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Sidecar

16K views 28 replies 15 participants last post by  jfc77320 
#1 ·
I plan on purchasing a CTX700 and would like to put a sidecar on it using the Honda 17" front wheel and 230mm Honda rear disk brake with a 17" front wheel as a spare.

Is anyone else interested in pursuing selecting and mounting a sidecar. I'd like to hear your ideas of what would look appropriate.
 
#5 ·
good question i would be more happy with a honda sidecar, if they are the one's making the bike, then getting a sidecar from them would be idea.

how i see it aftermarket companies don't have the time and money to do what a company as big as honda can when it comes to product development.

never had a sidecar before, how much do they usually weigh and how will gas mileage suffer?
 
#8 ·
A picture is worth a thousand words. :) I belong to the Rounder's Forum, a group of riders who ride in extreme climate conditions...as well as when the more sane riders are out too. One of them has a Ural and takes it up into the mountains in Colorado when the snow is several inches deep. There's a trip thread also about taking a Ural up to Alaska that is in progress right now.

The Ural can go just about anywhere. When you need more traction, you just flip a lever and you get the sidecar wheel engaged too.

The nice part I would think about getting a Ural, is that while it is a dated design, it is also a design that has had the bugs worked out. Any other kind of sidecar rig would be something where you'd be trying something never done before.

There are some bikes out there that are just magnets for people to want to know more about. Stop at a highway rest stop or a gas station, and someone will want to strike up a conversation with you. The Spyder Can-Am is one. The Ural is another. One looks like it is from the future, while the other looks like it is from WWII.

Chris
 
#10 ·
Making right turns will take getting used to at speed.

My thought would be change sprockets to achieve the correct final ratio to carry the added weight, But i am not sure as you would probably be exceeded the maximum weight limit of this bike.

Not sure what you would end up with
 
#19 ·
The only bike I have see that really looked right with a sidecar was the Ural.
 
#21 ·
There are other companies that make sidecars but if you really want a sidecar then I would go with a bigger engine as you will take a performance hit with the sidecar. The Ural can power the axle on the sidecar and it can go cross country. Pretty rugged bike. Expensive.
 
#23 ·
I had a Ural sidecar for about 5 years but sold it last fall and ordered a Dauntless (DMC) sidecar for my Triumph Scrambler. The Scrambler/DMC rig is MUCH better on the highway than the Ural. Not too bad on Forest Service roads, too.

We rode down to pick it up on my wife's CTX700N. Jay, at Dauntless, practically begged us to put a sidecar on the CTX.

The CTX engine has great torque, I think it would make a great tug for a sidecar rig. We might consider it in a few years. DMC manufactures modified triple trees that make steering a sidecar rig much easier. Doubt he has one yet for the CTX.

Enjoy your new setup!
 
#25 ·
Virtually every manufacturer forbids mounting sidecars. My Scrambler still had a little time left on its warranty and I was a bit worried what the dealer would say. They got a real kick out of my bike when they saw it and borrowed it for their booth at a motorcycle show.

Sidecar makers (like DMC) develop sub frames for mounting hacks on all sorts of bikes. They gave our CTX a quick once over and didn't see anything holding them back from mounting a sidecar on it. But, yeah, it'd probably void the warranty if they believe the sidecar caused the problem.
 
#26 ·
Sidecar update

Hi Fred,
I've been hard at it and your sidecar is coming along nicely. I finished up the frame in the middle of the week and have driven it out on the road a few times. I must say that the Honda is a real dream to drive. It didn't take long to get spoiled with the auto shifting. the seat is also very comfortable compared to the one my rig.
So how does your sidecar rig measure up? Let me start by saying that over the last forty plus years I have had my own personal bikes with my sidecars mounted on them. I always proffered my bike with my sidecar over any that I was building. Each sidecar that I built and mounted had their own shall we say personality. They all went straight and didn't pull left or right. Some like the Honda CB500 and 750 along with the Goldwing would always shimmy. It was just the way it was. We installed a shimmy damper on them and they drove great and the customers were always quite pleased. But I never at any time wanted a customers bike with my sidecar. It was always interesting riding the different bikes and they all drove great. But I would like to have your rig and this is a first in all the hundreds that I have built. It's that good!
John and I were headed to the plastics warehouse to pick up the windshields material and I followed him down with your rig. It's so smooth that I almost fell asleep driving it. I like everything about it but the placement of the foot pegs. If I decide to purchase one for myself I will build brackets for my feet to have an extra set of pegs. My back starts to hurt after a few miles with my feet forward, but that's me.
I started the upholstery today and will complete it in the morning. I still have to remove the frame and brackets to do the finish work and paint them. I did paint the body and it's about half buffed and polished. I used up the last of the lacquer paint that I had. You can't go out and just pick it up at the local auto paint store any longer. Everything today is base coat clear coat.
Well I can't see the rig not being completed for this Saturday but I will keep you updated. I'm still going to make two windshields for it.
One last thing before I forget. I did a little study on the lights that many are using today. It seems that they use an amber light in the front and not a white light. If they use a white light it's a beam headlight not a running light. I have a few different amber lights that I picked up along with a red light for the rear. I will place them on the body and send pictures before I drill any holes in the body.
Later, Johnny
This was taken today.
 

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