Add a sidecar

[Bullyboy]

for anyone who wants to give it a whirl, here is how I built our sidecar. It is based off the Scandinavian side bike design , which is not available outside Europe, and expensive.
For starters the frame mount on the bike is made from a piece of channel that is cut and bent to hug the frame, and extend past the wheel bolt. Taking into account foot size on the pedal and having the attachment points far enough apart for 80 lbs hanging off the side. It attaches under the frame like the kick stand and at 3 other points on the frame with u-bolts. The attachment points are air cylinder rod ends, and the vertical plate piece is just some scrap I had.

 

[Bullyboy]

The sidecar frame is made from 1" EMT ,first soaked in muriatic acid to strip the zinc plating. Cut to size and welded. The threaded ends on the frame are 1" hydraulic cylinder pins drilled and threaded for the 1/2" rod ends, and the wheel bolt. The biggest challenge is to keep the sidecar as level as possible on turns. That's why the hinge action is level with the back wheel bolts. I used an 18 " wheel , but now I regret that, really hard to find fenders. The frame was "adjusted" a couple times to get it right.

 

[Bullyboy]

Now for the fun part, coming up with a shape for the pod. I looked everywhere for a bowl or cone shape for the nose, I ended up with a stack of pink styrofoam glued to a round piece of plywood, took it to the garage and spun it on the drill, while shaping with the belt sander ... what a mess. After that I added sides and the bottom, and started shaping. Drywall compound is the filler for this since it's cheap and it's just going to dissolve after. Paint the final shape with latex paint so I can see the finished product and a layer for the release PVA.

 

[Bullyboy]

Now for the fibreglass, 6 layers of biaxial mat lay-up over the styrofoam buck. Then just pour acetone into the foam buck and melt it out. I used Ecopoxy because it is a epoxy that can be used in the house and no fumes for a winter project. I had to do a little bit of "fitting" with Maya during the build so she was used to sitting in it before we hit the road.

 

[Bullyboy]

Next came sanding, body work , and paint. My first time with a 2 part epoxy paint. The base coat is silver, then I shot the first silver flake in the clear. I didn't care for that, since the flake was quite light, so we got out the flake cannon and shoot a little clear and blast it with the flake. We added a tail light with a flashing led for visibility. Still some changes to do this winter, but we are enjoying it for now

 

[Bullyboy]

Just about forgot, suspension for the sidecar! I'm trying to think up a lightweight suspension idea for the single wheel
To absorb some of the harsh road bumps, the pod has a fully padded interior already. I'm open to suggestions, I plan on moving or changing the wheel position anyways.

 

[RustyGold]

Great job on the sidecar and the build description!

Jason