i have installed a 98 ultra classic sc on my 02 flh in may. my wife and i took an 1800 mile ride to florida with no mishaps and a lot of fun except no rear brakes as i can't get anyone who can "bleed" the sc brakes. finally just disconnected the sc brake altogether and got the mc rear brake to bleed properly. did not use the interstates at all because i don't feel comfortable yet at high speed. on flat roads i can only get about 70mph. how fast do you all ride? also- going up mountain roads i only get 40mph! i am going to install a 95 inch kit with a 203 cam. hope this helps. my rig does not perform like a sportscar at all in the twisties like i've been reading in some of these posts. i can't keep up anymore with my 2 wheel buddies yet my rig is stable, doesn't pull to left or right,etc. b/t/w/- i have found myself on the wrong side of the road a few times in right hand turns! wow!
I have a Stock 97 Harley Ultra with a Motorvation Spyder attached. It weighs a bit less than your hack. Yes the Rig is slower and get less MPG. But I can go down the freeway with traffic and ride with a HOG group with no problem. I don't use a hack brake so I can not comment on your bleeding problem. But in the twisties I can stay up with most Harleys, (Not sport bikes). The trick is to coordinate with your passenger. The farther the passenger leans out to the side you are turning the faster, smoother and safer you can make that turn. Sitting still in the middle of the hack will not get it done. My passengers (wife, grandkids) move all over the place. It makes them feel like they are part of the experience and their moveable ballast keeps you on the road. You said that you have found yourself on the left lane on right hand turns. That makes me think that either you are not carrying any ballast in the rig and the chair is coming up on righthanders or your passenger is not helping by leaning to the right. If you want to make any time and stay up with your buddies the passenger must move around in the twisties.
One thing I have to mention...make sure your passenger is IN the sidecar, not on the back of the bike. that will cause very uneven balance on right turns especially.no need for ballast if you have a passenger in the SC where they belong. that is one of the main purposes of a sidecar! besides hauling 'stuff', pets, more stable ride.and above all...FUN!!!
I would not rely on passengers to be monkeys. Like-minded riders looking for adventure are good to go, but wives and kids fall asleep, get distracted, or even forget which way to lean in which corner. It kills me to say it, but you may need to slow down. Maybe SOME sidecars handle like a sportscar, but for the most part, 2 wheels will outrun a hack.
I don't have a Harley, but from everything I've read, that 5 degree triple tree is the only way to go.
Also, I find that feathering the front brake helps, too.
don't know what keeping up with traffic is in so.cal. but if your not going like 90 thru atlanta on the I your being run over. ditto 4 b'ham.
That's exactly right! Driving through Atlanta is not for the faint of heart! Atlanta and St. Louis are the two worst places that I have ever driven. Well, the Miami area is horrendous, too! If you're planning to creep through any of those places on a rig, you had better think again. It's full speed ahead and dam_ the torpedos, if you want to make it through alive!
I don't understand all this high speed on the superslab. I have two popup tent trailers one with 8" and one with 12" wheels. I don't care what they say about high speed wheel bearings. I cruise at 65 MPH and yes I have driven through Atlanta, St. Louis, LA, Seattle, Houston and so on. I stay in the right hand lane and watch the on ramps and slow down or speed up as needed. Its called driving!
Henry
