Don't try it without the swaybar hooked up. Or maybe try it both ways but be careful. You WILL see a big difference. If you are gunna get crazy be sure to have someone video you...lol.
If you want something fun set the rebound dampening on your rear shock to as low as it will go and then try some hot left handers on twisty mountain roads. This generally scares the hell out of people who are following me on 2 wheelers. "Disclaimer, if you do this and you are not extremely careful then make sure you have someone following to film the flipover for us."
Frankly I would not recommend this as you can get in trouble real quick. Much depends on the outfit itself of course. A very stiff sidecar suspension may be able to hold it's own especially if it is a light sidecar ...however....even then it can get you in trouble quickly. Dana don't you have a Friendship I sidecar on your GS bike that still has the torsion suspension on it? Quite a different animal than many of these other reader's outfits. Wheel lead also comes into play. Like you disclamer ..lol. >>"Disclaimer, if you do this and you are not extremely careful then make sure you have someone following to film the flipover for us."[/<< When a rear wheel lifts it happens quickly. It may usually just come right back down. I have flipped the bike over the sidecar as I probably have mentioned here before and it would make a good video. Watching the video from a hospital bed may not be that much fun though
The old gl1100/ural rig really lifted the rear wheel on very sharp lefts, my first clue with this one was turning onto a really wet hwy in a rain cranked it hard left and spun the hell out of the car tire as I was hurrying.DB
Yes Claude I still have the torsion suspension on my Friendship II. I would absolutely not recommend that you actually do this. I have done it a few times and even with the sidecar suspension I have it is not something to take lightly.
Yes I agree. And I bet you would agree that the right handers less likely to bite once experience is gained?
Absolutely Claude, once you figure out the right handers you start feeling good and underestimate the left ones.
Geez! Maybe I should tell my monkey (wife of 40+ years) to be grateful that our sidecar has a torsion bar suspension. I didn't realize how much difference the "newer" chairs' suspension can make. Please keep this thread going. I'm learning more with every comment.
Justin the Mini Schnauzer and I headed for WI side of Mississippi River valley and back into the Coulees trying to escape the heat and work on our l-r skills. So after this afternoons endeavors it seems to me that keeping my weight central and forward and careful throttle modulation is about as good as allot of hanging off. I was leaning forward and placing my head over the hand of the side I was turning too and being more precise with throttle control. Less instances of terror and I thought I was smoother and quicker. So am I on to something you more experienced guys ? Given todays info a Touratech 11 gal tank would be a handling improvement central weight lower.DB
Dave, The leaning is something I use more when I'm sure my speed is well over what I think is the better speed to use. If I'm being real smooth I don't need to lean much, but then I'm a little slower.
Sounds like you`re getting there. Smooth and precise throttle control will achieve way more than acrobatics. With more experience you`ll find that you can ride sequences of bends (in whatever combination of lefts/rights ) at a surprising speed,and with sheer pleasure,without braking and just by correct use of the throttle. Combining the effects of road camber,the chair`s drag on one side or attempted running around of the bike on the other with a dead throttle or with increasingly more smoothly opened throttle brings to you the hidden delights of sidecar riding.
Various riding techniques should be experimented with. Hanging off only transfers a little more weight to the inside of the turn. No magic here. Does it help? Yes but personally I seldom do it depending on the rig I am on. If one does decide to hang off in a turn toward the sidecar it really should be done when entering a turn and not while in it. Depending on the situation a sudden 'butt off the seat' hang off can actually make things worse because the rider may be pushing away from the bike. If the sidecar is already in the air and the rider is attempting to 'save it' the 'push off ' from the bike can be counter productive. Techniques vary from rider to ride rand from outfit to outfit. We seldom hear much about road position and such and it was good to see Tarka touch on it. When going into a right hander it is best to stay out toward the centerline and plan for a late apex. This high entry will give you a better line of sight through the turn. Evil things can wait for those who get into a blind corner without knowing what is coming up. Decreasing radiuses, Road kill, limb or rocks in road, kid chasing a ball whatever. If braking can be done prior to committing to the turn that is great. With a high entry line and a late apex one can judge what speed is good for their machine and their present skill level quite safely. If you enter the turn at a safe speed you can then accelerate and allow the lagging behind of the sidecar help you turn. You will also be in control .Find a turn and become familiar with it Starting slow and practice technique. In time those who practice this simple technique will find that their cornering speed will magically increase with practice. Note that the late apex line will allow much more 'wiggle room' upon the exit of the turn. Crossing the centerline on exit due to running out of race track can be dangerous as nasty things lurk there. Even on a clear road many time the road camber will change as you cross the centerline which can make the pucker factor grow if you have already got yourself into a pickle ( who the heck came up with that 'getting into a pickle ' expression? really stupid ..so is getting into a jam I guess...think about it..whew..sorry )
Most of the roads up here develop some pretty severe tire grooves from the trucks over time so you can really have a lot of fun playing the crowns. Every lane has three crowns for the most part and lane position changes the dynamics of a turn dramatically at speed. If you go slower through them you can feel the way the different crowns affect the way the rig tracks through a corner. The Ural reacts a lot more to the crowns than the GS does but they can both be entertaining. The first road trip I did with the GS rig was the sidecar national in Tahoe a few years back and heading towards home I was going along 44 through Lasson National Park and I went to pass a car and because the camber on the oncoming lane was so dramatic when I got into the oncoming lane I thought I was going to roll the rig. Really did not expect that and that was on a straight section of road not a turn.
