Goulding Rocket

[Chuck#1848]

Chuck, Oh, here in Florida we don't have to wait for spring

Geez easy telling where I live

[Neil74]

That one is sweet, there was one last week in Maryland I think, 1968 ex DC police with all original decals. Unfortunately son-in-law totaled his truck, so my brother expects to have to wait till the new year to find one. I will pass it on, maybe he'll have funds sooner.

[Clydeflathead]

Well said Chuck, you also have to remember these Goulding adds were from the 20's and
30's when sidecars were used year round. lighter sidecars were needed to trudge through the mud and snow on less than ideal roads. Lighter sidecars provided less wear and tear on the machines they were attached to also. Most of the Goulding sidecars were designed in the 30's, the standard,cruiser,flyer,zep,and three versions of the rocket were all designed in the 30's.Gouldings were produced til 1956, but they were designed much earlier.
To answer the previous questions, Chuck, no I don't know the owner, but like his sidecar very much. Neil, the chrome nose was an add on.

Also wanted to add this ,looks to be complete and in good shape.http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Harle...Q5fAccessories

[Neil74]

Chuck, I rode my Indian with the Gouldings sidecar for 4 years before I tore it down for an overhaul. I also rode a friends 1970 FLH with a factory rig for a number of years, he tried it and didn't like it so it was my job to run it while he collected it. I only had one bad experience with my Indian, I got the bright idea to remove the sidecar body to adjust the lifters and tune up my bike. Worked great, plenty of room and finished job much faster Then I decided to test ride it, I u-turned at the end of my road, while turning to the right at a crawl that sidecar was over my head and I was saved by the crash bars. I'll never forget just how fast that came about. What a difference the missing weight of the body made. We'll find a rig, just a matter of having the cash when it comes along Oh, here in Florida we don't have to wait for spring

[Chuck#1848]

Neil, as a rule of thumb in sidecars, the sidecar should weigh about 1/3 the weight of the motorcycle that's the reason for sidecars of different sizes a velorex should not be hooked to a flh it is to light! also I would suggest that IF you do deside to go with the velorex beware of the mounting hardware! some of the older mounts tend to loosen up now this is not to say that you can't do it but you would have to literally fill the sidecar with a lot of weight or what we refer to as "ballast" to keep it stable in cornering and quick lane changes,when the sidecar comes up in the air the first thing that an inexperienced rider generaly does is panic and steer to the left the QUICKEST way to regain control is to let off the throttle and lean your body weight to the sidecar sliding yourself across the seat towards the sidecar to bring it back in contact with the road.

A goulding hack on the flh is a better fit along with the traditional HD car like I said to you earlier be patient one will come along. besides.....the 69 deserves better then the velorex Velorex is better suited for bikes around the 650 cc range.

Have you or your brother ever rode a sidecar rig? If not go to http://www.sidecar.com have a look around there you will find literature to down load for free on how to ride a sidecar rig.

Now a day sidecars come in all sizes shapes and riding styles from scooters to sport bikes on to the touring bikes.....keep looking and be patient winter is coming no need to rush now this will give you around 8 months till spring to scout one out.

[Neil74]

Clyde, I'll take 10 of each I'm a bit confused, does the piece just go on over an already existing nose? or do you take the painted one off and install the chrome one? Interesting read about the lighter weight of a Gouldings rig, seems like all the reasons I was warned not to put a velorex on my brothers 69 FLH. Are there two different schools of thought on sidecar rigs? One side likes lighter rigs other heavier is better?

[Chuck#1848]

Hey Clyde,
The last photo of the black panhead/goulding with the bulldogs do you by chance know the owner?
He use to come to some national sidecar rallys last time I recall seeing that rig was in wisconsin at the dells in 1995 I have a couple of photos of that sidecar rig.

[Clydeflathead]

Marsh, the four bolt wheel was a Nash Wheel if that helps. Maybe if you google nash wheels, something may come up. As for springs pm me and I will put you in touch with someone who has some.

[marsh1915hd]

I need a chrome nose for mine also. marsh1915hd@msn.com Also a four bolt wheel and a set of springs.

[Clydeflathead]

oops, trying to be funny and I posted the wrong flyer. Try this one.

[Clydeflathead]

Niel, Look chrome nose and chrome panel only $20. I wish it could be that easy for ya.

[Neil74]

Thanks Clyde, all 4 of your choices have an eyebrow trim at the transition. I don't believe I've seen that piece before. The third picture looks like it has a second dome,chromed one, applied over the painted dome.

[Clydeflathead]

Here are a few to look at. Maybe one of the owners will chime in with some information.

[Clydeflathead]

Neal, I was told they were soldered on, in eight spots around the diameter. I don't have a concrete way to verify this, except talk to another Rocket owner who has the chromed nosed sidecar. They sure are sharp with that chrome nose, the Sunburst front
is very nice also.

I was not recomending Koch in the earlier post, just using them to show an example. Good Luck with whatever you decide to do. Take photos to share of this process. I am
sure there are others who would be interested.

[Neil74]

Thanks Chuck and Clyde I've bookmarked both sites, Koch and Helander. I'll get an accurate diameter and guage of the nose piece and contact them about a quote in price. From the photos on the Helander site I'll be looking at a hemispherical dome around 28 inches, were the domes just welded on how was the transition from paint to chrome achieved? Any close up shots of this connection? Or am I better off painting?