Electric trim --> luxury?

Hi Armen - Let me be the first of many to chime in. IMHO, if you get your trail right, then you don't need any mechanism to adjust the trim. Getting the trail right could be accomplished with a leading link setup to replace your current forks or a modified triple tree. Both of these mods will reduce steering effort - the goal of electric or manual trim.

That said, there are many who love being able to adjust for "current" conditions.

You say "Potayto" I say "Potahto" - let's go for a ride!

Steve- have you always had that signature? All this time I thought you were a Chinese guy named Steve Woo...

Yah - that's an artifact of one of my jobs. My new boss picked it out for me before I got there. He thought it was hillarious. 12 years later, it's still with me.

adjusting the trail isn't going to make the bike track any straighter. the electric or manual trim adjuster does that. I have had both, and wont have another rig without it. less trail will make steering easier as my earles fork does, but does nothing for the tracking.many riders say they dint need the trim adjuster, but once you ride one , you will see how much you are missing, switching form solo riding to a passenger, heavy loads, pulling a trailer. all need trim adjustments to track straight at highway speed. you can get a "happy medium' with a solid mount system and make do as many do just learn to keep pulling on the right bar to keep the bike straight. I can take my hands off at 70 and it will track straight. also at 50, or 30. any load.

trim,, power or manual?????
what the hack is trim,,,,

Bob,
Pulling on the right bar to track straight? You must have had a lot of extra toe-in or lean-in. Most US rigs have a tendency to track right with road crown and wind resistance coming into play.

I wouldn't recommend riding "hands off" at 70 MPH for the masses. Hands on with no resistance, maybe, but just for checking purposes.

Lonnie

It all depends on just how much FUN you really want to have and just what type of adjustable lean unit youn get. Like Steve Woo, I was again them on principle - that eas UNTIL I had the MASTER of all lean units, Vern Goodwin, first take me for a scary ride and really show me what could be done WITH A PROPERLY SET UP UNIT, and BY A PERSON SKILLED WITH its capabilities. Vern later allowed me to drive his rig, first under his tutilege, then on my own.

Depending on the how responsive the unit is, the adjustable unit can be set for a given condition - such as a strong cross-wind, or BIG FAT MOMA, or a STEEP country crown, and left in that condition until road conditions substantially alter, using normal steering input to counter directional changes. But that is only HALF the story.

The REST of the story, that can only begin to be appreciated by the extremely skillful and by those with a FAST response is to be able to directly intercept with the lean in directional control, especially on twisty mountainous roads or hilly environments as I am sure even Claude on his HPS rigt would appreciate.

In fact, I would not want to take bets between the performance of say, between Vern Goodwin on his lean mean fast responsive electric trim machine and Claude on his lean mean fast HPS machine. I would be the guy betting both ways!

So, you deceide if it is luxury or not. Just how much fun can you stand?
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Notes on the Electric lean adjuster that is available from Vern's Cycle Shop - from the Sidecarist: April, 1990.
The lean adjuster allows leaning the bike in and out of curves and corners similar to solo riding. It also gives instant adjustment for road
crown, cross wind, and weight in the sidecar.
Movement is four inches in three seconds which when hooked to the side of the bike is around ten inches each way at the handlebars.
This unit can and has been put on several other brands of sidecars: Vetters, Jawa, Motorvation, Hitchhiker, Smitty's, etc.
Most lower mounts have to be changed so they carry the load. The lean adjuster holds the bike up. This is a three point hook up, quick and
simple. The lean adjuster is worked by a switch on the left handlebar, it is not automatic. It takes awhile to get used to it, but once used to it, it's fantastic. It relieves most of the pull on the handlebars and makes riding with a sidecar more enjoyable. Contact Vern's Cycle Shop.

Hack'n,I meant pulling on the left bar./. pushing on right. sorry.As for my comment riding hands off at 70, that was for an example as to how easy the steering can be set with a good trim adjuster. I dont suggest dooing it at all. My Terraplane had a manual one that worked great..a few twists when I reached the speed i was traveling and it tracked straight as an arrow. just a little adjustment...the trim doesnt need much to make a big difference. Now I have a Motorvation FII with electric, and a few bumps on the switch gets the bike rolling straight down the road with no pull at all.

lduck said....trim,, power or manual?????what the hack is trim,,,, Trim is the lean adjustment on the rig. the more lean to the left with the bike the straighter it will track at speed. some trim adjusters lean only ther bike, like my Terraplane did. others raise the sidecar wheel, and the whole rig tilts to the left. that is how most of the electric ones work. my FII included in this group.

QTreiber
I’m still gathering parts for my hd rig, got the bike part last Friday, spose to get the car by Christmas, and possibly have it road worthy by Easter? Wish I would have gathered information (like you) before diving head first. But hey, Pops always said “ if your gonna be dumb be good at it.
Is this your first rig?

Thank you all for the great response. How much fun can I stand...?

This will be my first rig; after 24 years of solo riding I fell in love with sidecar rigs (yes, Ural) at a motorcycle show in Denver last year.

Interesting thing was to see people drooling over low-tech/high-character Russian sidecar rigs at an exposition with all the latest and greatest modern bikes.

Bought my 2000 Guzzi Quota this year with 5 miles on the odometer. The torquey engine and very sturdy frame seem to be ideal for a sidecar rig.

Still occasionally questioning if I will really like it, I decided to go ahead, do my homework and jump off the cliff into a new chapter of my motorcycle life.

Thank you again for your support, more questions to come...

Armin

I would think that most rigs do not have manual or electric trim installed
at the present time(and are doing just fine on the road).
Hal,Hackn,Claude anyone else what% of total rigs do you think have some form of adjustable trim installed.
Trim serves a purpose and if your rig and your driving needs require a trim
adjuster to be installed then it's not a luxury.
If you really don't need it and install it anyway then its a luxury and maybe an expense that could have been avoided.

I'm on my 3rd sidecar in 3 years..same tug, my '73 R75/5 now with a r100RS engine. bought it new and had been riding it solo all those years til I put a Velorex on it [my 1st tug] I had it for 2 weeks and coulnd not get it mounted solid, and too light. so I got the Terraplane with a manual trim adjuster. had that for the next 2 seasons. it was great, but we wanted a wider tub, so purchased a Motorvation FII with electric lean on it 2 months ago. much better! a lot of riders get their rigs set up in a great nueteral lean [sweet spot]and learn to live with it. they get used to it soon. You may get along without it. best to try it without, ride a bike with the trim adjuster, and see if you want it later.It really is a personal choice.guys I know that have them love 'em.

Very few - they do not know what fun they are missing. Sure, you can get by by driving a Ford Pinto, but that is not a babe getter. A Chevvy Corvette draws them in much quicker.

It is not for the masses. No one ever said it was. Just for those who can appreciate the value of not having to put with aching shoulders, and the ability to drive where one dare not drive before.

It will not make you a better sidecarist. Just a more informed one.