Finally! The Sidecar is Moving Down the Road Attached to My Shovelhead
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 5 ก.พ. 2025
- The sidecar unit attached to my 77 Harley Davidson FLH Shovelhead is passing one test after another. Mostly, she's testing my nerve. But, we're getting better by the minute. Gotta get the seat back from the upholstery shop and rig up some comfortable stuff for Sonia. Gott a go try her glasses on for today's session with her. pacificmike.com/
Looked like lots of fun, and turning it around is a whole new skill 😁❗and have a great memorial day
Thank You. You too.
What model shovel is that?
So much work. It's going to be great.
It's a whole different kind of fun.
Great job!! I,m sure Sonya will enjoy it. Have a great summer.
Thank you! You too!
That is so cool Mike
Thank You.
Awesome looking rig. I like your shovel more every time I see it.
Thanks 👍
Same here. That's probably the best Shovelhead in the world. That thing looks better than showroom brand-spanking-new.
If you keep wearing stuff out, it's always kinda new. 44 years will do that.
Love your videos man keep ‘em coming !
Thanks! Will do!
👍🙂
Mike, we have got to see this double wide side car of Fred's. Holy cow man. That has to be an amazing rig.
We'll show it. Coming soon.
Looking good 🐕
Thanks 👍
Hello Mike,Mike and Fred ! Have fun sidecarring !
Just for that, we will. Thank You.
👋🙂
This Sidecar looks great. I believe your Dog will enjoy the Tours.
I think so too! Thank You.
Nice setup. I'm sure the dog will dig it.
Oh yah. She's gonna love it.
Awesome Mike, congratulations 👍😁
Thanks 👍
2 cool. Great little update, I'm sure your pup will be plenty happy cruising around in that sidecar. Great work getting it together and it looks good. Nice addition to the shovel.
Congratulations on your acquisition!
Thanks 👍
Excellent! Very nice sidecar. Good to have big fun with your best friends. Fred looks helpful and super sympathetic. Can't wait to see it going with your dog. Cheers from France
Cheers and Thank You.
Hi Mike looks great enjoy! A follow up to my FLT I Call the guy I got the bike from asked if he new where I could get a shop manual for the bike and he said he had one and he found it it was buried under some papers in the garage. So early 84 have dry clutches am All ways learning and enjoying it. Cheers Kenny
Perfect! I thought so. But, it's been a long time. If that bike still has its enclosed final drive, treat it very carefully. They are a very cool thing. If you don't take that enclosed unit apart, it will last forever. So many people destroyed them. The rear chain ran in an oil bath. It never wore out! The rear wheel was removed and replaced leaving the drive sprocket and chain housing in place. Look it up in, I believe section 2 in that wonderful service manual.
@@pacificmike9501 yes still has closed final drive everything is original on the bike. Rear chain is an enclosed oil bath first time I've ever seen tha t's interesting. And yes section 2 removal of the rear wheel it shows removing of the socket screws they even have a tool or you can use the regular allen wrench interesting my rear tire is good but when it's time changing the will be interesting for sure. Thank you for getting back to me and for your knowledge
Have fun. Should be a nice motorcycle.
I hope we keep getting videos
Looks like a lot of sidecar adventures
That's what I'm lookin' for.
🤞🙂
All this is going very well. This engine sounds really nice.
Thank You.
Love the progress and the smiles on your faces
Thank You.
Good progress, looks like you are all having fun.
Your video and another one arrived virtually the same time, I opted to watch hers first. If you haven't seen Red Rider and her Shovelhead troubles and successes it is worth a look. She and her father put together a really interesting 93 inch Shovel which doesn't always agree to start when she is kicking it. My Pan and several Shovels I have known will assert their independence when you expect them to cooperate, anyway she is fun to watch also.
I've seen her. Fun stuff.
👍🙂
i always look forward to your videos much appreciation from a land down under
Glad you like them!
I learned alot from this channel. I appreciate the videos. Love that side car.
Thank You.
Very cool , Thanks for the content.
Thanks for watching!
That smile at the end says it all
Yah. We are having fun.
👍🙂
Good to meet us free any friend mine the Mike's is a friend of mine thanks for the video
Thanks for coming. Sounds a little like the Grateful Dead.
That is great!! Tracks straight? That’s all you can ask. Wahoo!! Now the fun really begins! 🤟😎
Well yah, kinda.
I am by no means a mechanic but I installed a sidecar on a gold wing back around 1988 and did fairly well, I did call a friend that had been running one on his scooter for several years and got him to come over and check out what I had done, I believe he did a minor adjustment. Installing one and riding one for the first time is very different. After the first curve I was ready to get it back to the house. Your scooter looks good and I enjoy your videos.
Thank You. It is a different experience. I've ridden a bunch of them, but never very much and never very far. I'm a perfect example of "A little knowledge can be quite dangerous."
Great job Mike! The car looks very cool. I'm discovering that hot rod bikes with sidecars is an up and coming thing now. I've seen several recently. Congratulations!
Thank You. I've been wanting to do this for many years.
Looks great Sonia is gonna be so proud
Thank You.
Love the side car, cant wait to see it finished.
Also your rockin a brand new set of leather works saddlebags, nice. Just bought a pair myself…
They are like new. I bought them from a very good guy at the swap meet.
Thanks for sharing Mike 🍸.
Thank You.
That looks awesome and it’s got to be fun ps see you on the road. Gods blessings for you Mike and Mike
Thank you and the best to you and yours.
👍🙂
Very cool.... you're getting the hang of it....
Thank You. I try.
I like the looks of the sidecar on the bike, gonna look even better once completed!!! ✌🏻
I think so too! Thank You. I really envisioned all of the sizing for this. The purpose really is for me and Sonia to do road trips.
Last century a customer showed up at the Honda dealer ship that I was wrenching for(early 80's) on a "Wing" & side car set-up done by Craig Better. The rig looked like Darth Vader's switchblade. Don't remember what it was in for but we got to ride it at city speeds. Was easy and fun to get sidecar in the air and keep it there. It had an on the fly adjustable lean angle. The thing was great 👍.
Craig Vetter is a very bright man and has developed all kinds of things worth looking at. I believe he has a website. Very interesting guy.
I am glad that you didn´t put Sonia in the sidecar for the first testrun!!! ;-)
Me too! She is my "Little Kid" and I treasure her health and well being.
Nice!
Thank You.
@@pacificmike9501 I’m a big fan of what you do Mike.
Thank you
You're welcome
I have been debating getting a sidecar myself, for Carmen, my Electra-Glide
Fun video Mike.
Fun is great. Thank You.
Awesome I'd like to thank you for the answers to my shovelgeqd questions
You bet!
I'd say with the need for adjustments of mount geometry, it's a perfect excuse to mount a seat post saddle on the shovel, lol
Everything about this bike, I have set up to be low. Suspension is superb, The seatpost on this bike was about three incarnations back. But, after 44 years so far, this is the latest version of my main roadbike. The seat is out getting clearanced for the top rear sidecar mount.
Hey mike what's happnin, looks like a pretty sweet combination there gettin used to it will be fun! Id probly watch some old ww2 movies then try ridin like the german soldiers did that had to be a blessing and a curse tryin to maintain you equipment in the middle of the war no chrome to get ya home but you could lean em enough to left as your ridin down the road and the passenger could change the tire on the fly in the movie anyway. I put a video up on youtube of my 81 flh electra glide heritage It's a low rider with 18in apehangers check it out at Ron Burke not the horse racer Im the dude standin on a big atlas cedar tree i took down a few years back this bike is one of 784 made during the buy back from amf Im sure you know all about that! Ya let me know what ya think of er theres an 83 fxwg sittin there too is one of the last shovelheads to be built Ill holler at ya later sir
Sure sounds good. If I remember correctly, that 81 Heritage came in one color scheme and I really liked it. It was Orange and O.D. Green. Didn't care for the fringe on the bags much. The Buddy seat was also cool. But, it looks like you got your style down.
@@pacificmike9501 Haha ya brilliant colors huh i have two primer coats and 4 cans of rustoleum satin black from a hardware store one of my buddies buddy made the pipes in his garage.I had the corporate office run the vin they got pretty excited but the gal had to do other stuff when I said it wasnt stock its all numbers matching though
great work again, mike the shovel sounds awesome
Thank You.
Thanks
Thank You.
Great video, looks like you were all having a lot of fun. Hopefully your dog has forgiven you. 🤣🤣🤣
Always! She's gonna have so much fun.
Baptism by Fire is Good...congrats fellas.Awesome
My neighborhood is never surprised with what we come up with here. We always go slow (Kids play in the street. Very cool place.), so they wait to see what's next.
👍🙂
Really cool!...your bike sounds incredible Mike!.....
Thank You.
Sonia opinion will be the one that counts, can't wait to see a video with her going for a ride.
I feel the same way. I just want it to be easy for her. She had a rough start in life. She's grown up so well.
Cool, well done Mike!
Thank You.
More smiles than I can cope with. Great fun lol.
Thank You.
👍🙂
Bike and sidecar sits nice a level looks spot on 👍will you need some form of parking brake as she may roll away?😎
Thank You. That's one of the things I've been thinking about.
Great sounding shovel 👍
Thank You.
😎👍 a lot of fun. Kjell Blomstrand🇸🇪.
Thank You.
What a blast, too COOL!
Thank You.
LOL, hey Mike....Fred actually has a Side Truck if it's that wide. Love your videos my brother.
Honestly, it is a California Sidecar Doublewide.
Yes!!
More to come, all day finding bearings. The seat is done. We're getting there.
Congratulations you will have to enter the bike with the sidecar for the Isle of Man sidecar race .
I live in Washington state witch requires taking a class and riding test and a additional endorsement for sidecar does California require additional endorsement as well.
Thank you for your help and another great video are dog Kai is looking forward to seeing Sonja take a ride
That's very cool. California doesn't require anything like that to my knowledge. I'm practicing alot.
👍🙂
Looks fun
It is.
2 left, 2 returned = mission accomplished 🤙
Yes, we are still on the right side of the grass!
Did Fred have a previous career with ZZ Top? I’ll bet riding in a double wide sidecar makes roadside mailboxes quite a thrill.
We'll show it. It's quite wide.
Is there a brake on the third wheel? Have you tried any hard stops with a passenger? I would be worried about the rotational moment tending to turn the bike, but I don't think I've seen a brake on the third wheel ever. Do you feel the tendency to rotate on braking?
When I put this bike together in its latest form, I knew my dog was going to get a sidecar. So, instead of the original single puck caliper up front with a 10" rotor, I installed dual 4 puck calipers with a pair of 11 1/2 inch rotors. On the rear, I installed a 2008 huge 4 puck bagger caliper with an 11.9 inch rotor. I do believe it will stop.
Traded an old 65 triumph chop for a Ural with a hack. The bike was a urinal but the hack was heavy duty. Kinda wish I would have kept it, but I got an offer I couldn't refuse.
Those sidehacks from Ural are really strong, but, awfully heavy.
When I grow up I wanna be just like you boys! 🤣🤣
Be careful. You may get what you wish for.
When you putting a reverse on your bike since it's sidecar? Be handy as a pocket on a under shirt.
You're probably right, but, I don't know.
Майк,это здорово!!!
Thank You. Glad you like it.
Your making my dog jealous! I have two bikes and no sidecar.
And that's my fault?
@@pacificmike9501 No sir! I am to blame.
Your pups name is Sonia? It's cool she'll ride w/ u Mike. I can't even get my boy in a truck! Thanks for sharing. Ps great job cameraman Mike!
Thank You. When I got Sonia, she was nine months old and absolutely crazy. Five or six different homes had this kid so confused, she didn't know what to do. She wouldn't get into a car, everything was rough. Well, we've been in love for about six years now. She does whatever her Daddy wants. She just wants to be there. She's a good puppy.
@@pacificmike9501 right on mike... my last dog was a 6 yr old rescue. He passed last June. Cancer. It was awful. I think I'd rather have a dog than a harley but both are rocking too.
👍🙂
@@pacificmike9501 hey Mike have a ? For you if you don't mind. Looking at a 84 shovel fxsb w/60k on it. My question is is 60k too many miles for a shovelhead? asking 8k? Thanks Mike.
It looks like it going down the road straight. Everything parallel. Side car tire got a bit of a lean to it. What's the manual say sidecar tire leans 15 degrees of pitch? Good job.RMM
No. 15 degrees way too much. I've been moving things around and that's the real test.
Smooooth. Yea!
Thank You.
HOWdy Mike,
SideCar time
COOP
...
Yep.
Ok,now I want to see Fred’s side car rig.
You will.
hell yeah mike!!!!
Thank You.
Nice 👍🏻
Thank You, Earl.
Great job Mike and looking good. I enjoy your teaching.
I have a question… I have my first 1982 FXRS 80” shovel head, I’ve went over it to ensure things are proper, 130 psi each cylinder, s&s carb tuned, 29.5 low 74 high, timed with strobe light and Ultima (Dyna tec ignition), ignition timed properly, advance dot In center of inspection hole, 93 pump gas. Bike runs good and starts right up but on a 80-85 degree day rear cylinder runs 320ish and front cylinder is about 300 degrees, oil is about 195ish, straight 60 wt… this seems hot? Or do shovel heads run hot? Is this about normal?
Shovelheads tend to run warmer than I like. I generally run an oil cooler with either a thermostat or a manual bypass valve.
@@pacificmike9501 thank you Mike. Have a great day/ride.
Thank You. You too.
Nice Mike, just have a few mates with ya in case u need to go Backward. 😄👍
It's not too bad actually.
Nice ‼️
Thank You.
Hey Mike, I have a 76 Electraglide in Oz, I would like to build a sidecar for my bike eventually. An ol fellow years ago told me it's not very hard to add a reverse gear to the 4 speed transmission, is that true, as it would be very practical with the sidecar on the bike.
On the old fourspeeds, there was a gearset available from the factory. It was three forward and a reverse. It would require all of that set of parts and a complete trans rebuild. I believe V-Twin stocks all of the necessary parts.
@@pacificmike9501
Thankyou Mike I appreciate that.
@@pacificmike9501
A 3 speed transmission would that work with a sidecar.
Have you ever used that configuration. It sounds great even without the chair. Less gear changing and the reverse gear would be very handy.
Second Question what do u think of the recluse clutch or similar. I'm missing my right leg below knee and smashed left leg it still works but 40% less movement in ankle.
They wrote a song about me called, One leg missing YT. 😂
Stay upright Mike...👍
Have you changed any sprockets to suit the chair torque at all....?????
Found out the hard way. Not using the chair at the moment.
Better than riding on the handlebars or jogging along beside.
I'll have to take your word for that.
Way cool Mike. 👍👏👏👏 I got a sense looking at the rig coming towards the camera that the scooter needs to be leaning a touch more towards the sidecar. 😳 What do you think 🤔.
You have to level it out to really figure it out. In reality, it's almost perfect, except the nose is a bit low.
That is so cool
Thank You.
How bout doing a ride along in the vette some time?
What vette?
Sick!
Thank You.
Mike, how did you come about locating your side car. Would like to hear your story.
A friend of mine (since we were nine years old) had it on his Sportster. He decided to take it off and I had just gotten Sonia.
That bike sounds amazing. Its killing the audio 4the video.lol
Thank You.
you going to make like a special lease to hold Sonia in so she don't jump out
Absolutely. Sonia is generally very well behaved. However, the only thing she can't resist is "temptation."
Mike were you looking for the kickstand?
Starter button is mounted over there. I usually reach over from the other side. Kinda different now.
cool video mike! i like Freds beard, mine is about half that, and my wife say she hates it, but i don't believe her LOL,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
I ain't goin' there.
Did you get out of 1st. gear?
I've been in 4th on the next block over. Is that a six or twelve volt?
@@pacificmike9501 6 volt. Hot day and the vent line got pinched. Ouch.
Oh yea bro
Thank You.
@@pacificmike9501 can’t find shirts bro
Please tell what. Clammy u picked
Nah, I can't tell everything.
Gimme 40 acres and I'll turn this rig around ..
It's the only way I've found ..🤣👍🤣
Because it turns while straight up and down, "U" turns are really easy. You can't fall over. Tight turning radius. It's really something quite different.
@@pacificmike9501 have fun..😉👍😉
Hi the bike looks to be leaning out not vertical Is that correct?
You can't tell from what the camera sees. The point is, so that when it's loaded, the way you're going to load it, that it handles well for you. Roads vary, loads vary, and on and on. It's really a "Do it until you get it right," kind of a thing. I will learn this one unit.
What pipes are you using? Are they custom made ?They are similar to V&H long shots but different
My friend Nathan at Turner Customs in Yucaipa California made them for me from all the pipes I brought him along with my vision. He did me a job that is over the top.
@@pacificmike9501 well my compliments they look great!
I got a question. My oil pan plug hole stripped out on a dyna lowrider that idk much about it's got different heads and stuff and the oil and tranny plug are flat on the bottom not on the side of the pan like everyone says there supposed to be it's a 1997. Anyways how could I fix the threads on the plug hole can I drill it out and rethread it to one size it's a tapered hole that's my only worry could you share some of your expertise on my little problem or should I just go the other way and spend money on a new pan which I don't want to do ATM I'd like to get riding and can't afford a new pan and all that time doing it
It has to do with how much material is around it. This is a common problem. Any good heliarc welder can repair it. It is a tapered thread. Check it out. I believe it is a NPT 1/8 x27.
You don't need to put your feet down.
Would you be so kind as to run along side and remind me?
@@pacificmike9501 absolutely. I wouldn't hesitate. As long as you jump in it on the way back. Haha.
you’re never going to catch the cooler king in that thing …
Okay.
it Betters the sound of the muffler, niceeeee
Thank You.
supercool!!
✌😎✌
Thank You.
Looks like a P-38 between the tanks there.
Yes. My dad made that piece at Lockheed Burbank during WWII. He was building P-38's and made that piece for the speaker grill of the 40 Ford convertible I was almost born in. I put it on my bike in his honor.
@@pacificmike9501 Very cool Mike. My grandfather flew P-38s in the Pacific Theater. He fought with the 475th Fighter Group, Satan's Angels. I wonder if my grandfather flew in any P-38s that your dad built? Cool to think about. Hard for me to imagine being 23 years old and strapping into a 2,500 horsepower machine with four 50 cals and one 20 mm cannon, trying not to get shot at.
There are still a few of those planes around. Extremely graceful, and what a sound. There used to be one at the Goleta, CA airport. I've seen it fly several times over the years. Wow.
@@pacificmike9501 Mike, I'm trying to swap in a witchhat throw out bearing on my 37 UL. I cannot seem to get the clutch to release properly. Would you mind dropping a comment in the video I made with your thoughts? th-cam.com/video/Rv4TRoFHJQw/w-d-xo.html
After watching some of Tatro's videos I figured it out. The kicker cover and the release bearing has to be clearanced. He has several videos showing it here: th-cam.com/video/6_ZYLiaybMI/w-d-xo.html
What I did:
th-cam.com/video/P9seWEop4xk/w-d-xo.html
You do not have break on the sidecar.
But I have three huge brakes on the motorcycle.
HARD TO the LEFT Mike , WHEN PASSENGER ANNOYING YOU😁 ! PASSENGER, GOING BYE BYE😁😂🤣JUST BECAUSE YOU CAN😮👌👍😁😂🤣
I'm not gonna ride in your sidecar.
@@pacificmike9501 😁😂🤣😁😂🤣😁😂🤣