I just acquired a 2022 Royal Enfield with a Cozy Rocket sidecar. I also have a Ural cT that I managed to dial in so that it tracks well and is steady. The Royal Enfield had only 34 miles on it! The person who bought it new apparently didn’t like it and traded it in for a different bike. The problem is that it is a bit twitchy, especially in a strong wind, and has a tendency to rock back an forth. I have not checked the toe-in and leanout, nor have a checked the suspension adjustment, thinking I would seek your advice as to where I should start first. I am 79 and have given up riding two wheels due to a slight balance issue that is a result of years of Meniere’s, which is now pretty much burned out. Naturally, strength is an issue at my age. I’m being extra cautious in this regard. I am 6’ 4” and 260 pounds, which probably matters. What do you think?
A free opinion?
Why not.
My guess would be suspension in general and spring rates in particular.
That is if basic setup is good.
Potential solutions?
Fork spring upgrade and experiment with fork oil weights.
Most likely changes rear shocks for heavier sprung and better damped quality units. Likewise with the sidecar.
We will be very interested as a collective as to what you do and how it works out.
I do know it's very satisfying to get your rig setup properly and frustrating when it not.
Oh and photos please or it didn't happen.
Sounds like a pretty cool rig.
Agree with Bruce. Maybe start with checking/setting sag. Change springs as needed. Then a good sidecar setup to include sidecar wheel lead.
There is a very good article on setup in the archives on this website.
Best wishes for success.
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
@Phyman1946, I hesitate to give you my thoughts and opinions, as I am a little too frank and forthright (oh, who are we kidding...I am a LOT too frank and forthright)
On the polite side of the thoughts, add 150 pounds of sand tubes to your sidecar. Go to Home Depot or Lowes, and buy 3 of their 50 lb tubes of sand, as though your 1976 Ford can't make it up the snowy hill, and rather than buyer a more modern Subaru that has AWD, you elect to add some weight to the trunk of the '76 Ford, to help get you up that snowy hill.
Example: I just added a TOTAL of 240 lbs of weight to my Ural sidecar tub and chassis that is attached to my 2018 Honda Africa Twin w/DCT trans, because the sidecar was too light, given all the other parameters of the rig.
On the less than polite side of the discussion, you are a 6' 4" man, weighing 260 lbs, and you are trying to drive a sidecar rig that is UNDER-sized for your body. When YOU, the operator are a giant compared to the puny Royal Enfield and Cozy sidecar, that affects the physics of how the rig operates.
All kidding aside....and yes I am being serious....buy the 1995 Honda Goldwing 1500 SE with sidecar that Steve Ives is selling for a paltry $ 8,000., then sell your Royal Enfield w/Cozy rig for....$ 8,000......and you will be a happier man.
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
Which Enfield model is it?
I have a cozy mounted on a Classic 350. The entire rig is so light, I'll feel it twitch in high winds, but not in unexpected ways for my experience. Overall mine runs straight and is extremely easy to steer. It's also slow enough that reaching 65mph is only possible when I'm drafting behind tractor trailers, and that's after I swapped out the cylinder to an up-bored 411cc too.
The prior comments may have a point though, I'm only 5' 9" and probably 150lb soaking wet with all my gear. I have about 50lbs permanent ballast tied to the sidecar chassis next to the wheel mounts, but it's still light enough I sometimes feel the wheel hop on tight left-handers. Compared to me, you might need a Lot more weight in the car to make it settle, even after you get it aligned and toed in. After all that weight addition, you might also need a miracle to break past 50mph though, so maybe take some thoughts on where you intend to ride at that point
@brstr I finally got around to checking the lean-out and toe-in on the Royal Enfield/Cozy rig. The lean-out is at 2 degrees which is reasonable, but the toe-in (at the front of the tub) was 1.5 inches, which seems to be excessive. Also the bike’s wheels were not parallel, so I straightened that out. I have Hagon shocks on order and will not begin the process until the shocks are installed. I usee angle iron to check the alignment and toe-in. I am curious as to what my first adjustment should be once the new shocks are installed.
Ok because I'm in Australia and the USA mob are still asleep except for Miles.
We won't go there.
My 1st question on your set up is regarding weight and your lean out.
When you measured the lean out were you on the bike or was it unladen?
Be a big difference most likely.
There are others who will have a better idea of where to start setting wise.
But my understanding is to go gently on initial settings.
Not much lean out and not much toe in.
My statement about heavier springs I think is still relevant.
Even just heavier springs will help stability.
And maybe extra weight in the chair as Miles said.
I think an Enfield Cosy would be a neat rig.
Still need pictures..
Thanks for the advice. I will do lean-out measurements while sitting on the bike to see if that makes a difference. But first I will get the new Hagon shocks put on and work from there.
Now that's just a funny thing.
I had it mind to be a 500 single.
Not so, you have the 650 twin.
Now we're talking.
Have you looked into heavier fork springs to go with the Hagon's?
When you have it sorted and dialed in it will be a great ride.
Well? don't leave us hanging.. It's been couple weeks. lol
Interesting that you have the full windscreen and collar mounted on the Cozy but without the grab handle. Is it stable like that? I had the windscreen mounted originally, but I have the passenger bar that mounts behind this to the sidecar body. There's 2 rubber collars on it that let it act as a brace for the windshield.
I wonder if without that, the windshield and it's mounting flange are flexing around at higher speeds and contribute to a twitchy feeling in wind. I ended up taking my windscreen off and leaving only the bottom flange to reduce wind resistance, there's only so much the 350 can pull 🤣
Interesting point about the windscreen. I replaced the larger screen with a smaller one from Cycle Sidecar, but that was after I noted the original problem. Long story short I checked the alignment and the toe-in was way too large and there was no lean-out. It has become evident that whoever did the original assembly did not have a clue. Even though I was able to dial in my Ural this rig seems to be setup all wrong, so after looking at it and then the Ural by comparison, I decided that it was time to call Bald Eagle Sidecar (featured in the Jan/Feb issue) to have them look at it. We had a good discussion and, figuring that they probably are the experts I need, I will make the 7 hour journey to Hector, MN next week to drop off the rig for them to work on it while I do some camping in the area. He said that they’ll probably remove the hack and start all over, which is a good idea. We’ll see how that works out. The windscreen theory will be interesting to test, as the rig in its present configuration is really a problem in the wind. I will post the results of all this in a couple of weeks. Meanwhile, while my Ural tracks well, it does chew up a pusher tire with excessive wear on the right side of the tire, which usually occurs by 2000 miles. Some guys insist that is par for the course. I am 6’ 5” and weigh in at 260 pounds, which is undoubtedly part of the problem. It may be that someone has so advice on that point.
A fix has been achieved! A week ago I trailered my rig to Bald Eagle Sidecars in Hector, MN to have it aligned, having given up on the job as I was getting no where. I camped nearby while they did their thing. It turned out that a slight amount of toe-in and a one degree lean-in did the trick. On the way home I camped at Perot State Park in the Driftless Area of western Wisconsin and rode the local roads. After a tentative beginning, I soon realized that the rocking a sudden and erratic lateral movement had been eliminated, making my early evening ride a memorable experience. My goal was to have a rig that I could comfortably ride at 55 mi/hr and that was achieved. The Interceptor’s seat leaves a lot to be desired, but my rides tend to be in the range of one to two hours, so that is not a major hindrance. Overall, the bike has plenty of torque and is quicker than my Ural—that is not a surprise! Each rig offers their own style of ride.
Great to read about your success here.
My solution for seat short comings the last 10 years or so has been Airhawk seat cushions.
Not super elegant but effective.
Miles has Russell daylong seats on all his rigs for good reason.
You quoted toe in and lean in.
Again is that static or loaded?
These figures are easy to confuse and miss read.
But it was as I thought.
Small numbers for toe and lean.
And no doubt just setting up again from scratch starting with wheel lead and everything secured properly etc.