Another Aussie outfit build

Clancy · 02-26-2010, 10:26 PM

Yes, Another one

Unlike 3legs "Ultimate Hack" this one will be a start from scratch build, with a new to me K1100, and no previous sidecar building experience, apart from giving NevGriff a bit of help with his.

This whole saga has it's origins in a return to riding solos after many years away from bikes, riding to rallies, meeting a lot of outfit riders, and finally, a trip to Top Hut station, and the realisation that I had an aversion to riding a loaded heavy Honda twin in sand

Australia has a very rich sidecar history, with some very unique and original outfits; I'd heard of some of the exploits of outfits like the legendary Tuck Truck, and on one particular ride, admired the ability of these blokes to carry all the luxuries, including in one instance, all the equipment and iingredients to have steamed barramundi for dinner.

The Tuck Truck

Aussie outfits, including Phyllis's Burgman rig.

More

Mungo's camo outfit

The REAL Phyllis

in the Burgman

Doing it in Style. McCardigan, preparing the steamed fish.

As can be seen from the pics, there's a huge diversity in the design and looks of Aussie outfits but they all have the ability to cover the big miles, with some big loads, over some very questionable roads, and camp. in reasonable comfort at the end of it.

Clancy · 02-26-2010, 10:55 PM

Having admired the way these blokes travel to rallies, and spoken to a few about building an outfit, I finally made the decision. During all the questioning, one of the recommended bikes was a K1100 and luckily, one became available, at the right price, and in reasonable condition.

This was my first look at it. 87,000 kms, which I'm told, makes it only a youngster

Once I got it home, I started having a closer look, pulled a few things off it. The bloke I bought it off was the second owner and, though it looked ok, was showing signs of living out in the open.
The original intention was to do what was needed to mount a sidecar and go riding. Once I started having a closer look, I soon realised that the bike needed a bit of work before I'd be doing any long distance trips.

Doesn't look too bad

SioI started pulling parts off, Sold the panniers, the radio, and a few other bits and pieces. Lower fairing removed and sold as it wasn't going back on.

As I went along, I started finding little things that would need fixing.

One of the lugs had broken off the upper fairing so I glassed it back on.

Found some very dodgy switch repairs.

The seat was delaminating and cracking along the corners.

I didn't like the front guard but that was going to come off anyway as I'll be fitting leading links. I found out that the forks had been reconditioned the week before I picked the bike up, as a roadworthy certificate item.
They'll be sold anyway.

I realised at this stage that the bike needed a fair bit of work. I noticed a slight leak at the rear main seal, and most of the fuel plumbing needed attention. I'd also noticed a faint gearbox noise, so off to Ringwood BMW.

Clancy · 02-26-2010, 11:17 PM

The bike came back with new rear main seal, clutch kit, and new gearbox bearings. Only one of the bearings was a bit suspect but while the gearbox was out, it seemed silly not to do the job properly.

Once the bike came back I continued finding things that needed attention. The switch panel was cracked and would need replacing. The electric screen was sold and would be replaced with something lighter.

I made an attempt at making a new panel but it didn't come out the way I wanted so was pushed onto the back burner for later.

So far, the job had taken longer than I thought, and this was going to be the way things would go for most of the build.
I gave up on the bike at this stage and decided to make a start on the sidecar. I had a few ideas in mind, though nothing firm. I wanted to carry a fridge, I didn't want to carry jerry cans, so decided to fit a purpose built fuel tank.
There were a few ideas of mounting points, lots of storage space, and a second battery. With that in mind, no previous sidecar building experience, and little else, I made a start with some square tube.

As I worked, I formed a bit of a picture, with the fridge on the back, fuel tank and battery somewhere in the middle. From what I'd read in here, from Claude and others, the intention was to keep the main weight inside the triangle formed by the three wheels.

Note the square front. This was to change as I went along.

At this stage, I got involved with NevGriff and the build of his Ural sidecar/1150, and, through that, got to talk to Phyllis, who was a mine of information and ideas. More of that later.

Phyllis's work on this was nothing short of brilliant.

Where I planned to put the fridge.

The fuel tank. 35 litre, sponge filled.

More later.

3legs · 02-26-2010, 11:39 PM

Heap of shit.

Nah just kidding. For a sidecar virgin I reckon you have done a brilliant job. Most impressed.
Now if you can just get it finished for the OCR.

3legs

Clancy · 02-26-2010, 11:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3legs

Heap of shit.

Nah just kidding. For a sidecar virgin I reckon you have done a brilliant job. Most impressed.
Now if you can just get it finished for the OCR.

3legs

Ok Smart ass. What did you do to yours today

3legs · 02-26-2010, 11:51 PM

Who me. Never.

Check out my site.

3legs

Clancy · 02-26-2010, 11:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 3legs

Who me. Never.

Check out my site.

3legs

Just did

Clancy · 02-27-2010, 12:15 AM

Sorry if this build jumps around all over the place, but that's the way it's gone from day one. Looking back at the pics, it seems like a very long time ago that some of it took place

and in truth, it WAS a long time ago

At this stage I had to make some decisions on wheels and tyres. All good advice suggested car tyres on the sidecar and the back of the bike, so I had to give some thought to how I was going to do it.
Finally, I had some wheels made that would fit a Holden Commodore (GM product here in Aus)

15" x 4" steel 5 stud wheel.

I'd later be getting an adaptor made for the one on the bike rear.

Most advice said to fit a K block to the front.
All through this build, a lot of the things that I've done have come through these pages, so thanks.

Nankang 165 x 15 tyre. Powder coated wheel.

After talking to 3legs at the outfit rally,(thanks Alex) I fitted a Hagon shock to the rear of the bike, with the intention of using the bike unit for the sidecar.
When NevGriff found that the shock on the back of his 1150 was a bit on the soft side, we took a trip to the Hagon importer and spent most of the day trying different units until we found one that was suitable. I can't speak highly enough of Darryl at Hagons - extremely helpful, and he said that if the unit on the back of the K wasn't up to it, he would do the same for me.

The swing arm was the next job. In the interests of adjustablity, I went with the heim joint idea in the pics. It seems ok, but time will tell

At this stage, I started to seek advice on wheel lead. After listening to all the theories, and reading everything I found in here, and elsewhere, I went with Phil's advice. Over the years, he's built a huge number of outfits and I felt I couldn't go wrong with his suggestion of 20% of wheelbase, which in this case turned out to be 310mm.

As I said earlier, the front started off square, but this changed to mount the swing arm, with the shape that I wanted.

TouringDave · 02-27-2010, 12:55 AM

Oh this is good, loooooong time coming but good, real good

Yes, yes I know, where's mine, blah, blah, blah.

snayle · 02-27-2010, 01:08 AM

Looking good Neil

snayle

Clancy · 02-27-2010, 01:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TouringDave

Oh this is good, loooooong time coming but good, real good

Yes, yes I know, where's mine, blah, blah, blah.

No Dave, I wouldn't do that to you. That's Alex's job

Clancy · 02-27-2010, 01:23 AM

The next thing was to mount the spring. It needed a bit more framing to mount it, so things were starting to design themselves

The space under where the fridge might go, takes three Kmart sealable plastic boxes perfectly.

More framing.

At this stage, the plan was to put the fridge at the back, and the fuel tank in the centre. The trouble was, that the fuel tank has to be mounted high to enable access to the filler, then the space underneath would be hard to get at.

I spent a wasted couple of hours looking at it, until Phil walked in and said "why don't you put the fridge in the middle?"
Thanks Phil

It was obvious. The weight of the fuel cell would be variable, obviously depending on the amount of fuel in it, whilst the fridge weight would be fairly constant. It made a lot more sense to put the fixed weight inside the wheel triangle. The space next to the fuel cell could be used for battery and electrics, whilst the space underneath is still for storage/tools.

miggins11 · 02-27-2010, 01:58 AM

This is looking good!

Clancy · 02-27-2010, 01:59 AM

Thanks

nevgriff64 · 02-27-2010, 02:00 AM

Great to see the build report finally up and running mate..

( Show em the pictures of the Kayak racks..

)

02-26-2010, 10:26 PM	#1
Clancy ^OP Beastly Adventurer Joined: Jun 2006 Location: Land of droughts, and flooding rains Oddometer: 4,856	Another Aussie outfit build Yes, Another one Unlike 3legs "Ultimate Hack" this one will be a start from scratch build, with a new to me K1100, and no previous sidecar building experience, apart from giving NevGriff a bit of help with his. This whole saga has it's origins in a return to riding solos after many years away from bikes, riding to rallies, meeting a lot of outfit riders, and finally, a trip to Top Hut station, and the realisation that I had an aversion to riding a loaded heavy Honda twin in sand Australia has a very rich sidecar history, with some very unique and original outfits; I'd heard of some of the exploits of outfits like the legendary Tuck Truck, and on one particular ride, admired the ability of these blokes to carry all the luxuries, including in one instance, all the equipment and iingredients to have steamed barramundi for dinner. The Tuck Truck Aussie outfits, including Phyllis's Burgman rig. More Mungo's camo outfit The REAL Phyllis in the Burgman Doing it in Style. McCardigan, preparing the steamed fish. As can be seen from the pics, there's a huge diversity in the design and looks of Aussie outfits but they all have the ability to cover the big miles, with some big loads, over some very questionable roads, and camp. in reasonable comfort at the end of it. __________________ And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, And at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars. Clancy screwed with this post 02-26-2010 at 10:37 PM

02-26-2010, 10:55 PM	#2
Clancy ^OP Beastly Adventurer Joined: Jun 2006 Location: Land of droughts, and flooding rains Oddometer: 4,856	Having admired the way these blokes travel to rallies, and spoken to a few about building an outfit, I finally made the decision. During all the questioning, one of the recommended bikes was a K1100 and luckily, one became available, at the right price, and in reasonable condition. This was my first look at it. 87,000 kms, which I'm told, makes it only a youngster Once I got it home, I started having a closer look, pulled a few things off it. The bloke I bought it off was the second owner and, though it looked ok, was showing signs of living out in the open. The original intention was to do what was needed to mount a sidecar and go riding. Once I started having a closer look, I soon realised that the bike needed a bit of work before I'd be doing any long distance trips. Doesn't look too bad SioI started pulling parts off, Sold the panniers, the radio, and a few other bits and pieces. Lower fairing removed and sold as it wasn't going back on. As I went along, I started finding little things that would need fixing. One of the lugs had broken off the upper fairing so I glassed it back on. Found some very dodgy switch repairs. The seat was delaminating and cracking along the corners. I didn't like the front guard but that was going to come off anyway as I'll be fitting leading links. I found out that the forks had been reconditioned the week before I picked the bike up, as a roadworthy certificate item. They'll be sold anyway. I realised at this stage that the bike needed a fair bit of work. I noticed a slight leak at the rear main seal, and most of the fuel plumbing needed attention. I'd also noticed a faint gearbox noise, so off to Ringwood BMW. __________________ And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, And at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars.

02-26-2010, 11:17 PM	#3
Clancy ^OP Beastly Adventurer Joined: Jun 2006 Location: Land of droughts, and flooding rains Oddometer: 4,856	The bike came back with new rear main seal, clutch kit, and new gearbox bearings. Only one of the bearings was a bit suspect but while the gearbox was out, it seemed silly not to do the job properly. Once the bike came back I continued finding things that needed attention. The switch panel was cracked and would need replacing. The electric screen was sold and would be replaced with something lighter. I made an attempt at making a new panel but it didn't come out the way I wanted so was pushed onto the back burner for later. So far, the job had taken longer than I thought, and this was going to be the way things would go for most of the build. I gave up on the bike at this stage and decided to make a start on the sidecar. I had a few ideas in mind, though nothing firm. I wanted to carry a fridge, I didn't want to carry jerry cans, so decided to fit a purpose built fuel tank. There were a few ideas of mounting points, lots of storage space, and a second battery. With that in mind, no previous sidecar building experience, and little else, I made a start with some square tube. As I worked, I formed a bit of a picture, with the fridge on the back, fuel tank and battery somewhere in the middle. From what I'd read in here, from Claude and others, the intention was to keep the main weight inside the triangle formed by the three wheels. Note the square front. This was to change as I went along. At this stage, I got involved with NevGriff and the build of his Ural sidecar/1150, and, through that, got to talk to Phyllis, who was a mine of information and ideas. More of that later. Phyllis's work on this was nothing short of brilliant. Where I planned to put the fridge. The fuel tank. 35 litre, sponge filled. More later. __________________ And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, And at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars.

02-27-2010, 12:15 AM	#8
Clancy ^OP Beastly Adventurer Joined: Jun 2006 Location: Land of droughts, and flooding rains Oddometer: 4,856	Sorry if this build jumps around all over the place, but that's the way it's gone from day one. Looking back at the pics, it seems like a very long time ago that some of it took place and in truth, it WAS a long time ago At this stage I had to make some decisions on wheels and tyres. All good advice suggested car tyres on the sidecar and the back of the bike, so I had to give some thought to how I was going to do it. Finally, I had some wheels made that would fit a Holden Commodore (GM product here in Aus) 15" x 4" steel 5 stud wheel. I'd later be getting an adaptor made for the one on the bike rear. Most advice said to fit a K block to the front. All through this build, a lot of the things that I've done have come through these pages, so thanks. Nankang 165 x 15 tyre. Powder coated wheel. After talking to 3legs at the outfit rally,(thanks Alex) I fitted a Hagon shock to the rear of the bike, with the intention of using the bike unit for the sidecar. When NevGriff found that the shock on the back of his 1150 was a bit on the soft side, we took a trip to the Hagon importer and spent most of the day trying different units until we found one that was suitable. I can't speak highly enough of Darryl at Hagons - extremely helpful, and he said that if the unit on the back of the K wasn't up to it, he would do the same for me. The swing arm was the next job. In the interests of adjustablity, I went with the heim joint idea in the pics. It seems ok, but time will tell At this stage, I started to seek advice on wheel lead. After listening to all the theories, and reading everything I found in here, and elsewhere, I went with Phil's advice. Over the years, he's built a huge number of outfits and I felt I couldn't go wrong with his suggestion of 20% of wheelbase, which in this case turned out to be 310mm. As I said earlier, the front started off square, but this changed to mount the swing arm, with the shape that I wanted. __________________ And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, And at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars.

02-27-2010, 12:55 AM	#9
TouringDave Ok Human Let's Ride! Joined: May 2005 Location: Frankston, Vic, Aust. Oddometer: 6,390	Oh this is good, loooooong time coming but good, real good Yes, yes I know, where's mine, blah, blah, blah. __________________ K7 Strom with Chair 84 Kwaka GT750 Cafe Project 84 Kawaka GT750 Outfit Project

02-26-2010, 11:39 PM	#4
3legs Real men ride sidecars Joined: Oct 2007 Location: Adelaide,South Oz Oddometer: 828	Heap of shit. Nah just kidding. For a sidecar virgin I reckon you have done a brilliant job. Most impressed. Now if you can just get it finished for the OCR. 3legs

02-26-2010, 11:51 PM	#6
3legs Real men ride sidecars Joined: Oct 2007 Location: Adelaide,South Oz Oddometer: 828	Who me. Never. Check out my site. 3legs

02-27-2010, 01:08 AM	#10
snayle Adventurer Joined: Oct 2007 Location: yorke peninsula south australia Oddometer: 216	Looking good Neil snayle __________________ Snails Just Worms With Crash Helmets

02-27-2010, 01:23 AM	#12
Clancy ^OP Beastly Adventurer Joined: Jun 2006 Location: Land of droughts, and flooding rains Oddometer: 4,856	The next thing was to mount the spring. It needed a bit more framing to mount it, so things were starting to design themselves The space under where the fridge might go, takes three Kmart sealable plastic boxes perfectly. More framing. At this stage, the plan was to put the fridge at the back, and the fuel tank in the centre. The trouble was, that the fuel tank has to be mounted high to enable access to the filler, then the space underneath would be hard to get at. I spent a wasted couple of hours looking at it, until Phil walked in and said "why don't you put the fridge in the middle?" Thanks Phil It was obvious. The weight of the fuel cell would be variable, obviously depending on the amount of fuel in it, whilst the fridge weight would be fairly constant. It made a lot more sense to put the fixed weight inside the wheel triangle. The space next to the fuel cell could be used for battery and electrics, whilst the space underneath is still for storage/tools. __________________ And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, And at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars. Clancy screwed with this post 02-27-2010 at 01:29 AM

02-27-2010, 01:58 AM	#13
miggins11 Gnarly Adventurer Joined: Nov 2009 Location: Cheshire, England Oddometer: 213	This is looking good! __________________ Honda CB1300/searching

02-27-2010, 01:59 AM	#14
Clancy ^OP Beastly Adventurer Joined: Jun 2006 Location: Land of droughts, and flooding rains Oddometer: 4,856	Thanks __________________ And he sees the vision splendid of the sunlit plains extended, And at night the wondrous glory of the everlasting stars.

02-27-2010, 02:00 AM	#15
nevgriff64 Spelt with 2 ffs Joined: Nov 2005 Location: Melbourne Australia Oddometer: 11,450	Great to see the build report finally up and running mate.. ( Show em the pictures of the Kayak racks.. ) __________________ 6 Weeks 17 750 kilometers Traveling Around Australia

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