I'm sure this must have been talked about before, but I can't seem to find a lot of info on it. Looking through this forum, and a few others out there, I think I'm begining to figure out a general plan for my sidecar build, but am also realizing that there are a few areas that I've never even considered. Wheels! I've changed bearings, tires, and had them laced up in the past. All pretty simple, so I've never had to really sit down and study things. When I decided to build my sidecar, I just figured I'd grab an extra wheel that is similar to the ones on the bike, and be done with it. Now that I'm digging deeper, I'm realizing that this may not be so simple. Is there a difference between wheels on a sidecar, and normal motorcycle wheels? Does being supported by only one side of the axle change the physics, and construction? I'd like to have a spoked wheel, and will most likely incorporate a disk brake.
I can't see any problem using a normal bike wheel on a chair. They still have a bolt all the way through center for support. If anything a hack wheel is going to have an easier life than a bike wheel, never being layed at a 45* angle with all those G forces applied. That said, I'm sure that the hack wheel does plenty of G's, even though it's usually far more upright. Either way a bike wheel is built for just those same forces so as long as it's from a big enough bike that the load bearing is adequate you should be just fine. I plan on a GS550 alloy on my chair, not expecting any problems.
