Modern Vespa

I am wondering what you guys think of this trade. I the owner and I are considering a trade for my MP3 500 for his Hack. Here is his hack on craigslist.com

http://losangeles.craigslist.org/wst/mcy/1920440795.html

What do you think?

There are a ton of different sidecars out there. Some have electric lights, enclosed roof, radio, everything you can think of. I go to a motorcycle fund raiser for our volunteer fire department and about 500 - 600 bikes show up. Probably 1% will have some kind of sidecar. You can ask around. I looked into it and they tend to lift up on turns and you have to drive differently on turns. Braking is an issue as well. The guy I spoke to had to increase the shock absorbers mostly for braking. A lot of options out there. He had some kind of quick release on it as well. Cool as hell though. Hope it works out for you.

yea i've been reading a lot about how they handle so I know what to expect. I'm really looking for a dualsport hack.

if the mileage is not too high I think it would be a fair trade.

If you aren't in a Huge Hurry, the local Socal Sidecar expert is Doug Bingham of SideStrider in Van Nuys. He puts on one of the largest Sidecar Rallys in the world right here in Los Angeles every year!

http://sidestrider.com/event.htm

Sunday November 7th at Griffith Park. Mark your calendars.... a great way to meet Sidecarists, find rigs for sale and have a great time! Bring your MP3, as 3 wheelers are welcome and expected....

Also, if you haven't ridden a sidecar before, consider purchasing the sidecar operators manual from the Sidecar Association. It's WAY different than anything else you've ever operated!

BTW, he may be able to help you locate what you are looking for or give you tips on what to look for.

Have fun, keep us posted!
~R

I'm basing my opinion on your profile picture...you would be sorely disappointed within a week or two after the novelty of owning a sidecar wore off.

Dual sport hack is a bit of a change from an MP3, and I remember watching your videos so I know you like to ride it aggressively.

If a DS hack is what you really want look into a Ural with side car. Go to advrider.com and look for posts by Mr Cobb. He has some amazing pictures on there, almost made me want one myself. You can even get a 2WD version. Don't think they are cheap though, or fast, or advanced. But they were built to withstand Russian winters.

I am actually gonna keep the MP3 500 and pick up a BMW F650GS.

-Alba yea I like to ride kinda aggressive and also like the uniqueness of the MP3 so yea I think I may actually keep the bike.

now adding a gs to your mp is a great compliment to the stable.

Sorry for sticking my nose in this but your comment prompts me to ask what your experience with sidecars is? The guys I know who actually ride sidecars are as enthusiastic about them as MP3 owners.

If I may respond to the "novelty" attraction of sidecars I'd say it's probably no greater than that of our scooters. The biggest group of dissapointed hack riders seem to be those who bought early model Urals, many of which were not the best quality rigs. That seems to be a thing of the past from what current model owners claim. The rest of us are riding custom built rigs with big grins on our faces...

LL75

If a Dual Sport rig is what you want (great choice!) then I'd continue looking. The one on Craig's List would probably be fine for touring but most likely a bit unwieldly out in the stickerbushes. Dual Sport's are great fun with practically no limitations where they can go and that equates to more options for rides.

One big consideration would be whether you plan to take a passenger along. If that's the case you may need to include weather protection (at least a windshield) in the mix. Some of the Dual Sport rigs are not designed to provide creature comforts and herself will not like it when the skies open up.

Be sure to read the ADVrider threads on them, it's the best single resource of information there is and they're not motivated because they want to sell you something.

Lastly, if you haven't ridden a hack be sure to do so before you lay your money down, they're not everyone's cup of tea and you might be dissapointed. If you like them there's nothing that's more fun to go exploring with.

LL75

I have owned 3 sidecar rigs, mounting 2 of the cars myself. This rig looks like a good setup for the street. If you could I'd get someone who knows hacks to look/try it out. You should try it out too. If you do..... have a passenger in it's car(owner). W/o a passenger a hack can be dangerous to the new rider. This owner should give you tips on what you have to do different from what you're used to. All hacks get headshake(steering) at a certain speed at around 25-30 mph. This is normal.

What do you want a hack for ? They are great for around town and getting groceries, etc. Actually that's the way I use our 250 MP3 now.

Any hack , if you're lucky, will get 30s mpg. Most hacks seem to keep their value better than MCs, except Urals, which don't have a good reputation for reliability. In fact I wouldn't buy a Ural unless I had good mechanical/electrical skills. I've heard nothing bad about Texas sidecars.