Eric's Harley/sidecar???
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Eric's Harley/sidecar???
well, I did a dumb and took on another project.... Maybe I should change my name to Will...
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.
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:
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.
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.
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:
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."
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Re: sidecar???
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.
Also, building a frame stiff enough that it's not the fourth spring will be fun.
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Re: sidecar???
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."
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Re: sidecar???
Is modification of the motorcycle itself within the scope of the project, or will you try to clamp/bolt onto existing exposed hard points?
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Re: sidecar???
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Re: sidecar???
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.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?
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."
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Re: sidecar???
Sidecar racing is a thing across the atlantic. I'd poke around their sites for ideas
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Re: sidecar???
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.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
"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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Re: sidecar???
one small, yet heavy piece of the puzzle arrived the other day, a wheel that matches my Harley's front wheel for the hack.
"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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Re: Eric's Harley/sidecar???
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:
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.
some mostly crappy pictures:
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.
"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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Re: Eric's Harley/sidecar???
well, looks like that might have been one if the last great rides on that bike.... some crackhead stole it, it was sighted a few miles from my house, but by the time the fuzz and I got there, it wasn't there anymore. I'm 99.99% sure the crackhead has it, but there's not much I can do 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."
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Re: Eric's Harley/sidecar???
Does the engine have the VIN on it?
If the thief tries to part it out, he may be dumb enough to sell the engine with your VIN on it.
If the thief tries to part it out, he may be dumb enough to sell the engine with your VIN on it.
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Re: Eric's Harley/sidecar???
I still need to verify what would have the VIN on it still, I'm checking FB marketplace and Craigslist now. I'm betting it's getting parted.
"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."