Ooops....

[Motu]

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/List...px?id=50112622

Can't wait to get back on 3 wheels again....

[Patrick]

Looks like a trailer which lost its right wheel...

[Ixion]

No, it's been built for a bike all right. farmer's special I guess. Don't like to think how long those dodgy attachments would last at speed. Sidechair puts a LOT of force on the attachments during high speed cornering (I'm told - I never summoned up the courage for more than slow speed cornering with a sidecar )

[Motu]

Yeah,they were a farm hack,made to take a couple of bales of hay,a couple of lambs,a bobby calf,whatever.I was offered one about 12 yrs ago for $80,it was mint and almost unused....but I didn't have $80 to my name back then.

I want to build the outfit I dreamed of as an 18 yr old.I don't want a sidecar with a fancy passenger body,I've had a couple of those...I want one that's useful for carting ''stuff'' around in,like...ever tried to carry a 15 box on your bike? I also want a bike where the passenger becomes part of the experiance,I want my monkey to work for their ride.I will fit a top bar so the passenger will be able to stand up,balance and take shocks with their legs,be able to move around the outfit and put their weight to good use.Dunno what to do about a seat,idealy I don't want one at all...maybe a colapsable one.

No,it won't be legal,the bike will get a WoF as a solo,the outfit it self will be used on back roads,mostly gravel I hope,I hope never to see a cop.I have 2 passengers coming of age,I think this will be a lot of fun for me and my boys - it's ok taking them on the back,but imagine how much fun we could have together with this!

Now,to get it to Auckland,or Huntly atleast.....then how the hell to attach it to the XT? It's only a 3 point mount,I may have to make it 4 point,but need a closer look first.

[Motu]

I'd almost forgotten about this thing,it only cost $20,but it was going to cost too much to get up here from ChCh,so I told the guy to forget it and I'd pay him the $20....but he said he'd get it up to me for $15.We had some comunication difficulties and I thought he had written me off as a pest...then it turned up.

Condition is about as I expected,it's just been lying around and should clean up ok,no structural problems,just the ply floor will need replacing.Simple and strong construction,1in 1/8 wall box section in a box with 16 guage sheet metal - all very strong.I did a quick dummy setup on the XT and it's not going to be ideal....any more than 75mm lead on the side car wheel and the mounts are way off,I'd have to cut them off and start again,and the box is too far forward.I've seen these on AG175's,so they are built to go on a dirtbike and this must be how they fit.75mm is not much,I'd like 150mm at least.It's also not ideal with a 3 point mounting - a lower mount off the centre of the chassis with an adjuster,I will make a bracket off the footpeg to fit this one.The top rear mount comes off the top rail and I'll make a bracket off the diagonal subframe tube for that.There is not much the hang the front mount off,but I think a plate from the lower engine mount to a gap in the headstock...the XT has an oil tank in the top of the frame.Maybe I'll run the 4th mount to this bracket too,but don't think I'll need it.

Then I stood in the box to test my plan of standing up....seems ok,a few hand holds and a high one for the front,but it has to cut back the clear the handlebars.The 10in wheel is not ideal either,it's going to stutter a bit on corrugations.Anyway,some project huh? I have to get the XT back up and running first to set it up with the chair....and will my short stroke high comp 500 hack the hack?

[Ixion]

No brake on that wheel?

[Motu]

Nah,you don't need a sidecar brake,especially not on a sidecar that light.They are only usefull to keep the outfit braking in a straight line,or to get a quicker left turn (not that I've ever used a sidecar brake) I like to use the weight of the chair to pivot the outfit into right turns.It'll be an interesting experiment....like,as if I've got the time to fart around puting it together.

[Ixion]

'Twas the left turn I was thinking of. On the A10, the sidecar brake did make for rather cool left handers, I even managed to get the rear wheel off the deck. Would be rather fun on gravel, brake the chair wheel and gun the engine hard, I reckon it would pivot in its own length.

[Motu]

They can pivot in their own length on a right hander.With a heavy chair it acts as an anchor on lefts,and you can power the bike around it.The less lead will make it easy to turn on left hand corners,but give potential nosedive on rights - but I will have an active passenger,they'll hang over the pillion seat so I don't see a problem there.Now,what would really be fun and make even more teamwork would be to fit a sidecar brake - and give it's control to the passenger.

[Ixion]

Now I would never have thought of that . Or of a steerable sidecar wheel, also for the pasenger.

[Motu]

Yikes! This is my kids we are talking about here - I'm supposed to be giving them thrills,not the other way round!.I've seen sidecar brakes in control of the passenger on trials outfits,the passenger brakes the sidecar wheel,and the bike will turn around the anchor,those boys have some serious skills.

In the bright light of monday morning I've done a mental groan,but it still looks good value for $35 and a doable project.There is a small bit of rot on the Durotorque tube,but easy patchable...it has 8 positions for height adjustment on the trailing arm.It's a ghost town here and not much work happening....a 4 day weekend for a lot of people,so maybe I'll clean it up a bit.

[Drew]

I did a quick dummy setup on the XT and it's not going to be ideal....any more than 75mm lead on the side car wheel and the mounts are way off,I'd have to cut them off and start again,and the box is too far forward.I've seen these on AG175's,so they are built to go on a dirtbike and this must be how they fit.75mm is not much,I'd like 150mm at least.It's also not ideal with a 3 point mounting -

Just a wee thought, sinse you're talking gravell road have fun type shit, put it on the right hand side. Wheel lead up the ying yang then.