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info on making a leaner sidecar?-bike leans only

I have my 74 900 kaw and the 1980 light thompson sidecar-lighter than a velorex- and found web sites good one in german -not up on reading german-that showed how to make a leaner but have not seen what they use for the stops so wont lean to far and into the car ect. see the geometry I think of hooking it under the bike I like to weld things ect. am an auto mechanic for 40 years helps. try to use a model or something or work it out on paper. any horror stories ect. also?

Got a google tool bar ? go to top right settings and open it up and go to the translate feature, if you don't have it you can get it and delete it when your done, it doesn't take long to down load even with dial up.

All Leaners I have seen (not too many perhaps 8)had a set of kind of hinges lined up in the center line of the bike below the engine.
In one ocasion (Guzzi)it was a solid turned bar with 2 bushings for to get rid of alligning trouble.
In one ocasion the front hinge (ball joint as for pneumatic/hydraulic pistons in big M50/2") was 4-5" 10-12cm raised compared to the back one for to help steering the sidecar.
In case the sidecar wheel was a leaner too there was a paralelogram conection between bikes frame and sidecar wheel.
Swiss Aeromech/Aeromac(¿?) has quite a few designs like that.
In all cases the ground clearance suffers and more space between bike and boat are necessary.
Sven Peter

Here's one.
http://www.nowandthen.info/Sidecar%20website/index.htm

I don't think he has a lock-out mechanism however.
I don't think commercial ARMEC Sidewinder has it either.
Mine is ARMEC alike so no lock-out.

The only lock-out mechanism I know of is Flexit's one.

It's a full leaner (sidecar also leans) and uses chain and sprockets to form a parallelogram. Lock-out stoppers are located around the sprocket.

For more info on Flexit, go to:
http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/flexitsidecarclub/

I have been riding my leaner rig for more than a year now (including some freeway travels @ around 70~80 MPH). No horror stories. It's just like a solo motorcycle. I got to slow down more on right turns because the motorcycle hits the sidecar and I cannot lean as much as left turns but much faster than regular (non-leaner) rig in similar configuration (track width and ballast-wise).

Oh, and maybe you should contact John Goff in Flexit forum. He is an Oregonian and currently owns Flexit rig and owned Equalean (another full leaner) rigs for a long time.

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Ahhhh,,,,,what did you have mounted on the front fender,,,did it fall off?

http://www.sidecar.com/megabbs/get-attachment.asp?attachmentid=2658

> what did you have mounted on the front fender,,,did it fall off?

Are you talking about black stuff below the gas tank?
If so, it's a home-made leg sheild (like the ones on scooter).

I am into this "business motorcycle" theme. It's a category only exists in Japan. Prime example is Honda CD250. People like bank clerks, insurance salesmen, police box assigned policemen (not traffic cops) ride it for business.

Attached files

Are you talking about black stuff below the gas tank?
---------------------------------------------------
No,,,I was talking about the only open space left on your rig 🙂

Like the Gaiters on my FXDL those lower shields really keep the wind and water from blowing up your pant legs.
Just my kneecaps were a bit cool today at 33F.

Lonnie

Like the Gaiters on my FXDL those lower shields really keep the wind and water from blowing up your pant legs.
Just my kneecaps were a bit cool today at 33F.

Lonnie

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Originally written by Shadow1100T on 1/1/2009 2:28 PM

Are you talking about black stuff below the gas tank?
---------------------------------------------------
No,,,I was talking about the only open space left on your rig 🙂

Oh I see. Didn't get that.
Yeah, maybe I should build a front fender carrier! HaHa.

Originally written by Hack'n on 1/1/2009 12:56 PM

Like the Gaiters on my FXDL those lower shields really keep the wind and water from blowing up your pant legs.
Just my kneecaps were a bit cool today at 33F.

Lonnie

33F....

It's 62F here today but I ordered a hand warmer (mits around handle bar controls). I don't like cold.

Sorry gwalker for hi-jacking the thread.
'74 Kaw 900, that's Z1, isn't it?
Nice bike.
I would like to see a leaner rig out of it.

Hippo Hands are fugely but boy do they work, you won't be sorry, the nice part is that you can wear light gloves or none at all.

Man, I am a huge believer in Hippo Hands. I try to talk all of my cold weather riding friends into them. Parts Unlimited makes some cheap ones for about $20, I think they call them bear paws. I've ridden in down to single digit temps with light gloves and only moderate discomfort.

Also, my bro has a older BMW with a Spirit Eagle sidecar that is a leaner. There are two pivots under the center line of the bike and there are telescoping cylinders that limit right/left travel. If you let it bottom on the cylinder to the right you have to push the bike back up straight, mostly that happens at low speeds. I think he has it locked to not lean right now. I could get some pics someday, but I think it is buried in a shed right now.

Originally written by Ckretintimidator on 2/7/2009 9:41 AM

there are telescoping cylinders that limit right/left travel.

That is a great idea!
I will try it some time in the future.

Here are some pics of the GPz500/Sidewinder outfit that my wife & I had in the early 80s. It consisted of 2 lightweight unsuspended parallelogram links, with a lockable luggage carrying body, which would carry our camping & fishing gear. On arrival we would dismount it& chain it to a fence.
On this outfit we did the "Boots & Saddles" rally at the 1984 IoM TT races & a camping trip to Newquay (from Derbyshire).
Fortunately I had already fitted the bike with a hydraulic steering damper kit, which was absolutely necessary

Attached files

I still have the sidecar - I may fit it to my 650 Katana. My wife & I are determined to do the TTs again before we die.

Hi Pete,
I would love to see some photos of it now. I had a Armec Sidewinder sidecar, was your trailer made by them?

It's not a trailer, although the company in question http://www.jaymic.com/jd_history.asp did make a trailer with a similar body. But in the UK there are speed limit issues with pulling trailers.
I could cruise the outfit with sleeping bag roll on top, wife on pillion, at 100mph, and ground down the dustcap on the right-angled tyre valve during cornering.

If I do decide to fit the sidecar to my current bike I will post photos

Gwalker, please see picture below:

Piero Bassi
Minneapolis, Minnesota