side car vs trike?

[NCF6B]

A good friend of mine likes the F6b but says he would have to do something to "stabilize" it. He asked my thoughts on a trike kit vs side car. I told him Since i love 2 wheel riding, I'm the poorest source of information and told him I would post the question on the forum. Soooo the question is, what are the pros and cons of each? Does anyone have experience with the f6 and a side car. Our group really likes to ride the Blue Ridge, Dragon and Snake type roads. He would like to ride with us. Any thoughts I can share with him? Also, any experience with E-trike? Thanks

[Elroy]

Recommend he get a Spyder.....? Does he just not want to be on 2 wheels? You don't get much more stable on two wheels than with the F6. As to a practical answer, I'm not much help. Never ridden anything with a sidecar but I think they can have a neat look to them. I've ridden a GW trike before and unless absolutely, positively necessary will not do so again or own one. It felt to me like I was driving a 4wheeler.

[olds34dude]

just my opinion for what it is worth, sidecars are kool, trikes suck. sidecars are traditional, day comes I have to be on a trike I'll keep my ass seated in my street rod! just my opinion, like you know whats', everyone has one. D

[decubitus]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnJfsH_druU

[Elroy]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnJfsH_druU

Coooool idea!

[hoglaw]

Can't fully answer your question as I've never ridden a trike since the age of 5. I did, however, have a 99 Ultra Classic with Harley side car. A side car is different from anything else. You'll never forget your first right turn in a side car. I got it so my 120# lab could ride with me. Once he died I got rid of the side car. A side car tends to drift because most roads are crowned, not flat. It requires constant attention less you f.u. real bad. My wife has instructions that once she puts me in a home she is to buy a Gold Wing and come take me for a ride once a week. Until then the F6B is the way to go.

[Texas TC]

I would seriously look at the Polaris Slingshot. That thing looks wicked!

7960

[DMAGOLDRDR]

Aside from my F6B and Valkyrie I have a 78GL1000 sidecar rig. I had the bike for years and added the Sidecar about 6 yrs ago. They are just plain FUN. I have ridden Trikes and they are nice but a Sidecar will draw more attention and has the biggest right side saddlebag you ever saw. One big plus is a Sidecar Rig is a three person vehicle, ya can't do that with a trike. If set up right a Sidecar will run along the highway or back roads just as any other Motorcycle. My old 78 GL will roll 75mph all day long with the only difference being reduced fuel Millage.

[BIGLRY]

Can't fully answer your question as I've never ridden a trike since the age of 5. I did, however, have a 99 Ultra Classic with Harley side car. A side car is different from anything else. You'll never forget your first right turn in a side car. I got it so my 120# lab could ride with me. Once he died I got rid of the side car. A side car tends to drift because most roads are crowned, not flat. It requires constant attention less you f.u. real bad. I have ridden both, a side hack and trike and what you say about the side hack is 100% correct, it is a different breed of MC for sure. They will scare the hell out of ya if your not prepared and still give ya a thrill even if ya are. ;side-car'
As to the trike, if they are set up right...which a lot of home spun ones are not, they are fun, stable and will corner with the best of them.
I recommend making sure the rake angle is a few degrees greater than stock for much better handling, you can see this in the specs of the better quality trikes on the market, also the rear diff on the trike should never be a solid(live) rear axel and independent rear suspension is a must in my book.
Check out Paul B Blues F6B trike, it is set up right! :yes:
7961

[The Highwayman]

I don't have a ton of experience with either, but have ridden both. In our part of the world, potholes and frost heaves are common place on secondary highways where most people want to ride their bikes. It was pointed out to me by a hack pilot that the advantage he had with his rig was that he only had 2 wheel tracks like a car and therefore could straddle the occasional flaw in the roadway. A trike has 3 wheel tracks and there is very little of the road surface they don't cover so they tend to hit every bump or pothole with one wheel or another. Made sense to me.

[opas ride]

Take a look at the new 2015 Polaris Slingshot coming out in October of this year...Looks pretty interesting to say the least.....Most reviews are very positive so far...If three wheels are your bag, this thing deserves a test ride!!

[foodog2]

I have had both and prefer the sidecar. I bought my F6B to put a hannigan sidecar on it and am modifying the triple tree to be a dedicated rig. Woo hoo three more weeks. Anyway, both have there plusses and minuses and it comes to preference. Sidecars are just plain cool IMHO. And as stated if set up properly can hang with most bikes. The high performance sidecars are nuts and will hang with anyone!

[NCF6B]

Thanks folks, really appreciate all the info. I'll pass it along. It really does come down to preference. I think he needs to decide if "motorcycling" is for him. I really can't help him there. It's too bad he can't try both and then decide. Decisions decisions, expensive decisions. O well, I'm going to get on my F6b and go for a ride! Back to you later!

[jellybean]

A good friend of mine likes the F6b but says he would have to do something to "stabilize" it. He asked my thoughts on a trike kit vs side car. I told him Since i love 2 wheel riding, I'm the poorest source of information and told him I would post the question on the forum. Soooo the question is, what are the pros and cons of each? Does anyone have experience with the f6 and a side car. Our group really likes to ride the Blue Ridge, Dragon and Snake type roads. He would like to ride with us. Any thoughts I can share with him? Also, any experience with E-trike? Thanks

We are having both 2014 F6B and 2010 GW with side car seat belts for 2...expensive ( cost 17000 to installed) but with young kids it's a must.
So the question is do you need side car or trike,with side car you can carry up 4 person plus tons of room for luggage. I don't have experience with trike , I believe riding trike or side car almost the same.

JB

[fxdl2051]

With either rig, I doubt he'll be able to keep up with you guys. Sidecars are pretty unstable, right turns will tend to lift the wheel without a passenger. Left hand turns ok, hacks will corner like a sports cars. Saw a guy with a Liberty side car installed on a Glide, he could hardly keep the chairs wheel on the ground. You can mod the front end with leading link suspension, that's supposed to really help tame sidecars. That being said, they are insane fun, just not a motorcycle anymore. Trikes, never cared for them, have ridden several, they are just too hopelessly booooring for me. Someone else mentioned Can Ams, look at the 2015 models, they promise a sporting ride and look like a cross between a Corvette and a V Max, probably easier to ride than a hack or a trike. Guess is, the only thing that'll keep up with you guys, maybe even dust you on the straights.

[edgeman55]

Oct issue of Rider magazine did a write up on a F6B with a Motor Trike Raptor kit installed.Looks nice and has independent suspension with air adjustability on the fly.Also a rake kit was installed and the rider said handling was great.

[Cool Hand Luke]

Oct issue of Rider magazine did a write up on a F6B with a Motor Trike Raptor kit installed.Looks nice and has independent suspension with air adjustability on the fly.Also a rake kit was installed and the rider said handling was great.

But no reverse. In my opinion, reverse is a must on a trike. It weighs over 1,000 lbs!