Sidecar?

Aloha,
I am looking into sidecars(Looking into their construction, not walking around and creepily looking into peoples sidecars) because I am tossing around ideas about building a detachable sidecar for my bike.
Has anyone here seen someone put a sidecar on an XJ? I have seen only a couple pictures of sidecars on XJ bikes, but none with points of mount or anything like that. I have a couple options, buy one and use it, buy one and tear it down and build it into what I need, or build from scratch. I am thinking that probably, the middle option might work best. I don't want one permanently installed, because 99% of the time I won't be using it. When I was a kid I promised my grandmother that if I got a bike someday, I'd get a sidecar for her and take her for a ride. Well I intend to follow through, even if it means that I have to mount a battery to the back of the sidecar to power the orthopedic chair-assistance mechanism that I am going to put in there. Sidecars are generally on the right hand side. Might the exhaust being on that side interfere, or would it be far enough away that it should not be a problem? Would having it soft-tail prove difficult for mounting?
I haven't much experience with sidecars, just looking them up and looking at pictures of the "guts" of some and such, so information would be much appreciated.

 

Hi Marko, this is a PM I sent to another member about sidecars - let me know what else you want to know. Sorry if my XJ is looking a bit tatty.

I've taken some pictures and joined photobucket as the easiest way of sharing them. Look at
sidecar pictures
Tell me if the pictures show anything helpful, or if there is something else that you would like to see.
I put a sidecar on the XJ750 with fittings I had available at the time. It was to replace an old Suzuki GT550 with sidecar that I wanted to do some work on. It was retired when I aquired a Venture Royale 1200 and nailed a QM1 double adult sidecar on, but was much more reliable, so has still seen occasional use.

In answer to your question, though, yes, it does have a wobble on the handlebars. I have always found that this is more pronounced with leading link forks - more mass/inertia to wobble, I suppose. Overall the handling is much improved, though, with less flex and better suspension. I used it for over ten years without a damper (or with a useless one anyway) before finally adding the large one it has now, mainly because my girlfriend is talking about learning to drive an outfit.

In terms of setting up an outfit, there is general agreement on the basics, but precise figures are up for debate, largely depending on the application. I shall try and give directions in terms of 'towards' or 'away from' the bike because our vehicles would be mirror images of each other if you drive on the wrong side of the road.
The bike should lean away from the sidecar slightly, for two reasons. One is that when travelling in a straight line, the sidecar will pull you to one side. If the bike leans away, there is a slight pull in that direction which counteracts that effect. Secondly it reduces the effect of the camber on the road surface and helps keep it pulling straight.

The sidecar wheel should be slightly ahead of the rear wheel. Too far forward gives good stability, but takes weight off of the front wheel and reduces braking efficiency and also means the sidecar wheel 'scrubs' (is pushed slightly sideways) excessively and wear increases dramatically. Too far back means that the weight in the sidecar may fall outside the wheelbase - the sidecar nose will tend to dip and the steering may be very heavy. 8-10" is common, but you can go outside this if you are aware that you are making a compromise.

The sidecar wheel needs to 'toe in' slightly - this is complicated to explain, but is similar to the tracking on a motor car. This allows the vehicle to drive more smoothly through bends. 'Toe in' means that the sidecar wheel angles slightly towards the motorcycle. There are various descriptions for how to lay a plank alongside the motorcycle wheels and then another past the sidecar wheels and giving a figure for the difference between the distances between the planks front and back - say that the planks should be 1/2" or 3/4" closer at the front than at the back. Figures vary. This worked better in the old days when front and rear tyre sizes were closer. I go for an easier method. I park the vehicle on a flat surface with the handlebars straight and walk a few car lengths ahead. I make a mark on the ground with my heel after eyeing along the line of the bike tyres and then do the same for the sidecar tyre. If the distance between the two marks is less than the width of the tyre track, it's probably not far out - close enough for a road test anyway.

Stiffer suspension can help. Leading links stiffen the front end, but then you might want a steering damper.

Let me know if this makes sense - I could make it a post/thread in case anyone else is interested. I could also post picture of the other outfits.

Regards,

Greg

 

Two Words : Ural or VW transaxle

 

Thanks Greg, that was a pretty apt description. You picture didn't come up though. If you've got some detail pictures of where/how the sidecar actually mounts to the XJ that would be cool.
I'll check those companies out Danilo, thanks.

 

i got to the gallery. here is the link:
http://s252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10 ... n/sidecar/

 

Thanks.

 

I tried to edit the link, but it won't update properly for some reason. Jeepsteve's link works, though.

As I recall it was quite difficult finding suitable places to mount fittings - there is plenty of gussetting and not much round tube.

Where you place fittings will depend on what you have available, but assuming that you have access to clamps and eye bolts these points may help: There is a flat gusset just below the headstock, below/in front of the tank which you can drill straight through. There is a couple of inches clear on the downtubes near the engine mounts. There is round tube ahead of the rear shocks in the seat area, but you will probably need to 'adjust' or remove the sidepanel. Ther last problem is the rear lower mount and I used a bit of the frame next to the swing arm pivot. You could check around the sidestand mount too, but that's less help if you want the chair on the rhs..

I didn't want to weld onto the frame, but if you are prepared to, then the heads of eyebolts are not too bulky and will give you much more choice of where you locate fittings and probably a better result overall.

Let me know if there are particular items you would like pictures of.

One more point, though. While it is possible to add and remove a sidecar depending on your requirements (I did it for a couple of years with a Jawa 350 when I was a student) you will probably find that:
* it takes longer than you expect to line the fittings up and get them in place each time - an hour or two maybe, so you tend to keep it that way for a while.
* you will want to adapt the bike for one use rather than the other, possibly using heavier shocks and tyres with more emphasis on wear than performance, unless the sidecar use really is only very occasional.
Overall many people find two bikes more practical now that old bikes are so cheap to purchase.

 

I have been starting to get a list together for all the parts I need to make a "sidehack" also. Read up and do your research on other sites or you will be dangerous out on the road. There are some important aspects of just how they are to be mounted and the position of the bike when it's installed.
Suspension and weight play a factor on how they handle on the bike, as well as the toe-in on the third wheel. Alot of careful measuring and making the attachment rods adjustable are the key to making it safe enough.
I am going to make my frame first and get all the adjustments to spec before doing any cowl work or seating installation. The after market sidecars are limited and some are kinda pricey, so I decided to make my own instead. I probably won't be carrying any passengers in mine however. I just want one for the winter months to keep me upright in the snow and ice and maybe to carry extra stuff. PD

 

hello you managed to fit sidecar to your bike?