Something on the side: the HD TLE

[prester_john]

In two paragraphs in "Proficient Motorcycling", Hough makes such a good case for sidecars you wonder why more motorcyclist don't have one. Indeed, before the Model T killed practical motorcycle transportation in the USA, something like 60% of all Harleys and Indians left the factory as outfits.

Ural (http://www.imz-ural.com/) is well known as a sidecar specialist. There are a number of sidecar aftermarket companies (Liberty (http://www.libertysidecars.com/) does some nice work), but HDI (http://www.harley-davidson.com/PR/MOT/POLI/2006/360.asp?locale=en_US&bmLocale=en_US&HDCWPSession=C00YSLh6TCJVkJbmzm1KlFZ7h7DVQ25ySyYgc qfRpvFzQHz7yT1D!-393889178!-2108674668&model=pl_tle) is the only other MC company I know that still builds their own. It's available for all of their Touring family of bikes: the Electraglide, Road King, etc.

http://a1276.g.akamai.net/7/1276/734/fb9b41d1cd7c3d/resource.harley-davidson.com/PR/MOT/2006/images/gallery/g_toFLHRC_e_dom_c14_s01.jpg

Last year, the factory sidecar was MIA on Harley's web site. Dunno what the difference is, but this year it's sidebared on every FL Touring model feature page as "the ultimate accessory". Maybe Harley sees boomers getting older, noticed the money being spent on three wheel conversions (http://www.lehmantrikes.com/motorcycle-images/RenegadeTour9.jpg) and decided to play for a piece of the action. Whatever the reason, the hack is back.

As chairs go, the TLE is pretty fly. It's got it's own hydraulic disc brake and lights. You can even get it wired with speakers for the available Harmon Kardon satelite radio/MP3/CD player. Since it's factory - Harley factory - the TLE comes painted to match the bike, and the outfit comes with three matching wheels.

http://www.harley-davidson.com/PR/MOT/2006/images/colors/w_siultratle_xs_dom_c17.jpg

If you have to ask "how much?", you can't afford it. :D

Scoot safe,
Tom

[Zixxer10]

The three wheel conversions noted and the four wheelers (a bolt on two wheel buggy type arrangement that keeps the original driving wheel intact) seems to be the prefered option over a side car. A side car tends to pull the bike to the right when accelerating and hitting bumps and pushes to the left under braking. The conversions are more neutral with respect to upsetting the bike, and its rider. A neat side car conversion I've seen has an articulating joint that allows the bike to lean left and right in corners. I have no idea how much those cost.

[prester_john]

Harley's certainly got plenty of experience with trikes too, having built the Servi-car from 1932 thru 1973.

http://a1276.g.akamai.net/7/1276/734/8198b411c276f4/resource.harley-davidson.com/en_US/Media/images/Content/Pictorial/H-D_History/hd13278g.jpg

I've wondered why the factory doesn't try a modern take on the old idea.

http://www.dfttrikes.com/kits/harley/vrod/large/2.jpg

Scoot safe,
Tom

[remy_marathe]

[QUOTE=Zixxer10 A neat side car conversion I've seen has an articulating joint that allows the bike to lean left and right in corners. I have no idea how much those cost.[/QUOTE]

Does that mean most sidecar setups don't allow the motorcycle to lean? How do these things corner at speed? Particularly that red tricycle above- Does it take to to wheels any time you're cornering?

[LoDownSinner]

Sidehacks and trikes all steer like a tricycle, i.e., there is no countersteering. If you get up on two wheels, you're getting perilously close to the limits, especially if you're new to driving a hack.

Oh, and BTW, the brake on the Harley sidecare cures the 'pulls under braking' problem.

There is one company I've seen that makes a trike that leans.

[prester_john]

A neat side car conversion I've seen has an articulating joint that allows the bike to lean left and right in corners. I have no idea how much those cost.

Nothing new under the sun: the 1914 Flxible:

http://www.flxible.net/histmc.jpg

Tom

PS - Also "nothing new under the sun": note the guys are wearing their caps backwards!

[Zixxer10]

Yeah, but I wouldn't look at trying to buy that rig. :) I didn't say it was a first. I said it was available.

[sanglant]

Does that mean most sidecar setups don't allow the motorcycle to lean? How do these things corner at speed? Particularly that red tricycle above- Does it take to to wheels any time you're cornering?


Regular trikes corner like crap. They're designed wrong, even though there have been "proper" trikes built for years. The right way is to do one like the Z-Rex, with one rear driving wheel and two front steering wheels. Those corner and brake great! The old MZ and other companies made them, too. There was even one in the spectator lot at the Barber AMA race! Awesome old car. I'll see if I can scare up my pictures of it.

[remy_marathe]

I have to see that...

[asp125]

http://www.flyingbrick.info/assets/images/Kalich_K1100_Swing.jpg
Here's another "leaner"..
and one that's definitely a bit different
http://www.flyingbrick.info/assets/images/Kalich-K1200RS.jpg
http://www.flyingbrick.info/GB/sidecars.html

[remy_marathe]

WTF is that front wheel attached to on that last one (a beemer??)?

[LoDownSinner]

The old MZ and other companies made them, too. There was even one in the spectator lot at the Barber AMA race! Awesome old car. I'll see if I can scare up my pictures of it.
I talked to the guy that had that one (if you're talking about the green one). It's actually a modern reproduction. The guy riding (driving?) it was the owner of the company. They're actually titled as an automobile, so you don't have to wear a helmet...

[Java]

Yeah, that one at Barber was a replica of an old Morgan "sportscar". The Morgan was powered by a v-twin, mounted right out in front. His replica had a Guzzi twin in it. We caught him at the gas station, and I took about a dozen pictures of it, but I don't have anyone to host them right now, so I can't post them.
Here's one of a real Morgan, though;
http://morgan3w.de/temp/homepage050121.jpg


The big difference between a conventional trike and a sidecar, is that the trike never leans at all. It turns the same way in both directions. A side car (assuming a right-hand mount, like the Harley above) can corner reasonably well to the left, but if you push it too hard to the right, the sidecar leaves the ground. (They don't lean like a bike, they lean the "wrong way", like a car)

[sanglant]

Yeah Dwayne, that was the one I was talking about. He did a nice job on them! I would have sworn it was a well maintained restoration of one of the old ones.

I've got about four pics of it, if anyone wants them, pm me and I'll mail them. They're about 600kb each, so there's no way to compress them down to fit here and have them look right.

[prester_john]

Well, there's a lot of ways to skin a cat (and I know, I had one bit by a brown recluse spider....)

http://members.aol.com/sidepilot/images/busasidecarg.jpg

http://www.indycycleonline.com/images/gallery22.jpg

Tom

[yossarian]

WTF is that front wheel attached to on that last one (a beemer??)?

Since sidecars hacks don't lean (well most, the one in question doesn't), it puts excessive wear on mc tires, so when building a dedicated rig (you can't switch back and forth easily) the wheels in tires are often replaced with more car like units. The front suspension has been switched out to a swingarm (well more of a swingarm then bmws have stock).

I want a hack!!
http://members.cox.net/mr2host2/hack.jpg

[dalan]

Regular trikes corner like crap. They're designed wrong, even though there have been "proper" trikes built for years. The right way is to do one like the Z-Rex, with one rear driving wheel and two front steering wheels. Those corner and brake great!

You mean the T-Rex?

http://www3.freepichosting.com/Thumbs/421601861/7/600/450.jpg


Very cool. Powered by the drivetrain from a ZZR1200. Only downside is the company that makes them buys up already-rare ZZR1200s and guts them for their engines. :sad:

[sanglant]

You mean the T-Rex?


Very cool. Powered by the drivetrain from a ZZR1200. Only downside is the company that makes them buys up already-rare ZZR1200s and guts them for their engines. :sad:


Doh! Yeah, that's the one. They also used the GSXR1100 and the Hayabusa engines in various versions. I love the pictures of the ones with hard bags on the sides!

[prester_john]

...and Honda's take on the whole three wheel thing:

http://www.honda.co.jp/HDTV/MotionGallery/roadfox/index.html

What if they scaled that up to Goldwing size? :)

Tom

[ymibhdu]

Now I am surprised that Prester didnn't mention the old Honda Gyros:

http://www.maxmatic.com/ttw_hondagyro.htm

I always wanted to try one of those when I was younger.

Also, anyone remember and have any thoughts on the Trihawk:

http://www.arlingtonservice.com/trihawk.htm

Registers as a motorcycle, but FWD. I believe HD ended up buying the parent company at one point, IIRC.

Bob in WI