A correction if I may. Taking the sidecar off and on is a snap. I can have mine off in about 15-20 minutes. Back on takes a little longer due to having to line up bolt holes. You don't change any of the settings like toe in and lean angle in the process.
This is one of the reasons some find the sidecar preferable to a trike. A few minutes work and your back on two wheels.

 

Here's a pic of our dogs in the wife's sidecar. We got a Hannigan, since the whole top opens up, making it easy for the dogs to get in.

 

I actually love it, although my wife (who always wants to ride behind me) doesnt feel as comfortable with the non-leaning aspect of riding a hack-rig. I am getting used to it after a year of riding this bike, a 2000 Heritage Softail Classic with a Motorvation Spyder sidecar that has been on it since it was new. With the toe-in angles set right, the bike is really fun to ride on straight roads, but is a little more work on curves... just have to pay attention more, and plan-in-advance better.

WE got this for our 13 year old and our dachsund "Harley" to ride with us... but more than around town and it gets "boring" for a 13 year old who would rather play video games... I would have DIED a thousand times to ride in a HACK when i was a kid. Kids arent the same as we were.

Anyway, you'll like the convenience of bringing non-traditional riders along if you go that route. Taking them off and putting them back on is not a big deal, just as reported earlier... and worth the effort in flexibility if you wanna change-of-pace.

Good luck!

 

Nice rig Pilotguy! Love motorvation cars!

 

Go by those that have run sidecars not those that only know from reading. A HD sidecar has an advantage over the cars with a shock. HDs have a torsion bar suspension so to say they do not have any is not true. All so a HD hack is 3 point mount not 4 like most others as the hack frame has to flex and if it had a 4th mount it would bend the motorcycle frame. A hack with a shock if you change the load weight good chance you are going to have to adjust the the set up for the weight. With a Harley hack does not matter if it is empty or have 300 pounds in it will not affect the tracking.

 

I have to respectfully disagree with some of your thoughts here. Perhaps my experiences have been different from yours.

I don't claim to be an expert, but I do have around 25,000 miles of riding with a hack, some on a Roadglide with a Harley hack, but mostly with a Hannigan on my Roadglide. My wife has around 30,000 miles on her FLHT with a Hannigan hack. I've ridden hers a few hundred miles. I installed and set up the hacks on both of our bikes. I've removed and reinstalled both hacks several times. So, I believe I can speak with a moderate amount of seat time and hands on wrenching experience with hacks. Not to mention a few hundred thousand miles on two wheels.

With the Hannigan's Progressive coil-over shock, once the toe-in and camber have been set, the amount of weight in the sidecar has no effect on how our rigs track.

The four-point mount provides a very stable and secure way to mount the hack. In a combined 55,000 miles, I have seen zero signs of frame bending or cracking on either of our bikes, and that includes some rough backroads, potholes and more than a few miles of washboard gravel roads.

I can only speak to my experience with Hannigan hacks, and no, I don't work for them in any way.

 

[QUOTE=Scott Hall;12267012]I built a trike out of a Softail Crossbones to carry my pooch. I did a trike for more neutral handling vs. a sidecar with all that weight hanging off to one side and the left/right pulling. The trike drives straight and easy and turns on a dime. The trike doesn't have the cargo/passenger capabilities of a sidecar but I only needed to haul an 8lb poodle and be able to lock up my riding gear when off the bike. May be something to consider depending on your requirements.



Scott, that is one nasty trike you've built. I could dig getting behind the bars of that thing. Side car or trike, it's all a matter of taste. I love your trike man, it's bad ***..

 

Then Hannigan is the only one as I ride with a sidecar club and all others when making a change to weight if they are going very far have to readjust. As far as 4 point mounts if you do this to a HARLEY hack it will bend the frame. Maybe you did not understand what I posted as far as the 4 point mount but you sure as heck do not ever want to use a 4 point mounting system when running a Harley rig!!! I was only talking about a Harley hack!

 

I would agree with every thing Road Toad said. I've got a 2000 ultra with a tle hack and love it, and so does my daughter who is handicapped. You'll definitely get a lot of attention everywhere you go. Every thing I've read leads me to believe a four point attachment is better than the Harley three point, but I have never driven any other rig but my own, and the Harley hack (in my humble opinion) is the best looking. I think you would love it being able to take your dog along.

 

Some do not understand. What I said you CANNOT run a 4 point mounting system on a Harley rig with out destroying the frame on the motorcycle I never said 4 point was bad on anything else. Do we understand now or do I need to explain more. I run a Harley hack because it is pulled by a Harley.