First post newbie: please be kind

[emptysea]

Every time I hear about sidecars I can’t help but think of the Andy Griffith episode when Barney Fife bought one...

Check Point Chickie! “If I let you do 40 today, you’ll do 45 tomorrow.”
One of my favorite episodes.

Welcome to the Forum. Everyone is kind.

[tinboatcapt_imp]

"back in the day" I mounted Cozy sidecars on Royal Enfield Motorcycles, and on one Honda 750. I rode those a little to check alignment. Then a couple of years ago the bug bit me and I bought a Gold Wing with a California sidecar. I bought it sight unseen in Phoenix and rode it home to Minneapolis. I have since sold it, but plan to have another. Perhaps put one on my ST1100. They are a lot of fun. And riding one is COMPLETELY different from a motorcycle.

It was an exciting learning curve. The sidecar was improperly fastened to the bike causing changes to alignment in corners. That caused the rear tire to go completely bald in the 1700 miles on the way home. The moral of the story is: Before you buy a rig, or assemble one, check out sidecar.com. It is the home site for the United Side Car Association. They have a wealth of information. You will need access to information as you go through the process.

As a side note, I like the look of the DMC Classic side car and have thought of putting one on my '14 Standard CB1100. But the bike alone is so sweet it can't bring myself to do that.
Jim

It is on the opposite coast, but DMC Sidecars has bike side mounting hardware specifically for the CB1100.

Good luck with your project.

[Lord Popgun]

Every time I hear about sidecars I can’t help but think of the Andy Griffith episode when Barney Fife bought one...

That was a funny episode! Barney riding around like a BA and giving everyone tickets. And the cleaver way Andy nipped it in the bud was pretty funny. Loved that episode

[born2ride_imp]

My owners manual for my 2017ex says not designed for a sidecar. Check warranty to make sure they will cover it.

[tinboatcapt_imp]

My owners manual for my 2017ex says not designed for a sidecar. Check warranty to make sure they will cover it.

Nearly every manufacturer will say that, and many dealers will abide by the policy and not honor your warranty. Adding a sidecar puts stresses on the frame the engineers did not plug into their calculators when designing the motorcycle.

There are a few exceptions to the observation. I attended a couple of sidecar association rallies and it seemed to me that most rigs were put together after the motorcycle's warranty period expired. It also give the engine a chance to break in before adding the extra strain.
Jim