Thank you in advance for any answers.
First, I am not having good luck with the battery (put a new one in Yamaha XS1100) ... keeps dying ... could it be that there are too many lights for the battery (since the battery is rated for the bike only, not the bike and the sc, which has tailights, a tailight bar and turn signals of it's own) .... can I put in a car battery (since I have the space behind the sc seat) or is it a big no-no ?
Secondly, I am new to sc (have a '81 xs1100 yamaha w/ a vetter sc)... what is the slowest speed that anyone has ever lifted the sc on right turns (I slow down quite a bit, but would like to know) ... let's say typical scenario of myself (165 lbs.) and sc passenger (125 lbs.).
Thank You All .... and GOD bless.
kid? [we need your name!]
by all means go for the car battery in the SC trunk. much cheaper, lots stronger and your bike electrics will keep it up fine. most SC's use them.
All you need to do is remove the bike battery ,and connect longer automotive battery cables to the bike cables,and run them into the SC trunk. get quick disconects at the SC end.
as far as tipping goes, all SC's are different.
A SC wheel can lift at "0" MPH if it aint balanced right with the Bike.
the basic 1/3 rule should apply. SC [no passenger] weighs 1/3 of the bike and driver combined. your TP is a fairly heavy SC, so it should be a close match.
You can test it by putting your left foot on the left footpeg and stand on it while grabbing the handlebars. then swing your right foot out and away from the bike whil pulling on the bars , trying to lift the SC wheel off the ground.
If the wheel dont lift, or just an " or so, you are good to go.
If it goes up over 6" or more you need permanent ballast.
THis is done with an empty SC or permannt ballast installed. no passenger.
any passengers added will be a plus to keep it on the ground.
The extra drain from the lights you mentioned shouldn't be enough to continually drag down your battery unless you aren't riding enough to let it charge. If you are riding fair distances (30-50 miles) and the battery still isn't keeping up, you might want to look for other issues. The battery in the sidecar is a good idea on a number of levels (balast, bigger reserve, etc.) but if your bike's charging system isn't keeping up with demand or you are just doing short rides even a bigger battery will eventuially need supplemental charging. Some of us who ride our rigs on a daily basis on short runs and have older smaller charging systems (like my old BMW /2) are resigned to the idea that we usually need to "plug-in" to top up the battery.
On your other question... I think that what you might be really asking is, "How slow do I have to go around a right hand corner so that the sidecar never lifts?". If that's the real question, there really isn't any answer because there are a lot of factors that would have to be known and even then chances are poor that anyone could give an absolute answer. Experience will soon give you a feel for that and it isn't nearly as scarey as you might believe. Many times, the wheel will come up and you won't even know that it happened.
Enjoy your rig.
Hi Adrian - Regarding lifting the sidecar wheel on right hand turns:
Consider adding ballast to your sidecar to increase your sense of stability. Many threads here on what to use, where to put it.
Consider shifting your weight to the right in right hand turns (either your upper body, or perhaps scooting your butt over as well to get more of your body weight to the right.)
Consider checking out the sidecar manuals on this site: www.sidecar.com/links3.asp
Consider getting a copy of "Driving A Sidecar Outfit." (Google it, you'll get many hits.)
Welcome and good luck!
(sorry for all the edits - can't punctuate or spell today...)
Have someone check the electrics on your bike. I had the same problem with an XS850 that didn't have a sidecar. It would run fine all day long, but if I shut it off for more than 30 or 40 minutes it would barely turn over to start. In my case, the chargeing system was fine, it was a combination of a bad ground under the fuel tank and an excessive draw from a worn starter.
THANKS EVERYONE : All the answers were a great help .... p.s. for the gentelman who asked, my name is Adrian (blame my parents for naming a boy with this name).
For whoever is looking into whether to get a sc, my wife went from giving me death threats for getting it ... to giving me death threats if I ever get rid of it .... all after only one ride in the sc. Of course, my kids threaten to disown me if I ever get rid of the sc (or our dog) ... they actually monitor ebay to make sure Pa didn't go nuts and try to sell either.
Thanks Again and GOD bless.
Originally written by 4VKIDZ on 5/31/2006 12:37 PM
THANKS EVERYONE : All the answers were a great help .... p.s. for the gentleman who asked, my name is Adrian (blame my parents for naming a boy with this name).
For whoever is looking into whether to get a sc, my wife went from giving me death threats for getting it ... to giving me death threats if I ever get rid of it .... all after only one ride in the sc. Of course, my kids threaten to disown me if I ever get rid of the sc (or our dog) ... they actually monitor ebay to make sure Pa didn't go nuts and try to sell either.
Thanks Again and GOD bless.
Adrian, I agree!
SC's are great fun, and addicting!
My wife talked me into getting a SC, after a 9 year layoff from bikes due to an inner ear balance problem.
now she is always bugging me to go for a ride. after supper, when it cools down.."lets go for a ride! Anywhere!"
same for the dogs..every time I go outside they head for the SC, waiting for me to open it so they can jump in.
as for your charging system, it could be just a worn out battery, but the car battery is a plus.
I ran my bike with 17 running lights and a driving light, on the bike, SC, and cargo trailer with my stock '73 R75 battery..it stayed up fine.
now with a car battery it has more reserve for tire air compressor and other camp goodies. plus, I wired in a battery tender that can be plugged in every once in awhile at a campground, motel, or at home over night. if needed. but not often. this is all with my 280W alternator on my bike now.
no problems. lot of slow in-town driving also.
Adrian,
I've nothing much to add to the advice you've already received, but its great to hear of another '81 XS11 still hauling a chair out there. I have one that is currently sitting in storage 'down under'... *Sigh*...I miss it a bit.
Except when I get to the 100 mile or so mark on my current rig and remember I can do another 100 without stopping for fuel, whereas on the XS I'd have stopped already!
Happy riding. If you need to talk XS stuff with anyone, drop me a line. (Don't forget to grease the driveshaft splines.....)
Stout
'77 R100 + California II
'81 XS1100 + HRD Grand Rally 1.5
Tour Tanks fit on the early Yammers (& Sporty's) if you want more miles.
I switch mine between my Solo bike and sidecar rigs with no problems and a feeling of extra fuel security on the backroads where fuel is limited.
Lonnie
Thanks Lonnie. What is a 'tour tank' exactly ? You probably guessed my XS has the 15 litre 'sport' tank, so the fuel issue is acute, even by XS standards. I have heard before that that the normal XS tank fits fine, but they don't exactly grow on trees where I come from & I like the look of the teardrop tank anyway. I get my feeling of security on those long empty roads from the 25 litre jerry can in the sidecar boot (errr....trunk). It helps correct for the lightweight passenger too.
i have a 78 xs11 with a hitchhiker and about 100 miles i'm looking for gas. i'd just as soon run backroads so after a couple hours i'm ready for a stop.
fly
Look up Tour Tank on the net.
Lonnie
Originally written by Stout on 6/4/2006 12:58 AM
Thanks Lonnie. What is a 'tour tank' exactly ? You probably guessed my XS has the 15 litre 'sport' tank, so the fuel issue is acute, even by XS standards. I have heard before that that the normal XS tank fits fine, but they don't exactly grow on trees where I come from & I like the look of the teardrop tank anyway. I get my feeling of security on those long empty roads from the 25 litre jerry can in the sidecar boot (errr....trunk). It helps correct for the lightweight passenger too.
I have a 3.5 gal TourTank on my SC rig, and it works great! all different sizes...
go here for more info...
http://www.tourtank.com/Tourtank35.html
To all that helped :
The car battery was a perfect solution .. works like a charm (and the extra weight in the sc only helps). Thanks to all.
Hello Bob :
Where on/in the bike or sidecar do you have the extra gas tank installed ?
Thanks,
Adrian
Hello Stout :
There is a xs1100 w/ sc for sale on this site for $ 2500 .... will keep you in practice (and from being homesick) till you get back ... probably sell it then for what you paid for it.
Sincerely,
Adrian
I cut my seat short to make a solo saddle , As I dont ride passengers on it. Then I made a new rack that extended to the back of the solo saddle ,and mounted the tank there, between my seat and the trunk on the bike. fuel lined go forward right into my original fuel lines. just open a valve below the seat there to allow the extra gas to go to carbs.If the bikw is parked with all valves open, I can fill my bike tank from the tourTank if I want.gravity feeds the gas into the bike tank.
then I put a tote bag over it to conceal it. looks like I have a pack on the back seat ! :o)
I also put my auto battery in my right saddlebag.
