Update on Barry & The Harley ~

Barry is coming along great guns with his Harley conversion .  He’s doing a thorough job before The Harley and him get outa dodge.

We had a great visit with Barry yesterday. I’m pretty impressed with the progress he is making with his Harley.

I asked him to please do a personal  write up about his Harley sidecar.  Here is what he had to say~

I am building the sidecar  so I can get out driving and meet people, as well as having fun while travelling.  Last fall I was with a friend in Kamloops at the Harley Davidson outlet , as he was buying parts for his bike I was looking at the bikes in the showroom: the salesman asked if I was looking for anything in particular.  I told him I was looking for a Sportster 883 newer than 2001 as it turned out he had just gotten in a 2008 the night before, it was exactly what I was looking for so we made a deal.

Then the work began, another friend found a doner bike, a Suzuki, that I could use the swing arm and the tripple tree off of.  I bought mechanical tubing and started making the sidecar frame.  Then added the fairing off of a Honda and free formed fiberglass over the entire sidecar. Then I matched the bikes paint and started putting everything together.

As I , start , riding the bike : for the first year it will be just short trips as I get used to the bike and work out any kinks.  Then I would like to go for a month to Alaska and eventually follow the Can Am Highway to Land’s End to have a beer…

I then asked Barry ~ Why did you want to build this for yourself?

Barry replied ~

So, I would get what I wanted as well as enjoying the build by using the different skills I have picked up over the last 40 years.  From welding to bending tubing, fiberglassing, painting, wiring and some mechanical skills.

Six layers of fiberglass later ~ 3 inside ~ 3 outside .Steps Barry took to paint the sidecar~ 3 coats of polyeurothane~1 coat of epoxy ~ base coat silver~mid coat red ~ tinted clear ( these are waterborn base) ~ 2 coats of poly eurothane clear ~ a total of 12 hours of painting and 40 hours of sanding.

Driver on the left.

Barry writing for the blog ~ Barry modelling his “Beanie” for nice days .

and his full face helmet for crappy days.

What a guy we are very proud to know Barry Bender~