I recently ordered a single spring girder fork, 1" threaded, that looks the part of an Enfield and appears robust as well. It may work as ordered or require substantial changes, but it's entirely possible that it won't suit me at all.
I also got a good start on the swing axle triangle which will be quite compact, sized to fit the 17" wheel & 2.50" tire combination. I've decided to stay away from the wider tires as I'd like to hold the un-sprung weight down, as the bare wheels are 6 lbs. each & with the 2.5" tire & heavy tube totaling 10 lbs. without sprocket and brakes.
The swing arm will pivot from the rear of a "Keystone" style engine mount, similar to the one I built for my HD Pea shooter bike. The mount will serve three main functions, motor mount, primary side car mount & lower swing arm pivot point. I'm only looking for 3.5" to 4" of travel for the rear and with a well sprung saddle I'm expecting a pretty comfortable ride. I'm also planing to use a 10.5" to 12" long mono shock suspension to couple the top of the swing axle to the primary bike frame, not a stump jumper for certain.
If the current Yamaha 250 cc V Star bike specs are correct the weight is 325 lbs. with a 58" wheel base & 27" saddle height mounted with 16" & 18" wheels. I believe my bikes target weight of just under 200 lbs. is quite feasible and adding 75 lbs. for the sidecar means I'm still under the factory bikes weight without a car. Test speeds seems to hover around 85 mph after break in of the factory bike, so I'd say I'll have plenty of power to put put around with an adult passenger in the sidecar rig... with either engine, be it Predator or 5 speed Virago. Dare Devil from Oz reported his Virago 250 cc build to have almost reached a 100 mph piloted by the current owner....light weight does make a significant impact on performance! Rick C.
Rick C.