"Scrambler" Sidecar build

sweeet, i think the direction of my 75 will be a scrambler sans high pipes and side car. perhaps some longer fork tubes and shocks to give me a little more height. Hard bags too.

discovering how much i really do love back roads!
 
What rear fender is that? I like it a lot.

Stock fender with about 4" cut off. I tried to recycle as many old bike parts I had on this project. In the future I might bolt on some plastic MX fenders.


Total investment is around $1600 including the car.
 
It looks like the rolled edge is still there to match the sides. Did you just cut off the 4" from the back or did you move the whole thing down?
 
It looks like the rolled edge is still there to match the sides. Did you just cut off the 4" from the back or did you move the whole thing down?


Just cut 4" off the front of it. The front of the fender is now bolted to the inner fender and the back mounts to the same structure that holds the tailight,
 
I would guess I put around 2500 miles on the outfit this season and its about time to tear it down for a little paint and maintenance. I still want to ride it in the snow so I will probably wait till after the holidays.

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I want to fix a couple things I didnt care for when I built it. I never cared for the tailiight and want to find something a little lower profile. I would like to change the seat as well, It works fine but I want to be able to haul a passenger since the kids are getting too big to ride in the car together. I plan to upgrade the exhaust as well but I cant decide if I want to go with hi-pipes or a 2-1 exiting on the left side.

I have been brainstorming to come up with a paint scheme as unusual as the rig. My Son wants it done up in a military theme , My daughter is pushing for Barbie or Hello Kitty. :confused: It just might end up black/silver or green/silver since I have those colors on hand. I might go with something like this Enfield oufit but paint the wheels olive drab or black as well.

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They don't make a car tire in the right size to fit our wheels. Most any 16, 17 or 18 inch car tire are very wide. At least a 195 width. A 140 width is at the maximum width that will fit. And then it may need a bit of modding to fit.
There are some people running car tires on the rear of some bikes but they use special built wheels and they are larger bikes with plenty of room to use a 200+ size tire.
Leo
 
Its not recommended to run a car tire on a motorcycle rim anyway, something about the lip is not the same height.

If I was going to use this as a cross country rig I would upgrade the sidecars wheel but it works fine for my application. I will probably mount a dual-sport tire at some point but for now I want to concentrate on the bike. After the holidays I am going to tear it down for paint and some much needed maintenance.

I might just seperate the pair and use the XS as my dual sport and find something else to mount the car to. The XS makes a fine bike for around town but leaves a little to be desired on the highway. It will run around 65 MPH on a good day but add a bit of wind and you are struggling to reach 55.
 
Finally had a day nice enough to open up the garage door and work outside. A little progess on the bike today. Mounted some Sportster mufflers and got the tank pretty much ready to spray.

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I still have not decided what color to paint it. I am leaning towards an early Husqvarna dirt bike scheme, Red tank with silver fenders. I am hoping to get it back on the road in the next week or so . Then I will decide if it want to run the bike solo or bolt the sidecar back on for another season.
 
I took it out for a little ride around the neighborhood today, No mufflers, license plate or speedo. First time I have ever ridden this bike solo. Its pretty quirky. Turns pretty quick and really feels light. Still need to finish a few little thing before its legal.

The old girl started on the 3rd kick after setting all winter. Not bad for an old XS with 35k miles on it

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Bought these decals off Ebay for $5. Not sure if I am going to use them or airbrush something on the tank.

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- - - Bought these decals off Ebay for $5. Not sure if I am going to use them or airbrush something on the tank. - - -

Hi FD,
never mind the $5 tank decals, where'd the sidecar go, eh?
BTW, running 17T/38T sprockets on my XS650 rig. Runs great round town & on back roads but sucks on the highway.
But hey, I got an XS11 rig for that.
Note:-
Posed shot. We don't ride like that. Even in 105ºF Montana.
 
Hi FD,
never mind the $5 tank decals, where'd the sidecar go, eh?
BTW, running 17T/38T sprockets on my XS650 rig. Runs great round town & on back roads but sucks on the highway.
But hey, I got an XS11 rig for that.
]

I have been away for a while. Soon after the last pic was taken I bolted the car back on and enjoyed the rest of the season riding the back roads. In late October it suffered carb and brake problems and was parked.

Got everything sorted out this spring and rode the XS solo again for a few months but ended up selling the XS in June. Working too many hours and I am a little burnt out on projects. Still have the car and might end up bolting it to another XS, Probably a 750 or 850 though. I want to build something a little more highway friendly for longer trips.
 
- - - Still have the car and might end up bolting it to another XS, Probably a 750 or 850 though. I want to build something a little more highway friendly for longer trips.

Hi FD,
have I got a deal for you! A subframe that I built for my son's XS750 rig, that is surplus to our needs after the XS750 fragged itself and the remains were parted out.
Mounts on the lower front engine bolts both sides and plugs into the centerstand mounts at the rear.
Here's an installed view of the front:-

And an installed view from underneath:-

Yours for postage. Be warned, it's neither small nor light.
It may even be cost-effective to use the concept and weld up your own subframe rather than pay the freight to get ours sent to you.
 
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