Off Road Sidehack for my KDX

[torgo]

I have been pondering a side hack for a while and will build it myself.  I have a plated KDX200 I want to stud up and ride most of the winter.  I have been looking at sidecar design and it seems that the off road cars have much less wheel lead (how far the side car wheel in in front of the back wheel),  I want a a 48" width and as light as possible.  I really don't plan on hauling a person around just extra gas and for stabilization.  Does anyone have experience or input? 

Thanks

[greatbuffalo]

There is a website that was discussed on advrider.com that gives all these formulas. Check over there in the sidehack section. I'd do a search for you but the site is down at the moment.

[agspecialties]

I have an old BMW hack and am planning on a dual sport hack this winter. Check out this link to ADV. Lots of good and bad ideas.
We will have to stay in touch. I have everything planed but what to use for a wheel.

Here is the link

http://advrider.com/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=56

Here is a picture of my hack

[loingrader]

beezer on advrider has a sweet outrigger on his klr.  lives in alaska.  check out pics of his bike on that site.

Lee on our site builds sidecars up in watertown and he is a wealth of information on all things hack.

[torgo]

Thanks for the info.  I am still in the planning stages but it doesn't look all that hard.  All I really want to put in the hack is a 6 gallon boat fuel tank and a small battery for my lights.  6 gallons of premix along with my 3 gallon main tank along with a vacuum fuel pump to pump it to my main tank and I should have a nice 200 mile range.



and the KLR in the hills last month.



This was a nice spot.

[loingrader]

travis, here's some info about that klr outrigger of beezer's on advrider.

that is a sweet kdx.  mine is a 91.  same bike but without the usd forks.  yours must be a 93 or 94?



The Main attach point is heavy wall tube with split "saddles" welded on to bolt to the lower frame. This main tube runs under, and is bolted to both lower frame tubes. The forward (angled) tube attaches to the motor mount, with a brace tube to the lower frame... the saddle on the brace is held with stainless hose clamps... no room for the other half of the saddle. Then there is a "tie" tube between the front & back main tubes. The eye fittings were welded in for the fitting & were aligned with drill rod to keep the alignment like a hinge.




This is an early view to show the basic structure. I added another diagonal & decked off the lead/outside corner of the frame. Original had only the one shock but that was not near enough so I added a small leaf spting (T-Craft tail wheel). The swing arm is Bultaco... just had it laying around & the wheel is Bulto too... 19" front. I made spacers, etc to make it work.




and then again, lee on this site is the homebuilt sidecar guru.  lives up in watertown, sd

[greatbuffalo]

That looks like its short on ground clearance.

[Lee Bruns]

 I would file "It doesn't look that hard" under 'famous last words'.
An improperly set up sidecar is the nastiest most miserable thing to ever ride, Properly set up they are a HOOT. The outrigger idea looks solid, BUT, will need at least 150lbs of ballast to keep it on the ground. The sidecar should weight half of what the bike does. So, your 450lb KLR needs about a 200lb sidecar for best ballance. The sidecar wheel should be 10 to 12 inches in front of the bikes rear wheel, not directly across from it. Then using straight lines (like 8 foot florescent light bulbs)  to make sure that the sidecar wheel and the bikes REAR wheel have a 1/2 to 3/4 toe-in setting over the 8 foot distance. THEN set the bikes lean OUT at about 3 degrees for an innitial setting. Ride it, see how it rolls down the road, and adjust the lean out to make it track nice. Do NOT be tempted to fark with the toe-in its 1/2 to 3/4 inch over an 8 foot distance. No more, no less.
   Once its all togethr, and aligned, then you get to completely re-learn how to drive the thing. Its not at all liek a motorcyle, or an automobile. On left corners you brake into the corner to let the sidecar fling you around the corner to the left. On right corners you decelerate up to the corner then get back on the gas through the corner to let the bike pivot around the mass of the sidecr.

[jacin theis]

i wish i could find a resonable side car for you to install on my GS. i REALLY want a hack! IT would be so great to ride no matter the weather. Glad we have this site to share and meet others. Thanks for the ideas and info Lee.

[Sportfaller]

Jacin: http://sd.craigslist.org/mcy/2681651778.html

[plumber mike]

I don't want to step on any toes....Jacin- Let me know if you are going for this or not. It would look great next to the Magna

[Lee Bruns]

oooh, I'm third in line for that one! I have a Waterbufallo that I'd love to put that on.

[Sportfaller]

HACKFIGHT!

(my money is on the plumber, he looks scrappy)

[Lee Bruns]

i wish i could find a resonable side car for you to install on my GS. i REALLY want a hack! IT would be so great to ride no matter the weather. Glad we have this site to share and meet others. Thanks for the ideas and info Lee.

I was well into building a sidehack for a friend about a year ago. It was to be a bike hauler hack. So he could haul his flattracker to and from the racetrack. But he decided to blow his head off with a .45 instead. SO, I have a sidecar chassis and a good amount of the mounting hardware here.  I also have a small boat, 6 foot long, that I was going to fix up and mount on it so that a person could use it as a hack, but then remove and go fishing with the boat. With a bit of subframe construction it wouldn' tbe a bad way to go, boat and all, on your GS.  I have way too many projects as it is, I know I'll never get aroung to finishing it up.

[plumber mike]

I've got need for 2 sidecar outfits. One to haul passenger/dog- joyride/parade machine and another dual sport based unit with a diamond plate truck toolbox mounted and able to carry a little weight.....both for business purposes only