ever ride in a sidecar was great. And the women were more adventurous than the guys, sometimes wanting a second ride.

Anyhow, I had never been in a sidecar so after we had taken all who wanted one for a ride, i hopped in one attached to a GS. What a gas! If you've never had a ride in a "hack", do yourself a favour and avail yourself of one asap. You will not regret it.

We attended what I believe was the last of your club’s rally; it was our fifth. The sidecar rides for the nursing home was canceled because of legal liability concerns. At our previous rally’s a friend with a sidecar had always given a ride to a Japanese man with severe disabilities. He could not speak and had to be lifted into and out of the car, but boy could he smile. The lady who had the sidecar always asked the man if he wanted to go for a long ride, which always elicited a huge grin. Sad that he won’t get that little bit of joy in his life anymore.

 

[BC1100S]

We attended what I believe was the last of your club’s rally; it was our fifth. The sidecar rides for the nursing home was canceled because of legal liability concerns. At our previous rally’s a friend with a sidecar had always given a ride to a Japanese man with severe disabilities. He could not speak and had to be lifted into and out of the car, but boy could he smile. The lady who had the sidecar always asked the man if he wanted to go for a long ride, which always elicited a huge grin. Sad that he won’t get that little bit of joy in his life anymore.

Legal liability concerns? I think not. But this isn't the place for that discussion.

And you're talking about Atsu. He, and his sister, were eternally grateful for those rides. Sadly, Atsu has since passed.

 

[pglaves]

At my ex-club's rally (which has since been permanently cancelled. Don't get me started on that...) we used to arrange for anyone who showed up with a sidecar - usually 5 or 6 - to take people from the old folks home for sidecar rides. Seeing 90 year olds lining up for their first ever ride in a sidecar was great. And the women were more adventurous than the guys, sometimes wanting a second ride.

Those Saturday rides were among the very best rally experiences I ever had at more than 150 local rallies! And all I ever did was help load and unload riders. And stand and clap!
RIP Michael

 

[easy]

Good morning everyone
Recently fell off a ladder, 7 foot fall onto concrete. So I need to explore options. Sell my bike due to balance issues or is it possible to trade my 2011 perfect condition GS 1200 for an RT with a sidecar? Any and all thoughts appreciated and respected. Feel free to contact me directly at w.brandon6217@yahoo.com if you like. Bill

Welcome to the forum. That's a great question - balance, and what to do about it.

I wouldn't rush into anything yet. I'd go to the Dr. and make sure the balance problem isn't transient. Some balance problems can be treated. Low blood pressure, and ear infections can cause poor balance. I almost passed out in a grocery store about 10 years ago due to a new blood pressure med my doctor gave me. I told my doctor, and after a new med was prescribed the problem was solved. Your medications, and ear infections could be the cause. There are also ways to improve balance. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-...ty that keeps,can help improve your stability.

 

[BC1100S]

Those Saturday rides were among the very best rally experiences I ever had at more than 150 local rallies! And all I ever did was help load and unload riders. And stand and clap!
RIP Michael

Voni and your guest appearances and presentations were highlights of the Rally over many years, Paul.

Happy Wanderer is missed.

Sorry for the thread derail, folks.