hack rig recommendations?

[drphill]

Help me here...I'm looking for a hack rig to ride mostly during the winter but also when BOTH of my daughters want to go for a ride. After taking a test ride my youngest wants to ride one to High Skrewl now instead of a taking a car...

now for the caveats:

I need it to be able to do highway speeds.

I do not want a URAL...I'd prefer a UJM tug as that's what I'm familiar with working on.

I would like to keep it under 4K.

any suggestions/recommendations of rigs? where to look? got one sitting in your garage you're tired of looking at?

Thanks

Phill

[Bart]

If you're looking to carry both daughters simultaneously, you'll need a good sized tub as you do not want to carry one daughter as pillion on the bike. Unless they're very small and you're not going far at all, you'll want a two-seater like a Hannigan.

If you need or want to maintain "highway speeds" in all conditions (interstate speed limits, strong headwinds) with a tub big enough to haul two people (or even one adult), you will need at least a legit 80 hp at the rear wheel. Do not believe folks who claim their Ural or similarly underpowered hack rig can "cruise all day at 65-70 mph" as this is not possible. My BMW K1100RS makes a legit 100 hp at the rear wheel and it allows me to deal with the truckers on I-80 in western Nebraska with no issues ever, though gas mileage really drops above 70 mph.

You said you didn't want a Ural anyway - and you're correct that a Ural rig would not fit your desires. The Ural sidecar/tub itself is an excellent choice otherwise, if you can find one by itself as Ural no longer sells them as a standalone. I bought one when that was still possible and mounted it to a 1995 BMW R100. The rig has worked very well for me over 7 years and 65K miles and I've ridden many 600+ mile days on it, even managed to do one SS1K but...it's best to stick to two-lane roads and 55-60 mph speeds. With a decent tailwind, the 1000cc BMW will maintain a legit 65 mph but beyond that is asking too much. A Ural motor makes even less power of course.

So, possible UJM tugs should include stuff like older Suzuki in-line fours like the GS1100 or Bandit, or any Honda or Kawi that makes similar power. Yes, you can find something like that cheap. The tub you seem to want would not be easily found for $2K or less and stay away from Velorex given the horsepower and speed you're looking for. I think a $4K budget for bike, sidecar and assembly is overly optimistic even if you're doing everything yourself unless perhaps you design and build everything yourself. I would suggest a budget closer to $6K would be more realistic.

I would not have let my teenage son drive my rig to and from school nor anywhere else in an urban environment. And when guys tell me they're thinking of getting a hack to carry the wife or a kid in more comfort and more safely, my response is "buy a Gold Wing." You and the passenger will be safer and more comfortable in almost every circumstance. Perhaps you've driven hacks before enough to know, but piloting a sidecar rig is a lot of physical work, even if dialed in as perfectly as possible.

I pilot a hack because that's what it takes for me to still ride. While a hack may be a preference for some of my sidecar brethren, after putting 100K miles on my two rigs, I'd treasure the chance to go back to two wheels only.

FWIW. YMMV.