Almost done Jack .
Hey you could ride out in his sidecar 🙂
Sure. Want to swing up to Port Hope on your way to PA,RCM?
I'd provide plenty of ballast.
Sure! It's right on the way, isn't it?
Well, if there's a pool going, I want "leaned out too far".
Mr Claude, If you get hold of this rig, I hope you'll keep good notes and report back.
Uncle Ernie,
I would be happy if that was all it is, but, according to my protactor, lean in is at 2-1/2 degrees. Now I know that I am gonna look pretty stupid when someboby figures this out and it turns out to be something so simple that my grandson could have fixed it, but, really, the only thing I care about is getting back on the road again.
You guys have all been really helpful and I appreciate that more than you know.
I haven't worked with the new ones but I recall adjusting a sliding clamp under the sidecar body for a customer that was on the road to Alaska and having problems with erratic handling of his loaded rig.
Loosened two bolts and slid the clamp either forward along the diagonal tube or rearward a bit (about 1/4") and all was good.
This may have been a toe-in adjustment though, it's been a while back and I don't get many TLE's in the shop. That clamp can slip though, the rod ends can't.
I know the Electra Glides work well with 1 degree of lean-out though.
Lonnie
just to agree with Lonnie the clamp under the body controles the the lean out/lean in & if that gets loose for every corner you will adjust the angle, toe in / out wont be affected & the amount it can move is limited so the bike wont fall all the way over, look for telltale wear around the clamps. after you tighten the fittings always give them a coat of paint then you can allways see if they've moved
Originally written by rcm605 on 9/29/2008 8:44 PM
Uncle Ernie,
I would be happy if that was all it is, but, according to my protactor, lean in is at 2-1/2 degrees. Now I know that I am gonna look pretty stupid when someboby figures this out and it turns out to be something so simple that my grandson could have fixed it, but, really, the only thing I care about is getting back on the road again.
You guys have all been really helpful and I appreciate that more than you know.
2-1/2 degree lean-in is extreme for a Harley-Davidson with a TLE. If it's not the excess lean, then I would guess that something is broken. Do you have the setup manual?
For Hank, Lonnie & gnm109...The clamps you are talking about do adjust the lean in/lean out...and I have played with them from 1 degree lean out to 2-1/2 degree lean in. I do have a manual, although, I ordered the 2006 manual because the bike is 2006...but the sidecar is a 2008. Not sure if that was a mistake or not.
I guess at this point I will take it back to the dealer who set it up and have hime go thru it again since it seemed ok when I left his place. They have good mechanics, but they are not S/C experts and I was hoping to find someone more in tune with the S/C, but I will have them go over the entire bike one more time.
Everybody who contributed here has been great and I want to thank you all. Lots of good input!
Thanks,
Bob
Originally written by rcm605 on 10/2/2008 8:55 PM
For Hank, Lonnie & gnm109...The clamps you are talking about do adjust the lean in/lean out...and I have played with them from 1 degree lean out to 2-1/2 degree lean in. I do have a manual, although, I ordered the 2006 manual because the bike is 2006...but the sidecar is a 2008. Not sure if that was a mistake or not.
I guess at this point I will take it back to the dealer who set it up and have hime go thru it again since it seemed ok when I left his place. They have good mechanics, but they are not S/C experts and I was hoping to find someone more in tune with the S/C, but I will have them go over the entire bike one more time.
Everybody who contributed here has been great and I want to thank you all. Lots of good input!Thanks,
Bob
Usually the HD dealers will have some of the factory equipment for setting lean and toe-in. It's not all that hard. It's not a bad idea to take it back in. Remember, you have a two year warranty on the sidecar by itself so if there's anything wrong, now's the time to get it taken care of.
The book you need is P/N 99485-08, assuming that they have caught up. I have the 99485-06 version even though my sidecar is technically a 2007. The TLE sidecar hasn't changed at all for the past few years. What has changed is the Big Twin frame. They changed 95% of the part numbers on the Big Twin FL's in 2007 when they went to the 96 inch engine wih the six speed. In particular, the frame was changed so he mounts were different.
Now, again, for the 2009 models that are out now, they have a whole new frame, primarily to strengthen it and improve the handling. I don't thnk there are any changes in the TLE sidecar for 2009. What usually will change in the book each year is the crossover table showing which motorcycles will "plug and play" with which year sidecar, either TLE or TLE/U. Since you already have all of your parts, the 2006 version of the book should be OK.
Sometimes it will take a bit of fiddling to get a sidecar rig to "come in" and make nice on the road but eventually you'll get it.
I've owned three HD sidecars so far and each one was quite different to adjust but eventually all of them got to be more or less neutral and were OK for a nice trip without getting too tired.
In fact, that's really the test of good sidecar setup - whether or not you have to fight it to keep it straight and how tired you get in 100 mile segments. When I go anywhere,I usually stop around 100 miles ans take a stretch. That technique will keep things from getting to be tiring.
Good luck and keep us posted!
The 99485-08 sidecar book is available (10 days out).
It'll probably be a while before the -09 books are available unless the Motor Company changes their ways.
Lonnie
