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In the distant past, well back into the 1900s, I was a motorcycle fan. I started on small mini-bikes and graduated to a 1947 H-D that I built from parts and rode cross country many times and all over Arizona, including many miles of Forest Service dirt roads. I never got the memo that supposed road bikes couldnt be ridden on dirt, so I sallied forth and did so with great relish.
Time, life events, getting a dog, and changes in location all encouraged me to step back from bikes for many years, but Ive fallen back into the habit after 30 or so years away. The older types I liked best (the 1930s through 60s Knuckleheads and Panheads) were way out of my budget, but I came into a 1984 H-D Low Rider in decent shape. I can now also appreciate the electric start, and the performance is entirely adequate for my uses, with plenty to spare.
In the past I spent literally hundreds of nights camping, then later living out in the hills off my bike and pickup, I had a blast. I wanted to do some more of that, at least on a minor scale. I mounted a sidecar to the new bike, both to help with possible issues from injuries and so the dog can go riding and adventuring, as well as to allow me to carry more junk, I mean camp gear. The plan is to outfit it for weekend camp trips, most likely with a cargo trailer camper base camp to haul the bike/sidecar and be a livable seasonal rig to escape the snow. It will be a slow motion project, something to work on while caring for an aging parent. Hopefully I can have it ready when Im ready to head west again full time.
Ive seen a number of rigs set up for travel and camping. I have receiver hitches front and back on the sidecar frame, and a mount for an ATV winch to get unstuck from mud or deep ditches. anything my old body cant wrestle the rig out of. Ive gotten a number of good ideas, we shall see how they develop on my bike.
The bike. H-Ds are sort of like Legos, they can be made into nearly anything imaginable, the base chassis is the same from the huge full dresser tour bikes to the stripped down Super Glide versions. This one was somewhat close to the styles I like, it will get old school halfmoon footboards, larger gas tanks (switch from 3 1/2 to 5 gallons), and I have a "wide glide" front end, a stripped down and slightly extended one from an FXWG model with 21" skinny front wheel that Ill put on it this summer.
The sidecar mounted. Its a DMC brand, I found it used for a very decent price. A well built and designed rig for my use. They seem pretty popular for use with a variety of bikes. I havent quite convinced the dog its a great idea to ride in yet, its a slow process with her. Most people that take their dogs in their sidecar say the dogs absolutely love it, most say they wish theyd gotten one years earlier.
Ill add pictures and info as this progresses over time.
This guy is one of my camp and adventure heroes, Ara and his dog Spirit. They traveled all over the west with the bike and sidecar for years, he has scads of good videos. This one I like a lot because it reminds me of parts of Arizona I used ro ride and roam in and plan to go see again.
Time, life events, getting a dog, and changes in location all encouraged me to step back from bikes for many years, but Ive fallen back into the habit after 30 or so years away. The older types I liked best (the 1930s through 60s Knuckleheads and Panheads) were way out of my budget, but I came into a 1984 H-D Low Rider in decent shape. I can now also appreciate the electric start, and the performance is entirely adequate for my uses, with plenty to spare.
In the past I spent literally hundreds of nights camping, then later living out in the hills off my bike and pickup, I had a blast. I wanted to do some more of that, at least on a minor scale. I mounted a sidecar to the new bike, both to help with possible issues from injuries and so the dog can go riding and adventuring, as well as to allow me to carry more junk, I mean camp gear. The plan is to outfit it for weekend camp trips, most likely with a cargo trailer camper base camp to haul the bike/sidecar and be a livable seasonal rig to escape the snow. It will be a slow motion project, something to work on while caring for an aging parent. Hopefully I can have it ready when Im ready to head west again full time.
Ive seen a number of rigs set up for travel and camping. I have receiver hitches front and back on the sidecar frame, and a mount for an ATV winch to get unstuck from mud or deep ditches. anything my old body cant wrestle the rig out of. Ive gotten a number of good ideas, we shall see how they develop on my bike.
The bike. H-Ds are sort of like Legos, they can be made into nearly anything imaginable, the base chassis is the same from the huge full dresser tour bikes to the stripped down Super Glide versions. This one was somewhat close to the styles I like, it will get old school halfmoon footboards, larger gas tanks (switch from 3 1/2 to 5 gallons), and I have a "wide glide" front end, a stripped down and slightly extended one from an FXWG model with 21" skinny front wheel that Ill put on it this summer.
The sidecar mounted. Its a DMC brand, I found it used for a very decent price. A well built and designed rig for my use. They seem pretty popular for use with a variety of bikes. I havent quite convinced the dog its a great idea to ride in yet, its a slow process with her. Most people that take their dogs in their sidecar say the dogs absolutely love it, most say they wish theyd gotten one years earlier.
Ill add pictures and info as this progresses over time.
This guy is one of my camp and adventure heroes, Ara and his dog Spirit. They traveled all over the west with the bike and sidecar for years, he has scads of good videos. This one I like a lot because it reminds me of parts of Arizona I used ro ride and roam in and plan to go see again.
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