Pete Buffalo NY is getting over 4ft. now, sure glad it's not here.........Curt
Old Guys V twin & sidecar
- Thread starter indian22
- Start date
Not sure if you're planning on fitting a screen for your chair Rick, so I'm just gonna leave this tidbit here for your delectation.....
Nice! I'm not decided, but as the body height will be quite low the screen would be awkwardly tall to protect a passenger. Helmet and googles probably
the extent of protection in the hack.
Made some progress today. The frame will have 3" of ground clearance now. The 17" wheels are 21" diameter with tire mounted. The rear tire on the Ol' Crow stands 27.5" so big contrast. This will be an easy car for the passenger to mount, but getting out might pose a problem for some even with a grab bar.
I like the cars that allow the bike to be seen from the car side. My opinion is the bike should be the star of the show and the hack just supporting cast.
Rick C.
the extent of protection in the hack.
Made some progress today. The frame will have 3" of ground clearance now. The 17" wheels are 21" diameter with tire mounted. The rear tire on the Ol' Crow stands 27.5" so big contrast. This will be an easy car for the passenger to mount, but getting out might pose a problem for some even with a grab bar.
I like the cars that allow the bike to be seen from the car side. My opinion is the bike should be the star of the show and the hack just supporting cast.
Rick C.
Great weather here once again all but today (50 degrees) this week sixties and light wind. No weather excuses for me not being at work.
Now that the two suspensions are mostly sorted I'll turn my attention to locating and mounting bike frame connections. Then start fabricating the three brackets for the sidecar chassis. Both of these tasks are critical for a working adjustable design. After this I can test and adjust the assembled rig both weighted and un unweighted till I'm satisfied with the handling and my proficiency piloting the naked frame attached to my Ol' Crow....the fun part.
I will get started on the frame for the body mount during my testing of the rolling gear.no need to wait once the sub frame is up and rolling.
I have decided on a 24" width body shell with a three foot total car stick out from the bike frame.still hoping for 70 lbs total car weight, but may be significantly more when outfitted with spare mounted wheel, lights, passenger mirror etc. Actually heavier is better for side car handling without a passenger. Empty car is harder to control.
Rick C.
Now that the two suspensions are mostly sorted I'll turn my attention to locating and mounting bike frame connections. Then start fabricating the three brackets for the sidecar chassis. Both of these tasks are critical for a working adjustable design. After this I can test and adjust the assembled rig both weighted and un unweighted till I'm satisfied with the handling and my proficiency piloting the naked frame attached to my Ol' Crow....the fun part.
I will get started on the frame for the body mount during my testing of the rolling gear.no need to wait once the sub frame is up and rolling.
I have decided on a 24" width body shell with a three foot total car stick out from the bike frame.still hoping for 70 lbs total car weight, but may be significantly more when outfitted with spare mounted wheel, lights, passenger mirror etc. Actually heavier is better for side car handling without a passenger. Empty car is harder to control.
Rick C.
Okay reconfigured sidecar torsion suspension and positioned the leaves for the body shell suspension. Leaves height not yet determined, just locared in place with a single bolt for now.
Decided to go with a Ural sidecar rear (32 Ford coup look alike) and spare wheel mount. I like the simple look. Did some mock up to get a feel for size and interior space etc. For the shell frame. Also help determine bracket stick out for sub frame get that wrong and I end up not having leg room between bike and hack and or requiring a shell too narrow for a average size adult (butt space only) 24" is still my target width.
That suspension change required more work than you might suppose.
Rick C.
Decided to go with a Ural sidecar rear (32 Ford coup look alike) and spare wheel mount. I like the simple look. Did some mock up to get a feel for size and interior space etc. For the shell frame. Also help determine bracket stick out for sub frame get that wrong and I end up not having leg room between bike and hack and or requiring a shell too narrow for a average size adult (butt space only) 24" is still my target width.
That suspension change required more work than you might suppose.
Rick C.
This is the basics of the cars rear shell, pretty close to the Ural. I won't use a tilting tire rack and trunk lid though, less stuff to fiddle with and rattle. Seat back will fold down to access the rear storage space. Points scored if you thought this a lid for a BBQ pit. It is exactly the size and shape I was wanting and there it was in the scrap! Spare will be a nice fit too.
Rick C.
Rick C.
Pete I feel your pain, but to this point items shipped "free" means just that; as far as the U.
S. customer can see China charges are totally transparent. Gas was $2.97 a gallon this week here so yeah you guys are getting hosed!
I just recieved a quantity of 10 Heim joints from China. All 10 for less than I could purchase two here at the local parts store (also made in China) same quality just 5 times the money and they only had three in stock. The China stuff I've ordered in the last three months has shipped fast and was priced lower than the items were earlier in the year.
Sidecar is progressing well considering how little time I've actually been able to work on it. Today was really beautiful and I had the parts in hand to get a lot done. Two more days like today and I will have a barebones frame attached to the Ol' Crow. I'm not polishing as I go, that can come later, I want to get every thing aligned, balanced and proven as a cargo hack before adding the car body. As this is my first sidecar build I need to prove and learn things as I ride. I've studied a bunch, but now I need to try these things in the real world.
Pictures when I take them.
Rick C.
S. customer can see China charges are totally transparent. Gas was $2.97 a gallon this week here so yeah you guys are getting hosed!
I just recieved a quantity of 10 Heim joints from China. All 10 for less than I could purchase two here at the local parts store (also made in China) same quality just 5 times the money and they only had three in stock. The China stuff I've ordered in the last three months has shipped fast and was priced lower than the items were earlier in the year.
Sidecar is progressing well considering how little time I've actually been able to work on it. Today was really beautiful and I had the parts in hand to get a lot done. Two more days like today and I will have a barebones frame attached to the Ol' Crow. I'm not polishing as I go, that can come later, I want to get every thing aligned, balanced and proven as a cargo hack before adding the car body. As this is my first sidecar build I need to prove and learn things as I ride. I've studied a bunch, but now I need to try these things in the real world.
Pictures when I take them.
Rick C.
Just a few photos of the Ol' Crow setup with the five sidecar connection brackets. I should finish the corresponding brackets on the frame today and get a good start on the strut and standoff bars for coupling and aligning of car to bike. Great weather today for getting stuff done outside.
Rick C.
Rick C.
Sidecar Heim connections completed. Now I need to cut five 1" heavy wall DOM tubes for clevis connections to the Heim joints. I'll make those up next at that point I'll be coupled and ride it and adjust as needed.
Rick C.
Rick C.
Thanks Pete and yes the gussets are welded and notched. I wll also add a tube cross bar welded in place for the body pivot point.
I'm striving to get the rig on the road to nail down alignment adjustments with various weights added before adding the caliper and foot pedal actuator for brakes and the body.
My mounting brackets seem to allow full use of the pedal drive and the placement of the hack closer to the bike. I feature the body will need to be 20" wide or under, but at least 18" to use the seat I've selected.
The moped tire/hub setup and the heavy frame construction will allow adult weight to be carried and using both wheel and separate body springing should help with passenger comfort.
Having enough power to ride an adult in this rig is something I anticipate may be a problem on some steeper inclines and also decrease range. I have extra batteries I can carry in the car so range can be delt with. My reduction drive provides a lot of grunt but I can easily gear down more if required when the hack is attached. The beauty of the Ol' Crow's electric drive train is it's adaptability to double or triple it's power with a simple motor, 72v battery and controller swap out. All of which I have and used on this bike for a number of months before opting out to use 48v power instead.
At this point I'm hoping I can just add the hack when I want and keep everything else the same. I can avoid the big hills and still get arond pretty well here.
Rick C.
I'm striving to get the rig on the road to nail down alignment adjustments with various weights added before adding the caliper and foot pedal actuator for brakes and the body.
My mounting brackets seem to allow full use of the pedal drive and the placement of the hack closer to the bike. I feature the body will need to be 20" wide or under, but at least 18" to use the seat I've selected.
The moped tire/hub setup and the heavy frame construction will allow adult weight to be carried and using both wheel and separate body springing should help with passenger comfort.
Having enough power to ride an adult in this rig is something I anticipate may be a problem on some steeper inclines and also decrease range. I have extra batteries I can carry in the car so range can be delt with. My reduction drive provides a lot of grunt but I can easily gear down more if required when the hack is attached. The beauty of the Ol' Crow's electric drive train is it's adaptability to double or triple it's power with a simple motor, 72v battery and controller swap out. All of which I have and used on this bike for a number of months before opting out to use 48v power instead.
At this point I'm hoping I can just add the hack when I want and keep everything else the same. I can avoid the big hills and still get arond pretty well here.
Rick C.
Last couple of days have been rain and fog, but I managed to get outside this afternoon and cut some steel, though I ran out of daylight to weld anything together. Weather here shouldn't completely stop progress, but It does slow me down.
Rick C.
Rick C.
Sounds like better weather than we have here in Alnwick, Rick. Woke up yesterday to zero degree temps and a covering of snow - not much but it's the earliest snow I've seen in decades. It was enough to coat my Citroen with a solid sheet of ice and I didn't have any de-icer handy, so my planned drive for shopping was cancelled and I walked instead. Slippery as **** but Local Authority workers had been out overnight and covered the roads and pavements with salt and grit - so that's always my cue to wrap up bicycling till spring.
Mischa and I are staying warm and snug indoors here, looking forward to a pair of World Cup quarter final matches in Quatar later today. Another pair of q-final matches tomorrow, including the big one - England v France. Fridge well stocked with beers for the next couple of days.
Mischa and I are staying warm and snug indoors here, looking forward to a pair of World Cup quarter final matches in Quatar later today. Another pair of q-final matches tomorrow, including the big one - England v France. Fridge well stocked with beers for the next couple of days.
Pete that sounds brutal. We've had a lovely Fall with mild temps and light winds. I've become spoiled.
I wish you guys good fortune in cup play. I enjoy the games but haven't watched compete matches to this point just replays of some.
Staying inside is a great plan till weather improves.
Rick C.
I wish you guys good fortune in cup play. I enjoy the games but haven't watched compete matches to this point just replays of some.
Staying inside is a great plan till weather improves.
Rick C.
Pete,
Mom always said that the weather here in British Columbia was just like the U.K. She was born in and lived in Birmingham until she moved to Canada with her family at 18. We've had mid 30's F up until a week ago Tuesday and then we had 7" of snow and low to mid 20's. It was funny how so little snow could wreck so much havoc.
All the cities politicians around here were puffed up about how they had been spraying the roads with brine for 10 days to make the roads safe before the storm arrived. All that political puffery isn't selling well at the moment.
People were stranded in their cars overnight in the city. City buses and their passengers weren't immune either. Laughable when I think about what we saw on the East Coast of the U.S. when I lived there. Now at 6 pm, December 9, it's 37.6 F which normal here for this time of year. Snow is gone except for the piles on the parking lots and it's raining. The Wet Coast where you don't tan, you rust.
Steve.
Mom always said that the weather here in British Columbia was just like the U.K. She was born in and lived in Birmingham until she moved to Canada with her family at 18. We've had mid 30's F up until a week ago Tuesday and then we had 7" of snow and low to mid 20's. It was funny how so little snow could wreck so much havoc.
All the cities politicians around here were puffed up about how they had been spraying the roads with brine for 10 days to make the roads safe before the storm arrived. All that political puffery isn't selling well at the moment.
People were stranded in their cars overnight in the city. City buses and their passengers weren't immune either. Laughable when I think about what we saw on the East Coast of the U.S. when I lived there. Now at 6 pm, December 9, it's 37.6 F which normal here for this time of year. Snow is gone except for the piles on the parking lots and it's raining. The Wet Coast where you don't tan, you rust.
Steve.
Rick,
The sidecar frame and mounts are a work of art indeed. The rear of the sidecar proves that you should never toss anything out that may have a future use. It will be exciting to watch everything come together.
Steve.
The sidecar frame and mounts are a work of art indeed. The rear of the sidecar proves that you should never toss anything out that may have a future use. It will be exciting to watch everything come together.
Steve.
Thanks Steve. The bracket photos shown will vary from actual positions shown and are just representations at this point. My use of both Heim joints and the Harley tube clamps are my solution for allowing simple repositioning of support links and struts, which will likely be moved multiple times while searching for the best support and alignment placement. The brackets ultimately used on the side car frame might be welded in place once I decide on final locations for all the brackets.
I actually have two different ideas about how to connect the hack to bike, both fixed designs, not leaning wheel type.
I've started making up a couple of struts with clevis connections on both ends and one end adjustment using 1" steel tube and 1/2" grade 8 threaded rod. My basic design calls for five such links of differing lengths.
Rick C.
I actually have two different ideas about how to connect the hack to bike, both fixed designs, not leaning wheel type.
I've started making up a couple of struts with clevis connections on both ends and one end adjustment using 1" steel tube and 1/2" grade 8 threaded rod. My basic design calls for five such links of differing lengths.
Rick C.
Nice to see the pictures as it is coming along.
On my end, I took some time and got in contact with tech support at Max Torque about my clutch that was not grabbing. It was old and I cleaned it but still no go. Though mostly I it figured out by another persons video. This one said to put high temp synthetic grease on area of the shoes and support surfaces, but not on on the surfaces that touch the bell. I used it on the spring too. It works again after cleaning and sanding and the lube. I did however get a part for cheap from the Max Torque guy, that can help extend the short shaft on my engine and now fit a clutch on it. I am back to using two jack-shafts effective 19:1 and can go higher if needed. I climbed the steep private road from the bottom up to the public road. Looking to camp and ride off road soon.
On my end, I took some time and got in contact with tech support at Max Torque about my clutch that was not grabbing. It was old and I cleaned it but still no go. Though mostly I it figured out by another persons video. This one said to put high temp synthetic grease on area of the shoes and support surfaces, but not on on the surfaces that touch the bell. I used it on the spring too. It works again after cleaning and sanding and the lube. I did however get a part for cheap from the Max Torque guy, that can help extend the short shaft on my engine and now fit a clutch on it. I am back to using two jack-shafts effective 19:1 and can go higher if needed. I climbed the steep private road from the bottom up to the public road. Looking to camp and ride off road soon.
Thanks MT I'll keep them updated.
It's always good to hear sucessful repair details too. Riding and servicing bikes is a big part of this hobby. I ride my bikes 12 months a year and have used motor bicycles as my only means of transport for more than a decade now and enjoy riding now more than ever. Maintenence isn't that time consuming, but is mandatory to keep a bike, motorized or not, in service. Many don't and end up leaving the hobby.
Rick C.
It's always good to hear sucessful repair details too. Riding and servicing bikes is a big part of this hobby. I ride my bikes 12 months a year and have used motor bicycles as my only means of transport for more than a decade now and enjoy riding now more than ever. Maintenence isn't that time consuming, but is mandatory to keep a bike, motorized or not, in service. Many don't and end up leaving the hobby.
Rick C.
I heard about belt place from a friend who knows them and from what he said there just getting on the web and have decades of knowledge and great customer service... For when I do the predator build I got from a forum member... They have more than listed on the web if you call...
