Drum and Disc Brake

Uhhhh, We couldn't fix your brakes, So we made your horn louder:o)

I just had to say it:o)

Someone will be along with more help I'm sure, Good luck.

If it happens to be a Harley/Harley rig the two can be connected via the rear master cylinder and work quite well.
I wouldn't recommend doing it in other scenarios.
Most single sidecars will work fine without any brake.
The sidecar brake efficiency varies with loading, direction of turns, variations in traction surfaces between the bike and sidecar wheel, slow stop or hard stop, wheel and tire sizes, many variables are involved. Just mashing down on the connected or unconnected brakes doesn't guarantee a straight line stop. Almost always some steering is needed to compensate for all the variables.
With a two pedal system one brake can be used to assist in turning but there again you must massage either pedal to finesse a straight stop.
Personally I'm not pro sidecar brakes unless it is a large heavily loaded or doublewide car.
Many like them but then many have had nothing else.
Like Blondes or Redheads I guess it's a matter of choice.
I find less surprises without a sidecar brake and I've driven hundreds of sidehack rigs.

Lonnie
Northwest Sidecars

just agreeing with lonnie dont see the need myself if the bike only is braked the stopping is predictable, as soon as you brake the chair as well you add a variable to the mix and the reaction of the rig depends on the surface & or weight acting on the sidecar tyre which aint on the same bit of road as the bike wheels. just my 2bob's worth i dont like brakes on chairs even removed the drum on my harley cle clasic. Hank

..Many like them but then many have had nothing else.

Lonnie
Northwest Sidecars

VERY true!! However, I currently ride two sidecar rigs with brakes in the sidecar and I am absolutely in love with that set-up! I would have hard time to even consider a (third) sidecar without brakes.
Thank you for your suggestion

Piero Bassi
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Piero; I have been down this road pretty much on my own after I bought my new Electraglide in 2006 and had the dealer install an older model Harley TLE sidecar with a drum brake onto the bike before I brought it home. The FLH has a disc brake rear and absolutely did not want to make nice with sidecar drum brake. Using the rear brake would immediaetely cause the whole rig to swerve to the right and was far more noticeable when my passenger was present. NOT GOOD! I had seen earlier big Harleys with disc rear and drum brake hacks so I began inquiring. The manufacturer had never tried my year sidecar with 2006 model bike so they refused any help whatsoever.
Bless the internet. A quick search led me to the solution, blatantly obvious to any car mechanic. Put a proportioning valve in the hydraulic line going to the sidecar. My van has one as it has drum brakes on the rear. I bought one that is adjustable and it is mounted on a small plate which is fastened to the sidecar tubing with a pair of U-bolts. The hydraulic line under the hack was split and had two new ends installed and Voila,, job done. I adjusted the valve for maximum pressure decrease to the drum brake. The first useage was a mind blower; The darn thing worked like a charm. I've got about 5000kms on it now and the new shoes have bedded in nicely to the drum. There is very little swing to the right on heavy braking and coming to a sudden stop no longer causes huge surges of adrenelin.
The auto industry used this gadget for years and it is still being used in specialty applications such as racing.
This just may be the ticket for what you need.
Don

Don,
There is something haywire with the site. I had the same problem you did with getting a goofy error message so I kept submitting my post and it was there all the time.

Go ahead and delete the extra copies. Only you or an administrator can do it.

Lonnie

It will still give you the goofy error message when you delete, just ignore it and delete what you want. When you go to last logon you will see it was deleted.

Lonnie

Don,

Thank you for the very valuable information regarding disc/drum brake system.
By the way, do you know the size of your sidecar drum brake? Does it use a 7" brake?

Thank you again

Piero Bassi
Minneapolis, MN

Sorry Piero but I don't remember that detail and it's raining here at the moment so I am not in the mood to dash to the garage. Anyhow, that shouldn't make all that much difference as the proportioning valve can be adjusted to suit your setup. You still have yet to mention just what bike/sidecar combo you are working with. The setup I described is for my own 2006 FLHTI and older TLE sidecar and this year it is working like a charm . Did very little riding in '07 as my rib cage had to be cracked to fix the pump and last summer, riding gear was hip waders and a deep sea survival suit, (RAIN)!!! IF and when it turns nice here, I'll go look at that brake drum.
Keep in touch.
Don

Piero;
Just made a quick trip to the shed and as best I can tell, The sidecar drum is probably 7 1/2 to 8 inches in diameter. Can't be more accurate without taking the wheel drum assembly off the bike.
Cheerio;
Don

the hd - hd setup is designed to pull hard right if only using the rear

using only the front will pull to the left

what it says in the manual is to use both and it will stop straight

this is true - use both and it stops straight - use just the rear and it pulls hard to the right

to

Don,
Thank you for the valuable information. I though too that the HD
drum brake would be no bigger than 7". It makes sense too as the next drum
brake up from the 7" would be the 10", way too strong for sidecar applications.

Thanks again
Piero Bassi
Minneapolis, Minnesota