Bike Side Car

GoldenMotor.com

junkyard

New Member
Jan 6, 2009
82
0
0
st.petersburg fla

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
670
113
northeastern Minnesota
Cool, but has anyone tries carrying the kids in one of these?? I have a 2 year old who would love a ride behind my motor... but has anyone done it? What are the experiences of folks here who have hauled kids in a trailer?^5
Yes, many Ojibwe Indian kids. Just sent a long post that got lost in cyberspace, but the short of it is, yes. Get a mud flap to help keep junk from kicking up onto the front of the trailer. I've pulled an Instep Lightning model for hundreds of miles without a mishap. The hitch is set up to keep it upright even if you wreck your bike. It flexes.
Silverbear
 

wyatt_1st

New Member
Jul 25, 2009
16
0
0
austin texas
Third world countries have been using sidecars on bikes for generations. In the Philipines, they are both on bicycles and motorcycles. So definately practical....but not always legal here in the US.
im not sure why you are saying they are not legal here in the U.S? . im asking because i have rode sidecar motorcycles for the last ten years and actually this was a huge segment of motorcycling until cars became very affordable to the public in the late teens. its still quite active here stateside and even bigger in europe to this day so on that note please explain your statement with some facts of legality . i and others would be interested to know what you mean.
 

spad4me

New Member
Jan 20, 2008
472
0
0
Arizona Bullhead
Cool, but has anyone tries carrying the kids in one of these?? I have a 2 year old who would love a ride behind my motor... but has anyone done it? What are the experiences of folks here who have hauled kids in a trailer?^5


Contact azbill

He is a member here .
He often carry's his grandkids in his trailer.
 

Tom Bartlett

New Member
Jul 13, 2008
21
0
1
North Alabama
Mike,
Like you, I became interested in adding a sidecar to my Zipcycle, especially for parades, since I don't have to balance it. With a sidecar you can stop without putting your feet down! I am attaching pictures of the unfinished one that I ride. From the pictures you can see that I used a bicycle front fork to attach the sidecar wheel, and fashioned a clamp-on frame that can be detached in minutes. Riding it is different. I first rode in an empty parking lot to get used to it, slowing gaining speed and making shallow turns (to the right--left turns are no problem) until the sidecar gently lifted. Then I knew how it felt. Within a few minutes I felt right at home (I don't go as fast as I used to since I turned 70!). Its was fun project and the bike is one of my favorites.
Still having fun,
Tom Bartlett
 

Attachments

Michigan Mike

New Member
Dec 9, 2008
509
0
0
Michigan
Mike,
Like you, I became interested in adding a sidecar to my Zipcycle, especially for parades, since I don't have to balance it. With a sidecar you can stop without putting your feet down! I am attaching pictures of the unfinished one that I ride. From the pictures you can see that I used a bicycle front fork to attach the sidecar wheel, and fashioned a clamp-on frame that can be detached in minutes. Riding it is different. I first rode in an empty parking lot to get used to it, slowing gaining speed and making shallow turns (to the right--left turns are no problem) until the sidecar gently lifted. Then I knew how it felt. Within a few minutes I felt right at home (I don't go as fast as I used to since I turned 70!). Its was fun project and the bike is one of my favorites.
Still having fun,
Tom Bartlett
Tom,
That is almost TOO cool! Looks like a very nice, very clean build. A few questions ...
What type of pipe did you use?
Did you weld the bike fork for the side car wheel to the side car frame?
How about some close up pics of how the car attaches to the bike?
Mike
.trk.
 

Tom Bartlett

New Member
Jul 13, 2008
21
0
1
North Alabama
Mike,
Pipe...I used mild steel tubing, 1" diameter about 18 gauge (that I can bend with my conduit bender). I use a 6' cheater bar to help make the bends, and sometimes I heat the tubing just before bending with a MAPP torch.
I am attaching pictures of the attachments that I fabricated. Made up of two "C" shapes with one side welded to the tubing. I made three attachments-one on the front down tube and the other two on the seat stay (is that the right term?) and the other on the chain stay. Forms a triangle.
I just welded one side of the fork to the sidecar frame. I did not know what angle (vertical) to attach the fork, so I approximated a bicycle front fork angle. Toe-in...I put 2-3 degrees toe-in on the sidecar wheel, just thinking it might lessen the side pull.

It travels fairly straight with no discernible side pull unless the sidecar wheel drops off into a hole. Then I can feel a tug to the right, but nothing too upsetting. I've had a couple of friends ride the bike, I have them go slowly for a few hundred yards to get the feel, and they all enjoyed the ride.
Tom
 

Attachments

weekend-fun

New Member
Jun 21, 2009
999
0
0
San Carlos CA
Tom,
That is almost TOO cool! Looks like a very nice, very clean build. A few questions ...
What type of pipe did you use?
Did you weld the bike fork for the side car wheel to the side car frame?
How about some close up pics of how the car attaches to the bike?
Mike
.trk.
I agree!!!
Nice bike!!!
 

Dbug41

New Member
Jul 21, 2010
9
0
0
Clearfield Utah
Here is some pic's of my sidecar build I am a Utah Salt Flats Racing Association official and I will use this bike out on the salt to move traffic cone when we switch tracks I'm responsible for the starting line approch lanes (2 miles of cones) this will make life allot easier









 

silverbear

The Boy Who Never Grew Up
Jul 9, 2009
8,325
670
113
northeastern Minnesota
DBug41,
Very nice. It looks like you could just run the sidecar into the cone and it would slide back ready for the next cone to sit inside it and so on. Or do you pick each one up by hand? Bike looks good, too. I imagine you get some looks and lots of questions.
SB