CB1100 Sidecar Experiment

[deltamark]

Finally got some tolerable weather, so I took the opportunity to do some things to the rig and get Rudi out on his first test ride.

I added a cargo rack to the rear of the sidecar.


I then removed the sidecar seat botton and took off the windshield to create more space for Rudi. I cut a foam pad to put down on the floor of the tub to make it more comfortable for him.


After a lot of adjusting and fitting attempts coaxed with pup-peronis, I got Rudi's protective eyewear to fit him decently.


I'm lucky he's such a willing participant. Many dogs might not take to wearing these things so quickly, let alone put up with all of my clumsy attempts at getting them to fit him.


I also had to spend some time adjusting Rudi's harness for fit. I will probably replace this harness with a heavier duty brand, as this one doesn't seem all that robust. I then experimented with a few attachment points on the rig for his lead. I settled on the left sidecar frame for now. I wanted to give him enough room to move around a bit, but not exit the sidecar on the right side. There seems to be a many approaches in trying to secure a dog in a sidecar and it may be a while before I find something I'm more comfortable with.

I live out in a rural area and so was able to take it pretty slow on Rudi's first test ride. Stayed mostly between 30 - 40 mph because I wasn't sure what he might do. I even rode with the emergency flashers on to try and gain a little more visibility. Also added what is supposed to be a high-viz sticker on the back of the tub.


Rudi seemed content to stay in the sidecar while we were riding. It was pretty cool to see him looking around at everything while we explored some local country roads. He seemed to be enjoying it. A couple of times, he got a little squirmy, so I slowed down just in case. Pulled over at one point to take a picture.


It was funny to see people's reactions. In the limited number of people we encountered, most smiled, waved, made comments and gave a thumbs up sign. Hoping to do some more road testing tomorrow.