That's a great point Miles.
I'm going to figure out a different direction to go for the future.
If you are looking for a different direction to go for the future...........go to the IOM.....Isle of Man.
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
Isle of Man TT race is on my bucket list. 🤩
Suspension Done For Now (DNF). Wheel balanced and installed. Fender back on. Lunch being eaten. Then it will be time to start the mating event.
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
Mating Jig built & leveled.
Triumph and sidecar set to loaded sag, and leveled/aligned on the jig.
Forward mount temporarily installed to help hold things steady, while figuring out what had to be done to make the rear work.
Had to extend the rear longitudinal piece. Now there is room to go from 8" lead to 10" lead (approximately 15%-20%)
Shop forepup demanded many rounds of fetch as a reminder of who is boss around this shop.
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
Scott, I hope I am wrong here, and I want to bring my expert on these matters into this conversation, so...Dane @ben-franklin, jump in here.
I see that the two different shocks are mounted in the wrong positions, meaning...swap them out. The almost vertical coil over shock will have less influence on the road action than the leaned out air shock, because the leaned out air shock is mounted farther out at the lower mount, closer to the point of where the Sidecar wheel is, and if you think of the axle length as a lever, the shock that will get more actuation is the one mounted closer to the closest end of that lever.
In my opinion, I would swap those two shocks
Use the air shock to LIFT the Sidecar body to a level height, and being mounted inboard of the two shocks, meaning if it was mounted where the coil over shock is currently mounted, being at the closest end of the "lever".....closest to the Sidecar body, it will have less influence on the actuation of road ups and downs.
It all comes down to placement of the shock that is at the farthest end of the "lever"....or axle in this case.
I would like to hear from others, but specifically ask Dane @ben-franklin what he sees, and his opinion.
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
Thanks Miles. Your thought sounds correct to me as well.
This is the way it was put together at Motorvation... I think (not convinced of that). In any case this is just to get the rig test driven. It will be fine for that. Once it is determined if the Speed 400 is enough bike, then I'll look into a completely different setup for the shock configuration.
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
Almost there...
Lower struts are final mounted, and bolts properly torqued.
Getting things aligned is like balancing a ball on a pool stick while trying to maintain:
- Proper wheel lead.
- Sidecar laterally level, and at the same forward slop as the bike.
- Proper sidecar wheel toe-in angle.
- Proper track width.
- Good angles on all the mounting points.
- Plenty of fetch time with the shop Forepup.
Would have been nice to have a helper.
Have the upper strut tabs welded at the correct angle. Just waiting for them to cool off, for paint.
The next few days call for rain, and a big cool off.
Paws crossed I can get some drive test time to see if this is going to work.
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
We are off the jack stands. 
- Wheel lead set.
- Lean angle set.
- Toe-in set.
- All fasteners properly torqued.
Along with the setup jig, I should have made a cradle to hold the sidecar at the fore/aft/lateral angles.
Will load up the sidecar with some weight, then set the bike sag. Without weight in the sidecar there is no static sag for it.
Should be ready to test ride right about the time this next storm comes in... for three days... according to Weather.com... 
At least now I can sit on/in it, and make noises like I'm going somewhere fast. 
May have to borrow Super Muttress'es goggles to complete the effect.
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
Looking good, Scott!
Regarding FM's comments on air shock vs. Coil over location. Gave it a little thought.
Air shock behaves like a progressive spring with kinda limited damping. May be imagine which location you would install a fixed strut, if you were so inclined.
I would think the majority of the damping will come from the coil over unit, so having it on the location with the longest potential shock travel is probably a recipe for the smoothest ride. Overall, that is an interesting approach to some load leveling ability for the hack. Probably will "work fine, last a long time," as we used to say in the shop, many decades ago.
You may end up fiddling a little with coil over spring rate to get to where unloaded ride height at "low" (10 psi) air shock pressure is where you want it, but springs are relatively cheap and available at EPM or many others.
Will be interesting to hear your ride report with and without weight in the chair!
Looking good, Scott!
Regarding FM's comments on air shock vs. Coil over location. Gave it a little thought.
Air shock behaves like a progressive spring with kinda limited damping. May be imagine which location you would install a fixed strut, if you were so inclined.
I would think the majority of the damping will come from the coil over unit, so having it on the location with the longest potential shock travel is probably a recipe for the smoothest ride. Overall, that is an interesting approach to some load leveling ability for the hack. Probably will "work fine, last a long time," as we used to say in the shop, many decades ago.
You may end up fiddling a little with coil over spring rate to get to where unloaded ride height at "low" (10 psi) air shock pressure is where you want it, but springs are relatively cheap and available at EPM or many others.
Will be interesting to hear your ride report with and without weight in the chair!
Okay, I will assume the blame for asking an engineer to share his opinion 
Dane, can you put your view in a few simple words ?
I can read , and read between the lines, so it reads as though you are saying that the coil spring shock and the air shock SHOULD switch places.
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
Where the air shock is mounted, is not a solution I approve. Cast Hub, 3/8" bolt, and the shock suspended aft of an important Heim joint. That Motorvation thought this was okay is a big case of stupid. So no. There will be no switching around. There will be an elimination... eventually.
I think a fun project would be shock with hydraulic ride height adjustment that is motor driven. So that is the initial idea for a needed enhancement. It will not be supported by a bolt that holds the suspension together.
Hold my keyboard and watch this! 🙃
Well then, Mr. Stick In The Mud......eliminate the air shock, and reposition the coil over shock.
In my experience, having owned and driven 7 sidecar rigs in the past 7 years, I am choosing to have NO sidecar height adjustment, or ECC...electric camber control, on the Africa Twin w/DCT cargo box sidecar rig that is being built as we speak.
I rarely use the ECC that I have on my BattleWing Galactica, or my Euro-Wing sidecar rigs.
The Africa Twin w/DCT cargo box sidecar rig will have NO brake on the sidecar, and NO sidecar height adjustment.
If you're going to chase Grizzlies in Alaska, keep it simple 
Two Million Mile Rider
Exploring the World in Comfort
