I'm getting ready to attach the chair to my bike. The lower mounts will be pretty straight forward but I have a question as to the upper mounts. Rather than clamp to the chassis of the bike is there any problem with welding the upper mounts ?? I realize the commitment level and I plan on the bike being dedicated to a hack. I was planning on welding a front and rear upper mount to the frame and attaching a clevis or Heim joint to the bracket. Thoughts ??? Thx, Dave.
Many bike frames are made of thin alloys. The heat affected areas near the welds have a tendency to crack after a while due to metal fatigue. I've seen many broken frames due to improper welding of sidecar mounts.
Certain mount brackets will work fine if properly welded, gusseted and in reinforced areas of the frame.
Upper strut brackets when clamped to the frame pose no problems if they are placed to offer a direct push/pull resistance with no odd angles present to allow slippage. The lower struts bear the weight of the sidecar and the uppers only control lean-out of the bike from the hack.
Lonnie
As Lonnie stated, there can be many issues with welding to the frame of the bike, We usually do not. There are a few bikes that we will as one off jobs. When we do weld we TIG weld to control the heat better. There are also different techniques needed to do the weld so that in time the frame does not break next to the weld as chances are the frame is much thinner then the part you are welding to it. One way I like to do this is to drill all the way through the frame and slide a sleeve into the hole and then weld it to both sides of the frame, this usually is problematic if the engine is in the bike. Picking up a gusset as a weld point is also a way to go. I see no real advantage to hiem joints on the top. We do like them on the bottom.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793
I do have a mech. eng. degree which means I know just enough to get into trouble. I'm not a certified welder but with a little practice I think I could pass the test. I've designed and built modern day racecar suspension arms and feel pretty comfortable doing this. I'm putting this on a Tonti frame Guzzi and I just don't like clamps, a few brackets, gussets and a little TIG welding are probably easier for me. Thx for the help guys. Dave.
For the Tonti frame Guzzi's we use a frame clamp for the upper front. The upper rear we make a bracket that goes from the bottom of the frame to near the upper shock mount. The lower rear we remove the center stand and make a mount that moves the mount further aft then would otherwise be possible, this also puts the mount coming out from under the muffler such that the rear lower does not end up sitting higher then the front lower and then the front we make a bracket where you remove the front engine mounting bolt, slide out bracket in place then put the bolt back in, the bracket is threaded and takes the place of the nut, This mount also goes up the side of the bottom of the frame and uses a bolt going through the holes on both sides of the frame just above the main engine mounting bolts.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793
(also life member of the NMGOC)
That's a lot of help Jay. THANK YOU !!!
Proper gusseting makes for longevity.
Lonnie
Do the rod ends used on the lower mounts on your liberty need to be lubed in any way?
They are aircraft quality Heim joints with no provision for adding lubrication.
The "Badlands Express" is now owned by my son Mike. I can no longer handle a hack rig and decided to pass it on to another biker.
Lonnie
