"...try the intimidating "flying" experience. I found the transition not all that abrupt,..."
Sidecar flying has always interested me and I have spent many hours playing and practicing it. At the '83 Griffith Park Rally three of us local riders were discussing just what you mentioned above about the abruptness of lifting the 'car. We all concluded that, IN THEORY, if the car starts to lift, and IF the driver doesn't make any changes in speed or steering, the rig WILL go on over. So, we all got together and I made up a three-strut rig with a heavy-duty caster wheel mounted on the left side of my Gold Wing, with the Spyder sidecar on the right. When the 'car was lifted by hand to the point that the rig balanced with a driver, the caster wheel was still three inches off the ground, allowing the rig to "go on over" safely.
The object was to go to a large empty parking lot and do some relatively slow speed lifts of the hack and to TRY not to alter the steering or speed once the chair lifted. Of course, that turned out to be pretty subjective since we didn't have any GoPro cameras, or even a digital camera back then to monitor any movement of the handlebars during the experiment. We tried our best to hold steady, but we're no sure if we did or not. Every time we did the experiment we did roll on over onto the caster wheel outrigger. All three of us did the run several times.
Our conclusion was that our theory was right. Once the chair lifts you either have to increase the radius of the turn or cut the speed to keep it steady in the air, or to bring it back down. It might not feel like you do anything, but it doesn't take much.
The other guys really got some good first-time practice in control of the rig with the hack in the air. They learned that tiny little snap of the bars to initiate the lift when going straight. Having a "crutch" as we did makes it so much easier to try things you might not otherwise do! It might be a bit more difficult to make up such a crutch for your Burgman, though.
I would like to see these crutches used in training courses.
I would like to see these crutches used in training courses.
That´s a brillant idea!
Out of errors You learn or you learn:
13.12.86, Took delivery of the MZrig in Kiel - Büchen 145km 3 times straight into the pasture.
Next morning Salem (Herzogtum Lauenburg) first snow = first road side plock
(Early January 1987 in Norway 3/4 salto mortale in the left ditch because even tires with spikes have their traction limit.)
13.12.04, Took delivery of the Jawa rig. The sidecar break's cable was wrongly routed. in the serpentines to Puriscal (Costa Rica) in strong lefties several times suddenly the sidecar wheel blocked!
Huge adrenaline surges!
(The 18 year old rum I found that morning for the first time took care of that later at my parents in law. / brother in laws comment: "Did You buy the Christmas lottery? Don?t buy it You got already the mayor price!"
01.July,13 Got finally the numberplate for the Ural. and until that moment I took the first opportunity to test the rig in the patio at Racewayservices Salem (Oregon) spun around all directions, and after a few minutes started to look for the edges like 180° sliding lefties. Caren's (Book keeper) comment, "I am not amused!" / I did that test only that day for to notice the Ural is a totally different animal compared to the former rigs, BUT on the edge she was perfectly handleable and not much different in the BUTT sensor feelings.
4 weeks later that short experience saved our both lives in Anchorage, where a Lady was about to crunch us into a Taxi cap crossing 4 lanes at 90° angle at GOOD speed... Just costed us 3 spokes and a flat back tire beside a LOT of adrenaline...
You learn or you learn, and if not you land in hospital or worse.
Sven 😉
