Just wanted to thank everybody ! I found a ton of info here and got the Hack frame mounted on the 1995 Magna VF750 ... 1982 Friendship 1 and some parts from Dauntless:) ...I built the belly subframe from .120 square Tube, mounted using u-bolts from McMaster Carr, about 20 hrs to build subframe and get all my adjustments close, also built a steering stablizer set up.....more labor also in overhauling hack suspension,sandblasting and painting frame... I built a simple deck with tiedown hooks and 2x100 lbs bags of sand to simulate weight of tub and the dog :)....went with 3 anvil style clamp mounts for up top...have front and rear mounted and building one more adjustment bar for the middle... I had to get 1.0 kg front fork springs and add 1" inch preload and added 14.5 inch Harley Dyna/Sporty overload shocks for the rear to replace the soft 12.5 Showa shocks...the bike is off the ground with me on it now :)... Seems to drive ok at 65 mph, gonna lean out away from car another .25 degree for road crown, alignment is at 1/2 toe 8" inches behind and in front of hack wheel.... hard to turn either way going slow so opting for wider handlebars from 31" to 34" and might go with a Scotts style stablizer to get rid of the bump steer with the stablizer set up I have now tied to the lower fork leg....My first sidecar install and amazed at all the work and adjusting to get it to work :)........... I will post up pics of the tub when I get it re gel coated and painted to match bike..... Bike pulls this extra weight just fine with 90+ horsepower.... opting for 1 tooth smaller on counter sprocket for a little more omph off the line to save the clutch 🙂 Tell me what you think !! Thanks!
Looks like a skookum setup.
If you mount the damper perpendicular (90 degrees) from the fork angle you will get rid of the bump steer effect.
Lonnie
Thanks Lonnie! I will try that 🙂
Hey Lonnie, what do you mean ,by mounting the damper perpendicular to fork angle to eliminate bump steer? I cant visualize what you are referring to. ( yes I did flunk geometry class in HS, HeHe) Thanks Rick
Great Job on the magna mounts! Fettaufen, I cant wait to see the finished rig. Are you going to paint it to match the 2 tone magna? Hey, I checked out your website, Awesome bobbers! I PM'd you, I am near the Tucson area myself. BTW they are having a bike run/ build off/ Toy run Sunday in Bisbee, put on by Cochise County Choppers, they are some guys that build mostly Brit bike bobbers( check out their website) you should show up there , and show the boys how its done!....Congrats. on a nice job. Rick.
Thanks Lonnie,
I moved the damper down in the rear and up on the fork leg to get my 90' degree plane in relation to the fork and it took out 90% of the bump steer...Thanks again 🙂
Visualize a Capitol T. Turn it sideways and use the top bar as the forks angle. The damper should be mounted the direction of the other line of the "T".
90 degrees, Perpendicular, crossways, abeam.
Lonnie
Ok Lonnie, Gotcha! in that position, you get the most resistance from the damper, since you use up the most travel, or stroke ,correct? My Friendship II has the same shock like this gentlemans in the photos. Do you know if there is a big damper like that available where the resistance is adjustable? Thanks Rick.
All of the adjustables I've seen are short.
Lonnie
Bigbikerrick - 12/4/2009 8:47 PM
Ok Lonnie, Gotcha! in that position, you get the most resistance from the damper, since you use up the most travel, or stroke ,correct? My Friendship II has the same shock like this gentlemans in the photos. Do you know if there is a big damper like that available where the resistance is adjustable? Thanks Rick.
Rick,
One way to mount a damper so you can adjust travel is this:
Run a rod that has heim ends on both ends from the fork tube to a bell crank mounted somewhere on the sidecar frame or sidecar mounting assembly. The bell crank can have holes on each side of it's pivot point to attach the rod to on one side and the damper to on the other. By moving the mounting point of the rod or the damper into various holes you can adjsut how much damper movement you get. Make sense? Have fun.
Using either method of damper mounting I would recommend the 90 degree position (loaded) for the fork connection if it is mounted to the slider. No problem with bump steering if it is mounted above the slider to the triple clamp or upper fork tube where there is no change in length due to suspension movement.
Lonnie
Hack'n - 12/5/2009 11:12 AM
Using either method of damper mounting I would recommend the 90 degree position (loaded) for the fork connection if it is mounted to the slider. No problem with bump steering if it is mounted above the slider to the triple clamp or upper fork tube where there is no change in length due to suspension movement.
Lonnie
Agreed.
Wow Claude, a bellcrank? Im not sure how that can be rigged up, or where I could get the parts. you wouldnt have a picture of such a setup, would you? I just cant picture how that would work. Would that change the damping of the big shock? what I am interested in is reducing the stiffness of the big shock to make it softer. like if you put thinner oil in a fork damper. Thanks Rick
Lonnie, my damper is mounted to the lower triple clamp, then it goes down to the front lower sidecar mount. The "bellcrank idea" Claude suggested sounds interesting. I just got to figgure out how that would hook up. I was tempted to carefuly drill a hole in the side of the california sidecar stock damper shock, then drain out the damper oil, and refill it with a much thinner oil, and sealing the hole with a tapered threaded plug with sealing tape, or some sort of sealing washer that is compressible to prevent any leakage, but I was afraid to ruin the shock, and I heard they are no longer available. The replacement parts guy I talked to at CSC ( Scott I think) didnt know from what vendor they used to get those shocks from, Rick.
Truck steering stablizers are about all the same as in dampning.... that is what the Early California sidecar damper looks to be, try these part numbers and pick what stroke you want and try your drilling/oil trick on it instead of drilling in your original stablizer... www.autozone.com
Stablizer 6802SE
Stablizer 6803SE
You want to stick with cheap brands for a stabilizer as the Rancho and Procomp stuff have bigger shafts and alot more stiff.... Most shock studs are 3/8-24 thread so the cheesy Calfornia heim joints should fit right on...............
