not knowing anything about them can cause you no end of real pain, hassle & general bummed out ness.
quick primer - this is not to deter but to educate - ive had three bikes with sidecars since 1980 - all hd bikes two with hd sidecars.
steering - hd quit making raked trees for sidecar bikes after 1983 - that means that any modern hd including yours will steer like a bulldozer with a sidecar. if you have really huge upper body strength this is no problem. to permanently solve that problem i use a liberty raked tree - there are many tree options, i personally think liberty is the best tree mfg. it IS theoretically possible to mount a pre 84 sidecar tree on a modern softail with some "extra work" that will give you the adjustability - forward for sidecar and back for solo - they are very very rare & expensive - but what that says "hd" on it is not expensive. for most folks its either tolerate high steering effort or install a raked tree.
hd does not make a sidecar for the softail line - liberty in seattle makes a really wonderful unit and will mount it to a softail. i have a ultra and am using a hd sidecar. i have seen a hd sidecar mounted on a softail - it can be done but you really do need a machine shop to modify stock hd mounts.
Alignment - to have a sidecar rig work properly there are two adjustments - lean out & toe in. lean is to get the front end to want to go straight and toe in is to compensate for the rear tire squirming ever so slightly to the left. i run about 3/8" of toe in measured from a board that is clamped to the sidecar tire and measuring in front of the bike front tire to behind the rear bike tire - think about the length & how small a angle that really is. the range is 3/4" to 1/4" its very very precise and if not right is terrrrrrrible, dangerous terrible - get hd sidecar manual and do what it says.
hd sidecars ride like a 1955 cadillac - my wife has a bad back - she reached the point where she could not ride for 10 mins without having to get off and put heat on. in the sidecar she is just fine all day. [of course she is now menopausal - do i need to say more] i have a left ankle that will just not work properly every so often - its really scarry coming to a stop sign not knowing if this is the time im going to fall over.
it takes about 10 mins to get a sidecar off for service or to go ride solo assuming you have a solo tree. however - it takes a couple of hours to get the sidecar on the bike, hook up the wires, hook up the brakes, bleed the brakes, set lean and toe, do a couple of test rides and reset the lean and toe.
basically if you want your hd with sidecar to operate properly you need to have a bike where you never take the sidecar off except to do major engine work to the right side - all the shiny crap mfg will say about easy on and easy on is just complete bull*&^% propagated by sales departments. a sidecar is not permanent like a trike - you can separate them and sell the two units apart. but its unreality to be taking it off all week and have it on each weekend - not going to happen. if you do think you can do that send me some of what you are smoking.
if you go to buy a used hd sidecar remember that the mounting kit to put a hd sidecar on a hd touring bike costs about 1100 bux, its included in the price so a brand new hd sidecar removed and put up for sale is instantly 1100 bux cheaper unless they can prove that 100% of the parts are there. that 1100 bux box contains parts that are more or less permanently installed on the bike. usually the used sidecar comes with the large forged mounts - those are the cheapest parts in the box. also remember that the mounting kit is listed & mfg by what year bike its mounting to - a 06 kit WILL NOT work on a 07 bike for example. the 1100 $ kit consists of a new, special brake pedal, a new special rear master cylinder reservoir plus some pipes and clamps, a tee and plug for the brake line, a fitting to move the oil pressure sender, and some wiring that goes behind and under the battery that changes how the rollover switch works. plus the anti wobble giz for the front fork, a new clutch cable as the original has to move and wont reach, new right side saddle bag latch parts, and a few other parts that excape me. liberty mounts are similar but different and include a small part that is welded to the hd frame.
your best bet & lowest bux is to purchase a used hd with a sidecar already on it - install a raked tree if it does not already have it & then switch bikes, you will be vastly happier.
later and have a good day
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Topic: sidecar for FLSTSE (Read 8570 times)