qd klr sidehack

[Denzfeat@aol.com]

Hey, guys and gals; I've been screwing around with sidecars for years. Each time I sell one for financial or space reasons I immediately regret it and I am Jonesing for another as we speak. I've got this idea for a quick-detachable lightweight and very strong tubular hack using some off-the-shelf trailer parts, some mandrel-bent thinwall tubing and a little of my father-in-law's welding skill (I weld OK, he welds better). The rig is patterned after hacks now in competition in desert and hare scrambles events, a bare-bones structure with no bodywork, easily removed by use of a subframe that bolts to hardpoints on the KLR's frame, which preserves toe-in and lean-out alignment during the process. Ralph and I jawed about it over lunch and he figures he can make them for $500 to $600 apiece, using mine as a pattern and jig. It would be more worthwhile to us (and possibly cheaper) if we could build a bunch at one time. No bodywork is planned at this time, but it would be easy to shackle any flat-bottomed pod to the frame, install a chair as the army did with a Doug Bingham-built KLR 250 combination, or install a nice polished aluminium job box to the rails for utility use. Lower gearing would be nice but not necessary. A fork brace and possibly a steering damper (available from several sidehack mfr's) would be nice, too, I'm going to experiment with that stuff on my own as part of the r and d. So I'm testing the water with the group. Anyone interested? Pete the Streak