I'd like to chat with some folks who own, or have owned, leaning sidecar rigs. I,m particularly interested in getting info on the Equalean (Tom Cat, do you own one?) and/or others examples where the at least the hack tire leans with the bike, if not the entire hack.
This is probably a tough question, but how does it feel to tow while leaning into corners? I'm imagining that it's sluggish? I must know!
Talk to me....
My sidecar is a Hannigan Classic. The Equilean is an interesting car though. Sort of futuristic looking. Finding and mounting one today though would be a work of dedication. Mounts would be a real pain to find.
I just did a quick search for Equalean sidecars and found out that only about 270 were made and the company went under in the mid to late seventies. This would be a rare bird indeed if you found one. Flxit tells a similar story. Armec ells a sidecar with steerable wheel instead of the lean factor but Armec isn't anything resembling inexpensive. I've seen leaner bikes with rigid sidecars which allows the car to stay on the ground while the bike leans. No idea how well that works.
The electric tilt isn't really a leaning device although it does allow the car to be adjusted on the fly to compensate for road camber. I've got it on my Hannigan Classic. I wouldn't recommending using it to change the car's attitude in a turn although on straight roads, especially at higher speeds it does reduce the needed steering effort. The effect is noticeable at all speeds however and it's a nice option to have.
Originally written by Tomcat101147 on 9/12/2008 10:11 PM
I just did a quick search for Equalean sidecars and found out that only about 270 were made and the company went under in the mid to late seventies. This would be a rare bird indeed if you found one. Flxit tells a similar story. Armec ells a sidecar with steerable wheel instead of the lean factor but Armec isn't anything resembling inexpensive. I've seen leaner bikes with rigid sidecars which allows the car to stay on the ground while the bike leans. No idea how well that works.
The electric tilt isn't really a leaning device although it does allow the car to be adjusted on the fly to compensate for road camber. I've got it on my Hannigan Classic. I wouldn't recommending using it to change the car's attitude in a turn although on straight roads, especially at higher speeds it does reduce the needed steering effort. The effect is noticeable at all speeds however and it's a nice option to have.
Thank you Tomcat for your input. Yes, I have electric tilt on the Goldwing Champion outfit (which is for sale) and ; this feature is essential for big bikes and big sidecars. I'm looking for true leaners; there are several Equalean sidecars on Craigs list. I guess they're somewhat outdated and not sought after (whether rare or not). I like the sidcars that lean with the bike. Several designs have made-it over the years but nothing has stuck around. After I find one....I'll report back.
Dale
One of the reasons that the Equalean isn't sought after is simply that getting the linkage working right is a real chore if the right mounts aren't to be had. They're around but simply more trouble to mount than they're usually worth. They're for the dedicated aficionado who needs a project to play with. Many were originally mounted on early Goldwings.
I had a 1982 Equalean so they were around at least that long.
The articulating lean mechanism bordered on dangerous at best.
I've seen a sweet XS 1100 Yamaha/Equalean setup with well fabricated mounts at the Griffith Park Rally in 2003. The owner said his fabricator was in Huntington Beach but I didn't get a name or address. Someone here may remember the rig, it was bright red with white trim.
Lonnie
