'Nother Newbie Question - Tip Warning Sensor?

Guest · 2010-09-28T13:42:53Z

I'm still very much the newbie, although this past weekend my wife and I took a longish trip to Pennsylvania to go camping with my BMW Airhead buddies. Round trip -- about 540 miles. Mostly okay although I had a few scary moments while winding through Amish country on back roads, avoiding a huge traffic stop on I95... Even though I had plenty of weight in and on the sidecar, with wife and camping gear, I was having some very nervous moments wondering if the sidecar wheel would lift in a right-hander and let me glide gracefully into oncoming traffic. Being the inveterate tinkerer, I wondered if there might be some way to rig up a sensor that would warn me if my sidecar wheel was getting light. Specifically I'm thinking of a switch on the shock/spring assembly that would sound an alarm and/or flash a light if the suspension got close to full extension. Yeah, yeah, I know. With experience I'll learn just how much I can hang it out. I'd be better convinced if I didn't have an analogous problem when two-wheeling. I don't know just how much I can lean in a corner before the tires will let go, so I tend to ride much more conservatively than I need to. In both cases I can't just say, "Whoops, too much!" and hit reset. The penalty for overcooking it, especially in traffic, can be very nasty. Call me chicken. Aside from fear of inadvertently flying the sidecar, I had another issue. I found out that the front tire could 'plow' under the wrong conditions. Once it let me slide into the oncoming lane. The Gods of Motorcycling let me and my passenger live -- there was no oncoming traffic just then -- but it alerted me to the fact that lifting the sidecar wheel was not the only way to get crossed up with that rig. The front tire is a Metzler with plenty of tread, so it isn't a junk tire. I reduced the air pressure in the front by 5 psi, in the hope that would give me a little more 'stick'. But I'm very aware that underinflation can be as bad or worse than overinflation. So, long way around, but my question is, has anybody heard of a tip warning sensor? If so, was it of any use? Best, Ed Bianchi BMW '87 K75C/Dauntless "Lady Carol"

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Peter Pan

(@peter-pan)

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Antena switch or proximity switches would be there feasonable options. The Hall sensor I know need too close gaps in order to survive. And a linear poti wouldn't survive the first mud and rain.
Sven

Posted : October 1, 2010 5:31 am

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