***This rig was sold some time ago, it is NOT for sale by me! This article is for reference purposes for those who were interested in what I did when I built this sidecar rig!***
RigSale.htm
Sidecar section of Technical Index, item 12
© Copyright, 2011, R. Fleischer
I purchased the tug, a 1983 R100RT, brand new in 1985. The sidecar is a 2002 model URAL which I purchased brand new.
This sidecar rig has a top speed of about 90+, but I've driven it only once that
fast (+). It will comfortably tour at highway speeds. I liked to cruise it about 55-65, as that is the most
comfortable area on most highways, for ME.
Frankly, no matter what rig I'd be on, 55-75 will likely be the more comfortable area for
me. I have done a tour 'in a hurry', and held higher speeds, and the rig
does fine, but I don't like rushing, preferring to see the scenery! The
fuel mileage on any sidecar rig is atrocious at high speeds anyway, and there is no sense in
working the engine that hard.
This BMW-Ural rig is SORTED-OUT, and VERY sturdily built. Tire wear
is MINIMAL!...and handling quite good. It has BMW snowflake wheels on the
tug, and uses motorcycle and/or sidecar type tires.
Yeah, that really is me and my pet raccoon, Rocky, on my head.
Below is me and the rig, TWO DAYS after I first got it running and drove it to Palm Springs, and then onwards to Griffith Park, for the annual Sidecar Rally. This was its shake-down tour, about 650 miles, one way, as I made a side detour on the way. In this photo there is no spare tire mount nor luggage rack on the rear trunk of the Ural sidecar, nor is there the chrome luggage rack on the Ural fender, nor the Ural front nerf bar; those all came later. That's the grassy camping area at Griffith Park, we are no longer allowed to camp there, per the Park officials. BOO HOO. The Griffith Park Sidecar Rally is always in October. See Doug Bingham's site, www.sidestrider.com for details (click on Events).
Details:
1983/1984 BMW R100RT tug. This is the large valves, 40 mm carburetors model. I'm the original owner, I purchased the bike brand-new in 1985. Except for one approximately 7 month period of time, when I, in a poor decision, sold the tug; then bought it back, it had always been in my possession.
Stock BMW electronic ignition, BUT dual-plugged with Accell coils; and, has the later
'no
problem' BMW valve seats. Longer early valve guides were also installed.
Slightly raised compression ratio....but still runs nicely on regular grade gasoline in
most areas. The heads, including modification of the valve seats and dual
plug drilling, were done by O.Okleshen (better known as OAK), the top guru for
BMW airhead motorcycles in the United States. The longer earlier valve
guides were also used as noted. The valves are very stable over the normal 5000
mile clearance checking interval, and the engine does NOT use hardly any oil
between changes. I change the oil regularly, and the filter every
other oil change. ONLY BMW filters are used. The
canister depth has been measured and one metal shim, and no outer paper gasket,
is standard and perfect for this particular bike. I use only Golden
Spectro 4, 20W50 oil. A thinner oil could, should, be used in VERY cold
conditions.
Rear end ratio has been changed to 3.36:1; and there is the matching and VERY accurate BMW
speedometer that was purchased brand-new. BMW Brembo
disc brake rear. Up front are dual BMW Brembo calipers/discs with UNIT SS
lines, on a UNIT Leading Link
forks (purchased brand-new in 2002), with Hagon sidecar special (and adjustable)
shock
absorbers for
this particular front end. Koni adjustable dampening rear shocks.
The steering head bearings are adjusted for sidecar type of preload.
There is a VW beetle type of hydraulic steering damper on the downtube-to-right-upper-hack-strut.
This damper is connected to the front fork by a clamp that has several holes in
it...to allow different stroke amounts for the damper. One
simply moves the damper one hole further outward or inward, depending on if the
front tire is a motorcycle type or a flat tread sidecar type. I purposely left the
stock lower triple mounted hydraulic damper in place, which can be used in
very rough going, to give additional dampening, should that be needed.....I never
found the need.
Full "RT" fairing, modified to accommodate the front upper hack strut. NO welding has been done on the BMW frame. All connections are by VERY sturdy clamps, custom made. The windshield was the original BMW one when Hal purchased it from me, and it had the usual time/mileage stress cracks at the bottom center mounts, and there were crude looking bolts and rubber pieces at the center....this was done when on a tour, and I have never felt the need, cosmetically, to change that....but, it did not look good. Hal put on a new windshield...he would have the details.
There are both left and right BMW Tour Saddlebags. The left bag was
replaced many years ago by me, as it got cracked. There is a heavy duty rack and
heavy duty backrest. Both of those items are specially modified.
The front turn signal housings are INternally modified for small running
lamps...and the rear turn signal units have been
modified for commonly available dual-filament lamps and matching sockets, to
also give a 'running
lights' function. Those rear units have RED inserts.
The electrical system has been modified in several other ways. As examples, the better of the voltage regulators, a metal can Bosch voltage regulator was used by me, modified so is easily adjustable and was been set for the best voltage performance for the battery....which was an almost brand new Panasonic AGM type. I think Hal has put another battery and VR into the bike, so see him for details.
The dash no
longer
has the original voltmeter nor the original clock. In their holes is now round red-digital versions;
the voltmeter was the original first limited production versions that I
designed some time ago, and as such, they are not quite as pretty as the final
versions. All hack wiring was done 'right', and is not the stock
Russian setup. An umbilical cord with plugs is used between hack and tug. The
tug headlight shell has a switch to turn off the tug right rear turn signal, to comply
with all of the various States and Country laws,
etc....all done 'right'. Jack for heated clothing, charger, whatever.
This tug is driveable with motorcycle tires, with the hack disconnected...and
it is NOT difficult to remove the hack....4 bolts and one electrical connection
plug. When I sold the rig, the tug had a sidecar tire, an Avon
Triple Duty 3.50-19, on the front, so the tug should NOT be driven without the
hack with a square tread tire. Hal has changed tires, so see him on what is
installed presently. The UNIT front fork is adjustable for TRAIL.
Automatic high power headlight modulator, on photocell. There are NO
sensitivity problems with this setup; it does NOT give the unstable adjustment
problems of the Kisan model; and
will handle another headlight, or a larger one. This heavy duty modulator
is
NOT mounted inside the headlight. The sidecar umbilical cord wiring/plug/etc., was done in such a way that additional electrics, radio,
intercom, etc., are not at all difficult to add to the hack....which DOES have
electrical outlet terminals to one side of the hack 'dash', for easy operation
of temporary 12 volt devices. A dashboard was never installed in the
hack, as I did not like the idea of a passenger's legs potentially banging into
it. I also never installed a locking trunk...although I have available
two designs for that. I simply felt it unnecessary.
The original side trim panels were included. They were removed to
install the rear upper strut....and the left side Luftmeister 1 gallon fuel
tank. The right side Luftmeister tank, not mounted, was included.
This bike has been the 'test bed' for a lot of the BMW airhead Club,
etc., modifications over the years. It was hardly a showpiece....what
it was was a heavy-duty reliable touring rig, capable of going off-road.
More: BMW oil cooler and thermostat. Lowell Neff style
heavy duty
subframe.
Cross brace to transmit forces from the hack into both sides of the frame above
the battery. Front upper strut mount is designed to transmit forces
to BMW cross bar, for same idea. Battery tray messily modified to accommodate that cross-brace.
Russell Day-long two-up saddle, matching backrest with metal insert.
Hand guards (brush guards). Reinforced rear rack.
Tug has the BMW 6 gallon fuel tank,
but also has the mentioned one gallon Luftmeister side tank on the left side,
automatic feeding. Included is the one gallon right side
Luftmeister tank, which is rather easily to install if the bike
is used as a solo. All petcock outlet lines are filtered by commonly
available filter elements. The centerstand and a modified sidestand are
still in place, so solo use is possible.
There is a sequential Bak-Off light array that operates
automatically from either brake.
There are NO
steering instabilities.
Included was the originally purchased BMW Multivario tank
bag, old, but usable, and has had its lousy original pressed-paper sides
replaced with genuine leather and a new plastic insert for maps. Spare brand-new control cables and quite a few other items
went with the rig.
Maintained...by me!....with some exceptions. At around 12,000
miles (a guess, have to look at the records), the heads were removed for a full
valve job...including some new valves; all new latest seats, and
longer new (old style) valve guides; and, some milling to raise CR......and dual plugging
conversion. All this work was done by O. Okleshen, better known as OAK; I
removed and reinstalled everything myself.
I did a rear drive conversion to 3.36:1....with
brand-new gears, and the shimming and alignment was also done by OAK.
The speedometer was replaced at that time with a brand new one, which is VERY
accurate!...to match that gear ratio. The mileage on the Odometer is
approximately correct, it was spun up to include the prior mileage..
Hack: 2002 Ural, purchased brand-new by me. I have added a
black Ural rear rack/Ural spare tire carrier and that is modified to fit the BMW
spare wheel, included. Bearings and preload and seals
are, of course, properly done. When I sold the rig to Hal I
installed a spare BMW rear wheel, modified to fit the disc brake and later rear
drive of this 1983 tug. That
particular wheel requires a spacer washer on the left side, and that is in the
bike....not needed with the original wheel, which was included and was mounted on the
Ural trunk. Thus this rig has a REAL spare! There is a Ural chrome fender rack. The sidecar
was ordered with the windshield and tonneau. I think Hal has had a
custom Tonneau made for it, as the original Russian type is just not all that
great. I added the
Ural black nerf bar in front, having lots of fun installing it. I did not get around to putting a
headlight onto that nerf bar. I think a 10 watt Halogen is a good size for
it.
There is NO RUST, has not been in any wrecks.
Hack has a
nice braking setup with both separate and coupled, 'BMW' pedals. The
stock tug rear brake actuates the hack brake at lesser force than just the
separate hack brake pedal alone. With triple discs and the hack brake, this rig STOPS! ....and turns
nicely.
The Ural sidecar has been modified in several ways to its
frame
and brakes and no faulty or garbage welding will be found! Probably
the frame and mounts work is overkill, more heavy duty than really needed.
The front
lower mount is no longer the stock Ural fixed mount, but is the Ural adjustable collet/sliding clamp type, similar
to the stock Ural rear, but modified and beefed up. This allows for
proper alignment and fitting in any direction. Done somewhat
similarly....(but, I think nicer)....than Dave Hough did his. In
fact, I consulted with Dave on this rig....and Dave supplied the real
Russian tubing I used during some of the modifications.
This rig runs only a 6 inch lead, and minimum toe-in, and thus is relatively easy on tires, but if one wanted to be a hot-dogger, especially in LEFT turns, I suggest the lead be increased. Quite frankly, that 6" lead is too low for most sidecarists, and I would not recommend it....for most, 9" would be much better.
The sidecar now has the mentioned Ural front nerf bar,
not shown in any of the photos. This was a PIA to install as noted!
Front and rear rims are stock BMW cast wheels of the 'snowflake'
design; 2.75" width, 18" rear; 19" front.
The 19" front is NOT the 'Recalled' one....it is the later, web-reinforced
model. The rear stock original wheel, and perhaps the other rear wheel,
may have the wider internal spacer on the right side, to clear the swing arm,
with up to 120-18 road tires. I do not remember what I left in them for
that purpose...stock or the wider top hat spacer. No matter, as the wheels
were properly fitted and clear just fine.
Hal's put new tires on the tug, so see him on details. When I sold the
rig, and probably still on it, the sidecar tire was the original Russian rubber, 3.50x18 in excellent condition. I personally trued the chromed wheel (they are never perfect from the factory), and
I installed a Ural hubcap. I was not at all happy with the bearings in the
wheel, they were not even assembled correctly, so I redid them. The Russian wheel moves its shape a bit over time, when the spokes are adjusted,
so one final spoke adjustment might be needed in the future. Very
easy to do.
Hack is easily separated, and if a front motorcycle tire is used on
the tug (and the rear is kept as a M/C tire),
the tug can be ridden solo, even quite hard, even with the LL front
end, withOUT problems...I HAVE done that. The trail is EASILY
adjusted by loosening 4 allenbolts and sliding two clamps.
The hack is Ural black; tug is BMW 572 red (a darkish maroon)....and
seat and backrest also match the tug color. The tug Russell Day-Long seat, backrest; and the sidecar upholstery,
are all in good condition. The backrest matches the seat, and I have made
a very strong internal METAL plate inside that backrest...the original stuff was
flimsy pressed paper or some sort of weird stuff that did not have any strength.
It was not a showroom queen, this rig has been ridden, and has sand
pitting on the front part of the fairing paint.
The Ural front nerf bar installation required some hacksawing on the right and left of the footrest area inside the hack tub, for access for nuts and bolts, but is fine.
That's the spare tire: a BMW rear snowflake wheel mounted on a modified Ural tire mount, topped
by the Ural luggage rack. To the right, is a gas jug strapped onto the
chromed Ural fender luggage rack....I used it only when on very long trips in
very remote areas.
Very heavy duty Lowell Neff style main subframe, very sturdy, made of heavy wall steel tubing, and beautifully TIG welded if I do say so myself (and I DO!). Besides this piece, there is a force-spreading piece above the battery, and a special piece at the steering head for the upper front strut mounting. This rig is STURDY!!
Rear lower mount, plainly showing the box extension to allow the 6 inch wheel
lead.
That is easily shortened to allow a longer lead.
NOTE the 2 bolts at the slider, and note the brake pedal mounting,
etc. The Ural frame has gussets added here and there, for, probably,
overkill sturdiness. This rig is set up for
a 6 inch wheel lead. That may be somewhat short, if one likes to
take very swift left-hand turns. But, it reduces tire wear, and makes for
quicker handling on the right. In order to change the wheel lead, one
reduces the length of that vertical box section in the center of the photo
above, a simple job, and you then simply relocate the rear strut weld point at the Ural
frame. This is all relatively easy to do, as are a couple other minor
things. The front Ural mount is an adjustable type, not fixed as was
stock, so this, and alignment, etc., is much easier to do....and much easier for
forward tilt,
and other alignment. The rig has under 1 inch of toe-in, toe-in does not change
with tilt and vice versa, and the rig has classic handling. If
one installs a regular front
motorcycle rounded profile tire, and not the present Avon Triple-Duty sidecar
tire, then one should make ONE adjustment in the dampening, which will take less than TWO
MINUTES.
Steering damper; two views...note the extra holes on the above photo, at
the Heim joint area, to
change the effect and stroke length. The second photo, below, clearly shows the
beefed up front mount, some of the additional webbing and bolt, etc.
The photo is not as good as I would have liked, to show some of the details....but
the photo was purposely lighted to show the gravel pitting of the paint, in the
worst possible illustration of it I could. This pitting was NOT on the sides, upper area, etc.
In the photo just below, note the 2 bolts at the slider, and note the flat metal at-corner gusset where the two large round frame tubing's join, and you can see a VERTICAL gusset piece underneath the area just barely to the left of the two bolts. This is one heavy-duty construction! And, yes, there are extra bolts at each clamp. I did not like having only one bolt, as the Ural came with that.
The crude work done to the tool tray, to allow the round bar
to be installed above the battery. I am NOT happy with this, I had
originally intended to get another tool tray and make a really nice
modification, never got to it. The purpose of that round bar is to put
sidecar forces into both sides of the BMW frame. The opening above is sealed
by bending up some aluminum and riveting it to the tray, and sealed that...not easy to see in the photo; thus, the tool tray is usable.
I never made up anything fancier. Frankly, I hacked this out in a couple
of hours. 'Tain't pretty.
The next two views show that crossbar, located above the
battery, it is simply bolted in place to existing BMW frame tabs. It is
gray-black in this view. It is easily removable to change the
battery. You do NOT need to remove or even loosen the subframe for
this. The battery is a Panasonic sealed type. The voltage
regulator is a metal shell Bosch type, modified to be adjustable, and set to
match this battery. If you look carefully, at the top of this photo, you
can see the large nut, the eye, and part of the rear upper strut mount.
Yes, all the forces do get put into the BMW frame, both sides.
The above force-distributing bar is gray-black, round, solid aluminum alloy, threaded into both ends, and fits between stock existing BMW frame tabs. It was due to my insistence on installing such a forces-spreading bar, that I had to modify the tool tray. Note the lower right side shiny large nut...to the right of that, not seen, is the upper rear sidecar strut.
These two views show the two brake pedals. What can not be put easily
into the photo is how they are arranged, including the underside of the top
pedal (100% sidecar brake pedal), so that the braking is proportional and
balanced. It is all done mechanically, very simply, and works
wonderfully. The hack-only brake pedal was a BMW pedal, that I modified, by cutting off
the short leg from the left side, and heli-arcing it to the right side!
The bushings, etc., are home-made. A jury-rigged return spring should
probably be replaced with a nicer one...you can't see it in this photo very
well. The UNDERSIDE of the upper brake pedal has a smooth
ramp (shaped rib), and is so arranged that excessive force on
that pedal will NOT increase braking effort.
When the normal rear brake pedal is used, it acts normally on the tug; and, it puts SOME, but not too much, pressure on the sidecar brake. If you use your foot on JUST the sidecar brake, you can get as much brake on just the sidecar as you would want...and then some. It is possible to use one's boot on both pedals at the same time. This system is VERY simple, VERY effective, VERY reliable. It was done this way on purpose...I wanted it SIMPLE, EASY to maintain, and I wanted a separate sidecar brake pedal, for slow and very sharp right slow turns. I wanted the brakes to allow panic stopping in a relatively straight line.
© Copyright, 2011, R. Fleischer