Thanks, I'm really happy with it. It drives very easy, it's just like riding a solo bike. Since the completion of the bike I drove around 700 mls on it in the last 3 weeks. I've been thinking about changing something to the bike but other then adding a strut for temporarily fixation, closing the gap between the tub and the fender and adding safety belts I wouldn't know what to change to it. It's just as I hoped it would be. I've taken my oldest daughter for a ride yesterday and according to her, the seat is very comfortable, the windshield is adequate but most of all, it is fun! She was cheering with joy as we arrived home, she couldn't wait to tell her friends about the ride and she immediately started to plan holidays and weekendtrips. She's 7 years old and hooked for life.
Thanks! I've taken 1 of my neighbours for a ride last weekend. He's around 250 pounds. A big guy. It took me aprox 1 minute to get used to the difference in behavior of the combination but after that it was just like driving around with an empty tub. I did change the suspension set-up after a few miles, because the sidecar tire would hit the fender on every speed bump. The adjustment system works like a dream, it took me just a minute or 2 to change the set-up on the side of the road.
In your own and your passenger's interest you should be rather very careful in applying this idea. The weight of a leaner, the usually different frame (strength as well as trail & steering angle) and the suspension are not really up for riding as a rigid outfit. I know of at least two reports from people (idenpendent from each other) that got into serious situations which easily could have been fatal when trying to run a leaner as a rigid outfit.
PLS Willy-Jens, could you explain why a rigid leaner is more dangerous than a normal rigid hack? I can understand that the move from a leaner to a rigid hack is weird, but no stranger than a rigid leaner. Isn't it just the inexperience of the examples you know? Or do you think the people who tried assumed they had enough experience and where taken by surprise?
I think part of what he was getting at was that most leaners are lighter than rigids and do not have steering mods. I would hope anyone that was planing to run a leaner as a rigid on the roadways would put in the practice to learn how to deal with the differences, the same as most of us had too when going to a rig from two wheels. It will be a whole new experience.
Just stumbled on your build. Absolutely brilliant work. Still enjoying it? Also, you have pics with a couple of different bikes attached. Do you switch which bike you're using regularly? Could it really be that easy? (I read on another site that pulling off the rig takes 5 minutes, and no fuss to reattach like a fixed hack.) Cheers. Mac
Thanks for the compliments! In theory I could switch bikes since I kept the main dimensions for the subframe of the prototype (GSX1100 Beakbike) the same as the subframe on the K100RS. But in real life I ride my GSX as a solo streetfighter for when I'm feeling hooligannic and ride the Beemer solo for commuting and in the weekend I use it with the sidecar. It realy is a 5 minute job. My daughters both love it and ask me every day if we are going riding. I take them regularly on 2 day camping trips and pick them up at school with it, if the weather is nice. 2 weeks ago I went camping with my youngest and the week before that with my oldest daughter. Both weekends I did around 600km (360 miles) and the only complaint I heard was the fact that the trip was already over when we got home. I've got nothing new to tell here since I didn't change a single thing since day one, other then a small adjustment to be able to mount a bigger size tyre. Some pics: Mounting realy is this easy:
I enjoyed this thread a few years ago; thanks for the update. Those are lucky daughters! Nice job, daddy!
This build looks great i just had my first son and am looking at a hack for us as he gets older. Want to start the planning process now so its ready when he is. I am picking up a guzzi quota which i plan to use for the bike part of this build can you tell me how did you figure out were the wheel placement was best on the hack. also do you have any recommendations on setup or links for measurements for the frame as i am going to do the same process you did I am looking for a tub as i write this. Thanks for any help I am sure there will be multiple questions as I go along.
Well, I can be quite short in that answer: No. I haven't done anything to convert it into a rigid since there is no need for it. 99 % of my use is on tarmac, as one would expect from a K100. And on tarmac I realy enjoy my leaner. It's great fun! For the 1% that I do go off road I simply place my foot on the sidecarframe, lean the bike a little bit to the right and simply balance the bike, as if my leg is a strut. This works very well. If the K100 wasn't such a heavy pig, it would be even easier. I feel that you should chose either to build a leaner or to build a rigid. You can't have both in one vehicle or you'll end up with a terrible compromise which isn't good at anything. The very best reason for chosing a leaner is the simplicity and the fact that you can do it all with just one motorcycle. But please don't tell my wife, she will make me get rid of the other 4 motorcycles I've got!
I've just discovered leaners and think I finally found the solution I was looking for to the problem of taking my boys for rides or picking my oldest up form school on occasion. I'm curious if you wouldn't mind sharing a few rough dimensions form your build such as how far forward of the rear axle is the sidecar axle, what is the track width?
