I was dyslexic all of a sudden, It pulls right, I pull left
ahaaa!
if that is the problem, you dont have ENOUGH lean out! adjust the lean out in small amounts, try it out, come back, adjust again, ride at your cruising speed and check..keep it up till it tracks straight at the speed you cruise at, with no pull, left or right.
might feel a little wierd at first if the bike is leaning to the left as it should, but you get used to it.
some need qite a bit, some none at all, or actually has a lean IN!
I forgot to mention, make sure the correct amount of ballast is in the tub before adjusting the lean.
any addition or subtraction of the weight in the car will change the pull . left or right.
If you ride a lot with a passenger, you will have to adjust for the extra weight, also. you will have to find that 'sweet spot' that is a good all-around setting.
thats where the adjustible leans on bike come in very handy! do it on the fly!
I can see why Lump is "Getting dyslexic" after reading the threads that apply to his steering problems. Brain overload!
Toe in: 3/4" to 1" measured in front of the axle. As little as possible.???
Letsee, shall we try all of them?
Lean out: 1/4" with a carpenters square measured at the rear wheel. ???
What size wheel? 15", 16", 17".(Do I have the same size?)
Ballast: Some, to over 100#, permanent and/or temporary, hard or soft.
Won't blocks poke holes in the fiberglass?
Hang off, hang on, hang tough. Come on guys! Specifics work here.
Comparing a Terraplane 3 mount system with manual lean adjuster doesn't help much. Steering is much different on a wide sidecar with the wheel near the back and a minimum of wheel lead. Velorexs are a narrow car and have a wheel near the middle.
"Had a Velorex for two weeks"?? Doesn't sound like that one was all that well sorted out either, EH?
Keep trying, Lump. Between this site, my e-mails, your installer, some more trial and error and road time, you'll get it right.
LOLing,
Lonnie
Lonnie,
I had the velorex 700 on my bike for 2 weeks, mounted to a subframe, with the original mickey mouse "U" clamps, which kept moving, as Lumpy's did. rather than waste more time and money for decent mounts,or add extra struts,and still have a TOO light sidecar, i bought the Terraplane and traded the velorex to a guy who mounted the terraplane for me even up. cost me the $400 cost of the Velorex. best deal I ever made.
It has never moved for 2 1/2 years now.
the toe-in and leanout measurements are ballpark figures, just to get it close.
I said measure toe-in in front of the front WHEEL, NOT axle as you mentioned. Then the 'seat of the pants' work starts. ride and test, as always.
the size of the rear wheel makes no difference, from 16 to 18, as I have on mine, when setting the lean out. place the square up against the wheel , touching the top sidewall. adjust the lean to give you APPROXIMATELY 1/4" clearance at the bottom sidewall. get it close and try it,and readjust. is all you can do. no 2 rigs are the same.There is no simple setup formula, if you want it done right.
Lonnie,
forgot to mention , My Terraplane does NOT have minimum lead, If you stopped to learn more about them. I have 9" of lead...very close to the average reccomended.
Bob,
I'm not picking on you, I was just using some of the options that had been given to lump that were not applicable to his complaint.
No difference between tire heights? 1/4" fits all? I'll have to think about that one for a bit. I use a magnetic angle guage on the front rotor when measuring lean out. To each his own, I say.
Having only installed several hundred sidecars (mostly Velorexs and only about a dozen Terraplanes), I know I have a lot to learn but then again, none of us knows it all, do we?
Cheers,
Lonnie Cook,owner
Northwest Sidecars
OK, Lonnie,
I am not claiming to be an expert..far from it. I will be learning from all of you for years to come. But, instead of remarking about the advice given to Lumpy, by SEVERAL others, you should have mentioned your technique to do the setups..It Would have helped more.
your method of measuring using the brake disc is more accurate, but, as I mentioned before, it is only a starting point for rigs with solid mounted struts. set close and ride.....adjust.
He needs the advice. the things we mentioned ARE relevant to his problem of constantly tracking to the right.
The names Lump
Good talking to you yesterday, Lump. Sounds like you're getting there.
A couple more turns on the lean-out and you should be spot on.
Lonnie
