Eric's Harley/sidecar???

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ericjon262
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Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 5:34 pm
Location: Aiken, SC

Eric's Harley/sidecar???

Post by ericjon262 »

well, I did a dumb and took on another project.... Maybe I should change my name to Will... :crazy:

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I removed the body from the chassis, and set it on some boxes next to my bike to get a feel for the look. obviously it will need paint work.

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the body is actually very light, I can very easily pick it up by myself no prob, granted, it's a bare fiberglass tub, so it shouldn't weigh much...

Here's the reason for removing the body and making a custom chassis:

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as you can see, the chassis itself has no suspension, the leaf springs support the body to provide passenger comfort, as-is, I believe this would cause an uncomfortable ride. most modern sidecars use some kind of suspension on the car, I have a plan I am developing to add suspension, and keep the car simple and clean.

The plan is to develop a swingarm with a spindle, and a shaft running under the car, to operate a Harley Soft tail spring/shock. I'll work on drawing up the plan to make it a bit easier to understand the plan.
Last edited by ericjon262 on Sat Jul 23, 2022 8:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
"I am not what you so glibly call to be a civilized man. I have broken with society for reasons which I alone am able to appreciate. I am therefore not subject to it's stupid laws, and I ask you to never allude to them in my presence again."
The Dark Side of Will
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Re: sidecar???

Post by The Dark Side of Will »

The side car wheel would be independently suspended from the bike's rear wheel, right?

Also, building a frame stiff enough that it's not the fourth spring will be fun.
ericjon262
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Location: Aiken, SC

Re: sidecar???

Post by ericjon262 »

yeah, the plan is to build a chassis that allows the sidecar wheel to move independently from the the other two wheels. absolute rigidity would be awesome, but I have a feeling there will be some chassis flex there no matter what I do. I have a few ideas floating around, but I have yet to put them on paper.
"I am not what you so glibly call to be a civilized man. I have broken with society for reasons which I alone am able to appreciate. I am therefore not subject to it's stupid laws, and I ask you to never allude to them in my presence again."
pmbrunelle
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Re: sidecar???

Post by pmbrunelle »

Is modification of the motorcycle itself within the scope of the project, or will you try to clamp/bolt onto existing exposed hard points?
Honest Don
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Re: sidecar???

Post by Honest Don »

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ericjon262
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Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 5:34 pm
Location: Aiken, SC

Re: sidecar???

Post by ericjon262 »

pmbrunelle wrote: Thu Aug 05, 2021 11:26 pm Is modification of the motorcycle itself within the scope of the project, or will you try to clamp/bolt onto existing exposed hard points?
I plan to make it clamp and/or bolt to existing components without modification to the existing motorcycle. the OEM car mounted to the motorcycle mostly via clamps, and one pad on the frame that was special to the sidecar variant of that particular bike.
Honest Don wrote: Fri Aug 06, 2021 8:44 pm
that looks quite similar to what I was planning, although I may be re thinking that plan slightly now.
"I am not what you so glibly call to be a civilized man. I have broken with society for reasons which I alone am able to appreciate. I am therefore not subject to it's stupid laws, and I ask you to never allude to them in my presence again."
Honest Don
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Re: sidecar???

Post by Honest Don »

Sidecar racing is a thing across the atlantic. I'd poke around their sites for ideas
ericjon262
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Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 5:34 pm
Location: Aiken, SC

Re: sidecar???

Post by ericjon262 »

Honest Don wrote: Mon Aug 09, 2021 12:21 pm Sidecar racing is a thing across the atlantic. I'd poke around their sites for ideas
it is, I'm watched alot of it, it's rad! I've also seen sidecar motocross, although, my Harley is far from what one might consider a race vehicle.
"I am not what you so glibly call to be a civilized man. I have broken with society for reasons which I alone am able to appreciate. I am therefore not subject to it's stupid laws, and I ask you to never allude to them in my presence again."
ericjon262
Posts: 2824
Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 5:34 pm
Location: Aiken, SC

Re: sidecar???

Post by ericjon262 »

one small, yet heavy piece of the puzzle arrived the other day, a wheel that matches my Harley's front wheel for the hack.

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"I am not what you so glibly call to be a civilized man. I have broken with society for reasons which I alone am able to appreciate. I am therefore not subject to it's stupid laws, and I ask you to never allude to them in my presence again."
ericjon262
Posts: 2824
Joined: Mon May 24, 2010 5:34 pm
Location: Aiken, SC

Re: Eric's Harley/sidecar???

Post by ericjon262 »

no sidecar progress, it's hanging up in the garage... I did however put a "new" rear fender on the bike, and fixed the turn rear turn signals which have been broken for quite a long while, then I took the bike for a ~1400 mile ride, basically a big lap around most of the Carolinas, with ventures into Tennessee, Georgia, and a brief trip into southern Virginia. I did "The Tail of the Dragon" again, and a bunch of the Blue Ridge Parkway.

some mostly crappy pictures:

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I rode past this place after getting off of the Blue Ridge Parkway, I was kinda hungry, but didn't plan on stopping either, until I caught a glimpse of the vintage motorcycles in the windows, a pulled a U turn, and had a pretty tasty sandwich. I wish I had taken better pictures of the bikes.

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"I am not what you so glibly call to be a civilized man. I have broken with society for reasons which I alone am able to appreciate. I am therefore not subject to it's stupid laws, and I ask you to never allude to them in my presence again."
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