klr-sidecar

[16549 River]

I have been running a Velorex 562 for almost a year on a 2000 KLR650. It is light and the KLR handles it just fine. It was a cheap alternative to a real enduro sidecar, which can run into real money quickly. I found it used on the local market and it came off of a KLR650, so I got it with the DMC subframe. I surprised quite a few people in the June Dakota Dual Sport ride in the Black Hills with what I could do with this rig. We tackled some pretty rocky trails (couple of bikes went down) mud holes and a stream crossing. It handled everything except the mud hole where the longer nose of the sidecar got buried in the mud. But someone lifted the nose up and I was able to ride it out. Obviously good knobbies help. It was so much fun that I bent the thing. Stock Velorex mounts are not up to this kind of abuse. The front lower mount which I believe is a 1" mild tubular steel, bent near a pinch connection on the sidecar side of things. Actually, it turned out that the tube was actually torn on the top half so the whole rig folded together. When I got home with it, I found a custom bike builder and painter who repaired it by replacing the bent mount with solid 1" steel stock, which will NEVER break. I am told the next weak link is the axle. On the one I bought, the 14mm axle had been replaced with a 20mm heavy duty option, which I think is available from Velorex. However it still seems quite light to me. I recently returned from Oregon on a different sidecarrig, but went through Boise, Idaho which is the home of Northwest Sidecar. I stopped, mainly to get out of the heat, but found they had closed up shop due to health problem. The owner, Lonnie, was home and ready to visit. He has been a Velorex dealer for years and has made some custom parts to beef them up. One of his fabrications is a replacement axle and mount for the sidecar shock. The axle he uses is 1" and uses regular automotive bearings, I think. Anyway he sells that replacement along with a rim and tire that are heavy duty. He had two left so I bought one to put on my KLR650/Velorex rig back home. If someone wants to use a Velorex for off road work, I think this is a very worthwhile modification. Now, one question is why would I want a Velorex rather than an enduro sidecar. For my use, I sometimes carry the family dog and grand kids. The Velorex is definitely superior and safer in my opinion that the more open enduro sidecar. The Velorex can be made to work better and has served me well. You can even get a canopy top to keep those grand kids dry and happy on a rainy ride. Also handy for grocery shopping and other projects. By the way, I also ride my unit in the winter. With knobbies, it is my cheap alternative to a Ural. I can get around great and is great fun drifting through some corners. Though the KLR electric system seems anemic, I found it will support heated grips. I put ATV handle bar mitts on it, and it works so well that I usually ride without gloves in the winter. Which is good since with the mitts on you can't see anything or feel anything with winter gloves on. As you can tell, I love my rig and would recommend it as a pretty good sidecar unit. I set mine up with a holder for a 5 gallonjerry can for gas, the Seat Concepts replacement foam and cover and the Madstad windshield. If you are interested, I can send photos to you of the finished outfit. Although it is a bit dusty - I have never washed it and don't intend to. Let me know if you have any other questions. Good luck if you decide to go ahead with it. -- *Dennis O. Johnson* 218 828-4664 Home and Office 218 330-7410 Mobile [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Lee Dodge]

You may have missed a seldom noticed but heavily practiced behavior among H-D riders i.e. ATGATT does not appear in their Code of Macho, it has been replaced by NOGATT which is the acronym of NO Gear All The Time. Being 'cool' has many incarnations. Lee, in Wisconsin where he has a DOT or Snell helmet, plus related gear,for all occasions. PS- Darwin was right. [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]