I took delivery last weekend!
Mr Elizilla drove me out to meet the truck at a truck stop a couple miles from the house, and I drove it home.
It is the DMC Expedition, which is one of their larger sidecars. I decided that since the Super10 is large and tall, a large sidecar would be better.
The bike windshield wasn't on it, because I didn't send it to DMC. The mirrors were on it, but tucked in and tightened so they couldn't be positioned, and we hadn't thought to bring a wrench. So I had to ride it home without mirrors or windshield. The windshield was no big deal, but the lack of mirrors was nerve wracking!
It tracks very straight and true, not like the Ural where you have to fight it all the time. I was pleased with the handling.
One of the things DMC installed for me was a push button shifter. The invoice says it is a Pingel shifter but the shifter itself says it's a Klicktronic. Whatever it is, it is very precise and shifts perfectly every time, but it is not intuitive. The red button upshifts and the green button downshifts. Seems backwards, but if there's a convention here I don't know it. DMC put the buttons on the clutch side; this is probably what the manufacturer recommended. But my hands are small and it's awkward trying to feather the clutch while reaching for the buttons. I am used to operating the Ural's tank shifter with my throttle hand, and I think I am going to move the push buttons to the throttle side, to match. It'll be tricky to work around the throttle tube but I'll figure it out. Maybe I'll switch the colors while I am at it.
I have hyperlites on my brake lights, but the sidecar doesn't have them. This could be confusing for drivers behind me. Considered moving one of the lights over to the sidecar side, but that would be a heck of a wire run, since they are run off a controller that's in the bike tail. I think I will just order another hyperlites kit which will give me a second controller to stuff in the sidecar taillight.
The bike was delivered with the tonneau cover installed. It's kind of difficult to install and remove with the snaps. I am going to put some zipper-ease on the snaps and see if that makes this easier. The sidecar windshield folds down under the tonneau cover and this led to the one delivery flaw. The edge of the windshield has damaged the upholstery on the sidecar seat, in transit. DMC has already sent me a replacement seat cushion. I am going to get a piece of that foam pipe insulation tubing, and carry it to put over the edge of the windshield to protect the seat, when I fold it down under the tonneau cover.
The rear luggage rack is hinged at the back, and latches at the front with hardware that I think is sourced from a jeep. The interior of the sidecar is neatly carpeted but you can lift the carpet floor mats to see the fiberglass interior of the tub. The seat pulls out and you can access the wiring behind it.
DMC installed a car tire on the rear of the bike, and it also has a car tire on the sidecar wheel. I decided not to spend the big bucks for the BMW spoked wheel, since the bike is a Yamaha.
Mr Elizilla rode to breakfast in the chair on Saturday and I used the electric trim adjustment switch to compensate for his weight. It works great but I think I can mount that switch in a more elegant fashion. Everyone who knows me, knows that I live to farkle. I will enjoy fine tuning it to suit myself.
We took it to Costco and bought a Costco-sized box of beer, and the trunk swallowed it just fine.
The front end mods are very interesting and so is the shift mechanism. I put some close up pictures in my sidecar album here:
http://s559.photobucket.com/user/katherinebecker/library/Super%20Tenere/sidecar
DMC has adjusted the trail more than usual, because fatigue is such a factor for me. This has made the steering extremely light. Perhaps too light. I have been talking to DMC and they are going to design me a steering damper. Because I have discovered that one specific street in my neighborhood is just a perfect storm of wobble-inducing speed, incline, and pavement conditions. I think that if I didn't have these health issues, I'd never have noticed it, especially since DMC wouldn't have suggested we lighten the steering this much. I have been very pleased with DMC's support, especially considering that no one else I talked to was even willing to work on this with me. I am happy with it as it is, but it will be even better when I don't have to worry about this wobble zone.
When I bought the Super10 back in 2011, before my foot became stupid, the dealer asked me what color I wanted, and I said "yellow". The dealer said they didn't come in yellow, only blue and black. I said I knew that but he asked me what color I wanted, right???
So when I sent it to DMC, they could have matched the OEM blue, but I decided this was the time to get it in my favorite color, yellow. The decals are inspired by Kenny Roberts; it is a classic Yamaha livery. They did a great job with the new paint. The whole thing is just breathtakingly beautiful. And eye catching - even more so than the red Ural. It's also much faster, better handling, and more comfortable.
I have now put about 100 miles on it. It soaks up the potholed pavement much better than the Ural; it is very composed.
In 2011 and 2012 I rode the Super10 everywhere and loved it so much that I sold all my other bikes. But I have not been able to ride the Super10 in almost two years. As all this medical stuff came down, I didn't put a handicap tag on it since it only went out when I loaned it to able-bodied friends. I have now ordered a handicap tag for it. Because it's going to take me everywhere!
Not quitting!
