RT's and sidecars

[bowcop]

Anyone have one? Pros, cons? We just got back from Yellowstone in the cage, and I was SO jeolous of all the bikes! But I can't put the wife and son on my RT as is....any ideas?

[flat_twin]

I can't speak from experience but it's my understanding that a sidecar rig takes a very different set of skills to operate compared to two wheelers. Then there's the rig itself. Many ways to spend huge dollars there.

Does your wife have any interest in riding her own? How about your son?

[bowcop]

Wife has no interest and my son is only 9....

[notacop]

A good rig is not an inexpensive ordeal. I've got a 78/7 upgraded with a R100R engine. Power is ok to pull a Ural sidecar. Milage loss with a sidecar is offset with a vintage 10 gallon gas tank.

You loose milage, manouverability and that free feeling for LOOK AT ME bragging rights. Some manouverability is made up for with weird low speed turning ability. U-turns are a snap.

Wear on drive line parts is increased as is wear and tear on the frame. I've gone through a few transmissions and rear ends. I found a crack in my frame where the front attaching point is. Corrected that but it will be something else next time.

Lotsa folks will want to chat with you everytime you stop.

By all means do it. Check out the sidecar element of motorcycling. There are a lot of used hacks available on the market. MOA and Hack'd magazine is a good place to start.

Come to the dark side, Luke!!!

[sebjones906]

http://www.sidecar.com/

Good forum for all your questions. Of course, sidecar people are very independant thinkers and rarely agree. So your guestions will get several divergent answers.

[bowcop]

Thanks you guys.......I guess I am gonna stick with the cage for vacations.

[squints]

I had a vetter terraplane on my 04 just to see what it was like, my son at the time was 6 and loved it. I ended up taking it off, not because I didn't like it but because I didn't like it AS much as 2 wheels. I will have another when I can afford both, hopefully with in the next year or so. As far as handling it was what I expected, there is a learning curve but within 2 weeks I was taking turns close to normal speed. As far as the RT being a good tug, I think it is geared way to high. Even in first you end up slipping the clutch a little to get started.

[notacop]

Me thinks you gave in too easily. A bad day on the hack is better that a good day in the cage. You probably won't have a tent trailer behind you like I have when the wife goes.

There is a lot to be said for careening around corners with a friend playing monkey. The look on solo riders faces is worth a picture when you pass them on a hack.

At the Beemer Bash a few years ago we trashed a rear tire sliding around corners on the poker run. We scared a lot of rabbits and laughed ourselves silly.

One cannot live by one BMW alone. A hack is just an extension of the moto experience. Sidecaring is the Monty Python of motorcycling.