Are pictures available somewhere? Did the kit include the motorcycle frame or
was the frame modified for the rig to attach?




--- In EML_SCL@yahoogroups.com, "Dennis" <ffpmdad@...> wrote:
>
> Hello all,
>
> I'm thinking I want to try to go in a new direction moto-wise. As I'm still
not divorced yet, and said divorce is likely to f*** up my credit rating for
some time, I need to part with toys if I want to buy other toys.
>
> Up for sale are my two current bikes. First is my sidecar rig, a BMW/EML kit.
In the world of sidecars, most people start by putting a cheap velorex sidecar
on an otherwise stock bike that had a tubular steel frame and riding it as is. I
would equate this to a Model A, a glacial step out of the biological moto-swamp,
that gives you a Charles Atlas upper-body course due to the steering geometry.
It's pretty crude, and turns a lot of people off to the world of asymetrical
steering, which is a shame as it has it's own odd charm.
>
> Today there are guys building high performance rigs on ZX14's with center hub
steering and swaybars. I would say these were the Ferrari's of sidecarring.
Check this link if you doubt it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EnSmkO6fOQ
>
> I have a 1981 BMW R100RT with and 1985 EML GT Tour sidecar kit. This entailed
a new, beefed up frame that was gusseted and had sidecar mounts added. It has a
leading link fork to deal with side loads that telescopic forks were never meant
to deal with. It also allows the trail to be set at an amount that makes
steering much easier when the bike can't lean anymore. The last piece of the
puzzle are wheels sized and suitable for car tires, which were meant to deal
with vertical loads and side loads with a flat tread to keep the maximum amount
of rubber on the road. In the sidecar world I would equate this rig to a Mustang
or Camaro, and was state of the art in 1985 when these two were mated.
>
> Initial installation was done at the defunct BMW Motorrad of St. Louis, the
EML importer. i have all the receipts for the bike, EML kit, and
installation.....around here somewhere. Honestly, I can't find them presently
due to three moves in the last year and a half, but I swear they exist and will
be supplied when found.
>
> The sidecar has a cavernous trunk, and I had my mechanic weld in a receiver
hitch for either a cargo carrier or pulling a trailer. It works well, I had a
guy get out of his car at a light to take a picture of me moving my rollaway
toolbox on the flat utility trailer pulled behind the hack. The sidecar is a
double wide, and I routinely used to pick up three kids from elementary school
with it, and has two sets of seatbelts to remind the young ones not to stand up.
It has a top that completely covers the sidecar passengers when assembled, and I
also have a tonneau for covering the passenger area in inclement weather when
not hauling passenger(s).
>
> The maintenance and mods to the beemer are many. The trans was rebuilt about
four years ago by the preeminent BMW guru anywhere (Oak), who also rebuilt the
beancan electronic ignition. It got a valve job three years ago including new
exhaust valves and seats, and got new rings in its Nikasil cylinders last year.
It runs as well as any beemer I know of. The diode board (charging system) is a
Thunderchild and has a 14.2V voltage regulator, and has a new ignition brain box
with the later large heatsink. I have added an auxiliary fuse box to power the
gadgets I like to have (XM, radar detector, GPS) which doubles as an input for a
trickle charger. There is an Odyssey car battery in the hack trunk to give
greater capacity and move the weight over to where it needs to be to act as
ballast. I added LED taillights to the bike and hack to save wattage and add
visibility. And to screw with uptight BMW guys ("zees ees not corrrrrrrrect!")
>
> Delivery includes individualized amateur instruction. I've not been driving a
hack as long as some, but I've been doing it long enough to be ingrained second
nature.
>
> So, amaze your friends, make new ones (no lie, I've been stopped three times
over the years by young women who asked for rides. That never happened on a two
wheeler), haul more stuff than you can in a Focus (based on personal experience)
and perform three wheel drifts through wet, debris-riddled intersections that
scared you on two wheels, all for the low low price of $6500!
>
> I also have back in my possesion the 1999 yellow Buell M2, the same one that
I, RickL and JohnF have traded through the last few years. It's a grand bike,
real world torque and great handling while getting around 50mpg. It's a great
bike, and while I've not ventured out on track days it seems to me a torquey
good handling bike should be good for track beginners. I like it, but at this
point I need a bike for two-up riding and the Buell isn't it for a fat guy like
me. Beemer Craig could haul his whole family on it, but not me. Truthfully there
is an exhaust stud broken that should be fixed, other than that JohnF added a
brand new exhaust while under his care and it is ready for riding. $2700 sounds
fair to me.
>
> I'm open to mix-n-match trades. The girlfriend has a 1990 Saab Turbo
convertible that is a rust free west coast car with a 1 year old top, if anyone
is interested, either by itself or in combination with any of the above. I'm
thinking my next hack project might move with a bit more alarcity pulled by a
Rocket 3, but I'm open to interesting stuff.
>
> Let me know,
> Sidecar Denny (for now anyways)
>