Author Topic: HELP  (Read 25285 times)

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MrMike

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Reply #45 on: September 21, 2013, 04:43:24 am
AwL
I would like to take one of the courses offered by USA.  Everything I've seen offered would require big time travel and time away from obligations here.  I'm in south MS and cannot even find someone to compare notes with. 

Arizoni
What you say seems logical.  But, at 40 and below I cannot feel any pull in steering.  Pulls right on acceleration and left when down shifting or braking.  I think the objective is to find the point where you get the least amount in either direction. Balance (?). Have a friend who is a welder and has a nice shop with an even floor.  Hope that next week we can losen all the attaching mounts and try to balance (?) the rig.  Have to do something, getting very uneven ware on the sidecar tire. 

Have also had a godawful time with the fender mount on the car.  Vibrated lose (second time) and lost the rear mounting bolt.  Fabricated one from half inch allthread and had fender patched/welded where it cracked.  Much solider than original mount.  Vibration seems to be a continuous problem.  Late now but will post more later about exhaust pipe falling off (at 55 MPH)!

Maybe I've contracted some kind of "Enfield" desease but I still love it.  Went to a school sponsored 5K run this evening and had eight people ask for a ride.  Even the cop providing the motorcycle escort said the bike was cool. 

More later.

Mike B
2011 G5 Deluxe w/Kozi Rocket
2009 V-Star 950 Tourer w/Velorex 562
1999 Honda VT 1100 T w/Dauntless Tandem


High On Octane

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Reply #46 on: September 21, 2013, 02:23:25 pm
Get used to the bolts rattling off.  I thought I had used Loc-Tite on all the obvious places, but I still loose something, or something breaks about every tank of gas.  It's frustrating, but now I'm in the habit of every week or so I go around the bike and tighten everything I can put a wrench or socket on.

Scottie
2001 Harley Davidson Road King


mplayle

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Reply #47 on: September 21, 2013, 02:38:35 pm
Sidecar alignment is indeed critical.  The Cozy sidecar you have is a "free-wheel" type - no brake on the sidecar.  As such you will always get some pull right on acceleration (sidecar 'dragging') and left pull on deceleration (sidecar 'pushing').  If you have the handbook mentioned in earlier posts by others, it provides a better explanation.

The tire wear on the sidecar will be the alignment.  I don't recall if the handbook explains the proper alignment.  I am inclined to say it needs to be as straight ahead as possible for left-right alignment.  For the vertical alignment, the bike and sidecar are supposed to lean very slightly away from each other according to stuff I have read.  I seem to recall it being something like 1 to 1.5 degrees is all.


MrMike

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Reply #48 on: September 23, 2013, 05:00:50 am
Again it's late and I don't have much time.  For sure I have too much lean on the car.  When I bought it, he said 4 degrees lean out.  Hope to get a chance to realign it some time this week.  The info at http://www.cyclesidecar.com/Guides/enfield.html  really looks to be helpful. More later.

Mike B

2011 G5 Deluxe w/Kozi Rocket
2009 V-Star 950 Tourer w/Velorex 562
1999 Honda VT 1100 T w/Dauntless Tandem


motomataya

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Reply #49 on: September 23, 2013, 10:14:30 pm
The more you lean the motorcycle out the less toe in you need on the side car. Less toe in makes the tires last longer. Normal is about 1 degree out and about an inch or a little less toe in, measured just in front of the front tire and just behind the rear.


MrMike

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Reply #50 on: October 01, 2013, 02:12:47 am
motomataya
Thank you for this insight.  Last Friday we totally realigned the car.  It is now level and looks much better.  However, it is pulling to the right.  The higher the speed the worse the pull; the more weight in the car the worse the pull.  Have not measured the actual lean on the bike but it is obviously leaning in, which is all wrong.  Will try it again....  :-\ 

Getting to be somewhat of a pain, but I still like riding this thing.  We'll get it together one day.

Mike
2011 G5 Deluxe w/Kozi Rocket
2009 V-Star 950 Tourer w/Velorex 562
1999 Honda VT 1100 T w/Dauntless Tandem


MrMike

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Reply #51 on: October 01, 2013, 02:15:23 am
I'm also getting extreme uneven wear on the car tire.  Suspect it is due to the lean angle being wrong.  Will try to post a picture tomorrow. 
2011 G5 Deluxe w/Kozi Rocket
2009 V-Star 950 Tourer w/Velorex 562
1999 Honda VT 1100 T w/Dauntless Tandem


MrMike

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Reply #52 on: April 29, 2014, 02:01:44 am
Hello All
Had some fun today (?).  Had to adjust the chain.  Think the hardest part was getting her up on the center stand so the back wheel could freewheel. I jacked the sidecar up and then found out I did not have to.   After close examination, I realize I should adjusted the chain sooner.  The left side cam that sets the spacing was not up against the pin that is supposed to hold it at the same distance on both sides.  It must have come from the factory/dealer like this.  Guess I am really lucking I did not have slippage.  Put about 60 miles on it after the adjustment and she is running good.  Again, I found the YouTube info posted by singh5g to be extremely helpful.  If you have not seen his posting, I highly recommend you check them out. 
2011 G5 Deluxe w/Kozi Rocket
2009 V-Star 950 Tourer w/Velorex 562
1999 Honda VT 1100 T w/Dauntless Tandem


MrMike

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Reply #53 on: May 15, 2014, 04:09:48 am
New tires on the rig.  Guess I did okay.  Got 4,281 miles out of the originals.   :)  I really like the look of the Heidenau I got for the other rig.  So, bought their K34 3.25X19 for the front and the car.  Price was good, $107 each.  They make a square profile for the rear but only in 18 inch max.  Settled for an Avon sidecar triple duty MK2 3.50X19.  Wasn't sure if the 4.00X19 would fit.   :-\  Will update when I get a few miles on them. 

By the way, all three tires were wearing even.  Think this means I got the balance on the sidecar straightened out, for the time being anyway.    :) 
2011 G5 Deluxe w/Kozi Rocket
2009 V-Star 950 Tourer w/Velorex 562
1999 Honda VT 1100 T w/Dauntless Tandem


DanKearney

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Reply #54 on: May 15, 2014, 08:49:35 pm
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MrMike

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Reply #55 on: May 16, 2014, 03:59:40 am
Had the tires put on at a local shop.  He is a small time operation and I want to help him out.  Besides, I'm getting old and my time is more valuable nowadays.  ::)

Picked the rig up this afternoon.  Wow! Or should I say Whoa.  Changing tires changed the way the rig sits, for lack of a better term.  Handlebars feel like they are  at a different angle (?).   ??? Handling is okay at low speeds.  Then it pulls to the right as you accelerate above 50.  Much more pronounced with a rider in the car.  Hope to go back tomorrow and confirm they did not change anything on the car mounts.  Don't see why they would have.  (?) 

Also note that she seems to be straining harder to maintain speed (higher RPMs to reach same speed).  Don't know if a larger diamiter on the rear tire would have changed the ratio of the drive wheel causing the need for higher RPM.  Does this make any sense?   For sure having tread pattern on the front makes a big difference over the grooved Avon that was on it.  My impression is; I can feel the road more.  Again, does this make any sense? 

What ever way it goes, I'm still having fun with this rig.  Owner of the shop said he had a bunch of questions about the Enfield while it was sitting there.   :)  She should be ready for the big sidecar ralley in SC next month. 
2011 G5 Deluxe w/Kozi Rocket
2009 V-Star 950 Tourer w/Velorex 562
1999 Honda VT 1100 T w/Dauntless Tandem


MrMike

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Reply #56 on: May 28, 2014, 06:23:26 am
Drove the rig twice since the new tires were put on.  Parked it for five days while out of area.  Came back and rear tire was flat. Tried to air it up and it would not take air (?).  Bought a pack of valves and put a new one in.  Still would not take air (?).  Had daughter assist and we discovered air was leaking around the spokes (!).  I am assuming the tube is torn or some such problem.  Will remove back wheel and take it back to the shop that installed the tire tomorrow. 

Very discouraging.  We want to ride!
2011 G5 Deluxe w/Kozi Rocket
2009 V-Star 950 Tourer w/Velorex 562
1999 Honda VT 1100 T w/Dauntless Tandem


MrMike

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Reply #57 on: July 08, 2014, 03:35:45 am
An update.

Had some serious electrical problems, all discussed in the UCE section of the forum.  Got the rig running and took it to the United Sidecare Association national rally in SC.  The trip up was hell.  Hoped for two and a half days there and wound up with one. Misread wife's flight schedule and left a day late. Had the rig on a trailer.  Ran into a hail storm.  Interstate was shutdown.  Truck overheated.  Wound up spending a night with brother-in-law in GA!  Got one full day there.  The rig was running good but had no time to clean it up.  Met some great sidecar freaks and saw some awesome rigs.  Just about everyone was impressed with the G5/Rocket rig.  It is a show stopper.  Got home and was going to the post office the next day and she died!!!!  Couldn't find the cause.  Took it to the shop and they found a relay under the hotdog cover that had fallen out of it's socket.  $68 dollars latter she is running great.  Still love my Enfield.....    ::)
2011 G5 Deluxe w/Kozi Rocket
2009 V-Star 950 Tourer w/Velorex 562
1999 Honda VT 1100 T w/Dauntless Tandem


waldopic

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Reply #58 on: September 22, 2014, 11:56:45 pm
I just bought an Inder sidecar to mount on my military c5.  It arrived damaged in the crate(fende dented) and with zero instructions.  Not even a parts list.  Dealer/supplier was no help what so ever.
Does anyone have a couple of decent photos of the sidecar installed.  What I've found online has not been helpful.  I understand there is a lot of tweaking and adjusting to get it right, I just need to find the starting point, the mounting positions and the hardware placement.
Thanks in advance.


MrMike

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Reply #59 on: March 05, 2015, 04:53:33 am
A not so quick reply.  ;D
Been out of the net for awhile but have some updates that may be of interest.  I continued to have electrical problems and about gave  up.  Seemed like it would not hold a charge, even with the new battery.  When I put a meter on it, after jump starting, I could watch the voltage steadily drop as soon as I turned it off.  Finally took it to my local shop and had them run tests on every thing in the electrical circuit.  I thought there was a short to ground somewhere and couldn't find it.  It was charging correctly and they could find no grounding out anywhere in the system.  Conclusion = the battery was bad (?).  The shop owner has an old BMW rig and runs it with a large (read car sized)  :o  battery in the trunk.  Suggested I do the same.  They rigged it up and now all seems to be working fine.  They just pulled the battery out and extended the leads for the positive and negative and ran them over to the car and up into the trunk.  Last week when it was down below freezing (unusual here   8) ) it fired right up on the first try.  Only drawbacks I can see are 1) I lost some storage space & 2) you cannot separate the car from the bike,easily.  Didn't plan on doing that anyway.  Put about 25 miles on it today with our new four legged friend, Kozi.  The wife was in the car with her for her first real ride.  She, the dog, is only about 10 weeks old and seems like she is going to do well.  The wife has been doing pretty good all along.   :-X
2011 G5 Deluxe w/Kozi Rocket
2009 V-Star 950 Tourer w/Velorex 562
1999 Honda VT 1100 T w/Dauntless Tandem