Hi all,
I recently had a new TLE S/C attached to my 06 Electraglide Classic. It pains me to admit this, since I have been riding for 44 years (2 wheels), but something happened about 2 weeks after I got the rig back and I have missed an entire riding season. The rig was fine when I got it and for about 2 weeks. I rode, was getting used to it, and actually enjoying it. Then, going down a level straight stretch of road, I was suddenly thrown into oncoming traffic. I got it under control, but the ride has not been the same since. It is fine around town, but when I get out on the road it is a constant struggle to go on. The bike actually has the sensation of wanting to tip over to the left, and the "feel" constantly changes. My wife described it as a feeling of zig-zagging back & forth as it goes down the road. It has gotten to the point where I have parked it...and it is killing me to do that! I have checked all the setup specs and they are all within tolerance...3/4" toe in, 1-1/2 degree leanin, S/C frame level, Etc. After touring the Rocky Mts last year we are not ready for a "town bike". Nor am I ready to sell it!
Any and all suggestions to check are more than welcome. Hoping someone can bail us out with a suggestion or two.
Bob
Something is loose. If not the sidecar mounts, I'd be checking swing arm bearings, front wheel bearings, steering head. Does this happen only on a bumpy road? after a pothole? at certain speeds?
are you running with a steering damper?. something like this happened to me last year on my bmw had leading link forks so steering was very light & the steering damper was to strong & did not allow the forks to self centre, it was fine at low speed but over 50mph i could not keep it in a straight line, took of damper no probs.
Dont give up, everything can be fixed. Hank
That is the odd part...it happens on smooth, straight open road. I would say at 40 mph and over. I went over the mounts pretty good and found nothing obviously out of order. I have a 3 day weekend coming up which will give me some time to check out the areas you suggested. I might add the bike only has 11,000 miles, but these things are worth checking anyway.
Thanks for the input...will let you know if I find anything.
Hank,
The bike is stock and has the steering damper HD furnished with the car. The rig doesn't "wander" and no front end wobble, but the side to side action seems excessive. Maybe what I need is an expert setup man to look it over, but finding one is no small task.
Originally written by rcm605 on 9/25/2008 9:35 AM
That is the odd part...it happens on smooth, straight open road. I would say at 40 mph and over. I went over the mounts pretty good and found nothing obviously out of order. I have a 3 day weekend coming up which will give me some time to check out the areas you suggested. I might add the bike only has 11,000 miles, but these things are worth checking anyway.
Thanks for the input...will let you know if I find anything.
Something is probably moving when the drag on the sidecar increases with speed. Look closely at all mounts and PUT A WRENCH ON THEM. I kinda suspect that the rig is going into a toe out situation but could be wrong. Please let us know what you find.
just re read your original post again & it sounds as though you've checked it out & it mesures ok, that being the case if something has moved it must go back to it's original setting. i dont know verry much about modern harleys but i do remember my old panhead thowing a wobbler when the head steady broke
Claude,
Your theory is very interesting. Correct me if I am wrong, but if the toe in changed to a toe out situation, wouldn't that account for the light steering and the tipping over sensation? I have the next 3 days off and I will go over this thing with a fine tooth comb. I tend to overlook the possibility of defective parts when something is new, but I will check everything I can think of. I will let you know what I find.
I might add that this is a very helpful group and I appreciate ALL the input I have received.
Wish me luck...I want to get some riding time in before the weather turns.
Bob
Best of luck Bob just remember a Sidecar Outfit is a Ride Unspoilt by Weather or Technology.
rcm wrote:
>> toe in changed to a toe out situation, wouldn't that account for the light steering and the tipping over sensation? <<
Not directly but the perception of what takes place can fool many of us when something is moving or loose.
Sounds to me like you're paying too much attention to measurements and not enough to ride. I suspect your lean-out is way excessive. Also, you should be running tire pressures a few pounds higher than you would solo.
May be a dumb question, but... is your wife in the sidecar or riding behind you on the bike?
hello.....2 things stick in my craw in listening to your problem, one i have had personally that was a bent steering dampner, and the other was just mentioned by uncleErnie....where is your wife...?
i think also that everyone has had some qwerky experience on different road conditions when speed was just too high to make the necessary compensations for camber,reverse camber,wind etc....when it gets squirrelly we sometimes in a flash will shift steering and our weight in the wrong direction......been there,done that...also, s/c should be set up with a weight equal to your wife if that is how you most-often get out on the road.....stay with it, there is an answer in there somewhere.
The question of 'where is your wife' is a valid one? On rear of bike or in sidecar?
I will try to answer the last 3 replies in one.
My wife rides only in the car, and when she is not with me I carry 120 lbs of ballast to compensate.
This weekend I took the car off the frame so I had good access to everything, took a wrench to each and every connection point, as well as everything else I could get a wrench on. Steering damper operates smoothly.
Although I believe something changed the day this all started, I am beginning to feel like it is all in my head.
Can anyone recommend a really good setup man to check it out. Preferably within 400-500 miles of Canton, Ohio?
Claude Stanley!!!!!!!!!! 300 miles.
But don't go until he gets my rig done (<:
