I recently bought a 1990 GL1500SE Goldwing with California Sidecar (Friendship III) and have been playing with the setup of the chair. This is the first sidecar I have ridden in the 30 years I have been riding. I think I have it set up fairly close. When I first got it, it steered very light to the right and HARD to the left. I have it now so that it has good straight line on the highway and neutral steering in both left and right turns. My concern is I have worn out a new Metzler Marathon in about 4,000 miles on the front and about 60% worn on the rear. I realize that what makes the Metzler such a good tire for a bike is the soft rubber compound it is constructed with. My question is, what would be suggested for tires preferably something with a flat tread profile and/or harder rubber compound? Any and all advice would be appreciated on this issue and anything else you think I should know.
Thanks
On the 2 wheeler in Europes wet whether all year round always Metzler had been my first choice.
3 wheels?
Sorry forgot a word
6K is about all you can expect from the rear skin with the GL 1500/FS III setup.
You should be getting better mileage with the front (depending on how long it was run before you finally got the alignment tweaked).
If your sidecar tire wear pattern is even now it should improve.
I've found the Metzeler Marathon 880's to be a great rain tire with their deep tread pattern and soft rubber. However I get more mileage with the Dunlop Elite III's even though they don't have so deep a tread.
The new Harleys have a trick Dunlop with a softer side rubber and a harder longer wearing tread rubber but I don't know how many sizes this tire is available in.
I couldn't find a 17" one for my bike.
For long riders an automotive wheel conversion investment makes sense economically.
Lonnie
Thanks for the feedback Lonnie.......You confirmed what I feared that tire wear is a big factor with a sidecar rig. What can I do to convert to automotive type tires? Are there any available to fit my existing rims or is there a rim that I can get to accommodate automotive tires? If so, who can I contact for pricing and availability? I live in Alberta Canada so I may need to ship from the US. Thanks for any assistance you can give me.
You might check with Peter Smith (Side Effects) in Kamloops, BC or C. Stanley Motorsports (here). Both have auto tire wheel resources for motorcycles.
Lonnie
I have tried to contact Peter Smith (Side Effects) by E-mail but have not had a reply from him as yet. Probably need to pick up the telephone thing and actually talk to him over the phone. LOL I will try to check into C. Stanley Motorsports.
Thanks again Lonnie
You'll get a better response with a phone call to Peter, he's sloooooow with email.
Lonnie
Lonnies SO right about Peter being slow with e-mail, I think his wife bugs him to get him to answer them, call him, she will answer and gladly hunt him down for Ya and when you get him be ready for a long interesting conversation and for what it's worth he does excellent work with a quick turn around and that's something with Canada mail being what it is.
I used to have a 1500 Goldwing/Oxford and got pretty good service from the Dunlop 491 Elite 2 tires. They no longer make these for this bike and my last set on that were Elite 3s. I just tried something with my current rig that had the same problem that you have. The front tire was gone in 5,000 miles and the rear is still good. I installed a rear tire that is close in size to the front tire. I reversed the arrow to allow for braking forces. My first impression is that it seems to steer quicker and easier. The tread is deeper on a rear tire. My R1100 calls for a 120/70/17 front tire and I installed a Michelin Pilot Active Rear tire 130/70/17. You are using a 130/70/18 front tire. Maybe there is something that will fit. I recall someone using the Metzler Block K 4.00-18 tire on the front of a 1500 years ago and it rubbed holes in his fender from the squared edges rubbing his fender. Good luck.
Talked to Peter at Side Effects in Kamloops, British Columbia and he is sending me a modified triple tree and Progressive Suspension springs to install on the bike. Very interesting guy to talk to. Cleared up several items I needed to know. Looking forward to some quality time in the garage this winter while the white stuff is on the ground. Thanks all for the advice. Looking forward to spring to try out the mods.
