SteeringDampers

Tom, I used to have a R90/6 with a velerox, had the same shake, a steering damper is what you need, it's been so long ago I can't remember all the details of the damper I made but it had a Triumph logo on the knob, long shaft, down through where the forks bolt on with friction plates on the bottom,... the VW thing might work better, anyway a damper will stop the "tank slapper" good luck, David.

Originally written by TomJohnston on 5/26/2006 7:34 AM

I am new here so bare with me please. I just mounted a new Velorex565 on a '82 R100/7. I followed the directions for set up, toe in lean, tire pressure and tried all variations of those values but I have a VIOLENT wobble starting at 10 mph and can't go fast enough to see if it will level out. Everyone says"sterring damper". Will a damper actually muffle a violent wobble or am I doomed to 2 wheels?TomJ

Tom, first thing to do before 'masking' the problem with a steering damper is to check your head bearings. make sure they are tightened correctly. or else replace them on a '82 model.
this should take care of most of your problem. it could also be the front tire being worn unevenly or out of round.
when your bike is on center stand the front fork should be just snug..not flop back and forth.
My 73 R75/5 had very slight shake at about 5 MPH..didnt make any diff with or without a damper. now after redoing thr bike over the winter and remounting the SC, it has NO shake at all.
But I left my VW damper on it just for safety sake.
these can be obtained at any auto parts store, or VW dealer. get one for a small model car.[Bug]
they are mounted from the front fork to the SC frame.
more info on installing them can be had here on the site.

Hi Tom,

I think Bob is right, first check your bearings.
Driving with a damper is safer anyway because different loading of the sidecar will influence the behaviour of the sidecar/bike , in this way you won,t get surprised.

Greetings,

Ingmar

One thing I found out when remounting my damper to the fork.... the further forward it is mounted to the fork, the more resistance you get.
my steering was [is] very light with the Earles fork, and I originaly had the damper mounted about halfway between the front axle and the rear of the fork[swingarm area] this was very easy steering with low damping.
over the winter I moved the fork connection forward to the frond axle mount for more damping. wrong move! I could barely turn the bars when pushing it around...too much resistance from the damper. So, I put it back to the halfway point, and it is great a again. easy steering with no wobbles.

Another thing that can cause shake is flex in the mounting system which is not un common with the Velorex. I trust you have a sub frame. The Velorex clamps will damage a BMW frame over time.
To much wheel lead (often the case on Velorex as they do not allow for much adjustment on wheel lead) can make it worse.
We make sub frames for this bike and also make a steering damper kit. We use the damper as a last resort if you can not make the shake go away any other way.
Jay Giese
Dauntless Motors Corporation
866-638-1793

For anyone that is following this thread (I started the question originally), Sidestrider.com has a segment on the VW steering damper installation. My thanks to Mark at Velorex for finding it. TomJ

Tom,
Another thought. Some Beemers have extremely short handlebars that do not lend themselves to sidecar steering or controlling head shake. Wider bars help here.

We sub-frame mount the sidecar to all post '69 Beemers /5, /6, /7, without a perimeter frame. Whether it is a Velorex sidecar or some other brand.
The flimsy tubing used by BMW on these models and it's mounting at the rear of the frame doesn't lend itself well to sidecar stresses.

Yes, there is quite a bit of info at the Sidecar Industry Council site.
It is also linked here.

Lonnie
Northwest Sidecar