FLXI Sidecars "flxin your way and leanin toward you"
Back in 96, I asked my son and daughter to teach me how to use a computer so I can share my knowledge and notes, which I had aquired through the years with other FLXI enthusiasts. Mainly about the 1920 thru 24 FLXI sidecar frames. It all started after meeting Lance Tidwell in LaHambra, CA in the early '80s when I saw his FLXI sidecar lean from side to side and did not fall ... WOW... how awsome. He told me about "EASYRIDER" doing an article on "Hugo's Flying Flxies" at the time, and well, I've been hooked ever since. I ended up purchasing a FLXI sidecar frame and a box of some FLXI related castings and some were not from a warehouse in Santa Clara, CA. The castings were badly damaged, some had even been poorly welded back together, others were torched. For example, there was a knee that had FLXIBLE on it but some of the letters were slightly damaged on patent and one arm end was torched off for some reason. Unfortunately, the full FLXIBLE frame was also butchered badly and parts were missing ... so that's what started all this. This website will help others understand and enjoy these GREAT sidecars of yesterday and all their possibilities ... even for today's times.
I myself been involved with Harleys since 1968. My first skooter was a 1953 FLE 80"er Shovelhead (vlh 80" flywheels) in a 1936 VL frame with a 30 degree Hardhead on it set up FRISCO style and later installed 1974 FX mid controls and a narrow glide front end and later to the 39mm front end ... and even later went into the 1937 thru 57 Big twin frames doing alterations and still to this date I only do early FRISCO style chopper frames (Aggressive Traditional Slim Look) on the Harley-Davidson OEM design style frames also install air bag suspension seats (fat or slim design), mid controls and rear OEM disc brake set up. HOWEVER, I'm still kickin the idea of doing a Ol'newstalgia style straight leg rigid frame for the Evo-blockhead engine (Harley-Davidson design) with ol'milwaukee style castings with a 180 series rear tire set up thru 99.
On this website I will show drawings of the 1918-19 semi Flxible chassis assembly and attachments. It will also cover 1920-24 full Flxible chassis assembly, springs and spring fittings, attachment fittings and combination brace assembly parts and copy of the original FLXIBLE patent. A lot of these sidecars were used on Harley-Davidson, Indian, Ace, Reading, Standard, Excslsior, Thor, Yale, Pope, Henderson, Cyclone and Flying Merkel to name a few Also keep in mind that most projects are being built by a non- professional motorcycle enthusiasts just like so many like us. I'm just an average guy with average tools so what I do here could be done by most anyone. Where special talents like wood working, welding, upholstery or borrowing specialty tools that I do not have that are needed or just a helping hand. I will seek outside help even bartering if neccessary ... hopefully thru friends that I con into coming over or bribe with promises of free food and beverage etc ... So please don't take anything I do as the only way (or right way) to do it. I will be using oldstalgia and newstalgia technology thru out on my projects, and I also decided to incorperate some of the Harley-Davidson basic commercial ideas and much more.
All attachments that I will be using are my own design and will fit the 1937 thru 57 Harley-Davidson big twin frames. HOWEVER, I'm interested in doing frames for myself at this time (domestic, commercial and a racing model). I know there aren't that many FLXI enthusiast out there yet, but I'll bet once people start seeing them on the roads there will be a huge increase in the number of people who are interested and hooked just like I was.
My website is dedicated to Lance Tidwell and his family and to his son Glenn for all the great FLXI pictures and thanks to John Cameron for talking to me about the details ... I wish you and your families ALL the BEST and to my mother and both my fathers and of course my children.
SPECIAL THANKS to my new good friends Robert Jones, Gene Harper, Dana Meisner, Eric Bourragué, Jim Calcagno, Jorg Chisholm, Steve Settles and Flathead Power Tech Talk members for their support and interest, for with out them I would have never received the rest of the info and patterns that I still needed to finished my dream. In addition, I'd like to thank Amy Elben for teaching me the basics on doing a webpage and for all the moral support for this would never have ever got off the ground without her.
HOWEVER, Due to the recession and current economic state of affairs I have decided to keep this simple and only offer the 7 basic castings, in time I would like to introduce 13 castings total. HOWEVER, This major market is a sport and pleasure field but that doesn't imply that COMMERCIAL business should be neglected. A new or old business can be built up to substantial profit proportions where every penny counts. When general economic conditions are at hand. Any business needs to pay rent and overhead to keep things moving along. Smart business owners just couldn't think of operating without saving where they can. With business getting constantly more competitive these days and the price of gasoline always on the rise from day to day etc ... the commercial fields demand light deliveries or making service calls or just deliver packages, most any thing etc ... the BASIC delivery model will fit in and do a job more speedily and economically than any other type vehicles.
These opportunities should be fully exploited to any business minded person. I have decided to work on two designs one will be full Flxible for the light duty deliveries and the other for heavier weight loads which will be a semi design frame. These frames will fit the 1936 thru 57 OEM design Harley-Davidson motorcycle frame plus the ones listed in the frame section. In most business one must make adjustments to servive even in todays times. Most of the bodies were made in cabinet shops or by the owner for his particular needs like making Express wagon (local deliveries), Depot hack use by the Railroads, Milk wagons to deliver milk, Dog catcher body to catch all those stray dogs, Mail carriers, Road side service, Florists, Hearse or just plain Coffin carrier even Emergency Ambulance (gurney/stretcher or even Transporters for there goods even in rural remote areas of the globe with harsh terrain. Even SEE's candies had a body made for their needs. If that business is open to all companies again, why not fill it as well. Due to the economy of todays times like what it was back in the Great Depression.
PLEASE KEEP IN MIND this is strictly my HOBBY ... i'm into the 1937 thru 1957 Harley-Davidson OEM design rigid frames and the 1920 thru 1924 Flxi sidecar frames. If your interested in other vintage years and models PLEASE go to my links on the left side of this page for others who are into this sport one way or another and THANK YOU for checking out this website ... ENJOY
