CB1100 Sidecar Experiment

[deltamark]

Hey there CB Riders,

Hope those of you who attended had a great time at the Berea, Kentucky rally! Really wish I could've been there.

Wanted to post a little update on my side car/canine rider experiment. I've now had the opportunity to take a number of rides with my dog, Rudi and am getting a real good feel for the CB1100 rig, as well as Rudi's tolerance level for riding in the sidecar. I’m certainly loving it! The CB runs like a top and pulls the sidecar really well. Plenty of power and stopping ability. The CB seat is a little too sloped for me and I may add some bar risers, but all is still good!

Rudi and I have covered several hundred miles together and its been a lot of fun. It is so cool to see him looking around, sniffing the air and taking in the scenery.



My wife even took a ride with us last week (she was on the back of the bike) and took some Rudi-eye-view videos:

[url=https://youtu.be/kU1RBKP4qMc]Rudi in the Hack

[url=https://youtu.be/XORSdDm6Xvs]Rudi-eye-view

A lot of people smile, wave and make comments when they see Rudi riding in the sidecar. Once we stopped for gas and when I turned around from filling the tank, there was a car that pulled up next to us and they were taking pictures of Rudi. This seems to happen often. I took him for ice cream last weekend and one of the workers came out from the shop and asked to take Rudi’s picture. And of course, Rudi gets a treat when we make the ice cream stops! Hopefully he associates the rides with good things.



On the real side, I realized that Rudi was not comfortable at speeds over 45 mph. Without the sidecar windshield, I suspect that the wind is too much for him at speed. Unfortunately, the sidecar windshield leans so far in, that I think Rudi would be very uncomfortable if I put it back on. I had a hunch that his ears might be bothering him. Rudi has long ears and you can see from this pic that they flap in the wind.



I previously purchased a neck warmer with the intention of putting it on him for cooler weather rides, but thought that I’d give it a try now, even though the temperature was around 90 degrees. It definitely made a difference! We took a ride of about 40 miles and most of it was around 50 mph and he didn’t seem bothered at all!



I’m trying to work up to the point where we can take some longer road trips. Still trying to make the sidecar as comfortable as possible for him. He seems to want to lie down at times while we are riding, but as soon as he does he gets right back up. I currently have a 3/8” sleeping bag rubber pad on the floor of the sidecar and will probably try a thicker foam to see if that makes a difference.

If all goes well, we'll take our first road trip next week. Planning to pile all of the camping gear on the rig and head to the United Sidecar Association rally in Indiana. Wish us luck!