is there such a thing as an articulated side car frame ??? having never had a sidecar i don't know if this is even a good or safe thing to persue... it seems that if the scooter and car leaned both ways it would make turning into the direction of the car safer [not to mention cool looking]... someone set me straight here... thank you..... j
John,
Yes there are various typoes of leaners, so to speak. These types of rigs are worlds apart from a conventional RIGIDLY MOUNTED sidecar rig in that they are ridden more like a solo bike instead of 'driven' like a sidecar rig.
Some are made so the bike and sidecar lean together, some are so just the bike leans and some have been made in the past where the sidecar body stays flat while the bike and sidecar wheel do the leaning.
I think the only ones in production today are the ones where only the bike leans but could be wrong. Armec comes to mind with their sidewinder. It is a very small sidecar and quite pricey.
Some have built homemade versions that have said to be sucessful.
The leaners seem to work well but do have all the issues that any solo bike would have. Not saying that is good or bad but just totally different.
The geometry of the mounting systems and how the pivot points, or linkage, affect the ride is critical to a well working leaner.
And don't forget to put you feet down as leaners will fall over. Some have had a rigid locking device for real slow maneuvering which is nto a bad idea.
Check out these links:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/flexitsidecarclub/
http://www.armec.com/sidewinder.html
