Sidecar Camper
 

I'm thinking about putting an oufit together, with the sidecar body a basic 'camper', that can be slept in. I'm not interested in 'fold out Taj Mahals', but envisage a 'large box', long enough to sleep in & sit up in,with a permanent bed. A wide access door, a roll out awning, & a gas stove would probably do the trick.

It would be used for solo use only, so no seat required in sidecar.

Has anyone else got/built anything like this, if so I'd be interested in hearing about design & construction details.
regards
Cuppa

Great idea. Two of us traveled in mexico with a sidecar and homemade fitted camping gear. The sleeping pads were the seat and we had two folding chairs that fit in the car. We had a nice camp when we stopped and drew lots of curious folks. The main thing on a sleeper is to not get to much wind resistance. rounded and aerodynamic is the way.

How did you get on ?
 

Hi there Cuppa , did you ever build your sidecar camper ?

I have been thinking about something like this myself ,but utilising a small foldout tent ,similar to a rooftop tent that are used by the 4WD guys .

I understand that the sidecar scene is very active and innovative in Australia .

Absolutely correct. At a motorbike show in Melbourne there where two bike shops displaying a sidecar as hearse :laugh: All in black. A pleasant "last" trip ;-) Maybe that would be a suitable as a camper. At least you will always be he main point of public interest :clap:

hans

The "Faster Pastor" has a few bike hearses.
Faster Pastor Biker Hearses

http://www.fasterpastor.com/gravesid...usa_hearse.pdf

ask your question here...........
they know everything
The United Sidecar Association - Home

Doing the ton in a Hyabusa hearse - that's gotta be the best send off for a motorcyclist .
---------erhmm ! - but not right now thank you - maybe later [-- much later --] .

You may be able to get a moto camper trailer and modify the side car rigging to use it.
camper


side cars
Unit Sidecars - leading link fork and sidecar manufacturer
Motorcycle Accessory Specialists - Sidecars, Trailers, Hitch, Trikes, Parts, Fabrication and Mounting Hardware


you dont need the full sidecar (the tub) just the under parts. From long drivers of hacks they find reinforcing the rigging a must and as you may be cutting and welding the frame up do the reinforcing then.

At one time before the silly big RV craze there where pop up trailers or tent trailers, many people had one. I got one cheap and rebuilt it. There is nothing to them. A steal frame supporting a plywood floor a wood side frame bolted to the floor clad in vary thin aluminum. A poly canvas tent that folds in and attached by snaps to the sides and the roof. The roof is a sheet plywood with vary short sides clad in the same thin aluminum. The roof and side are sealed with a rubber seal in the roof. The door is hinged along its length and has 2 parts that slip together the door frame is part of the sides framing and roof with the 2 other parts on the tent that slide in to the side framing and roof frame and snap to the tent.

For a side car you can go with a side slide outs and or a frunt or rear slide outs to keep it rig small but add inside space. Suport the slide outs with aluminum rods(socket them in the frame and slide out). As for the the stove I cant see using it inside the rig with out making the tent much bigger one flame up and you will be lucky to cut your way out in time.

Now for the out side building boxes in side the rig under the bed is the way to go. A locking water tight door in to 1 or 2 of the boxes and a good slide out shelf like in kichens and you have an out side cooking area a nylon tarp atached to the roof sum suport poles and your dry and in the shade (more or less)

Screens and thick clear vinyl zippered to the tent for windows some poly for a shade.

Some things you can do better than this is fiber glass over thin plywood sides roof and reinforced floor you can cut the woods bulk down a bit and using nylon tenting, drop the door and go with a zippered tent flap for the bead Id go with a good thin gelfoam.

One of the Ural dealers in the UK sells an outfit with a small caravan as a trailer. It's just big enough for a double mattress and can be extended with an awning if required. I've seen it at shows and did see one being used at a rally a couple of years ago.

Hi Dodger!

Have a look at Harleyriders post above with the pic of the Ural sidecar which has excited him.....maybe this would suit you perfectly, as you have been thinking about a suitable sidecar for your needs. This would save you building one.....and the style seems right for you......

I toyed with this idea and gave up for now as the weight and cross section would seem to have an excessive effect on range.

If anyone does go down the sleeping pod route you'll need to acount for how you'll park the outfit. The usual idea for non Ural riders is to be able to roll out backwards, down hill, or drive out uphill. This means your head wants to be in the nose of the chair, which in turn mucks up the lines unless you can live with a coffin sized box or don't mind having your feet above your head while you sleep.

Andy

If you scroll down through teh pictures here, you will find a depnr pulling a camper, but I have seen 'campervan' side cars, somewhere.

DieselBike.net - Hamm 2007 Report

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_K1PTpDA_4RQ/Rr...0/DSC00270.JPG

most folk who do the elefant photograph this beastie, it is a well travelled sidecar outfit!

Nope , this is more my style YouTube - elefantentreffen

Yes, you are right, your style is indeed a little bit Wermacht! That vehicle would be handy in BC in winter though.

Dont let Harleyrider see your signature - he'll go ballistic!

Instead of building an itty-bitty sidecar camper, you could pack a nice tent you can stand up in (like a tipi-tent), camp bed, roll-up table, folding sink, chair etc. etc. in an ordinary sidecar and live in the kind of camping luxury they had in the days of empire...or am I missing the point!?

Matt :)

Now why would I want to do that?

________________
C90's,
Riding one is only slightly more interesting than walking

As the bloke who'll usually be sitting outsied his tent on a proper chair, drinking cold G&T (with olive, in the correct glass of course) wearing a smoking cap most afternoons regardless of where I happen to be camping; you've pretty much got the idea of sidecars :thumbup1:

The "pod" idea to me is more useful if the weather is bad. Doing the elefant or similar with your bed already set up inside a nice polystyrene lined box with an electric light and maybe a heater, a foot off the deck is going to result in a warmer nights sleep and nothing blowing away. If all you've got to do is pull your boots on and head to the Imbiss to eat you are likewise sorted.

On the other hand, if it's proper camping your "box" is going to be full of stove, chair, cocktail cabinet, BBQ etc. when you arrive. If it's tipping it down getting said detritus into a bag and under the chair so you can sleep is going to be just as much hassle as putting a tent up. Putting the bag in your bedspace next morning to move on is also not a great move if you intend to sleep there again.

IMHO it's horses for courses and the "sleeping pod" horse seems a bit of a one trick pony!

Andy

I 'm not really looking for a solid sleeping pod .
My idea is to have a very quick erecting tent ,very similar to a Land Rover roof tent that would be contained on the rear of the sidecar body and unfolds onto a plywood platfom which will be on legs above the ground .
This will allow the sidecar to have a usable seat ,very important as I may want to carry a passenger or have my German Shepherd dog come along as well , hence the need for grey paint and the Wehrmacht connection which will make her feel very much at home .
Dogs are great company , enjoy riding in the wind and the spin off is that they keep undesirables away from your gear .

Those are built to order by MPC, based in Leicestershire. They tend to specialise in Urals and Dneprs and the like, but have built chairs onto other bikes too.

Whichever bike will be pushing the rig, the Ural sidecar itself is a very sturdy unit and good value for your project...

here you go, long enough to sleep in...easily convertable..

An alternative
 

http://i173.photobucket.com/albums/w...geset_tsta.jpg

I came across this which is a damn good alternative to a fold out [ roof style] tent , too big to carry on a bike but easily carried on a sidecar .
It's a cot tent and it has the added advantage of not having to pack it away if you just want to go for a short ride on the outfit .
Sold by Cabelas and there are others made by KampRite.