[Joe28]

We were having a Memorial day picnic, and of course the guys migrated over to the bike shed to "talk guy talk".
We rolled my military rig out, and they looked at this and that.
Then it happened!
"Hey dude! looka the rubber bands on the side car mount! They're all dry rotted and cracked"!
What, I JUST put the side car on in March?
I had seem the cracks but thought I had painted the rubber parts and it was the paint cracking.
The 3 rubber cushioning? bands on both sides are just about cracked through?
Is this a normal thing?
Where, or where did I go wrong?
It was enamel paint?
Joe
If it's not one thing, it's another!

[UncleErnie]

Mr Joe,  I don't know why you would paint rubber parts, but I can't imagine it would do them any good...
Anyhoo- I used to have an old Steib that used big rubber bands to suspend the tub, but they lasted many years.  Maybe yours sat in a warehouse for a REALLY long time?  In any event, it's time to replace them.
Sorry ~

[Geirskogul]

Don't use enamel paint.  Use a vinyl dye or something like Krylon Fusion for plastic/rubber parts.  I swear by krylon, but everyone has their preference. 

[Joe28]

Yeah, I should tape them off or removed them when I was painting it, but, you know, in a freakin hurry!
Yeah, I gotta get Knew ones, I'm making a list of goodies to get at CMW, but my bigger bikes are using my charge card now, so I gotta wait til they get done!
Joe
So many goodies, so few$$!

[jezzicaz789]

We were having a Memorial day picnic, and of course the guys migrated over to the bike shed to "talk guy talk".
We rolled my military rig out, and they looked at this and that.
Then it happened!
"Hey dude! looka the rubber bands on the side car mount! They're all dry rotted and cracked"!
What, I JUST put the side car on in March?
I had seem the cracks but thought I had painted the rubber parts and it was the paint cracking.
The 3 rubber cushioning? bands on both sides are just about cracked through?
Is this a normal thing?
Where, or where did I go wrong?
It was enamel paint?
Joe
If it's not one thing, it's another!

Thank you for the post.
Hi guys, Im a newbie. Nice to join this forum.

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[Ice]

HI jezzicaz789,
 Welcome aboard.

[rivers]

Yeah, I should tape them off or removed them when I was painting it, but, you know, in a freakin hurry!

Next time before you paint put a coat of grease or petrolem jelly on the bits you don't want paint on. Later wipe off with a rag.

[Joe28]

JUMPIN' SIDECARS!!!!!!
I just looked at the rubber mounts on my Cozy.
1 year and they are starting to split toooo!
wtf?
Ok, so I enamel painted the last one, but these babys are O-natual-ell.
Anyone else's splitting? or am I just a lucky fool?
Joe
Maybe the rig was abucted by aliens, and the pressures of space travel cracked them?

[Ducati Scotty]

If you could find the space for it, maybe a 'safety' loop of nylon webbing would be a good idea on each side.  This way if you're out riding and all the bands part like the Red Sea, at least the nylon web would catch the tub and keep it from falling.  You can find strong nylon webbing sold by the foot at any mountaineering store.

Scott

[Joe28]

Why that's a Cracker Jack of an idea, (my uncle used to say that all the time, instead of good idea, it was a "Cracker Jack" of an idea. Come to think of it, I don't know why he said that, I NEVER saw him eat any of it, or say he liked it? Oh well, he was shell shock from WW2)!
It might also make them last longer as they won't stretch as much, (I never carry anyone in it, just my "stuff".
Just odd that the "new" ones lasted only a year.
Seems this is this bikes M.O.
It'll work flawlessly, then all of a sudden 10,000,000 little things go, (even though I'm always checking and doing P.M. on it)
All winter it was a work horse, now it's sick all the time.
Maybe it's telling me I should move to where it's always warm?
Joe
Honey,
 I'm sorry but the bike isn't happy here, so I've quit my J.O.B., sold the house, and loaded up all our furniture while you were out. We're moving south.
I never saw the punch!

[Ducati Scotty]

Don't make it too tight of a loop.  Mountain climbing webbing does not stretch so as soon as it catches the rig will stop moving in its suspension. 

Oh, and I think 'cracker jack' was common slang for 'really cool' back in the day of your uncle's generation.  I think the candy was named after it, not the other way around.  Regardless, it's a cool saying.  I'll try to use it at least three times this week at work just to see what reactions I get    People already look at me like a fossil if I say something is 'rad'.

Scott

[UncleErnie]

Used to have this problem with Steibs.  You'd just get a bad batch now and then.  I guess rubber bits' manufacturing is a bit spotty...
Same deal with the rubber in the BMW R69S vibration dampener.  Sometimes I'd feel something different, take the front cover off and see what looked like an explosion at a rubber factory.