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We entered the wonderful world of Sidecarring when we found a 2002 H-D Ultra Classic with a TLE Ultra Sidecar attached sitting on the showroom floor at Maui Harley-Davidson.
It seems that the dealership ordered it for their new store and then couldn't sell it on an island where you can drive only 54 miles before running out of road. My son was working for the Motor Company in Milwaukee at the time and I spent a bit of time reading off VIN numbers and such for him to check out. The bike was a legitimate hack outfit that was delivered to Honolulu H-D in March 2002. We haggled for a week and on the way to the airport on our last day asked him for his absolute best price. It sounded VERY reasonable and with the only condition being that it could be shipped to the mainland for less than $2000 (actual cost $1690.00) we sealed the deal. That all took place in early December 2002. After tracking the container for seven agonizing weeks, by barge from Kahului to Honolulu, then container ship to Long Beach and truck to Omaha and on to Green Bay, it finally showed up here in Chippewa Falls, WI on February 6, 2003.
After a few months of training, gaining experience with the outfit and making alot of local runs, we made a run up to Cameron, WI to see some fellow Sidecarists (who later became known as the SKUNKs).
We also attended H-D's 100th Aniversary Celebration in Milwaukee.
At my son's house in Sussex.
At Full Throttle Saloon, Wisconsin State Fairgrounds. Sorry, the wife took the
camera away when the girls started doing what they do.
The sidecar made finding the rig easy in the crowd.
We met so many great people but the couple that stands out was Peter and Kay Forwood from Australia who were nearing completion of their 7 1/2 year around the world ride! Here is Jude with their ElectraGlide and a shot of their EGlide Logbook.
After Milwaukee I rode with my son to Kansas City and then made a run out to Colorado Springs, CO to attend a meeting.
I made the run back Iron Butt fashion, driving 1036 miles in 19 hours and 45 minutes earning a SaddleSore 1000 award (IBA Membership Number 16684).
Went out for a winter ride in 4 inches of fresh snow. Traction suffers but it stays upright on three wheels!
Spent a few days up close and personal with the motor and upgraded it to 1550 (95 ci) and a stronger cam.
Performance improvement was immediately apparent and a plus was the gas mileage increased by 20%!
Here's Jude waving at the spectators along the route of the 2004 National Multiple Sclerosis Society River Road Run. A 600 mile, two day event that traversed Minnesota and northern Wisconsin.
Only one picture from the 2005 National Multiple Sclerosis Society River Road Run taken the afternoon before the run. I dropped the exhaust valve on the rear cylinder Sunday morning and spent Monday at Sauk Prairie H-D getting a new cylinder, piston and head installed. There is probably no better dealer to get broken down near - these guys were great.
We made the MS River Road Run again in 2006 and ended up at Camp Courage to show off the rigs to the MS Campers.
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More photos to follow.