Best bike to suit a side car?

[Voltaire]

do you have the sidevalve engine(24hp) or the 32hp engine?

Could I come see the bike sometime?

SOLD IT, I have done lots of miles on a BMW/Watsonian outfit, but the CJ750 is just too underpowered,poorly built, and using 30's technology.
The novelty of taking the kids for rides and not being able to use it safely on the open road meant I only had it for a few months.

If I could only have one bike ( ACC may help with this decision) it would not be a motorcycle combination, too limiting.....unless you are doing a two month trip up as far as the top of Norway and need to carry lots of food , camping gear and beer....then they are perfect.

[martybabe]

Why muck about? Buy a Dnieper or a Ural (if they aren't one and the same) they come with a chair in place...

Totally agree, these things are purpose built, cheap and strong. None of the frame strength worries mentioned above, the only down side is weird handling, which any side-car will have, and a not to powerful engine.

Have a look at this stuff, these things are made from rusty girders and look like a lot of fun (for a while).

[The Pastor]

part of me wants a really reliable bike that i can own for 20 years+

the poser in me wants the cj750 in ww2 spec. Damn it looks good.

http://www.cj750.net/cjprices.htm

These guys sell them internationally and have a 32hp engine (not the 24hp sidevalve) and have a performance "kit" although i just cant understand how 2 High Performance Carburetors are $60 usd.

Really wish I could see/ ride one first.

Would it be too much trouble to get them to a reilable 100km/hr cruise?

The woman part of me is saying "hell no you'll die from a frame collapse"

The man in me is saying "how much"

and the biker in me is saying HELL YEAH!

[The Pastor]

[crazyhorse]

How bout one like this?

[Flip]

Well I have one of these on order at right now:

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2028/...ec4d7fa2_o.jpg

This is interesting too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04zwCAwkxNU

Will let you know how it goes.

They seem to cruise at 80ish. I have a 80s series landrover that doesent go much faster then this and a Austin 7 that has never gone as fast as this. I have never read any frame fatigue issues, if there were the PLA would have had them sorted out, that's where these bikes come from ex chineese army. Side cars are 30's tek, The Ford T and Austin 7 both cost less than an a bike and side car in their day. I got one because a Harley WLA costs a big bucket of money.

[Ixion]

With the chair on the other side , I trust?

[Subike]

My Parts XS1000 parts bike once had a side chair, the mounts are welded to the frame. I have a chair available in Amberley for $500 cash, next winters toy.
But I thought these might give you some ideas

[Voltaire]

Here's the one I have ( currently apart).
It would run rings around the CJ750 in every way, I know I have owned both.
The CJ is heavy, poorly built ( compared to a BMW) and the brakes are crap.
The sidevalve engine will not cruise at 80kmph comfortabably, the later OHV Ural copy one might.
My R75/5 used to cruise happily at 100kmph due to the lightweight chair.
Took it all over Europe and the chair was on the left...
I remember once on the Autobahn just after the wall came down, dragged of a Trabbant...

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/al...ictureid=35579

[Dodgyiti]

Peter Smith did a full review of the OHV Ural outfit in Two Wheels magazine last year. He claimed to would not cruise much above 80km/h and the brakes were a bit shit still.

Brakes not too much of a problem to upgrade, probably better drum machining and some high quality linings on the shoes will be enough.
Not sure what you can do to hot up the engine without losing torque, but if you made the whole machine lighter you could gear it up a bit
Or just bide your time and buy a complete outfit second hand and customise it to what you want. There is not a great demand for outfits, I have seen many languish on Trademe for months which means 'open to offers'

[The Pastor]

Peter Smith did a full review of the OHV Ural outfit in Two Wheels magazine last year. He claimed to would not cruise much above 80km/h and the brakes were a bit shit still.

Brakes not too much of a problem to upgrade, probably better drum machining and some high quality linings on the shoes will be enough.
Not sure what you can do to hot up the engine without losing torque, but if you made the whole machine lighter you could gear it up a bit
Or just bide your time and buy a complete outfit second hand and customise it to what you want. There is not a great demand for outfits, I have seen many languish on Trademe for months which means 'open to offers'

Can you give me the magazine referance? I'll order a back copy.

[Motu]

There was a ride report on ADVrider earlier this year where Mr Cob rode a new Ural around the US,visiting every state...rode at highway speeds and was pretty reliable too.I followed his whole trip,and posted a link on this site - but nobody here is interested in sidecars or Urals so it sank without a trace.

My Ural was VW powered which solved the power problem - but a Ural engine revs higher than a VW,100kph was about it with the VW on it's limit....or beyond.

[Kickaha]

My Ural was VW powered which solved the power problem - but a Ural engine revs higher than a VW,100kph was about it with the VW on it's limit....or beyond.

They're shaft drive? Did you adapt the VW to the Ural box?

Any other diffs fit them? would the BMW diffs bolt on ?

[Flip]

With the chair on the other side , I trust?

Yes. Its going to be a LH side car.

I have some experience building vintage racing cars, I will get a few more MPH from any old motor. It will dissapear off into my workshop and the first thing that will happen is it will get a port job and possibly go up a valve size. I will also look into reprofiling the cam followers to make the valves open and close a little faster. It seems that the motors overheat so I am not going to do anything that makes the motor run hotter e.g. raise the CR.

There is a guy on Kiwi biker who has one his name is CJ750.

These bikes are pre ww2 tec, when you step down in technology you travel slower. I have traveled all around NZ in a Austin 7 so believe me when I say traveling a bit slower on the road is no problem, I just keep of the fast single lane highways. As a biker I don,t have to tell you all the the journey is more important then the destination. A friend has a army indian solo he says it only goes 55mph.

I also ride a Harley so I am used to going relatively slowish.

[The Pastor]

Yes. Its going to be a LH side car.

I have some experience building vintage racing cars, I will get a few more MPH from any old motor. It will dissapear off into my workshop and the first thing that will happen is it will get a port job and possibly go up a valve size. I will also look into reprofiling the cam followers to make the valves open and close a little faster. It seems that the motors overheat so I am not going to do anything that makes the motor run hotter e.g. raise the CR.

There is a guy on Kiwi biker who has one his name is CJ750.

These bikes are pre ww2 tec, when you step down in technology you travel slower. I have traveled all around NZ in a Austin 7 so believe me when I say traveling a bit slower on the road is no problem, I just keep of the fast single lane highways. As a biker I don,t have to tell you all the the journey is more important then the destination. A friend has a army indian solo he says it only goes 55mph.

I also ride a Harley so I am used to going relatively slowish.

I'd be very intersted to see your progress and results for working on a CJ. Make sure you post on kb.