Any ideas or opinions on radials? I have '03 Ultra&HD sidecar and am always looking for better handling. Most seem to think my tread mileage would be short. Also, what about raked triple-trees? Is the better handling worth the cost? All comments welcome, see you in Duluth!
im running radials - the sidecar tire now has over 10k and is still decent - i have a front tire i took off when i traded bikes [kept the sidecar for the new bike] and it had 10k on it and was still decent.
for front and sidecar - harley released "today" a 16" radial 135mm front tire - cant wait to see it.
for the rear im running a 15" car tire - what i really want is a radial bike tire - but wear is so far not noticable at all & i wont change that out until there is some reason to.
i have had two harleys without raked trees and a sidecar and this bike has raked trees - ill never ride one again with out raked trees unless the choice is to not ride at all. - the raked trees just make it sooooo much nicer
later
to
>>snip......what about raked triple-trees? Is the better handling worth the cost?<<<
Raked trees are one method of reducing the trail of the bike.Reducing trail makes steering easier. Some describe it as like having power steering. Some folks are much more sensitive to hard steering than others. Many run the stock front end with no complaints and some go with raked trees or a leading link and are happier with the results.
As far as actually making it handle better it makes little difference related directly to that. The addition of raked trees or a leading link to a rig that is not setup well can sonetimes mask th eill handling as steering effort is reduced. The amount of tire wear or lack of it is still the main indicator of a decent or bad setup.
When starting out some advise to stick with the stock front end at first and see how you do before investing in an aftermarket addition. This is not bad advice. It is important to remember that when new to sidecars one will be tense and also be using some muscles they are not used to using. If you decide to hold off on modifying th efront end it is best to give yourself time to get used to drivingthe thing before making the decision on which way to go.
With all of that being said very few who do decide to do the switch will complain about it. The main negative issues are that once done the bike is typically not suitable for solo use and also the cost in doing it.
Thanks for the info guys
