Side Car suggestions for a Loopframe Eldorado

[canuck750]

I am toying with the idea of mounting a sidecar to my 72 Eldorado. I have never ridden a side car and don't know if its for me but I would like to give one a try. I think my 72 Eldorado is the 'right' bike to be equipped with a chair.

I would like the side car to be readily removable, and the mounts to allow me to keep the floor boards / leg shield / crash bar in place. I want a side car that looks period correct or older, not interested in a Ural type side car.

What would you guys recommend and any pictures of an Eldorado with the recommended side car would sure be appreciated.

Thanks

Jim

[Sasquatch Jim]

 Ask Tom in Hawaii to send you a photo of his.  I believe it is English.

[Sheepdog]

A Steib TR500, a Watsonian Monza, or a Ural would all be great looking hacks for a Loop. However, trying to rig it for both 2 or 3 wheels can cause compromises that will make the outfit handle poorly...

[Rusty goose]

I have a '50's Steib S350 mounted to my Ambassador.  I love it, just the right weight, very stable.  I could not find any pre-made mounts, I had to make my own.

A couple questions though, why not a Ural sidecar?  They are great, heavy, well made, solid.  Their design is not modern, they have been made essentially the same since the '40's.  If you start looking at different boats you'll realize pretty quickly that they are also about the roomiest and quite comfy to get in and out of.

Why do you want to be able to disconnect it quickly?  All the hacks I have had have four mounting points so either four bolts or two bolts and two clamps and a wiring plug.  More difficult item is supporting it on a block or cart when its off.  But once you mount the thing and ride awhile with it, it is not something you just put on like a coat when its cold.  You bike tires start to wear flat down the centers (no leaning), so if you go two wheels after that cornering starts to get interesting.  The to reattach you have to go through all the fiddly measurements to get it dialed in again.
 
Best bet is to have two bikes, one with, one without.  Or two with, and 8 without, or....

If you have never ridden one, my advice is to try it first before you go through the time and expense.

Rusty

[Groover]

Following this thread. Urals do seem to have the sidecar rig market cornered right now. Some of their stuff is pretty cool, reverse gear, dual drive.

[rodekyll]

I think you're getting the car before the horse.  If you've never ridden a hack, find one and ride it first.  When you add the chair it's not a bike anymore.  It doesn't steer, brake, corner, or accelerate like one.  It doesn't even steer symmetrically, and it's a lot more work to drive.  You might decide you hate it. 

[canuck750]

Thanks guys, I think I need to borrow a sidecar outfit for a day and get the feel for it first.

[guzzisteve]

http://www.sidecar.com/mbbs22/category-view.asp

There are clubs & sidecar classes, I know there's a club.

[TOMB]

 In the past I had an El Dorado with the watsonian Monza sidecar very good setup I had a guy that's in Connecticut that's all he did was set up sidecars and it was perfect however I would suggest if you consider going to a sidecar the El Dorado will do it with the 5-speed transmission however I personally feel and have driven the bike was an ambassador that had the same side car on it and it drove much nicer because of the lower gearing and the shorter piston stroke so the power was there right away and it was geared low so you not really lugging the engine other than that they look the same just drives a little different it's really your choice but I preferred the lower gear of The Ambassador over the Eldo however at the same time I did have a Eldorado without a side car and that was my solo  bike that I prefer to take on trips just my my choice but I've had both I believe the Ambassador again is better with the sidecar the eldorados for me was better as a solo bike enjoy
TOMB

[Chuck in Indiana]

Thanks guys, I think I need to borrow a sidecar outfit for a day and get the feel for it first.

Good plan. The only thing that is the same with a rig is the controls look familiar.  Operating one is an *entirely* different experience. You may love it. Or not. YMM definitely V. 
As for hooking up/unhooking a sidecar at random.. that normally doesn't work. As Rusty Goose mentioned above, there is a lot of setup involved when you try to do that.

[rudyr]

If you can find some one to let you ride a bike with a sidecar.  find you a big parking lot then practice going around in a circle counter clockwise and make the circle smaller.  You must learn how to fly the sidecar and control it, and see the bike lean over from the opposite side.  Some people have a runaway when seeing the ground from a different angel.  If you or close to ark. I will give you the two bit lession (got two sidecar riges).rudyr

[maquette]

I had a Velorex 562 mounted to my '72 Eldo and liked it, but felt I needed better brakes. I switched it over to my 1000SP and am much happier with the triple discs. I think you won't be happy trying to use a rig as a part time sidecar and part time bike. Too much work getting it to stay lined up correctly. On the positive side, it doesn't fall over. 

[Rich A]

I had a Velorex 562 mounted to my '72 Eldo and liked it, but felt I needed better brakes.

I was going to say something along these lines. And I agree about a dedicated rig and doing some test riding.

In any case, I think you should consider the intended purpose of the rig. Puttering around town is different than running the slab. My Jackal/Texas rig will cruise at 70-75 easily--I changed gears in the rear end and added a second disk up front and so it goes and also stops quite quickly. Don't think that kind of performance would be possible if you use a loop as a tug. On the other hand, you may not need it.

Rich

[motormike131]

   Borrow a rig... take it out a open..lonely road..slowly. At first they are scary. Your don't ride them.. they are driven.
   Like ride'n a head strong horse.. he has his way of do'n things and you have yours. Once you and the horse agree and accept the parameters it's a nice ride in the country. It takes awhile to get there. A friend got a rig and after 20 miles he didn't want anything to do with it. I took his rig out ..gave him my one year history with them and that he should give it more time in the saddle. He's now a happy sidecar dude.

[huklbery]

   Borrow a rig... take it out a open..lonely road..slowly. At first they are scary. Your don't ride them.. they are driven.
   Like ride'n a head strong horse.. he has his way of do'n things and you have yours. Once you and the horse agree and accept the parameters it's a nice ride in the country. It takes awhile to get there. A friend got a rig and after 20 miles he didn't want anything to do with it. I took his rig out ..gave him my one year history with them and that he should give it more time in the saddle. He's now a happy sidecar dude.

I would say pilot as in sailing rather than drive...
 
The front end set up optimized for sidecar vs solo is much different so dedicate the bike to a hack or keep it solo for best results...

Several companies in Europe do specialize in "swinger" quick convert solo hack combo's, expensive and they seem to only do recent made bike mounts...

I highly recommend it, its great fun on a well set up rig but its not motorcycling.