I have just had my champion escort installed on my gl1800 and I have noticed that the only way I can get it to be somewhat stable is to run the tilt all the way up. I have noticed that when I do the sidecar wheel is not flat on the ground, it is tipped to the side and looks funny. The Honda dealer who installed it says that they have set the car up following the instructions. I also notice that the car is really squirley and the bike feels unstable. Also the steering is a real chore. I went with the dampner. Also the abs light blinks and I have removed the fuses that say abs but the light remains. Any help out there??
Mike,
The Weirdness and squirrely feeling may be due to the learning curve. A sidehack rig doesn't handle like a solo bike and it takes a while to get used to their idiosyncracies.
Another possibility is that your Honda dealer's tech's are not well versed in sidecar installation (not many are).
Your tilt should be somewhere around the center setting when on a flat surface not at the extremes of travel.
For advice or inspection of your setup, the closest SIC member is:
Thomas Ridyard
Sidecar Consultant
3311 East Harvard St.
Phoenix, AZ 85008
602-224-9553
Next closest is:
Doug Bingham
15838 Arminta St., Unit 25
Van Nuys, CA 91406
818-780-5542 fax: 818-780-1587
They can also help you with the steering problem.
Lonnie
Lonnie is right on as usual. Sidecar setup should not be near the extreme WITH YOU ON THE BIKE. I like to set them up so they track well with me on the bike and an empty sidecar leaving a little bit of leeway so I can tilt it towards the hack and more to tilt away from it to compensate for laods in the sidecar , road crown or whatever. It is probably not that the dealer did not try to do well nut he may just not be familar with sidecars which is all too common. No doubt that either of th eguys Lonnie referred you to can help you out. From there it is a good idea to record th esettings and maybe even 'tweak' it yourself some after you get more seat time. Knowing your own rig is not hard to do and will pay off greatly later on.
I checked the toe and found it to be a negative half inch. I set it to 1 1/4". I then had to adjust the bike lean and the rig handles 100% better now. I also found out that if I drive it easy the pull and not to bad. I think I may have to install the easy steer or grow bigger arms. Thanks for all the help guys.
Mike,
Keep an eye on the tire wear. You will probably be able to reduce your toe-in. Also it is a good idea to see if when you adjust lean out if it changes the toe-in(and visa versa). This can be troublesome if it does and you are not aware of it. If possible unhook the top mounts and loosen the lower mounts slightly. Physically lean the bike in and out while having someone watch the sidecar wheel. This will tell the story for you and give some indication of how much one adjustment affects another.
