we acquired a BMW R1150R with an articulating Armec sidecar this past spring. Had a Ural Patrol previously. It handles great and I have no issues with the performance but the ride in the tub is very harsh. Basically just a torsion bar to axle. The side car frame is pretty robust box tube and the tub is mounted on some 3/8" thick rubber strips. The other issue is the tub ground clearance is very low. We have nipped a few speed bumps and driveway entrances with the nose of the tub. So I'm wondering about building some shock towers on the back end of the tub and welding tabs on the frame so we can attach shock absorbers. Not sure about how to deal with the front mounting point of the tub. In any case don't want to re invent the rig but my wife would like a softer ride. Ideas appreciated.
Jtim
So a few have read my post , any ideas out there ???
Return to Ural? At least those will not clean the comeing snow in front of the garage.
Sorry about this sarcasm, but in Germany you realy start to shake your head about how deep and stiff, some modern rigs are. It might be forgiveable because there they do not know nor use speed bumps like on this side of the Atlantic.
Armec is Swiss, isn't it ? So they should know that the sidecarframe should at least clear off 3" of snow.
Wish you luck with your investigation.
Sven
Timothyamoll,
Your articulated sidecar was made to a purpose, maintaining the solo bike experience. Comfort for the passenger and ground clearance were not design considerations. The suspension geometry of the Armec articulated sidecar is complex and all compromises were made to give the bike rider an [almost] solo riding experience. If you make changes to the sidecar suspension, particularly raising the chassis, it will ruin the suspension geometry and may make the rig dangerous for the bike rider. If you want a rig with good ground clearance and a comfortable ride for the passenger, consider a different sidecar. If you like Armec, look at their Tremola II. It is a big comfortable sidecar with good ground clearance.
Tim,
Sorry it's not working out. I love my ARMEC Sidewinder, But they aren't for everyone. As Al pointed out don't mess with changing it into a URAL.
Dave VP@SIDECAR.COM
Thanks for the input guys. I guess I should clairify I didn't plan to mess the frame geometry or raise the frame. I can live with the ground clearance , it's the harshness of the ride that's the issue. Was thinking more along the line of raising the tub some and putting somthing better than rubber strips under it. Maybe rubber blocking under the front and some small shocks at the rear of the tub ? Ideas appreciated.
thanks
Tim
Adding rubber in the front and shocks in the rear will raise the tub. If you raise the tub, be sure that it doesn't contact the bike in right hand turns. All in all, if the leaning bike thing isn't a must have, you might be happier with a different sidecar.
The rig is actually pretty wide to accommodate the lean. I really enjoy the leaning rig over a rigid rig but the only thing I have to compare it to was my Ural. The former owner told me he used to take off the inboard panier if he planed on driving aggressively. I haven't issue with the case hitting the tub but definitely somthing to consider. I'm a boatbuilder by trade and could modify the fiberglass tub pretty easily to accommodate some rear shocks without raising the tub more than a couple of inches. Stay tuned .
