The Sidewinder Plus
The Sidewinder Plus
Independent fronts, monoshock in the rear...
Independent front & monoshocks rear suspension gives this beast awesome handling over rough tracks at high speeds. Designed for 350cc - 650cc single cylinder enduro or motocross bike motors. Tops 120kph with 0 - 100kph in 6.5 seconds.
Nimble and compact...
The Sidewinder is the most nimble and compact of The Edge Products range of off road buggies.
Side mounted motor...
Power comes from a trail or motocross bike motor mounted alongside the driver. Front Suspension is Single ‘A’ Arm with coilover shock absorbers. Rear Suspension is a durable swingarm with solid axle and single coilover mono-shock.
Precise control on rough terrain..
Drive is chain direct from the motor to the axle, with the motor’s sprocket positioned inline with the suspension arm pivot point for reliable and precise chain tension. Steering is via a car-type rack & pinion to eliminate bump-steer and give precise control on rough terrain.
Easy & Comprehensive Plans
The Sidewinder Plus plans is comprehensive with over 90 pages including lots of 3D images. They can be purchased in a printed book or in digital form ready for immediate download (and at a discounted price).
These detail every chassis & suspension part that needs to be made along with parts lists, nuts & bolts lists & material lists. Laid out in 3D views with 2D dimensioned detailed drawings the Sidewinder Plus plans detail the complete chassis, front & rear suspension, brakes, pedals, all brackets, fuel tank, floor pan, roof plate, nose plate, bonnet, bulkhead plate, engine bash plate, complete steering including rack mount & steering column & gearshift setup. In fact, every single part that needs to be made.
The Sidewinder plans explain the chassis construction in a "step by step" format starting with the base frame & building the chassis from the ground up to make construction easier for the home builder. Suspension arms & components are broken down into their individual parts for ease of manufacture.
Check out some of our customer Sidewinders
Specifications
Chassis
Box section Chassis and full tubular rollcage structure
Steering
Rack & Pinion car-type
Motor
Trailbike or motocross Motors, single cylinder from 350cc up to 650cc
Transmission
Motorcycle Gearbox and Chain Drive to solid Rear Axle
Front Suspension
Single "A" Arm with Motorcycle Mono-shock, 250-300mm travel
Rear Suspension
Swing Arm with single Motorcycle Mono-shock, 280-350mm Travel
Brakes
Motorcycle Disc and Hydraulic Caliper on rear standard, optional front discs
Wheels
Front: 21x7x10 tyres on 10x6" steel rims
Rear: 22x11x8 tyres on 8x8.5" steel rims
Overall Length
2500mm
Overall Width
1420mm
Overall Height
1400mm
Track (rear)
1120mm
Track (front)
1120mm
Wheelbase
1900mm
Approx. Weight
280kg
Ground Clearance
Adjustable to 350mm
Top Speed
120kph
Acceleration
0-100 kph, (60mph) in 6.5 seconds
What does it cost to build?
Buying the raw materials, fabricating and welding the Sidewinder parts yourself to the plans will cost approximately $3,000 to $3,500 Australian dollars minus motor depending on how much of the componentry you produce yourself.
Customer Footage of a Sidewinder in Action
Suitable Engine Types
The Sidewinder design uses a motorcycle motor mounted along side the driver, generally on the right-hand side of the chassis.
The side-mounted motor's output sprocket lines up with the rear suspension swing arm pivot point. This means that when the suspension arm arcs up & down the chain will keep a constant tension.
The weight of the motor is counterbalanced by the fuel tank on the opposite side - but a motor which is too heavy or too wide can still upset the Sidewinder's handling.
With this in mind a single cylinder motor is the best choice.
But where to from here?
Four stroke single cylinder trail bike motors are the most user friendly in terms of good power to weight ratio & lots of low end torque. Trail bikes usually have the bonus of electric start - it's no fun needing to unbuckle from the driver harness and climb out every time the engine needs starting!
Bikes like the Kawasaki KLR650, Suzuki DR650 and Honda XR650 are no-fuss workhorses which will haul all day long without hitting the service budget hard.
More advanced engines such as the KTM 690-family up the horsepower further for a true off-road weapon.
Modern high-strung 450cc motocross motors are also capable of wheel-spinning performance in the Sidewinder, such as the Honda CRF450, Yamaha WR450F and Kawasaki KX450F.
Finally, don't forget ATV / quad-bike powerplants like a Yamaha Raptor 660 which often include a reverse gear.
Kawasaki KLR650 Engine
Looking for something exotic? Two stroke motocross bike motors are very powerful & light weight. This type of motor in 500cc form produces a very powerful buggy, but the negative side is the intense vibration, lack of electric start & the temperamental nature of the two stroke motor.
Some of the best models (we believe) of motorcycle engine are as follows:
KLR650 Kawasaki
KLR600 Kawasaki
KX450F Kawasaki
DR650 Suzuki
DR600 Suzuki
XT600 Yamaha
XT500 Yamaha
SR600 Yamaha
SRX660 Yamaha
WR450F Yamaha
660 Yamaha Raptor
XL600 Honda
XR600 Honda
XR650 Honda
NX650 Honda
FT500 Honda
CR450F Honda
690 KTM Enduro
Double A-Arm Front Suspension Upgrade
The Sidewinder Plus can be upgraded to use the Piranha III Double A-Arm front suspension. See here for further information and to purchase plans and parts.
