gnm,
If Bill Powell is the Bill Powell I think he may be he does have a Harley rig.
The only real bashing I felt took place here was done by shorcut in such a way that anyone could recognise it. Any rebuttal was no doubt due to his comments which were totally out of line.
It actually made me feel bad when reading it because I know a lot of guys with Harley rigs and none of them have ever come acoss in the sort of way he did.
In fact I have taken solo riders to sidecar rallies quite a few times over the years and all of them had a comment at some point on how neat it was that everyone talked about sidecars and seemed to be on the sam epage so to speak. I do not know how long you or shortcut have been in the sidecar world but I certainly hope that the great comeraderie that has been traditionally present never leaves us.
We all need to lighten up a little
Oh well ho hum etc
Originally written by claude #3563 on 6/14/2007 3:08 PM
gnm,
If Bill Powell is the Bill Powell I think he may be he does have a Harley rig.
The only real bashing I felt took place here was done by shorcut in such a way that anyone could recognise it. Any rebuttal was no doubt due to his comments which were totally out of line.
It actually made me feel bad when reading it because I know a lot of guys with Harley rigs and none of them have ever come acoss in the sort of way he did.
In fact I have taken solo riders to sidecar rallies quite a few times over the years and all of them had a comment at some point on how neat it was that everyone talked about sidecars and seemed to be on the sam epage so to speak. I do not know how long you or shortcut have been in the sidecar world but I certainly hope that the great comeraderie that has been traditionally present never leaves us.
We all need to lighten up a littleOh well ho hum etc
I'm not the one doing the bashing. I've seen quite a bit of it here, too.
Yawn. LOL
Maybe the site owners need to form a 'bashing section'. I tried it at SCT and only a few went there. Guess the bashers like to do so in front of a crowd.
zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz
No bashing intended, hence my own words, "can happen to the best of us." Just a reminder to the one of us who felt compelled to say:
Originally written by shortcut on 6/12/2007 1:15 PM
..." i ride a HARLEY DAVIDSON ELECTRAGLIDE WITH A GENUINE HARLEY DAVIDSON ULTRA SIDECAR. never have any handling problems like the cheap,russian,european,and chinese products you all are complaining about. learned a long time ago- ya get what ya pay for..."
A silly, inaccurate, unhelpful thing to say. I like rigs. All flavors.
A Dog's Purpose
Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog's owners, Ron, his wife, Lisa, and their little boy, Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.
I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn't do anything for Belker, and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for four-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience.
The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker's family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away. The little boy seemed to accept Belker's transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker's death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that animal lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up, "I know why." Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I'd never heard a more comforting explanation. He said, "People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?" Then the four-year-old continued, "Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don't have to stay as long."
Live simply. Love generously. Care deeply. Speak kindly.
Remember, if a dog was the teacher you would learn stuff like:
When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
Take naps.
Stretch before rising.
Run, romp, and play daily.
Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body
Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.
Be loyal.
Never pretend to be something you're not.
If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.
Always be grateful for each new day and for the blessings you receive.
ENJOY EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY!
i apologize to everyone i offended. i was way out of line and "over the top". what started out as some perceived humor on my part got way out of hand and i sincerely apologize.
Originally written by shortcut on 6/15/2007 2:53 PM
i apologize to everyone i offended. i was way out of line and "over the top". what started out as some perceived humor on my part got way out of hand and i sincerely apologize.
You sir, are a gentleman, and a scholar. I hope to meet up one of these days. If you're ever in Dover, TN, look me up at the Sunset Motor Inn...
Bill
Excellent. You are a good man, Mr. Shortcut!
Now we can look forward to a good sidecar ride!
In that regard, the spouse and I are heading to the National Antique Motorcycle Meet, Fort Sutter Chapter at Dixon, Califronia in the early a.m tomorrow. It's only about 45 miles one way for us but it will be the maiden voyage with a passenger for this rig. I suspect it will do well and we'll have about 150 miles on her by the time we return...after doing a little meandering through the hills on the way back.
If this thread is still up, I will report on the handling issues that I may encounter. Wife claims that she weighs in at about 130...heh heh. That and the 45 pound weight on the outside spring should be enough to keep from getting the chair up in the air. I don't like to think about my possible punishment if that were to happen with my wife in the sidecar......I suspect if it did fly that you wouldn't be hearing from me again......ahem.
Happy Trails and to be continued.
Originally written by shortcut on 6/15/2007 3:53 PM
i apologize to everyone i offended. i was way out of line and "over the top". what started out as some perceived humor on my part got way out of hand and i sincerely apologize.
Shortcut I am quite sure your apology will be accepted by all here. Hey we are all in this togther.
God bless you man (actually He already did)
It takes a good man to apologize sincerely, shortcut. Good on ya!
Hall
You are a good man Shortcut. I'd ride with you any day.
Wayne
The spouse and I had our maiden sidecar run with the present rig yesterday. The HD and TLE sidecar handles rather well. The new gearing is good, putting the power band where it should be. I'm getting around 2,600 rpm at 65 mph in fifth (high) gear and there's power to spare for hills and cuirves. Top speed is about 85-90 mph but that was only for test purposes. I never run over 65 anywhere.
Right now, the settings on the sidecar are perfect for freeways. They are very neutral and no pulling on the flat freeway roads. The only problem is that the HD rig could use an electric lean unit so that when you get onto the local, rural roads, there is capability to adjust for the road crown. I'll have to work on that issue. I think it could be done using something like an extra battery and a Harbor Freight winch to turn a screw to lengthen or shorten the front bow.
Those of you that have an electric lean have the best of all possible setups so that you can make those adjustments on the fly. I doubt that HD will ever come out with one since they keep their sidecar program fairly quiet and don't go in for much in the way of accessories. They do make a nice package but it would be nice to have a lean unit and possibly a factory reverse...I won't hold my breath.
Happy Trails.
Do you have reduced trail? My RK/TLE rig with 5% Liberty trees made it easy to overcome road crown without a trim device. Running PCH and the Sierras was a cinch.
The '98 with a Stage II 80" Evo and FI delivered 42mpg on the highway if I stayed at 65 or so. At 70 to 75 it dropped down to around 32 mpg with the extra wind resistance and rpm.
In the hills 65 was about tops in 5th gear. In order to run 70 or more it took a shift down to 4th.
Great outfit but I thought it needed a bit more horsepressure at times.
Now my Turbo RK/Spyder rig was another story.
Lonnie
After a few months evaluating my '97 Valkerie/Motorvation Spyder rig, I've made the final conclusions.
The Valk has more than enough power. I've had it to 95mph and it was still accelerating.
The Valk has more than enough appetite for fuel. It doesn't surprise me. If I run over 3,000rpm in 5th (68mph indicated) the fuel runs through at about 26/ 28mpg. Under 68, about 30-32, good for a Valk but would be dismal for most bikes with more streamlining and/or less cylinders.
I wish that I had easy lean adjust. Right now adjustment is a compromise and works well on interstates but not so good on heavily crowned roads or crosswinds.
Overall, the Steerite reduced trail triple tree was the best investment in the rig. Easier steering and NO wobble or instability.
Did I mention on back roads I get up to 37mpg? I find that the reduced speed I'm running now, is a joy, both in seeing things that I missed before and easy on the wallet.
Wayne
Originally written by gnm109 on 6/17/2007 11:46 AM
The spouse and I had our maiden sidecar run with the present rig yesterday. The HD and TLE sidecar handles rather well. The new gearing is good, putting the power band where it should be. I'm getting around 2,600 rpm at 65 mph in fifth (high) gear and there's power to spare for hills and cuirves. Top speed is about 85-90 mph but that was only for test purposes. I never run over 65 anywhere.
Right now, the settings on the sidecar are perfect for freeways. They are very neutral and no pulling on the flat freeway roads. The only problem is that the HD rig could use an electric lean unit so that when you get onto the local, rural roads, there is capability to adjust for the road crown. I'll have to work on that issue. I think it could be done using something like an extra battery and a Harbor Freight winch to turn a screw to lengthen or shorten the front bow.
Those of you that have an electric lean have the best of all possible setups so that you can make those adjustments on the fly. I doubt that HD will ever come out with one since they keep their sidecar program fairly quiet and don't go in for much in the way of accessories. They do make a nice package but it would be nice to have a lean unit and possibly a factory reverse...I won't hold my breath.
Happy Trails.
..........................................................................
gnm,
Up until your recent post about going on that 150 mile ride I didn;t realize you were fairly new to sidecars. I can say your posts have been excellent and have provided some good info for all here.
As far as the situation on flat(intersates) -vs- roads with more crown on them you are right is saying some type of lean adjustor would help out. This must be approached with caution and is probably best addressed in another thread.
After you get more seat time a little more static lean out may be better to split the difference between roads you are running on. If you go this route you will be better on the higher crowned back roads but may feel a little more 'tipsy'on the flat roads. With experience you will find that the tipsy feeling can be tolerated better than you think now.
One thing good about a rigid supension on the sidecar is that you have less movement to address than on a conventional rig. In other words once you get it to work well in a compromized setting the changes from more to less camber on the road will not make as drastic a difference as on some rigs.
Note that when you do get to a point of increasing lean out you may feel a little spooked when you pull out to pass another vehicle as the road camber can change once the center or lane dividing lines are crossed.
One option that may be worth thinking on is to go with soem air shocks on the rear of the bike. If you can adjust the ride height with them on the fly you will have a tilt adjustment onbaord with little complication invloved. Remember you do not have a suspension on the sidecar.
Above all have fun, practice and learn what your rig is telling you it wants. You, obviously , have it dialed into the ball park but from this point the fine tuning is going to be between you and your machine. There just ain't no book specs that can help you much from here. Seat of the pants tuning and getting to know your rig are huge factors that define a rig that is a pleasure to ride and one that is not so happy. Some will be bull headed or gullible enough to say " It is set up to factory specs so it has to be right" but the ones who are willinmg to experiment enough to find their own sweet spot are the ones who get a reward for their efforts.
Have fun!
Note that more than one harley sidecar is out there with a reverse fabicated to work off th esidecar wheel. Due to no suspension it is not as complicated to do as on suspended rigs. In a nitshell it consists of an automotive flywheel bolted to the hub area and a stater motor attached to the frame to engage it. I know of one suspended sidecar that has had this same dea
