All:
I've been looking for another wheel option for my Velorex 700 since I got it to replace the 12" trailer wheel that it came with. I know a lot of people like the trailer wheel option because the tires & wheels are cheap and easily available, but I have a couple of problems with it. First, I could never get the car completely level because of the smaller diameter of the 12" wheel. This made getting the correct lean-out adjustment a pain in the neck. Second, a trailer wheel looks, well, like it belongs on a trailer, not a motorcycle. I added a baby moon hubcap to help hide it, but it's still just plain ugly. I figured it had to go away, but found it wasn't as easy as it should be to find a suitable 15" or 16" replacement.
My Velorex has the 5 lug hub conversion on it (5 on 4.5" bolt pattern), but finding a larger wheel that fit in the fenderwell and/or didn't rub on the frame was a much bigger deal than I would have originally thought. I looked at 15" trailer wheels, but they get too wide in the larger sizes -and- they're still ugly. Next I looked at 15" drag racing front wheels. They come in 3.5" and 4" widths and look great, but have too shallow a backspacing to fit in the fenderwell (in other words, they stick out too far). I was running out of ideas until I stopped by a buddy's shop and noticed an aluminum "donut" spare in the back of his pickup truck that had come off an older Lincoln. It was a 16" wheel, had the right bolt pattern, was only 4" wide, and actually looked great. We immediately tossed in on the sidecar, only to find it too lacked back spacing, and stuck out of the fenderwell about 1" too far. The next afternoon I went on a junkyard mission and ended up with the perfect fit wheel - a steel temporary spare that measures 15" x 4". It currently has a 130/70-15 tire on it, but a motorcycle tire will fit fine once I conclude my "how long will a car temporary spare tire last on something that weighs only a few hundred pounds" test. The big upside is now the car feels balanced, and tracks nicely (finally). It also feels way better on crappy, potholed roads, as the bigger wheel doesn't get swallowed up like the 12" one did.
I'm hoping the temp spare tire (running 36psi instead of the 60psi needed on a car) lasts a long time on the sidecar, as junkyards are chock full of these things in new, unused condition. If not, I'll just toss on a bike tire. The bonus here is the yard charged me a whopping $5 for the tire and wheel. You could buy a couple a season at that rate and not even notice.
Anyway, more to come...
wonder how well they'd work on the bike itself 😉 imagine, $15 and you've got new tires all around.
What's your butt worth?
Originally written by Hack'n on 3/7/2008 12:09 AM
What's your butt worth?
Less and less as time goes on...
But it's an interesting question. Where does clever stop and crazy begin?
At using spare tires on the bike and sidecar?
At using the spare on the sidecar but not the bike itself?
At using any car tires on motorcycles whatsoever?
At putting a sidecar on a bike even though only Harleys and Urals are engineered by the manufacturer to use them?
At riding a motorcycle itself when IIHS info shows the odds of dying on a bike are 17 times that of dying in a car?
I'd not put the spares all around on a bike. But the others I either already do or would consider. I guess you makes yer picks and takes yer chances.
Don't know that I'd run them on the bike -but- then again, it might be OK. I'm guessing everyones' reservations about using these tires is based on the big "TEMPORARY USE ONLY" warning on the sidewall. While this gets your attention, the speed & distance restictions printed on the temp tire really have a lot more to do with what that little donut spinning away on one side of your drive axle is doing to your car's differential than anything to do with the tire itself.
When you put one of those little wheels on a driven axle, you end up fully engaging the differential and creating a huge wear & tear scenario as the little wheel has to spin many more RPM's to keep up with the bigger wheel on the other side. That's the primary reason the car manufacturers want them run slowly and pulled off as soon as possible - you can fry a diff this way in a few hundred miles.
Of course, the rubber on the temp spares could be junk, too, but I'm guessing that a car tire of any type will run a looong time on something as light as a hack, but again, I could be very wrong.
This from a guy who wears a $500 helmet to protect a $5 head, so draw your own conclusions on this one...
Cheers - CWB.
Going back arround 15-20 years , this was written up in the sidecar magazine, if I remember correctly, the writer was happy with the setup. Any other old time sidecarists remember ? Doug in AZ.
If it matters to anyone, one of the latest crazes around here is enduro racing. They strip down economy cars like Fiestas and run them round and round and round the track until only one car is left running.
These things can run a hundred miles at full throttle on four temporary spares.
Doug Hassert wrote:
>>Going back arround 15-20 years , this was written up in the sidecar magazine, if I remember correctly, the writer was happy with the setup. Any other old time sidecarists remember ? Doug in AZ.<<
You are right Doug. There were articles in Hack'd and also The Sidecarist on the use of temporary spares.
Some have tried them on the rear of the bike with mixed results.
Some have used them as the sidecar wheel with good results.
Sidecarists think and do outside of the box on many fronts. This has been a part of sidecaring for a long time. Today some think different and possibly are seen as being more responsible. The thing is that if anyone wants to try this they need to make sure they are ready to deal with whatever the results may be. Not saying it is good or bad but It was their decision.
Note that it shoudl not be a surprize if the rig does not pass a state inspection with these tires on. Some states do not have these inspections and some do.
Originally written by SidecarMike on 3/8/2008 10:55 PM
If it matters to anyone, one of the latest crazes around here is enduro racing. They strip down economy cars like Fiestas and run them round and round and round the track until only one car is left running.
These things can run a hundred miles at full throttle on four temporary spares.
Huh... I wonder why they're running temp spares for this application?
Could be for economics, they are cheap from the salvage yards. If used on both sides there is no problem with differential spider gears and side gears being torn up by the speed difference of one tire larger than the one on the other side.
Originally written by mrmustash on 3/10/2008 1:02 AM
Could be for economics, they are cheap from the salvage yards. If used on both sides there is no problem with differential spider gears and side gears being torn up by the speed difference of one tire larger than the one on the other side.
Speaking to my enduro racer friend, she said it was because they are much harder to peel off the rim when cornering. She did, however, say that they have been outlawed for the 2008 season. Everything is supposed to be stock and people don't usually drive on temps.
Technically, the cars can not be modified other than to remove weight and add safety. In fact, they are all claiming races. The track can claim ownership of the top three finisher's car in each class. She says this is what got her started racing, knowing that she would not have to compete with deep pockets.
