I put up a couple of pictures of the Velorex 563 frame mounted on my '08 StreetBob. Wasn't hard except for the CHEAP castle nuts that came with the universal mounting kit. They were too small for my metric and sae wrenches. I ended up using the forbidden adjustable wrench..
Haven't finished the project yet.Need to remount the body and windshield...
I found this forum after I bought and mounted the sidecar.
Lance
Use an 18mm wrench for the nuts, a 19mm wrench for the bolts.
Since the castellated nuts are only good for one torquing use grade 8.8 nylocks instead.
Check out some of the Velorex rear lower sliding mount positions in my (Hack'ns) albums. If you mount it as shown in the Velorex Handbook it will probably slip and rotate out of alignment.
Lonnie
Where can I find metric nylocks in 8.8 online ? I can change the positioning of the sliding clamp or I can spot weld it into position if that would be a better solution.
Lance
I get mine from Tacoma Bolt but Lowe's and farm supply stores have them.
On the slider: Either, or, works.
Lonnie
Well after about a week I got back to setting up the sidecar. I set the leanout at about 1/4- 5/16 inch.With the weight added to it it seems to straighten back up to 0".. The tow in is set between 5/8 and 11/16 inch.. The only thing I see not quite rite is the frame of the sidecar is lower at the front by a little less than a 1/4 inch. I am not sure if that matters.
This is my first sidecar bike. I have had a trikes in the past so I know what to expect as far as making turns 🙂
I hope to get it out early sunday morning for a test.Is there something on line about riding with a sidecar?
Lance
Well I took the bike out for a ride and some practice turns. I like it. The bike seems to turn to the right easy but the left turns seem a little too hard.I think I will have to give it a little more lean out(I checked the lean out and it wasn't what I had thought I set it at) .
My ride was about 15 miles over some bumpy roads(sewer work). I didn't take it over 45 mph. It steers OK but it feels like it needs a little more tow in.I will wait on that until I reset the leanout.
The bike feels like a car with qucik steering(sport type). The bikes front end has been lowered about 2" so the front of the sidecar should be a little lower also ?
I think I will need to put on a few more miles by my self before I take the ball n' chain out with me 🙂 .
While setting the sidecar up I found that the rear tire wasn't in line with the front.It came fron the dealership like that.The rear was about a 1/16" out(but in factory specs).It handled very well at speeds over 4000 rpm in sixth gear ..
Lance
Your Harley front and rear tires may not be the same and most Harleys front and rear tires won't match up evenly due chassis shifts required for component alignment and offset wheels due to brake and belt clearance needs of different models.
Just align your car using only the rear wheel as an index point. It will remain the directionally the same as the sidecar wheel. Don't increase the toe-in. Increase lean-out if needed to maintain neutral steering. More toe-in will only increase tire scrubbing and wear.
An inch ot two of difference in the nose attitude of the sidecar will only affect appearance, not the handling.
With your combo I've found that 1 or 1+ degrees of leanout with driver aboard and sidecar normally loaded will give you neutral steering with a minimal toe -in setting. Usually a good compromise setting. Less toe in equals less tire wear.
Lonnie
I reset the camber(using my protractor) to 1 - 1/2 deg and the tow in to 1/2".I should have used it the first time around instead of the square( the floor has a hump in it).I sat on the bike and had the wife sit in the car to check the lean out and it was back to 0 deg. .I won't be able to try it out until Sunday morning. I have added a few photos of the setup to my album.
Lance
I like to use 1 degree plus leanout with both bike and sidecar loaded with your setup. 0 leanout might still have you heading toward the mailboxes without steering a bit to the left.
But if your measurement works with your rig, good on ya!
With sidehack rigs, no two are exactly the same so what works for one may not be the answer for the next guy.
Cheers,
Lonnie
Lance,
If you rotate the lower rear strut 90 degrees and have that mount in a straight line instead of angled the sidecar frame clamp assembly will have less tendency to slip and rotate causing the sidecar to sag to the left. This is a weak point in the Velorex mounting that is shown to be correct in the Handbook instructions.
See attached pic.
Lonnie
I did rotate the rear lower strut 90 deg.. It is still pointing down .The bike frame is a lot lower(4" off ground) than the car frame.
I want to buy some nylock nuts but I don't know the thread pitch(I was never into metrics that much).
I took the bike out for a ride this morning(same route as before). The bike tracks well,left turns are smooth now but the right turns arn't .I only had 50lbs balast loaded in for the test. instead of the 135 I should have. I am sure that was the problem.
Lance
With the US system you are used to TPI or threads per inch. The metric system uses thread pitch or distance between threads in millimeters. The easiest way I found to determine metric thread pitch is count the amount of threads in 1 centimeter and divide 10 by that number. I use centimeters because there are 10 millimeters in one centimeter. Example if you count 8 threads in 1 centimeter (10/8=1.25) so in this example your thread pitch is 1.25. The number after the M is the major Diameter in millimeters. The major diameter is the tip of the thread to opposite tip of thread. Just measure the diameter of the threaded portion of the bolt. (M8 X 1.00) = measured diameter is 8 and thread pitch is 1.00. I hope this helps you with your project.
Take one bolt with you to Lowes or a bolt supply. That way there is no mistake.
The metric threads are in 3 different pitches, 1.25mm, 1.50mm and 1.75mm. It's easy to pick the wrong one at times.
Get grade 5.5 for normal stressed nuts and 8.8 or better for high stress applications (or match the designation on the bolt heads).
Lonnie
Well I think I finally got evrything set. Lean out 1+ deg. tow in 1/2" .Tried the bike out on a crowned road and it was a nice ride .The bike doesn't pull or shimmy at all.Tracks nice and straight.
I am glad I did this myself.I have learned a lot from Hack'n and reading the other posts. Thank to RichardMc4 for the reading link..
I do need to get a lot more practice of rolling around with the sidecar.....
The threads on the bolts are 1.75. I will have to order them(no nylocks around here)..
Lance
