TLE on my Softail!
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Joined: Jun 2012
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From: USA
TLE on my Softail!
Hey guys, just got done with a test ride on my FLSTC with an old 93 HD Sidecar on it. I bought this sidecar several years ago off of Ebay when I learned I had to have a brain tumor removed and decided I was going to keep riding no matter what. Well everything went great with the operation, and I am still able to ride normal. Last year I bought a new Electraglide, and I love it, so I decided to put the sidecar on Ol' Blue just for fun. So now I need a little advice on fine tuning the rig. I have the toe-in set at .75 inches and the lean angle set at 0 degrees unloaded. I did that because I read a few different opinions on HD sidecar setup. It has a slight wobble around 20mph that straightens out pretty quick, and It pulls slightly to the right at highway speeds. Any suggestions on what to try first?
Last edited by Fuzzybeard; May 29, 2013 at 10:28 PM.
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,378
Likes: 2
From: Macon, GA USA
Glade to see you still riding and hope you ride for many more years. I went to a rig (motorcycle with sidecar) after 44 years none stop on two wheels do to my heath. I really like my rig and even if I could do not think I would go back to two wheels. My rig is my only transportation.
I am running 3/4 toe in and one degree lean out away from the hack. The Harley manual says one degree lean in but this is not correct. You do the lean for the crown in the road. Use as little toe in as you can as more toe puts more wear on the rear tire and they wear quick even when set up properly. One of the few things I do not like about a rig is rear tire wear. Did you put a steering damper on it? This will take most if not all of the wobble out of it.
To me a 93 hack is not old. Guess I am telling my age now. LOL
Here is my rig.
I am running 3/4 toe in and one degree lean out away from the hack. The Harley manual says one degree lean in but this is not correct. You do the lean for the crown in the road. Use as little toe in as you can as more toe puts more wear on the rear tire and they wear quick even when set up properly. One of the few things I do not like about a rig is rear tire wear. Did you put a steering damper on it? This will take most if not all of the wobble out of it.
To me a 93 hack is not old. Guess I am telling my age now. LOL
Here is my rig.
Last edited by 46u; Jun 4, 2013 at 10:04 PM.
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I got it out yesterday and took a 150 mile ride. The .75 toe-in and 1 degree lean out are definitely the magic numbers. I was able to take my hands off the bars at 60mph on a level road. Still pulls to the right slightly if under torque i.e. going uphill, wind, etc. I also have virtually no wobble on this set-up even without a damper, maybe the softail starts with a little more rake? All in all I am really pleased with the ride and am still able to drop the car with 3 bolts, since I am running no sidecar brake. I think I may have a spare master cylinder out in the garage and am thinking of setting up the sidecar brake independently with its own brake lever set-up beside the one on the bike, but honestly I felt safe with just the bikes brakes.
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,378
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From: Macon, GA USA
With the bike hack all my gear with me on it I am pulling around 1,700 pounds so riding with out brake on the sidecar does not work well. If you hook up a master cylinder to the sidecar brakes BE VERY careful as if you hit it to hard you are going to make a sharp right turn and could flip over.
All so Keep in mind the rear tire wears flat with a hack so if you take the hack off your really need to have another with with a round tire on it or change the tire. Believe me dangerous to ride a motorcycle on a flat (not talking about no air) tire and cornering is sure enough dangerous.
All rigs are going to pull some under power and pull the other direction when backing off the throttle. This is just the nature of the beast but it should not be a problem to keep it under control and if there is a problem something is not right.
Headed up to the club I am in which is the Georgia Sidecar Club rally tomorrow with my oldest grandson. Will be there till Sunday or Monday camping and having fun.
All so Keep in mind the rear tire wears flat with a hack so if you take the hack off your really need to have another with with a round tire on it or change the tire. Believe me dangerous to ride a motorcycle on a flat (not talking about no air) tire and cornering is sure enough dangerous.
All rigs are going to pull some under power and pull the other direction when backing off the throttle. This is just the nature of the beast but it should not be a problem to keep it under control and if there is a problem something is not right.
Headed up to the club I am in which is the Georgia Sidecar Club rally tomorrow with my oldest grandson. Will be there till Sunday or Monday camping and having fun.
Road Warrior
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 1,378
Likes: 2
From: Macon, GA USA
With the bike hack all my gear with me on it I am pulling around 1,700 pounds so riding with out brake on the sidecar does not work well. If you hook up a master cylinder to the sidecar brakes BE VERY careful as if you hit it to hard you are going to make a sharp right turn and could flip over. When you ride with weight in the hack or a person of size you might find out you miss the brake on the hack. With the brake on the hack it stops on a dime.
All so Keep in mind the rear tire wears flat with a hack so if you take the hack off your really need to have another with with a round tire on it or change the tire. Believe me dangerous to ride a motorcycle on a flat (not talking about no air) tire and cornering is sure enough dangerous.
All rigs are going to pull some under power and pull the other direction when backing off the throttle. This is just the nature of the beast but it should not be a problem to keep it under control and if there is a problem something is not right.
Headed up to the club I am in which is the Georgia Sidecar Club rally tomorrow with my oldest grandson. Will be there till Sunday or Monday camping and having fun.
All so Keep in mind the rear tire wears flat with a hack so if you take the hack off your really need to have another with with a round tire on it or change the tire. Believe me dangerous to ride a motorcycle on a flat (not talking about no air) tire and cornering is sure enough dangerous.
All rigs are going to pull some under power and pull the other direction when backing off the throttle. This is just the nature of the beast but it should not be a problem to keep it under control and if there is a problem something is not right.
Headed up to the club I am in which is the Georgia Sidecar Club rally tomorrow with my oldest grandson. Will be there till Sunday or Monday camping and having fun.
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Joined: Jun 2012
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From: USA
All good sound advise, thank you. I had already considered some of the braking aspects and was thinking of putting a longer brake pedal on the car side so that when used in tandem with the bike pedal I would be using only a small portion of the cars brake potential while still giving me the option of stomping on the lever with my heel and the bike with toe for a full lock. I am out nothing to try it out anyway since I just found that old master cylinder, I'll have to post back when I get it all figured out.
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