I am trying to decidewhether im going to hack my 01 Bonneville. I am looking at a local firm that installs what I think are new Chang Jiang sidecars to any type bike out there. The issue is the weight. The car is 275lbs. I am not into any type of speed records and the hack will be used more or less for farting around with passengers, going to the cottage etc. I am wondering if my bike will really be strugling to pull the car.. Any ideas? Cheers
the original CJ was 22 hp You can easily change the gearing on your Bonnie if needed. I don't see a problem...
Thanks Red Ive been playing with the idea for awhile now and what really lit the fire was meeting a fellow with a CJ here in Ottawa. Looked like a blast. Id love a Ural but cant break the bank at this point. g
I suspect you can put together a better rig than a Ural and still have that cool vintage look using your modern Bonnie and a period looking sidecar. The CJ or a Dnepr hack would work fine, but something like a Watsonian would be even better!
Yeah Id love to find one that would give that classic line like a Watsonian, but it's near impossible to find one (used ) here.. I like the Motorvation spyder and the Trans moto T301 (which is just up the road in Montreal...
The spyder is a fun sidecar and will save you about 100 Lbs in weight. Though you can put the 275 lb sidecar on that bike and it will be fine, my experience has led me to believe that isn't the best possible answer. RedMenace knows more than I do about it all, but speaking from personal experience I can tell you the Spyder influenced my 883 sportster's general handling, acceleration, and braking a hell of a lot more than the same sidecar influences my Cross Bones. The Sportster was about 580 Lbs, the Cross Bones is 730 Lbs. Of the three rigs I've owned the hardest one to drive was the Stella scooter with a Cozy hack. The hack weighed almost 75% as much as the scooter did, and it seems by comparison there was always a struggle between the two to see which one was going to be the leader There are a whole bunch of other factors that enter into the equation but there is an obvious direct relationship between bike weight and sidecar weight.
Thats what I was wondering. How much the weight will affect the riding. I have never ridden in or with a sidecar before and I know that it will be leagues different than solo riding and I am prepared for that. I was just wondering about that weight difference. From what models I am interested in the 275 lb car is around 1000$ cheaper than a model with the same frame but fibreglass body that weighs in at 175lbs. I also looked at Cozy, it looked nice but I didnt like the" squished" look of the passenger in the rig (sits too high/squashed -imho).
any weight will affect the riding-putting the sidecar on affects the riding. Too light and it will be very unstable and squirrley in right turns and over bumpy pavement. Too heavy and it will be a slug. If you need ballast you might as well make it tools or something else that makes your life easier to have along. You do pay for weight with hp and fuel so why pay to haul a chunk of lead around? The Triumph should haul a Dnepr, Ural or Chang just fine, a Sputnik, Velorex or Spirit even better. I'd stay away from scooter sidecars and universal mount kits.
Having owned a few sidecars of various flavors, I'd prefer to err on the heavy and wide side. A light narrow rig is nothing if not squirrely, and possibly dangerous. Adjustable track is a really nice feature of the Sputnik frame, but it seems like those becoming hard to find.
Thanks As it stands I am going to look at the company near my home. They deal in the CJ car. I figure it'll go on the Triumph and who knows whatever else comes down the shoot later on. It'll be pretty abused methinks as those cottage roads are ugh-ly.. Ill report back here. Here is what I am looking at.. http://www.trans-moto.com/ look at the bimmer- is it a Chang do you think?
WOW! That site is cool! That company does some great stuff! Thanks for the link!! Very cool Sportsters!
Yeah I like the flat tank style fuel tanks and old green paint. Ive seen their work up close at the Montreal bike show and they are solid looking rigs. I havent seen the rig I like but plan a trip up there soon. I dont think the prices are too far out either
Has anyone done or seen a newer Scrambler hack? I like the simple design, no plastics to break. For a hack, I would think that the Bonnie-style exhaust would be more practical. The high pipes would sit between the car and bike anyway, taking up space for a jerry can or pannier. Any square tires available for those rims?
Fyr Not exactly what you'll end up with, but these two are low BHP but get around well enough. The watsonian monaco sidecar is heavier then yours. keith
This is Louis Vanderveen's Scrambler-Dnepr rig. He reports that it has plenty of power, and even handles itself pretty well in dualsport events. Isn't it gorgeous?
Ural sidecar on a 2004 Bonneville. Works fine and a good 10 mph faster in the cruise than any Ural. No need to change the gearing, the Triumph standard is fine for sidecar use, that's why so many people add one or two extra teeth to them for solo use. The only down side is range (140 miles from the poxy 16 litre tank). Watsonian do a subframe to convert the centre stand to a bottom rear mount, the top pair are easy enough using velorex "universal" clamps, only the front lower needs any sort of fabrication. Take a look at http://www.flickr.com/photos/31662519@N03/ Andy Edit to add: Mitas do tyres without a centre tread line although I run a Heidenau knobbly on the rear so mud and snow hold no fears. BTW, that exhaust on the Scrambler costs you 10HP, so sticking to the black or T100 makes sense.
