See....Tiny Tim, there really is a Santa Claus 🧑🎄
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
All is right with the World, Till next time. 😀
Well Friends,
It was time to do a little test ride see how things would hold together on a little longer road ride, as an easy first step in seeing if things are "tough enough" for a while.
I was going to take a little jaunt by myself, but got invited on a road ride with a couple of friends on a late model (2021?) Gold Wing and a newer Harley Road Glide. They did not have a particular route in mind, but had suggested an interest in seeing Ajo, Az or possibly Kitt Peak Observatory.
I asked them if they had any time constraints or fear of riding in the dark, and it was negative to both questions. So I plotted a circuitous route that took us through both, for a nice 318 mile "Q" loop:
Weather started out a little coolish, in the 50's F (10 C), and ranged up to mid 70's F (20's C) before dropping back down at nightfall.
We started off by meeting up in Skunk Hollow and socializing a bit, before a leisurely departure.
Stopped in the town square of Ajo and investigated the tourist info stand while enjoying some refreshments.
There were quite a few cruisers in the square, along with this interesting contraption...
We turned and headed east out through the reservations, where the pavement was not quite so smooth. Nothing extreme, but some light vibration testing.
We then hit the turn off to Kitt Peak Observatory and enjoyed a brisk run up 12 miles of twisty switchbacks to the top, gaining about 4,000 ft of elevation up to 6,800 ft on that stretch. It also had cooled off considerably at the top.
The ride back down was equally pleasant on the twistys, with the tires all nice and warmed up. I was able to generate some decent lateral forces, without anything loosening up or cracking, so I would call Phase 1 of testing a success and declare Black Betty (that sweet girl) ready to progress on to phase 2 on some washboardy gravel roads in a bit.
The rest of the ride up to Skunk Hollow was pleasant and uneventful, as the sun set and painted the sky all the colors that Arizona sunsets are famous for.
@mgv8 Hey Brian,
As I continue to think about new struts (mine are definitely too short for proper set up), I came up with this turnbuckle connecting rod on McMaster:
Length is pretty good, and it is Lh 34 16 thread on one end and right hand thread 3/4" 16 on the other.
My existing 2 rod ends that are removable are 3/4" 16 rh thread, and would be just fine to connect to either end, bike or hack, with a 3/8" id end.
My search for something with a 3/4" 16 shank, 3/8" id end isn't coming up with anything on McMaster. I found 5/8" id stuff in a heim joint rod end, but nothing solid, even close.
Any thoughts on where I ought to be looking? I'm mostly searching on "Rod Ends", and "eye bolts."
I could make the 5/8" id stuff work, if I had to, but 3/8" would save a bunch of drilling/grinding.
Just curious for your thoughts on creating new turnbuckle style stuts that would connect up to 3/8" id eye's on both the bike and hack frame.
DMC must have had a source for rh 3/4" 16 rod ends with a 3/8" id, since they used so many of them, but I can't seem to find them. If I could buy a couple of LH versions, it would be pretty easy to make the turnbuckle struts work. I guess if I can't, I could use threaded tube, and just use two more RH versions, but I can't seem to locate them in RH, either.
@sidecarusa, if you happen to know the source for either RH or LH 3/4" 16 thread shank end eyes with a 3/8" id, it would be appreciated, as well.
Cheers!
Ben
If you are just looking for the rods, I've had good luck using these in some pretty demanding applications off road.
https://www.speedwaymotors.com/Swedged-Steel-Tube-3-4-Inch-Thread,2091.html
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
@ben-franklin I used those tubes from speedway when I built the race car three link.. Work really well and they would be more than strong enough for your use.. I used the rod ends though, not eye bolts.. 5/8th if I remember correctly.. In situations where I needed both left and right hand eye bolts but smaller like you are saying I made my own.. Correct thread but with the made up eyes welded on.. The wing struts come to mind, worked as they never came apart on that 100 mph corner where we were relying on them.. 🙂 On a different occasion where I couldn't get the left hand thread bolts I needed, I bought left hand thread dies and made my own, bought longer bolts than I needed, cut the thread off and made left hand thread the length I needed.. If you're careful you can get pretty good results. Used the ends from McMaster and appropriate tubing. Up here in the hinter land you have to be resourceful at times. For You, you might end up with specialty tools you never use again, or maybe not, be surprised once you have them how much you need them.. 😀
Also if push comes to shove, you could use a bushing in the eye to bring it down to the correct bolt size if I am understanding correctly. Might need a lathe for that though 😆
Would be a pain in the butt, but. These might work for you if you rethink how you mount them. Scroll down on the rod ends catalog page. Won't let me copy and paste for what ever reason.. Externally threaded Clevis rod ends is what they are called. As you are building a 5th support I highly doubt you need the 3/4 sizing.. 5/8th or even 1/2 inch would be more than enough I bet.. Of course, as Chuck says, when in doubt build it stout
Well Friends,
Have been contemplating the mount for the third strut, and think I am pretty close to working out something that will pickup 3 points on the bike steel frame and connect up to the rear top mount bracket to reinforce the mount that grabs the aluminum seat rail.
However, this thought process has also had me thinking about turnbuckle style struts, and remaking existing top struts to a length that will allow me to setup the rig with a half degree of lean out at any sidecar tilt adjustment that I see fit. Current ones are fully extended and only long enough to have slight lean out when the hack is tilted "up" as far as the tilt adjust will allow. This has pretty much always been the case, but it is finally pissing me off enough to do something about it.
@sheath and @MGV8">@MGV8 have been giving me some fine ideas on material selection for making three struts with plenty of adjustment range, plenty of strength, and maybe even a little less weight than the current ones that came from the old WA DMC.
However, I took finding a chunk of 1.25" ID DOM in my iron pile as a divine sign that I should cut up the existing two struts and stretch them to the right length, so I could do a little testing before ordering expensive materials. Might be fun to order the new ones to length, since that seems to be an option for these: Struts
I think I can make these LH Rod Ends work, with bushings to adapt to 3/8" eye holes, for the lower connections to the mounting points coming out of the sidecar top frame rail.
But I digress... today's fun is getting the existing struts figured out for total eye-to-eye length to be able to set lean out at 1/2 degree at around the mid-point of the hack tilt adjust, which happens to be where I set the hack chair to be level.
I decided that if I could have whatever length of strut that I want, then I could also take some good advice and reduce the lever arm on both the top mounting points to the bike.
This pick is the "before" pic, showing how the top mount is the long, bendy piece of tube, with the mounting point screwed out to max length to reach the short struts used in original build.
That tube has always been a source of flex in the mounting system, so...
Got after it with the Sawzall and removed 1.5" (38mm) of cantilevered tubing... There were plenty of threads remaining to run the end eye in until it bottomed into the bend.
Substantially less leverage on this rather poor design.
Threading the end point in as far as it would go, into the now shorter horizonal bendy tube, moved the upper mounting point closer to the bike and drove an increase in length requirement for the front top strut of 2.1" (53mm).
Got out one of my new favorite toys, the portable band saw, and cut the strut mostly square, in a miter box.
Cut off a piece of DOM that would just slip over the pieces of the strut, with 1" (25mm) of overhang on each piece, after spacing them apart the appropriate amount of stretch.
Tacked it up, and test fitted.
As you all know, I need the practice TIG welding, so welded it up. This is about the best I have been able to do, for steel TIG welds. Mine are on the OD tube, the weld holding the end eye on the right to the original tube were from Old DMC:
Rattle can and called it good enough.
Did the same process on the rear strut, to stretch it out enough to reach the mounting point that goes into the bracket clamped to the the bike seat rail. Was able to thread the mount in almost an inch (25mm) into the bracket, decreasing the lever arm on that mount, as well.
Before, extended length:
After:
Buttoned it all up, reinstalled all the zip ties, and decided to go for a short ride.
I headed out to the local casino, since they are so nice about having a large, lighted parking lot for me to do sidecar test flights in.
I dialed in "just a little more" lean out with the tilt adjust, until things felt really good. Once again, I think this is the best the rig has ever felt. Close to no flex, and geometry seems to be working pretty well for handling, no pull to the right, and comfort jumping speed bumps (thanks Harrah's)
So now, once I get the center mount to the bike frame bracket fabbed up, I can order the bits for the turnbuckle style center strut and maybe two new turnbuckle style struts to replace these that I just mocked up for grins.
Oh, I almost forgot the most important part of the operation... I finally took the windshield height adjustment mechanism apart and figured out where the "squeak" was coming from. Packed it full of Silcone grease and zero squeaks were heard on the test ride. Another one of those annoyances that get's left for another day, too many times.
Merry Christmas friends!
Nothing like "divine engineering" to wring in the Christmas Holiday! 😎
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
Progress into a New Year is always great. Some times you just have to jump in and start cutting and get the heat out.. I have been dithering over my own desire for changes which I may or may not do.. No welding but do I start the cutting of wires that are involved???. 😀
No welding but do I start the cutting of wires that are involved???. 😀
Brian, cut the wires that are involved.
Why ?
93.14159 percent of all Sidecar rigs in the World have less than adequate or proper wiring.... attaching the Sidecar to the Bike.
As you have seen, people like Mike Paull can seriously improve on the wiring rats nest that most Sidecar rigs have. He is literally the artist of proper wiring.
By cutting the wires that are involved, YOU become intimately familiar with every inch, or centimeter of the wiring replaced or repaired, so if something happens on a road trip, you can get right to it, and fix it, and make it home.
Oh, and Merry Christmas, ya Canuck 🎅
Maybe....Canooski would be more appropriate, as you like Canoeing, and live in.... Canoe, B.C.
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
@mgv8 nothing looks better than a pile of wire, relays and switches on the floor, next to your hack (after you have just fixed it right!)
