Raked trees

the raked tree moves the front wheel forward leaving the steering bearings where they are

this lowers the trail between the pivot and where the tire touches the ground

on large solo bikes the trail can be over 6" - on three and four wheel vehicles it can be as little as a inch or two

the raked tree modifies the trail to be more like a three or four wheel vehicle rather than a two wheel one

there are pictures and diagrams of how trail is calculated and how it works - what matters is that on three wheels you want less of it so you add rake to the tree

to

Many street bikes have up to 7" or more of trail. This (caster) angle makes the cycle want to track in a straight line and self centers the steering after making a turn. Many sport bikes have about 1/2 that amount of trail and turn much easier while sacrificing some of the caster effect.
Less trail with a sidehack rig acts somewhat like power steering in an auto. A lot less steering effort is needed but some of the self centering effect is gone. Not a problem with a sidecar since one should always have at least one hand on the bars at all times anyway for proper control of the vehicle.

Lonnie

Hi Lonnie - I read a bunch of articles on the "trail" and it's effect. I am going to measure the trail on my bike, an 87 FLH, and see where it is. Then I will need to decide what, if any, action I need to take to change it. In your, or any other's, opinion what would be the optimum trail for a sidecar equipped rig?

I also read a couple of articles on torsion bars and believe I will definitely build one of those for this rig.

I don't live far from you Lonnie and may give you a buzz in the next day or so to come over and meet you. I live South of Nampa so it's a short drive to your place.

Be well,
Steve

You can messure the trail you have but when all is said and done, it is just a number and as such has little meaning in of its self unless you are designing the parts. What matters is how heavy the steering is with the sidecar. If you want lighter steering then the trail needs to be reduced. By how much depends on how easy you want it to steer. The lighter the steering the less stable the rig is going down the road so if you live some where with out a lot of curves and do a lot of highway riding you may want a bit more trail then some one who never is out on the highway and lives in the mountians.
Torsion bar suspension works however no where near as well as a suspension that also has a shock.
When you are ready to add a sidecar we of course make sidecars for your bike and can supply mounts for many different brands of sidecars other then the Harley brand of sidecar.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
2328 Roosevelt ave
Enumclaw WA
98022
866-638-1793

What I have coming is a Spalding sidecar. My Brother in Phoenix used it one year to carry his dog around but has since acquired a partner and the dog goes to a sitter. He has all the mounts for it and we are assuming they will work with my 87 Electra Guide Classic. If not I am a machinist, well retired, and believe I can fabricate what isn't amenable to the fitment.

It is difficult to measure the trail on this bike as the forks sit about 2" behind the fork stem. The fairing also hampers this measurement. But at just a rough guess it is somewhere about 8 - 9 inches. I did lower the bike in the rear a small bit as it sat so high I could not always get my feet flat on the ground at a stop.

Where I live and ride it is almost all mountain roads. I am not a freeway fan, boring to me, and my wife and I have traveled to many states without once hitting a freeway. So 65 is probably a top speed for us. The Spalding has a good suspension system so I may not need a torsion bar. It's going to be a try it out and see how it works I guess. BTW - I've been through Enumclaw many times and the next time through I'll make it a point to stop and visit with you.

I'll be up front in stating that I have my concerns about the sidecar and its ability to meet our needs and yet keep me safely on the road for many more years to come. I had a really bad wreck 3 or so years ago and parts of me will never recover from that, physical ones not mental, so the sidecar option is one I see once in a while and the users seem pleased with them.

Thanks all,
Steve

You might look into taking a sidecar class. There is one this weekend in Hood River Oregon that is not full yet. Harley is a bit odd in how they do their triple tree's as they start as you have noted with the forks already having a bit of "rake" built into the triple tree's to get the look they want. However this "Rake" was designed into the system and as such you still end up with enough trail for stability as a two wheeled bike. The tree's we offer will bring your trail down to a bit over 2 inches and should work fine for you.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793

I live in Idaho so the Hood River class is out for me. I also do not have the unit here and mounted. The trees will be of interest to me and as this will be more of a Winter project I'll keep in touch on this.

Thanks for the info - - -

Steve