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<font color="#FF0000"><h1><center><b>The First 11 Years</b></center></h1></font>
<center><strong>By Joseph C. Dille<br>
BMWMOA # 24754</strong></center>
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<td><center><img src="article%20-%20Joe%20and%20Joey%20sidecar_files/k100_1.jpg" alt="Joey and I at USCA National Rally" width="350">
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<td> Joey and I after the games at the 1997 USCA National Rally. <br>The windshield is removed for the field events.
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</p></center><p>I was at the BMW Motorrad booth at the 1985 Americade
Tour-Expo when the salesman said I could give it a test ride if I showed
up at their motel at 8:00 the next morning. That night all I could
think about was riding what in my mind was the ultimate BMW. Of course,
I showed up at 7:55 with my wife Patti for the test ride. There it
was, an R100, custom wheels, wide tires, cafi fairing, custom paint,
simply beautiful. Patti and I got on and fired it up. The R100 felt
much more powerful than my R75/5. Oh what music. Now for the fun!</p><p>
</p><p>
I eased out of the parking lot and worked my way out onto a main road.
Big motor, good shocks, dual disks, sport bars this thing is going to be
a real hoot to drive. I waited for a clear shot in the traffic, gave a
good measure of left correction for torque, then gunned it in second
gear. All of a sudden I was in the left lane, gathering speed at an
alarming rate. When I snapped the throttle closed and gave my normal
correction and wham, I am heading for the right shoulder. I manage to
stay in my lane, but only as a series of weaves. I could not go
straight. This thing did just what I said. Only problem was I was
shouting and it wanted a whisper. Talk about sensitive steering.
</p><p>I slowed down and headed down a side street to turn around. I looked at Patti and she was scared. <em>Way </em>scared. I got the look that said, "<em>This was not a good idea.</em>"
Needless to say, I took it very easy on the way back to the hotel lot.
Even with my best effort I could still not go straight, just a slow
weave all the way back to the motel. So ended my first ride on an EML
sidecar.
</p><p>As the motor cooled, I tried to figure out why I could not go in a
straight line. I had over 15k miles riding my R75/5 with California
Friendship sidecar rig. One of the reasons I wanted the EML was better
handling and easier steering. It seems these attributes combined with
the short bars were in direct conflict with my experience of muscling
around my rig. The problem was me.
</p><p>
The salesman offered me the Kawasaki KZ1300 rig for a test ride. The 6 cylinder <em>Kaw</em>
was a monster. I was assured the wider bars on this bike would calm
down the handling. My negotiating skills must have been in top form
that morning because I was able to calm Patti down and convince her to
take a second ride in one of the zigging-zagging sidecars. As I lowered
the car, I assured her that I would take it very easy this time, with
no weaving. The Kawasaki had much wider bars; almost twice that of the
BMW. This made a huge difference in the steering. Weaving was still a
problem but now the amplitude was about one-third and I could stay in my
lane with confidence. On the way back, I screwed up my courage and
decided to feel what six 218cc cylinders would do. Yeee-haaaa!!! This
Kaw really hauled! I even managed to stay in my lane this time. The
second ride set the hook.
</p><p>On the way back from the rally, I thought about how much I liked
the EML. As an engineer, I recognized that this was a no-compromise
machine, purposely built to be a sidecar. The BMW kits have a whole new
frame that is much stronger than the original. It has earls forks, car
tires, good suspension and disk brakes all around. Patti liked it too;
the ride was much better, it was easier to get in and out of, and there
was this wonderful big trunk. The sidecar was much roomier inside,
which would give our Labrador Retriever, "Bulk," a little more room to
stretch out on his way to rallies. The EML was the ultimate
no-compromise sidecar.
</p><p>
On the other hand, my R75/5 rig was full of compromises. The handling
was poor. The bike would wallow and lean as the stock suspension tried
to deal with the forces of cornering, acceleration, and bumps.
Meanwhile, the sidecar had a puny little torsion bar with a full 2" of
travel which made it ride like a skateboard. The stock drum brakes were
somewhat overwhelmed with the combined weight of us, Bulk, and all our
stuff. Similarly, the engine felt the weight too. I had dual plugged
and ported the heads, but the engine still strained under the load. We
also had issues with the sidecar as it was a tight squeeze for Patti and
Bulk. The only luggage space was behind the seat so everyone had to
get out to access it.
</p><p>
One of the biggest problems with the R75 rig was the steering. Because
of its asymmetric thrust, no sidecar wants to go straight. Under
acceleration, the bike tries to pass the chair, causing a right turn.
When you slow down, the sidecar wants to pass you, causing a left turn.
This was exacerbated on the R75 by the soft suspension and short wheel
base that let the bike rise under acceleration that caused it to lean
toward the sidecar and turn right. Of course, when you hit the brakes,
the bike's suspension would drop like a rock, the bike would lean out,
and the rig would turn left. I learned to compensate and ride straight
but I often felt like I had been bench pressing instead of riding.
</p><p>Compromise did have an advantage as I could take the sidecar off
the R75 in about ten minutes with only a =" and 9/16" wrench. There
were two times when this was really handy. I always took the chair off
when I went to get the bike inspected. I figured there was no reason to
risk an accident by a mechanic who had never ridden a sidecar.
Besides, with less to inspect, there would be less to find wrong. It
was also handy to remove the chair at rallies and poker runs so I could
participate in the field events. I would often ride a poker run, take
the chair off and tie the dog to the chair, then compete in the slow
ride. (Sometimes I would even win!). The best was at the BMW MOA at
Lake Placid. I won the gold medal for the plank ride, then bolted on
the chair and my Dad and I took the silver in the blind man's weave. I
guess I could always borrow a bike for the field events.
</p><p>Patti and I talked about buying an EML rig for a while, but never
did anything. Then, BMW introduced the K100. This would be the
perfect machine for hauling a sidecar. It had plenty of horsepower and
water cooling so it could easily shoulder the load of a sidecar. The
engineers at BMW must have been thinking "sidecar" when they made the
K-series since the engine maintenance was performed from the left side.
They were also thoughtful of the sidecar passenger since they put all
of the noisy bits like exhaust, valves, injectors and cam drive on the
left also. Only two questions remained: Did EML make a kit for the
K-100 and how could I afford it? At that time, the EML kit was only
about $1,000 less than the plain K-100.
</p><p>
The first question was answered later that summer at the Finger Lakes
rally when I saw my first K100/EML. It was just like I had perceived it
in my mind. A strong subframe went under the engine connecting the
steering head to the transmission. There were three nice, wide car
tires mounted on custom wheels. The teleforks were replaced with a
robust earls fork which retained the stock dual disks and added a wide
fender. The monoshock suspension was replaced with a dual shock
arrangement in the rear. The suspension was via five adjustable Koni
shocks. EML made it, but could I ever afford it?
</p><p>Prices of used K-bikes were out of my reach since they were just
introduced and did not have time to depreciate. It made much more sense
for me to look for a wreck since I would not need the wheels and forks
for the EML project. For the next year or so I kept feeling around for a
wrecked K100. About once a month I would stop by my local BMW dealer,
the now defunct Kawasaki of Sellersville and ask the salesman if there
were any K100 wrecks. The owner, Bob Jones, happened to be on the sales
floor during one of my visits. He asked me why I was so adamant about
finding a wreck. I went through the whole story about the EML and he
said, "How about this one?", pointing to the plain K100 that had been
there all year. It turns out the bike was about to go off the floor
plan and he was looking to sell it. I explained that I would still be
better off with a wreck since I would not need the forks or wheels. He
then offered to buy the parts back. Still, it sounded like too much
money, especially when I figured in the cost of the EML kit. Bob was
persistent and he offered to let me have the kit at his price. He also
mentioned that I could finance the bike through BMW at a discounted
rate. My arm was well twisted at this point.
</p><p>
When I went home, I explained the deal to Patti. Before I could get
into it, she asked, "What about the weaving?" I assured her that I
would grow accustomed to the light steering and I would be going
straight in no time. She just said, "Go for it". I love that woman!
</p><p>
The next day I returned to the dealer with a list of all the parts I
would not need from the bike, a second list of the BMW accessories I
wanted for the bike, and the description of the model sidecar I wanted
with the phone number for BMW Motorrad. A few days later, they called
with a price and it was "all systems go". On June 16, 1986 I picked up
my new, Caribbean blue K100.
</p><p>The original plan was for me to take the bike home and let it sit
until the sidecar came in, then I would start disassembly. This way I
would be returning brand new tires. Unfortunately, there was a delay
with the EML kit so the bike sat with eight miles on the odometer. This
turned out to be a blessing in disguise since after a few weeks of
delay, Bob felt sorry for me and said I should start riding the bike. I
was able to break it in with 1500 solo miles before the EML arrived.
</p><p></p><p><table hspace="10" width="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1" align="left"><caption><h3>Pictures from the original article</h3></caption>
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<td><a href="file:///D:/Documents/html/k100/k100_5.jpg"><img src="article%20-%20Joe%20and%20Joey%20sidecar_files/k100_5.jpg" alt="The EML Earle's Front End" width="300"></a>
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<td>The EML Earle's Front End</td>
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<td><a href="file:///D:/Documents/html/k100/k100_3.jpg"><img src="article%20-%20Joe%20and%20Joey%20sidecar_files/k100_3.jpg" alt="K100 Hanging From Ceiling" width="300"></a>
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<td> K100 Hanging From Ceiling. Note: I have <br>covered the headlight of the R75 so she would <br>not "see" her replacement.</td>
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<td><a href="file:///D:/Documents/html/k100/k100_4.jpg"><img src="article%20-%20Joe%20and%20Joey%20sidecar_files/k100_4.jpg" alt="One of the Parts Bags and Double-sided Swingarm" width="300"></a>
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<td> One of the Parts Bags, Brake Lines, <br>New Steering Stem and Double-sided Swingarm</td>
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</tbody></table>
When I finally got the kit, I realized that this was not going to be a
weekend project! The kit consisted of the fiberglass body and fenders,
the new subframe, windshield, fork assembly (which Motorrad had
pre-assembled), and two large garbage-bag size plastic bags of smaller
parts. Careful inspection of the kit revealed that there were no
instructions and only three of the parts were labeled. I called BMW
Motorrad and they said yes, my kit was complete, and no, there were no
instructions. They assured me that they do this all the time and just
call with questions. I did not want to take no for an answer so I
called one of my colleagues at our division in Holland and asked if he
could call the factory and get instructions in Dutch. Unfortunately,
instructions were not available in any language. I was on my own.
</p><p>
The mechanical assembly process was fairly straightforward in concept.
Remove the front and rear suspension, centerstand and lower steering
bearing. Mount the subframe to the bearing cavity and to the
transmission where the centerstand mounted. The first problem came when
I realized that I could not put the subframe in place with the jack
supporting the bike. I solved the problem by suspending the bike from
the ceiling with tie-downs (tie-ups??). This turned out to be quite
stable and made it easy to work around the bike. The bike modifications
were pretty much a bolt-on affair requiring just a few small parts to
be modified or fabricated. I had a few questions that required a call
to Motorrad. They were familiar with the problem and gave me a quick
answer, no matter how obscure the problem seemed to me. They were a big
help when I needed them.
</p><p>
While the bike modifications were bolt-on, the sidecar body assembly was
cut and file one piece at a time. My plan was to assemble the sidecar
and run it for a month or so to find any assembly problems, then
disassemble it and have it painted. The body was fairly rough with no
mounting holes and no templates. Each part had to be fit, aligned,
marked, drilled, re-fit, the remaining holes marked, taken off, complete
drilling, then finally assembled. For example, the windshield attaches
to the cowl, cross bar, convertible top frame, and the convertible top.
This required the above procedure for all 31 holes in a $300 piece of
Plexiglas that allowed no room for error. For each part, I had to root
through the two large bags to find the most likely fasteners. About 140
of the 200+ hours of assembly time were spent on the sidecar.
</p><p>One area where EML fell short was on the electrical wiring.
There was not enough wire or conductors to make all the lights work.
There was no provision for disconnecting the sidecar wiring from the
bike for service. I solved this problem by running a nine-conductor
cable from the bike to a quick disconnect that ran into a small junction
box in the trunk. This gave me plenty of lines to the sidecar and gave
me a place to install a relay. The relay activated the brake light so I
would not pull too much current through the brake monitoring circuit on
the bike.
</p><p>Experience is a good teacher. One thing I always missed in my
old rig was interior lights. If you dropped your riding glove into the
sidecar at night, it was lost until you found your flashlight, or until
daylight. I made interior from truck marker lights with clear lenses. I
even put an automatic switch so the lights go on when you open the
trunk. So far, the lights and electrical system have worked flawlessly.
</p><p>
</p><h3>Construction pictures that were not in the original article</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="file:///D:/Documents/html/k100/k100_10.jpg">Parts</a> that were sold back to the dealer.
</li><li><a href="file:///D:/Documents/html/k100/k100_6.jpg">K100</a> hanging from the ceiling with no forks!
</li><li><a href="file:///D:/Documents/html/k100/k100_7.jpg">Lights</a> and hardware out on bench.
</li></ul>
<p></p><p>My first ride was on a chilly, wet night in late October
around 11:00. I put on my helmet and eased my new rig into the alley. I
tentatively eased the clutch out and started off slowly, accelerating
and decelerating to get a feel for the dynamics of the EML. This
produced good results, strong acceleration and light steering. Then I
tried the brakes. I squeezed the front brake and it felt awful, fair
level feel, but almost no braking. I squeezed harder, but I was still
disappointed. Then I pulled a little harder and I heard the front tire
sliding across the wet pavement. I guess the brakes did work. From
riding telefork bikes, I had equated dive with braking. With the earls
fork, braking 9 dive. I had a lot to learn.
</p><p>With a little more confidence I went out on some larger roads and
picked up the speed. It was "dij` vu all over again" as I relived my
first test ride. I was compensating for bad handling that was not
present. I would have to unlearn a lot of my driving techniques.
</p><p>The maiden touring voyage was to the annual Tri-State Sport
Touring Frosty Toes campout in November 1986. When I packed up Patti,
Bulk and all of our stuff, it fit! Gone were the days of looking like a
nomad with all the bags tied onto the bike. Patti and Bulk had much
more room too. The first trip was a success. Everyone liked their new
accommodations. The difference in the ride was like night and day.
Nothing soaks up bumps like an earls fork. The swing arm suspension on
the sidecar was a big improvement too. Oh, yes, I still weaved a little
bit.
</p><p>One thing we noticed was that the sidecar floor was soft, bending
substantially when it was stepped on. It also vibrated at speeds that
bothered the dog. I solved this by reinforcing the floor of the sidecar
and trunk with a 3/16" mat of Kevlar and epoxy resin. This stiffened
things up quite a bit and both passengers were much happier. While I
had the Kevlar out, I also reinforced the body seam. BMW Motorrad told
me that this seam could not be painted since it would always flex and
crack the paint. Their solution was to put a wide strip of automotive
door guard molding over it. This always looked like a Band-Aid to me
and I wanted to avoid it.
</p><p>
</p><h3>Post construction pictures that were not in the original article</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="file:///D:/Documents/html/k100/k100_11.jpg">Kevlar</a> reinforcing on bottom sidecar.
</li><li><a href="file:///D:/Documents/html/k100/k100_12.jpg">Patti</a> on our maiden camp out with the unpainted rig.
</li></ul>
<p></p><p>Just before Christmas, I pulled the body off and disassembled
all the bits. I then loaded the whole lot, and a quart of BMW Caribbean
Blue into the truck and headed off to a local auto body shop. They
used my job as a fill between other jobs and it took 2-1/2 months.
However, the results were worth the wait. The color match was perfect
and the body seam had completely disappeared. It only took a day to put
it all back together. The completed rig looked brilliant. The lines
of the plain K100 and sidecar looked well together.
</p><p>I also do a lot of local riding with the rig. I split my
commuting about 50/50 with my other bike, an R90s. It is very handy for
running errands. The trunk alone will hold three bags of groceries and
a case of beer. I have had two people on the bike with two people and
the dog in the sidecar without problem. I use it to haul everything.
It has gotten to the point where the checkout person doesn't question me
anymore when I have 40 pounds of dog food in one hand and my helmet in
the other. Some of the more interesting things I have hauled are;
2x4 studs, engine block from my Toyota, 12' concrete rebar, rolls of
insulation, five gallon buckets of drywall compound and roofing
materials. Of course, having three wheels expands my riding season.
Light snow or ice is no problem.
</p><p>One of the best parts about the BMW/EML is the handling. I can
easily keep up with my friends on solo bikes, even with the chair empty.
Four disk brakes acting on three tires with a combined width of over
16 inches stops the rig quickly, wet or dry. I take it out in the snow
when conditions are right. One wheel drive is a little limiting and if I
don't like the way I am sliding, I just use the other brake. Oh, yes, I
have licked the pilot-induced weaving problem.
</p><p>The rig has remained almost the same as the day I put it
together. Still, a few improvements were made along the way. I
improved the brake feel with stainless lines. Honda VR750 hydraulic
clutch lines fit well on the earls fork. I switched to Dunlopad brakes
to eliminate the brake squeal. Sidecar vibration was further reduced by
replacing the original rubber body mounts with larger ones from the
Lord Company. This cut the vibration by about half.
</p><p>The K100/EML combo has been easy to live with. I get 30-40 miles
per gallon depending on load and speed. (The mileage is corrected for
the 15" car tires.) Tires last a good while; rear 22K, sidecar 10K and
the front I replaced at 34K miles due to dry rot. Looking back at my
records, the problems have been fairly minor. The left saddle bag kept
falling off until I realized the rear wheel bearing was hitting it. I
fixed this by heating the saddle bag and making a relief for the outer
bearing carrier. The starter Sprague clutch stopped working at 10K. I
replaced the part and the problem is fixed, but I can't say if the
clutch was bad or if it had frozen due to ice buildup. I had been
taking very short rides in January and there were water drops on the
part when I took it out. I will never know the real cause. Motorrad
encouraged me to have a look at the wheel bearings at 25K. Upon
inspection I found one to be trash and several others to be marginal.
All bearings and seals were standard sizes and available locally. The
rear brake reservoir disintegrated from the sun at 26K. I installed the
new style. The oil/water pump seal went at 32K. I was able to rebuild
it with the sidecar in place. The EML steering damper developed a leak
at 34K. BMW Motorrad had the rebuild kit in stock.
</p><p>
</p><h3>Assorted pictures of the complete rig doing various tasks.</h3>
<ul>
<li><a href="file:///D:/Documents/html/k100/k100_8.jpg">Finished</a> rig outstanding in its field.
</li><li><a href="file:///D:/Documents/html/k100/k100_9.jpg">My dad</a> and I at the 1989 USCA booth at the 1989 Philadelphia motorcycle show.
</li><li><a href="file:///D:/Documents/html/k100/k100_13.jpg">I was</a> the only one to arrive on a bike :-)
</li><li><a href="file:///D:/Documents/html/k100/k100_14.jpg">Bulk</a> in our 1987 christmas card. I figure Bulk had about 15k miles in a sidecar. That's 120k people miles.
</li><li><a href="file:///D:/Documents/html/k100/k100_2.jpg">Joey</a> and I doing the games at the 1997 USCA rally.
</li></ul>
<p></p><p>In short, the first 11 years have gone well and we still love
the EML. Empty, the complete rig weights 820 pounds. This is about the
same as a Honda Gold Wing. I have taken it to the national rallies is
Escanaba, Madison and York. I am sorry to say that Bulk passed on with
about 10K sidecar miles. Our new Labrador, "Kasa," loves to ride. My
favorite passenger now is my five-year old son, Joey. He has been
hacking since he was two, just barely able to hold the helmet up. Our
first rally together was the United Sidecar Association national rally
in Monson, Massachusetts. We had a great time and he wants to go to
more rallies. I can't wait until my five-month old son Matt can come
with us.
All in all, my problems have been few. The bike continues to fill an
important role at the Dille house even as the family grows and changes.
I look forward to the next 11 years.
</p><center><p></p><table border="1"><caption><h2><b>1986 BMW K100 with EML GT Sidecar</b>
</h2></caption>
<tbody><tr>
<td> <strong>PROS</strong></td>
<td> CONS</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Excellent Power </td>
<td> Vibration</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> Good Brakes</td>
<td> Hard to Find Tires
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Great Suspension </td>
<td> No Instructions</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> Tremendous <br>Carrying Capacity</td>
<td> Expensive</td>
</tr>
</tbody></table>
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