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Sidecar toe setting

I bought a 91 Ultra w/sidecar. Ordered service manuals for both. The manual for the sidecar said the toe in difference in the front should be 3/4 - 1" smaller than the back. Mine is almost 4". Manual does not tell how to change the toe and I've read it at least 5 times thinking I missed something. And yes it is a Harley Davidson manual. Can anyone tell me how to make this adjustment?

Is it also a 91 sidecar? If it is an older Harley sidecar, you will have to take the sidecar off to adjust the rod ends on the lower mounts. Newer Harley sidecars have adjusters on the lower mounts that allow toe-in adjustment without taking the sidecar off. That started maybe around 2002 model year sidecars. It sounds like you will have to screw the rear mount rod end further into the sidecar frame tube and maybe screw the front rod end out of the sidecar frame tube. Some combination of those should get your toe-in back to where it should be. You may also have to adjust the front brace after that to get your lean correct. Attached are pictures from a newer service manual to show you the difference.

Attached files

Thanks for replying. Finally got a day off after 19 straight days and tore into it this morning. I did end up taking it off, what a PITA by myself lol, and have it pretty close. Came in to get a beer and will get it finished off. It is 91 sidecar. Bought the setup from a guy that used own a Harley dealership and it was his personal bike, one of many. He sold it to a friend then bought it back. I think his buddy must have taken it off at one time and when he put it back on he didn't pay attention to the toe in. The guy I bought it from had only put 15 miles on it from the time he bought it back to the time he sold it to me so he didn't know how bad it was. Anyways, thanks again for confirming what I did was the correct way to do it. Hope I never have to take it off again. Mike

I would forget what the manual says regarding lean-in.
1 degree lean-out works better.

Lonnie
NWSC

If memory serves, Harley says 1 degree of lean in, Harley does not have you pre-load the suspension before setting lean. Once you are seated on the bike you should be leaned out. How much depends on the roads you are usually riding on. You are setting this up on a level floor, you want the bike to be up right when out in the real world on roads that have a crown to them.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
http://www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793

Jay G DMC sidecars www.dmcsidecars.com 15616 Carbonado South Prairie RD Buckley WA 98321 866-638-1793 Hours Monday - Thursday 6-4:30

Hack'n - 7/5/2016 2:07 PM

I would forget what the manual says regarding lean-in.
1 degree lean-out works better.

Lonnie
NWSC

jaydmc - 7/6/2016 11:21 AM

If memory serves, Harley says 1 degree of lean in, Harley does not have you pre-load the suspension before setting lean. Once you are seated on the bike you should be leaned out. How much depends on the roads you are usually riding on. You are setting this up on a level floor, you want the bike to be up right when out in the real world on roads that have a crown to them.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
http://www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793

Well, there's a bit of conflicting info!

Thanks all for the responses. I got the toe in good but am still having trouble getting the sidecar tire @ 90°. Any suggestions on this problem.

The only thing you can do is loosen up the u-bolts and set screws on the rear mount and change the angle of that connector to level the sidecar (this will change toe-in a little also but should not be much). Just stabilize the bike and then jack the sidecar frame up to where the crossbar at the back is level then tighten the u-bolts and set screws. Then you can tighten the big bolt through the clevis. Just my opinion here but I would set everything level first, with the bike straight up, ride it a little and then adjust the bike lean once you get a feel for how it rides. Its pretty easy to change the lean by loosening the 4 bolts holding the front brace and then leaning the bike and re-tightening those 4 bolts. A few chalk marks on the front brace for reference will help when you adjust the bike lean. Good luck.

Thanks for the suggestion. I'll give it a try and post the results.

I think I need to do the same thing.
Dave, looking at the pic of your chassis, are you talking about setting level at the crossbar that your wiring goes across?

Yes, it is the rear frame crossbar that should be level. There's no good way I know of to put a level on the wheel on the drum brake Harley sidecars so using the frame is the way I did mine. Here's a picture of my old Harley sidecar that I had before I got the Lak frame. The frame crossbar that is approximately in line with the wheel needs to be level and that should make the wheel plumb.

Attached files

Thanks. That's tomorrow's project!
Weight or no weight in the tub?

No weight in the tub.

OK update. I put bike at a 1° outward and the bike handles and turns really well. Tomorrow I'm going to try adjusting the back connector and see if I can get the sidecar wheel @ 90°. The sidecar manual does say to put a level on the cross member to get it level. Too bad they don't say how to make the adjustment. But I guess that's Harley's way of protecting their mechanics. lol

I just leveled mine. Once the bolts are loose on the rear mount you may have to knock the u bolts toward the tub to get them loose, then you can jack the chassis up to achieve level. I still need to check lean and toe-in in case it changed.