Anyone know about fitting of, and availability of side cars to suit F650GS twin?
Thanks
Ciao
Dave

Mounting a sidecar on a bike is not such an issue: you just have to work out how to mount the bolt points to your existing frame. This can be the tricky part as modern bikes often have the engine as a stressed member, making the bottom mounts harderto fix.

Having one, I am biased, but I would recommend a Ural sidecar and chassis. They are VERY sturdy and dealers are used to fitting them to non-Ural bikes, too. A universal fitting kit is also avaialbe that you can use as a starting point for your project. Old sdecar bodies are plentiful where I life making it a cheap option too

You could also get competition sidecars if it's for storage rather than a pillion, but these cost $$$$$$$€€€€€€!! Also they are vey light whilst a heavy sidecar does make it easier to handle. I can also think of prettier brands, but I doubt they are strong enough norhave the ground clearance of the models above.

Note that you may need to consider changing your wheel bearing types and carry spare spokes: the cornering forces on a conventional motorcyle to not act on the components in the same way as they do on a motorcycle-sidecar combination.

Head over to the ADVrider hacks section and ask there, there are a lot of Australians active who'll point you in the direction of a convertor.

The big item you'll need is a subframe. I havn't seen an F800 with a chair, so I'm guessing this will need to be made. Don't think velorex universal fitting kits are going to do what you need, they are designed for a Jawa sized bike and will turn, slip, break and generally be a PITA if you start to push them with something like the F. Once you have the subframe, the choice of chair will be up to you, there's usually plenty on e-bay.

I too run a Ural chair, they are tough, practical and better still parts are easy enough to come by. Platform chairs are a IMHO a PITA, for less weight saving than a couple of days of not supersizing your lunch, your kit gets wet, you have a security issue, it's about as streamlined as a brick and you can't rig a seat if you have a need to carry a passenger.

One thought; have you driven an outfit before? It's a completely different machine to a bike. If you havn't, get yourself to a Ural dealer or sidecar club for a test ride as item #1 on your to do list. If you hate that shopping trolley feeling, no point spending thousands setting up an outfit.

Andy

I always considered a sidecar outfit to handle like a sports car......with one flat tire.

Have you had a sidecar before?
They can be a bit of a handfull, and im not sure the BMW Would be a brilliant bike, due to its riding position. - however, i havent tryed it - my only sidecars have been an XS750 and a GS1000.

Never say never though...