Quote from Thane Lewis on July 8, 2022, 8:21 am

I didn’t build this but the PO put it there and it’s in the best location for being able to adjust on the fly.  Bike is. 98 Yamaha Royal Star.  Not a huge amount of extra stuff on the bars to begin with. 

Quote from 2FLTC on July 8, 2022, 8:34 am

 I usually mount it right under the left switch assembly so this way you don't have to let go of the handlebar. Just make sure you have room, so it doesn't it the gas tank when you turn all the way to the left. 

Quote from smitty901 on July 10, 2022, 4:48 pm

  Mine is on left side. Can work it with out removing hand from the grip. Push forward up pull it back down

Quote from jaydmc on July 11, 2022, 8:27 am

Usually, we mount the switch where you can work it without taking your hands off of the handlebars.

On the actuator that Champion uses. When you hear it "clicking" at the end of its stroke what is happening is spring steel used to engage the unit fits into slots in a plastic gear. The spring is jumping out as intended. In time it will wear out however I have never heard of one of these units having this part of the unit fail. Usually something else fails often caused by water incursion and only after a lot of years. Or put another way. I would not worry about it.

Jay G
DMC sidecars

Quote from Valkrider on July 11, 2022, 10:32 am

Jay, actuator failure was my primary concern so that’s welcomed news. Thanks 🙏. I had to replace the Escorts actuator a couple of years ago due to failure.  On disassembly the largest plastic gear (first driven gear as I recall) in the train had broken teeth.  Nothing else obviously wrong so I assumed I had caused it by over running it. I’ll stop worrying.  I was shocked at the cost from the manufacturer of a replacement gear so just replaced the whole thing for peace of mind.

Quote from DRONE on July 21, 2022, 12:17 pm

 

Quote from Valkrider on July 7, 2022, 11:51 am

Also, what about limiting the range of its adjustability with limit switches or other method? When moving down the road I can neither hear or feel when my Escorts tilt control gets  to its maximum or minimum and worry I’ll damage the gears inside.   

I know exactly what you mean.  I wear earplugs while riding and definitely can't hear when the actuator reaches the limit.

What I do is, while sitting, I'll run the actuator from top to bottom and count the seconds to see how long it takes to go from one limit to the other.  Now I have my range.  Then I'll set it about 1/4  to 1/3 from the bottom by counting the seconds.  Now I know how many seconds I have left to go up or down.  Then, as I'm riding down the road, I just count the seconds any time I use the tilt and keep the running total in my mind so that I don't go beyond the limit.

OK, yes, I do have OCD.

Quote from Valkrider on July 22, 2022, 12:31 am

Drone, good idea. Not likely to work for me as I have CRS really bad. 🥺

Quote from CCjon on July 24, 2022, 1:54 pm

Valkrider, seems like every actuator switch I have had was mounted on a small custom welded steel bracket mounted on the left handle bar. If you don't weld, visit a welding shop nearby and see what they can rig up.

Also I mount a small carpenter's string bubble level in the middle of the console. A quick glance tells me if the sidecar is too high or too low. 

CCjon

Quote from Valkrider on July 29, 2022, 7:46 pm

Bubble level is a great idea. Thanks CCJon

Quote from MGV8 on July 30, 2022, 4:35 pm

My switch also is close to the left handle bar grip. Doubles as my winch control. Far enough away I have a bit of a reach but still don't have to take a hand off the handle bar. Adjust on the fly. I have a quick connect to swap from Actuator to winch. Which I can access unless REALLY stuck LOL

Quote from DRONE on August 1, 2022, 12:44 am

I had a R1100GS where I put a neat stainless waterproof up/down switch on the bar next to the grip controls.