MY DL650 sidecar setup

[WU7X]

This segment of EP seems to be pretty quiet. So thought I should put up a pic or two of my 2013 DL650/DMC M72D sidecar setup. I bought this hack setup pretty much like you see it. Added a few farkles with a few more to go on this winter. The big one will be a steering damper to help remove slow-speed head shakes.

 

[WU7X]

I brought Seika to the Northwest Overland/Touratech Rally in Plain, WA. Learned very quickly that I will have to change the chain sprockets from 15/47 F/R stock to 14/48. With a passenger on board, I really had to slip the clutch a lot to get anyway over rough topography. The one tooth less in front and one more on the rear wheel should not hurt my top speed too much for running asphalt. But it should give me a lot more grunt at low speeds and off-roading. With the stock setup I can do 75 MPH all day and still have lots of throttle left. But a drop to 60-65 MPH maximum would not bother me that much.

 

[mhiscox]

Thanks for getting us some sidecar action here. I liked seeing your rig. (And any moto at NWOR that wasn't a KTM or a GS gets my admiration. )

If you have the time, please continue to tell us of your modifications and adventures. I promise to read and admire your efforts.

Thanks, Mike

 

[WU7X]

Mike,

I'll try to get some new pics and a list of what has been done to the setup so far. I think I have my wifey talked into going to the Sidecar Associations National event in Hodgekiss (sp?), Colorado next July, 2016. First need to do a few more mods to make it more tracable on gravel. It is a fun beast!

Thanks for getting us some sidecar action here. I liked seeing your rig. (And any moto at NWOR that wasn't a KTM or a GS gets my admiration. )

If you have the time, please continue to tell us of your modifications and adventures. I promise to read and admire your efforts.

Thanks, Mike

 

[WU7X]

've been married now for over 44 years. SWMBO still lets me out to have fun! Even comes out a few times with me. I'm pretty sure that I'll be selling the BWM F800GT and just focusing on the DL650 hack in the near future. Love my Beemer but love my wife more. Rather have her along for the ride.

I

 

[mhiscox]

Looks like it's just you and me, buddy. I don't know why sidecars--best vehicular combination of fun and practicality ever--don't get all sorts of love.

I got rid of my CB1000R this winter and haven't much missed it. I have hung onto my DR-Z400 so I have something to transport on trips, but in town I'm exclusively going with three wheels. The only question is whether I get a newer rig or stick with the FJ1200. I suffer from this Yamaha steering and riding so well that I'm worried I could drop a fortune on building a new one and it would end up less pleasant.

Anyway, thanks for showing the first life on this forum in two years. It'd be great to hear from some more of you hack drivers.

 

[Yuman Desert Rat]

I have been toying with the idea of a sidecar for my 1200 GSA but am having a hard time finding one.....

 

[Jim K in PA]

I bumped this forum a while ago too. Quiet here, so spend most of my Hack-forum time on ADVrider.

My rig is not an off-road oriented machine, so I'm not really of much interest to this group I s'pose.

 

[mhiscox]

I have been toying with the idea of a sidecar for my 1200 GSA but am having a hard time finding one.....

Anyone looking for either a sidecar or a sidecar rig would do well to check in periodically at the ADVRIDER Hack Forum's "FS, Fleabay, & CL stuff goes here" thread. The good people who take care of the thread don't miss much of value across the US and Canada:

http://advrider.com/index.php?threads/fs-fleabay-cl-stuff-goes-here.492526/

A new sidecar for a GSA (a well-regarded bike for the purpose, FWIW) could be had from DMC Sidecars in WA, Freedom Sidecars in PA, Hannigan Sidecars in KY, and a few other places.

Sidecars are nowhere near as popular as they were thirty, or even fifteen, years ago, but they can still be had. Their lack of popularity is a total mystery to me, as they are safer, more practical and just as entertaining. I've had fifty motorcycles of all shapes and sizes, but the three sidecar rigs I've had have been as much fun as any of them.

Color me encouraging, and PM me if I can be of any help.

 

[WU7X]

I recently sold my 2013 BMW F800GT. A fantastic bike, but at 69, I found I hated riding it in this summer's heat. I'm keeping the DL650/DMC hack though. Way too much fun and SWMBO still likes going out for rides in it. Can't wait for the sunny cool days of fall to start exploring all the back roads once more.

You are either born to love hacks or to hate them. Guess you know what side of the fence I'm on.

Dale

 

[SWITAWI]

I have been toying with the idea of a sidecar for my 1200 GSA but am having a hard time finding one.....

Take a look at DMC, specifically the M72DX model or one of the other variants - http://www.dmcsidecars.com/sidecars/

 

[WU7X]

One of the things that I added to my DL650 hack a couple of years ago is a Touratech tankbag. This tankbag was (is) made for the BWM R100GSA rigs. Not too many of these air heads needing them anymore. I got my NOS one in a swap for a different tank bagfrom a friend. These are really expensive! Besides having the typical tank bag, it also has two side bags. I use the left one for my jacket and pants liners and the right one for my rain gear. It only takes a minor modification to the mount clips on the side bags for fitment.

At the time I tried to show this setup to the Touratech folks at the NWOR. The two people I spoke with didn't seem much interested, which really surprised me. There are tons of DL's being sold and it would take no effort at all to redirect marketing of this old design tankbag setup to an entirely new and receptive dualsport audience. Oh, well.....

 

[WU7X]

It's getting warm up here! Upper 80's and higher. So, early this morning took wifey out for brunch. She really enjoys riding in the hack on back country roads. Very nervous about highways and in-town traffic. This is fine with me because we can check out new back roads together.

 

[WU7X]

You're never too old to drive a hack!

 

[WU7X]

Well, sob, sob, looks like I will be putting Precious up for sale real soon. On the way back from BCOR Nanc and I came across an awful single rider fatality. Nanc was horrified by it and has become very fearful of riding in the hack. Without her along with takes all the joy of the experience out of me. I just checked and the bike, which is a 2013 Suzuki DL650 with DMC M72D hack attached, only has 7,324 miles on it. As it sits now, it has over $25,000 invested. I'm going to put it up on ADV and here for $8,750. It is in perfect shape. The only minor issue, which almost all hacks experience, is some headshake issues when starting off at low speeds. Scotts makes a stabilizer for this, but I never really felt I needed it, so I never mounted one.

If anyone is interested, please PM me.

Dale

p.s. The real reason for the low mileage is that when I had my F800GT I used that exclusively for solo riding. Dang, that was a great bike!