As some of you guys know from my other thread “new build” I just built my own sidecar. Using a GSXR750 swingarm and shock assembly. It’s working out good so far. I’m running 13/16 toe in. 8” wheel lead. Roughly 3/16 lean out with me on the bike. I’ve attached an image below to give you fine fellas an idea of what I have. Here’s my question. She’s goes down the road pretty darn nice. Not much pull either way. Right turns are ok. Left turns take maybe 25% to 50% more effort. So should I go with a little more toe in? Or just lean out a little more?
It will always turn different to the left then to the right. The sidecar is traveling a greater distance when turning to the left as it must in essence go around the bike while when turning to the right the bike is going around the sidecar.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793
Thanks. That makes sense.
BTW, not sure what you mean by "3/16 lean out." Lean out is a measurement in degrees of angle. 1 degree, 2 degrees etc.
Think he means the difference between the top of the tire and the bottom measured with a plumb line or large 90 reference like a builders frame. Confused me too without a reference, started to post, then recalled seeing that method used online a while back.
Yes it was a measurement between the difference of the top of the tire and bottom of tire with a plumb bob
Well that's still not anything. Lean out is the difference in degrees between the bike's rear wheel and the sidecar wheel. If the sidecar wheel has 3/16" lean from the tire top to the tire bottom, and the bike's rear tire has the same amount (and assuming both tires are the same height) then the lean out is ZERO.
Do it another way. Let's assume the sidecar tire is 26" tall and has 3/16" lean to it. That works out to about 4/10ths of a degree lean out. So far so good. But you still have to measure the bike's rear tire. Maybe it's leaning in the other direction, maybe it's straight up and down, and maybe it's leaning towards the sidecar. Until you know, you don't know.
So, BusaDave, you have more measuring to do. By the way, you can download an inclinometer app to your phone and then use your phone pressed against the brake disc to measure lean. And the lean will then be expressed as a degree of angle so you don't have to do any additional math.
Ooh a phone app like that would be cool.. My inclinometer seems to not be very finely gradated. 🙂 Thanks for that, never dawned on me they had something like that! 🙂
And presuming he has the side car wheel plumb, it's a good measurement. Not very useful to anyone else, honestly, but tire height + that measurement can get you a degree number, if you really need it.
I my be a little late with this info. but may help. Make your self a 90 deg. square. place it along the front wheel (about4” up on wheel to get a good measurement) the long side of the square should be under left handed bar. With booth front and back wheel aligned. Place a nut on string off the end of Handel bar. Should be aligned over the top of the square. With out any weight on the rig mark wheir the nut is just over the square, the sit on the bike an then mark the square that how much lean out. Or just go to a parking lot and stand behind the bike and look how vertical with a ( littel lean towards the car)the rig looks. When you sit on the bike that will change But don’t forget about the crown of most roadsRudy
BTW, took me a while, but remembered the math. With a 3/16" leanout, presuming the sidecar is plumb, and a 16" tire height where you measured your 3/16, the degree measurement is just a tad over 2 degrees. 🙂 Seems to me a lot of folks go twice that, so you seem in the ballpark to me, and still safe to go a little more, but don't go on my advice. Especially on a shirt-cuff calculation with a guess how high your tire is. 🙂
