I have a 2006 ultraclassic with harley sidecar that pulls to the right. The 3rd dealrership has completed its set-up within manufacturing specs and it is a 1/2 degree lean in and 3/4 inch toe in. They said it is the best they can do. When I brought it to their attention that it still pulls to the right, their answer is that it drive like any other sidecar and that they can't do any thing else. With its current pull to the right, any lenghty trip gives me right muscle strains in my right shoulder. I need some relief besides Ibuprofen.
1. If I toe in the sidecar to 1 inch will that cause excesseve tire wear?
2. I have read about a 5 degree triple tree and heard aboutvery posirive result but I recently talked to a highly respected harley mechanic (with his own shop) and he would not install the tree because he said that it is a waste of money.
3. What role does the damper play on the steering and can it be removed.
go to another shop and have the TT installed.... it is great!
also, leane the bike OUT a little,yourself, and try it. even tho HD says lean in.
some might need it.
Originally written by fire dc 102 on 6/23/2007 7:03 AM
2. I have read about a 5 degree triple tree and heard about very positive result but I recently talked to a highly respected Harley mechanic (with his own shop) and he would not install the tree because he said that it is a waste of money.
Not so. It is money well spent and the best upgrade you could do for ease of steering! Check the featured sidecar on the Liberty web site. I knew Ned when he had his first rig years ago and cussed it out. He's extremely happy with the new rig and raked tree. I've let a few people ride mine with the raked triple tree and they couldn't believe the difference. (One note on Ned's story- his longest ride was 10,000 miles, not 1,000. Maybe the typo has been corrected now.)
Even with the 5% triple trees the late HD's will track better with a 1 degree lean-out. As far as toe-in goes, I adjust for neutral steering on the roads most frequently driven and check the tire wear pattern for any hints of unusual wear beyond that.
Regardless of what the Motor Co. book says, or a dealership service manager who may have never had a sidecar rig pass through the doors, no two rigs are driven or loaded the same or set up to track straight on the same road,track or computor that was used to get Harley's alignment specs.
Most dealers do not have experienced sidecarists on their payroll. A Harley tech. with a "PHD" plaque might have had an hour or two of sidecar exposure in class but zero seat of the pants Sidehack driving and troubleshooting time.
The Service manager (General) may have it done by the book: Strategically but the "Grunts" know that wars are won in the trenches: Tactically.
I have a dismount/remount sidecar job in the shop now so I could take the bike to the dealer for electrical problems. No dealer in the two adjoining States would take in a bike that couldn't be rolled up on a bike hoist. Ergo, a dismount was necessary just to have a dealer troubleshoot an electrical problem. Go figure
Lonnie
Am I ever lucky to have Shumate here in Spokane. Not only can they get my rig in the door but they happily dismount and remount the sidecar when necessary. Of course I pay for this and fortunately it doesn't happen often. Another great fortune is that they actually have a tech (Randee) who knows what he's doing when it comes to sidecars. The first tech who worked on my bike a year or so ago wrote up a list of perceived dangers which were all the things done to make it run on three wheels better than two. He didn't have anything good to say. The next time it was in the shop was this past winter to have the top end rebuilt and some other minor issues dealt with. A whole different story this time than the first. I hope Randee doesn't head for bigger and better things any time soon!
1/2 degree lean-in is probably too much. They will track better with 0 deg. or maybe 1 degree out.
Also, you need to check the sidecar frame to see if it is level. If it is, the sidecar wheel will also be exactly vertical.
What sort of roads have you checked it on? If they are high crown roads, that may influence the pulling. Maybe a trip to another dealer or even a non-Harley specialist might help.
I tug a Ural sc with a 2005 Harley Ultra. The Ural was installed by Dauntless 2 summers ago. Although I didn't have a BIG problem with pull to the side, I found that I had trouble keeping up with my 2 wheel buddies on mountain roads. I just couldn't handle the curves due to the heavy steering. I had Liberty send a 5 degree triple tree to my local Harley dealer & had them install it this winter. In May I did a 4,000 mile trip from southern Oregon to Seattle Washington via Mexico. I can tell you that without a doubt the VERY BEST thing I have done to make my Harley/Ural combo a joy to drive is that triple tree. I can cruise at 75 MPH all day using only one hand resting lightly on either end of the bars with no pull, or vibration. I do have a little shake in the bars at 20 to 25 MPH but it goes away on both sides of those speeds. GET THE TRIPLE TREE!!!!!! You wont be sorry.
