I started pivot brackets over Thanksgiving holidays and got the frame together yesterday and this morning. I would of worked on it during the week but I had to wait for the heim joints to come in before I could continue. This afternoon I took a test ride with a solid mount axle. It works but I am going to move the pivots lower and more centered. I did prove to myself that it will work for what I want. I should get a lot less movement after changing the mounts.
put the pivots on the centre line of the bike... with the front mount higher than the rear..that way the car will steer into the corner as the bike leans..but if the car goes up or down over bumps it will not steer... theres a link to one of my leanner builds below....
Thanks Pete, I've read that and most every other thread on this and several other sites many times. I was hoping to keep some ground clearance but that will be reduced as it has been proven to me the reason to be centered with the pivots. I will not have to rework the main frame as the axle mount is clamped on at this time. I will be loosing the center stand so that the rear mount can move toward center and the front bracket will en-circle the fowrard facing oil filter.
I agree. Pivot point in centre line and the frame will stay much more horizontal. I've got a simple homebuild leaner as wel. There should be a thread somewhere on this board. Found it:http://advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=836987
That works on something like the hybrid Armec Sidewinder, but at the cost of ground clearance; hybrid in that the bike leans but the sidecar doesn't. On the fully-articulated Flexit, the mounts are off to the side and there is no loss of clearance. I'd be very concerned by the camber-changes in the sidecar wheel your mock-up is showing.
Neat idea, I will give you that. I am new to the ways of sidecar thinking, it's on my shopping list for 2013, so I am pretty much in the lurking stages so I thought I would stop and peak..
I'm going to loose a lot of ground clearance by moving the mounts to center line but I believe there will be less camber changes and that is a good thing. I also loose my center stand as that is where the rear pivot bracket will mount. My biggest problem is that dam oil filter dead center front.:eek1 Thanks for all tips and concerns, as I have plenty of room to learn and question my thoughts.
With a Cali, you don't really need a centre-stand - the sidestand you have is the envy of the entire planet! How about fitting an old-style sump that has an internal filter - PITA at service-time I know, but it will allow you to put the front pivot where you want it. Do a search on Armec Sidewinder-equipped Guzzis & you'll see how they do it.
I've tried toe-in and toe-out but currently my set up is pretty neutral. I like to drive at higher speeds (+140kmh = 87mph ) and that works better with a neutral set up.
After work today I got the front mount worked out and it looks like I'll have 5 inches of ground clearance. I removed the center stand and will need to bend a piece of 1" bar to get a saddle under the exhaust and extend 5 inches. I still need to build a swing arm and turn a spindle.
I got the mounts worked out and there is very little change it the frame level when leaned to each extreme. Now back to my swingarm design.
Still haven't build a swing arm as I have not found a scooter or moped wheel, but I did strap on a 8" trailer wheel and put it thru the a good run for 20 miles, up to 80 mph with no problems.
This calls for photographic proof! If it holds for 20 miles , it will probably hold for much longer too. Why not keep the 8" wheel?
Hellracer, there wasn't much to show as the half axle is only u-bolted on, but here it is as ridden, If I use this wheel I'll need to buy an axle stub and hub that is lighter than the 3500 pounder. Also I would like to know how well your first shock design worked?
Heres the arm for my next unit... Yamaha XT660R dirt leaner.. Its made from 32mm OD X 3mm stainless pipe..Has a 3:1 leaverage ratio to the shock... " thats not the shock I will be useing" The 17" wheel is from the rear of a Suzuki FXR150.. I replaced the 17mm ID bearing with 3/4" ID.. biggest I could bore the wheel for... The end of the shock conected to the frame will have a ride hight/leveling adjuster of some type... not thought that far ahead yet... The arm will pivit on bronze bushes...
Thank's Pete, I'm still stick welding and machining with a drill press plus an old small Atlas/Craftsman 6x18 lathe. I like to of forgot the angle grinder with cutoff wheels. I make a little progress when my brain gives me something that seems to be an answer. The good thing is that often the idea works.
My first damper set up (horizontal) was way to weak, I've experimented a bit with different set Ups and now it's fine.
You may find that design for the single side swing arm is not rigid enough. We started with a similar idea but had to put in another rod to stiffen it up. You can see it below, the one from the botttom right angling back. The shock is a Progressive from a Suzy Boulevard and designed to operate on that angle. If you use a normal shock, as it leans closer to horizontal you need a much stiffer spring rate.
I have been thinking about using an older 18" Honda wheel but it only would accept bearings for a 12mm axle. I decided to turn a disk of 3/4" steel to accept a 19.9mm axle and fit where the drum brake once resided. I will next turn an axle down to fit both size bearings and build a one sided swing arm.
