Conundrum of SET UP;

well to be honest - i got mine so that it was dead straight on totally flat surface - on the road the road leans right and it pulled right.

so i put on a liberty raked tree - end of problem

in fact it was so good that i cant imagin going back

to

Cool,

I have the Liberty Raked trees that I bought with the rig and will put them on this winter when I get some time and it is too cold to ride. For now I won't be going far enough to have the right pull really effect me as it isn't great, just a small right bias.

I can't imagine what a raked tree or leading link would have to do with the bike pulling left or right. That's kind of like saying, "the rear tire is bad so I better replace the headlight".

Don't know nothing from nothing but that is essentially what the guy from Liberty said also. Get it close, put on the raked trees and all will be good

For the greatest part, all a raked tree, or leading link for that matter, will do is to make it easier to steer at low speeds. Unless, of course, there is something physically wrong with your existing front forks. Neither design should have anything to do with pulling right or left, stopping in a straight line, or even front end wobble. I have had folks tell me that a wobble was cured by a leading link, but I suspect the original forks had bearing related problems, either at the wheel or at the frame neck.

I remember as a boy working in an automotive parts house. If you came in to buy a starter or alternator you could to return your old one as a rebuildable core. We purchased an alternator load tester and the boss taught me to use it by having me test the core alternators. In an overflowing 55 gallon barrel of alternators, I found two that did not perform to manufacturers specifications. The boss said this is because the first thing you do when you replace an alternator is to disconnect the battery, then before you reconnect it, you clean the clamps and tighten things up. Chances are, cleaning and tightening the clamps was all that was really necessary. We became the first shop in town that would test alternators and starters for free.
Likewise I believe a lot of sidecar issues are resolved by accidental changes that we sometimes don't realize we make.

When I bought the Liberty raked trees for my FLH/TLE rig, I was told they will "mask an inproper set up". Also they do infact cure a wobble. I took off the steering damper as it is no loner needed!

And your bearing preload and torque is all exactly the same? That's surprising. When I was looking at putting one on my Goldwing, each place I talked to emphasized that it would not cure a wobble and might even create one. Since that was the only thing I was trying to cure I never went any farther. Likewise, I see a lot of steering stabilizers on LL bikes.

Yes bearing torque was the same before and after instalation of the raked trees. You might consider giving Liberty a call and ask about how they might work on a Gold Wing. My expeince with the Harley application may not apply.

Kirk is right. After the Liberty trees are installed on a Harley/Harley S/C rig the damper is not needed and the mounting bracket makes a good mount for an auxilliary driving lamp.

Lonnie
Northwest Sidecars

Originally written by Hack'n on 10/27/2008 12:49 PM

Kirk is right. After the Liberty trees are installed on a Harley/Harley S/C rig the damper is not needed and the mounting bracket makes a good mount for an auxilliary driving lamp.

Lonnie
Northwest Sidecars

I stand corrected. The Goldwing/Hitchhiker rig was 5 sidecars ago. I have no need for a leading link or steering stabilizer on my present Guzzi rig.

That is exacly what I did. I mounted a 5" dia light on the damper mount and a second 5" light on the right front leaf sping mount of the chair. Now there is plenty of light spread across the entire rig