I'm doing next project. Not mine. A guy wanted to hack a car from his Jawa to Honda. Unfortunately he is "not mechanically inclined" but thinks that he knows enough to instruct me how to hack a rig. Grrrrr. There are different clients, so I took this work as some kind of "social skills practice" more than as a sidecar practice. And because he has a big chance to find some idiot, who would "fvck up" this rig following his ideas - that was the main reason for taking this work.
As you guess, the worst part wasn't hacking but telling him, that his ideas are dumb (and even more effort I took to not tell him that he is dumb). Small probe of his mechanical thought: drill a 6-8mm hole in bike tail's right pipe, use a screw to mount 6mm thick steel plate of about 30x100mm size, and place upper sttut's eyebolt on the other end of the plate. Why? "because I don't want the rear mudguard to be touch with any tool!!!". Anything I do, MUST NOT AFFECT PLASTIC PANELS AND AESTHETIC. After kicking few such ideas out of his head, I started to work. Not perfectly lege artis, but acceptable.
Sidecar's suspenstion looks like he hauled few tons on it, So I couldn't set the geometry and this will be done as soon as he buys a new suspension. I proposed him repair of suspension, but he reacted like I wanted to bilk him of more work. I only did every mounts with big dimension reserves for setting the geometry in future.
The effects (after tahing the photos, I made reinforcements in few places):
Triangulation isn't best (also not the worst), but making a mount point for front upper strut in right place near frame's head would require mod that isn't non-invasive. So I had to make some strange, clamped front subframe and mount everything onto it.
The only good done thing (ok, almost good done, just better than he wanted to), was the rear uper mounting point, that he argued after a small battle. I could mount it even 100mm over the place I used, but this would afect a mudguard. The same with front upper one. Wanna cry, couldn't do more. I confest - I did this crap 🙁 Don't beat me.
Some strange pipe. Just to allow an owner to set up proper ground clearance after repairing/changing the suspension. this thinner pipe inserted into the bigger one is ended with an eye, that can be set on any height on this bolt near a wheel. Just pack some bolt washers under and over the eye, and the rear lower mount raises or falls. I could do normal, fully adjustable rear mount that I normally make, but with this "patent", the guy can't change lead-in. After about half hour, he still didn't understand what the lead-in is, what it does and why I can't place the sidecar in position that gives the shortest struts. So I decided to disallow re-setting a lead-in, and the only adjustable parameter of rear lower mount is height. This strange pipe should avoid slipping of rear lower mount over car's frame.
Front subframe. I used as much available mount points as I coulf, following the "non-invasive" rule. Four clamps, two built-in threads in frame, and also the last small mounting point that uses upped screw of footpeg.
Lower rear mount. There was only a place for two clamps and one screw, so I used everything avalaible. Also it doesn't interfere with changing an oil filter.
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One picture is worth 1000 words, but without few words it can be incomplete 🙂 Rear lower mount consist of two tabs and a screw. the car's tab will be finally bent as we will know car's final height. These are 6 and 8mm thick tabs with strong screw. This allows only for adjusting the toe-in, so it should limit a possibility for user's dumb in(ter)ventions.
At the moment, only thing that I can do for him, is not setting the hack until the suspension is in bad condition. And forcing him to buy a swingarm with 20mm axle.
But this is the first and last work for this guy. Just set the geometry when re repairs the suspension and say "bye". Next time I will only try to kick the whole project out of his head if he will call me.
If the guy is as dense as it sounds, maybe sidecars are not really something he should be driving. Be careful you don't let yourself in for a lawsuit.
Cold though it may be, it is possible that the best action would have been no action. Best for both him and you.
Some folks shouldn't even own motorcycles. Years ago I knew one who was chopping his harley. He mounted his new straight pipe to the swing arm.
It looked good sitting on the side stand, but he couldn't figure why his whole exhaust was always loose and floppy.
c64club
Thanks for posting this. I am trying to mount an "old' Velorex 562 on a Yamaha V-Star 950 and you are giving me some ideas. I had the frame mounted on a Yamaha V-Star 1100 and the car body was in the paint shop. I really did not like the universal mounts but was going to try it. Then before the body was done I crashed the 1100. It was a total loss, the frame was bent. Lucky I walked away with just a small scratch. Now I have the 950 and really want something stronger for a mount. You make me think.
Thank You.
get some locking hardware on them u-bolts!
It's obviously not a finished project. A second jam nut or lock will no doubt be installed when the sub-frame is painted and installed for use.
Lonnie
Hack'n - 8/31/2014 5:37 AM
It's obviously not a finished project. A second jam nut or lock will no doubt be installed when the sub-frame is painted and installed for use.
Lonnie
I was in the middle of typing:
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c64club - 6/17/2014 2:06 AM
... Wanna cry, couldn't do more. I confest - I did this crap 🙁 Don't beat me...
I don't think he was quite finished when the photo's were taken, welds were still 'fresh', no paint, etc.", and you beat me to it Lonnie!
I don't know. I lost contact with this guy. He wanted to finish everything himself. I gave him additional counternuts and instructed what to do after paint (and to repair suspension before installing).
