The XS, and the Sidecar of Death

Yes, very well done. I think one of these things is in my future to take the dog and whole family on rides.
 
JohnGoFast said:
Took it for a hour long ride around town, top speed 65, pulls a little to the right, will attempt to adjust for that. Otherwise I'm pretty damn amazed at how it handled. Had a lot of fun in a empty parking lot flying the sidecar around and getting a feel for the handling!

Taking it into work in the working. See how it is in the busy downtown streets.

Glad to see you got it going. May want to look at a change in final drive ratio. Stock rear 34T, countershaft 17T or 2:1. I went with a 36T and 16T might be a little too much, you may want to try 36T and 17T. Top speed will go up with sprocket change as you will be able to reach your max torque point in all gears and it'll save the clutch on take-off. A little practice is all it takes to get used to it
 
Thanks everyone, I actually am running 36T rear 17T front and have no complaints!

About to go on a long ride with curvy roads and lots of elevation changes. See what I have to say after that..
 
Holy shit. Love driving this. Lots of sketchy turns with the sidecar off the ground. ;D

Things I've learned that need to be adressed.

  • Braking. ASAP get the other disc and caliper on front wheel. Figure out a hydraulic brake setup for the sidecar wheel. I can definitely feel the benefits of being able to keep the rig straight with a sidecar brake.
  • For now, tighten up the front shocks, heavier oil and maybe some 1" or 2" pipe pre-load spacers. Eventually a proper leading link front end..
  • Oil cooler.
  • Proper rear shocks with heavier springs, maybe 140lb.
 
Yes, all those things you mentioned will enhance the experience, a fork brace is also a good idea.The second front disk may give you increased braking ability but will make the steering a bit heavier especially with a steering damper. I knew it be fun for you! While it may be a lot of fun flying the wheel it's not a good idea to scare the wits out of your passenger at every right turn. Applying the front brake slightly, while adding throttle, steering through the turn will tend to keep the car down even with greater speed, just one of the techniques you will be discovering.

Now more practice!
 
I now have about 800 miles on it, I'm amazed by how much fun it has been. Still desire to modify some things, but thats just part of owning a motorcycle right, the never ending project?

Wife told me on a Friday night that the kids were going to spend the night and the whole next day with family. I loaded up the sidecar with camping items for a night and we shot up in the mountains, it was awesome to have room for everything we needed without a car. The next morning we hit some trails and had a blast getting all muddy.

Still can't believe how well the frame mounting and toe went. I really expected to be remounting it after learning I'd done something wrong and to be fighting adjustments. I've had a few local sidecar guys look at the mounting and although they all say they would have used a clamp on universal mount kit and built a subframe, they agree that it is properly adjusted and has no real issues to address. Also, tires are wearing perfectly.
 
BCC said:
Sweet build! Are those RFY shocks by chance? If so how are they riding?

They are and they're great for the cost. I've been pleased with them.

If you're looking for a set, I have a new set in box of 12.5"- 13" in the same color I'm sitting on.
 
Well, sidecar wheel started to lock up last night on a ride. Looks like side loading destroyed the inner tapered wheel bearing I thought would hold up well to side loading.

Only been 1000 miles, not sure if I should buy some better quality tapered roller bearings or head back to the drawing board. Will post pics.
 
throw something like a fafnir self aligning bearing in there and let it sort itself out

as lonng as the hub is indexed and the axle has a stop for the bearing then it will

take any radial load you throw at it
 
Haven't found the time to get into this yet.

Thanks for the suggestion, I had never thought of a self aligning bearing for this, I've used them in the past for minor angular misalignments on mechanical equipment with success.
 
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