I want a hack, but need help/advise..

[3x3]

hummer wheels is not a bad idea
Its not a joke more a st. paddy's dream! Friends of me are hack drivers (Urals) i'm more a solo man but it would defenatly be nice to build something somehow somewhere the only problem is that it costs a whole lot of money and it's all wasted on 3 wheels with divine who produce lets say 75BHP. So realy building it never gonna happen (i think) more likely that i cut off one wheel of my jeep and put handlebars on it

But i'm gonna keep yelling: IT CAN BE DONE!

[skyking32]

Ok now. (Back to the fjr) Has any one hack'd one (in the states?) would love some ideas, or pics, on what car would look best, and work well with this bike. Claude at freedomsidecars.com has been a great help. Jay over at dauntless motors has no subframes for the fjr. (not enough call for them. Some one must have hack'd an FJR no ? Thanks. sky.

[3x3]

sorry for fooling arround sky!

could you not weld you're own sub-frame?

and if you want my opinion i like the ones that Richard-NL shows

the RDS Neptune and März Variablo the best..!

[Richard-NL]

Originally Posted by skyking32

Ok now. (Back to the fjr)

Typed in google: RDS Neptune

Got this: http://panoramaside.ifrance.com/rds/neptune.htm



Typed in google: LBS Sidecar

Got this: http://www.lbs-zijspantechniek.nl/




Typed in google: März Variablo

Got this: http://www.gespanne-f-maerz.de/



Richard-NL

[chairhead]

Originally Posted by skyking32

Ok now. (Back to the fjr) Has any one hack'd one (in the states?) would love some ideas, or pics, on what car would look best, and work well with this bike. Claude at freedomsidecars.com has been a great help. Jay over at dauntless motors has no subframes for the fjr. (not enough call for them. Some one must have hack'd an FJR no ? Thanks. sky.

Heres a couple of pics of a Merlin and FJR and one done by EML







just found this as well
http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/mcy/1093652609.html

[Richard-NL]

Originally Posted by chairhead

just found this as well
http://seattle.craigslist.org/skc/mcy/1093652609.html

Reading your posts and PM, Sky, I think the item on the craigslist, Chairhead pointed out to you, is exactly what you are looking for. And it’s in the States. Go for it. (don’t wait too long).




Richard-NL

[claude]

Rats, tried this post once and l;ost it to cycberspace...oh well here we go again.
Sky, I agree that the craiglist outfit looks great and seems to be a 'fair' price for what it looks to be. I know you already have the bike so maybe it is not appealing to you. But....if the setup shown looks 'right' to you it may not be too big of a deal to reproduce something similar.
The one shown is a Champion Escort sidecar. California sidecar has a similar model in their Frienship II ..CLICK HERE: http://www.californiasidecar.com/sid...endship_ii.htm
Won't hurt to call both companies and see what they say. Have to tell you though that both companies are really dedicated to trike production today but a call won't hurt. You can check the websites for pricing.
Both of these sidecars have a flip front and were basically takeoffs from the old CSC Friendship I model as far as basic looks go. The CSC Friendship I did not have a flip front and was a little smaller but still a decent looking sidecar. These Friendship I sidecars are available on the used market off and on for very good prices. However....the mounting hardware on the early ones was not the best and shoudl be replaced. The other glitch is the suspension. They had a swingarm that had an internal torsion setup made of 5 or so flat members that when working together crated a torsional spring (Early VW Beetles were similar). The issue is that as the spring leaves wear they break and if let go long enough can allow the swingarm, wheel and tire to decide to depart from the rest of the rig. Translation: Not a good day at all.
Except for the suspesnion and the mounts the sidecars were fine. The frame itself is okay and the body is nice.
I said all of that to say, knowing your situation somewhat, that we have done quite a few upgrades for the early Friendship sidecars. We re-fabricate to swingarm pivot using one of our own 1" spindles and our hub which takes away the original torsion setup. Then we run a splined end torsion bar under the sidecar frame and link it to the swingarm itself. This also provides a manual tilt adjustment which is a good feature. That in conjunction with redone mounting hardware makes a really decent ride out of an older CSC Friendship I sidecar without breaking the bank.
I do know of one Frienship I sidecar near here that is for sale if you are intertested. It does need the upgrade spoken of above. It was a freshly painted body when the guy got it but he wanted to do some mods to it so it woudl need some work now. Anyhow, all in all, price wise you may be able to get something together that woudl look similar to the one posted for your exisiting bike at a fraction of the cost of a new one by going this route of doing something similar.
Links for CSC and Champion:
http://www.californiasidecar.com/sid...endship_ii.htm
http://www.championsidecars.com/RunS...p=ASP\Pg46.asp

[skyking32]

3x3....... No worries! All you guys have been great. I will read, and re-read all the info sent, and try to make a good decision. Claude... What can I say I will be calling you again with more questions. The champion escort shown seems like it would work well for my needs. I will look into the friendship II site. I do like the Bandito. and the sprint (by Hannagan.) What do you think of them on the FJ? So many questions. I know. But you guys have so much info. sky.

[claude]

If you want a big sidecar here is a picture of a Hannigan GTL on a zx14 Concours. I will have my own GTL for sale next week.

[skyking32]

Hannigan sidecars...... I like them. Now should I go with the sprint. the Bandito or the Conte Classic? I"m leaning towards the sprint (so far) Thing is no top for this car and the front does not open up. should I let this stop me? (the price & looks agree with me) Has anyone had any experance with these cars? Pros/cons. Thanks. sky.

[claude]

Just receive this:
2003 Yamaha FJR1300 w/ RDS sidecar for sale

Built by Ralph Gerken & Jay Hall.

Penske custom built shocks.

Blue flame exhaust system.

2 power outlets, bar raisers, and wider mirrors (from FZ bike).

I am on the West Coast and will work with anybody to deliver it in the 48 states.

$20k.

Click for pictures:
http://public.fotki.com/RalphG/sidec...300-rds-2-hps/
Contact;

Ben Devine

Kelseyville, CA 95451

home phone: 707-277-0510

e-mail: bjdatppc@yahoo.com

[Bandit Bill]

Originally Posted by claude

The desire for a car tire on the front and 'needing' one are a different story. The wide front tires do help a lot in braking and turns away from the sidecar when a rig is pushed hard. Wide front tires also have their downsides as many times getting them to stop trying to follow irregularities in the road surface can be a challenge.
Richard??

Claude is on the money on this - car tires on the front end are beneficial, but with a leading link type front end, the rider has to be aware of it's potential limitations/liabilities. It's much more suitable for a centre-hub type design, IMHO.. but will work perfectly fine on a LL front end if the rider is aware of it's potential limitations in handling/braking situations.

I went to a leading link front end after a near miss off a cliff face at Deals Gap a number of years ago. I'm a somewhat aggressive rider, and a stock tire setup was both ponderous in handling in terms of the stock rake/trail setup, and sub-par in grip under power in corners. Often, i'd find the whole rig skipping/drifting sideways at the front end, even under smooth application of power. There simply wasn't enough 'meat on the table' to deal with traction on the road.

However, with a leading link type front end and an automotive front tire, the same can be held true, when hard braking is put into the equation. With the wheel turned, the tire contact patch rides up onto the edge, one side or the other. Without enough contact to the road, the wheel can lock up and break traction suddenly. I've performed impromptu and unintentional braking maneuvers going fully sideways, because the front wheel has locked up under heavy braking, slewing the whole bike sideways from inertia and lack of compensatory braking at the rear and sidecar brake (i'm in the habit of using the front brakes only).

I whole-heartedly believe in the value of an automotive front tire - under normal, straight line braking, nothing stops faster with all that meat on the plate. ridden with the 'ride-up' factor in mind, and ridden smoothly, most if not all people would not have a problem with my design setup. That said, however, if i were to do it all again, i would have mated the automotive front tire to a center hub design, to virtually eliminate the inherent weakness of a LL / Automotive tire combination..

JMHO..

[bk brkr baker]

Originally Posted by claude

Just receive this:
2003 Yamaha FJR1300 w/ RDS sidecar for sale

Built by Ralph Gerken & Jay Hall.

Penske custom built shocks.

Blue flame exhaust system.

2 power outlets, bar raisers, and wider mirrors (from FZ bike).

I am on the West Coast and will work with anybody to deliver it in the 48 states.

$20k.

Click for pictures:
http://public.fotki.com/RalphG/sidec...300-rds-2-hps/
Contact;

Ben Devine

Kelseyville, CA 95451

home phone: 707-277-0510

e-mail: bjdatppc@yahoo.com

I've ridden Jay's FJ and it is sweet. Ralph set this one up for Ben after the learning process he went through with Jay's. I wish I had the funds. If someone does and wants a special rig this is a deal.

[MikeS]

Sky

First, IMO, you'll be ahead cash wise to buy a rig already mated to a motorcycle, and sell your FJR as a two wheeler - or keep the FJR and have a sidecar outfit and a two wheeler. Sidecars don't sell fast in the used market. Besides, this is your first outfit, and you likely don't know if you'll like it or not.

My suggestion is to locate a low mileage, older used outfit with reduced trail front end, maybe car tire on the rear, and all set up and ready to go. I went that way with my GL1100-EML outfit, and I'm very happy I did. Decades ago, I had a bolt on sidecar on a then newish '71 BMW R60, and I eventually hated it because of it's poor handling because of the incomplete set up. Getting back in to sidecars, I knew I wanted a well set up, dedicated rig, and I'm glad I went with my GL-EML outfit. It's such a hoot to drive!

If you want a high end FJR-RDS outfit, here's one I found in CA, which I would love to own & pilot:
http://hpsidecars.com/ForSale/FJR_RDS/FJR_RDS.htm

[chairhead]

HHmmmm,
not to piss on anyones fireworks,great looking outfit,real quality,but the chair is very tight to the bike no?,the chair also looks very small,or is the guy sat in it an absolute giant,luggage space for me would be an issue or lack of it in this case,great if you only have a laptop to pack