sidecar connection problems

[jorrow]

Hooking up 1958 Harley sidecar frame to 1965 Harley chassis for the first time. The sidecar chassis front upper brace is not sliding over the front upper connector as seen in the picture as it appears they are mismatched. These are not aftermarket connectors. Did they change the size of the upper hookup.JPGconnector at some point so it doesn't match up to the hole of the brace? How far down does this normally come together?

[Chris Haynes]

You seem to be missing the spring. It isn't supposed to be all the way up the tapered boss. The spring keeps tension on it and holds it in place. The sidecar moves on its mounts. Look in the parts book to see correct assembly.

[jorrow]

Spring is there, all compressed under the nut, there was no room for the final washer, yes it wont go down over the tapered boss as the boss seems to be too large for the brace hole, or more precisely the boss barely captures the brace. I put the spring just to show it wont push down and to keep it all in place. Was there more than one size boss?

[Chris Haynes]

Only one size. You don't seem to understand that this setup shouldn't be tight together. Perhaps your center bolt is too short.

[jorrow]

side6.JPGside7.JPGI think if the brace would just slide over the hub all would be fine, but its not even close. I tried another brace as well, both same problem. I do appreciate your help.

[jorrow]

I guess I could do a little machining to the hub, or look around for a replacement. I'm not sure how far together they mesh, it must be a percentage in order to keep tension.

[rbackpage]

You need to work the two with a drumal drum sander. I just finished my 1964 car too a 1965 FLH.

[oldsouthmcy]

You have a late model, post-1984, sidecar frame brace. By party number, the one you should have is 87094-36A. H-D changed the upper mount & sidecar frame brace sometime after 1984 (don’t have any post-1984 catalogs to tell you when). They moved the upper mount connection from between the tanks to an off-sides mount connection. When doing so, they changed the mount’s connection from a tapered boss to a straight round boss and the sidecar frame brace went from a large tapered hole to a smaller round hole.

Look at eBay http://www.ebay.com/itm/NOS-LATE-HAR...ZYh6IB&vxp=mtr which has a later parts catalog view of the mount in its third picture. Also look at http://www.ebay.com/itm/harley-sidec...FYrdxA&vxp=mtr, it shows the round boss rusty and minus paint from the frame brace running on it.

While you can try to modify the later frame brace, you will be much better off finding the correct brace. As I recall, the later brace also has a slight different angle which would keep it from riding correctly on the early mount should you find someone to machine the taper bore it would need to work with the earlier frame mount.

[55tmm]

I also connected a '58 sidecar to my '65 bike, I am in the process of installing adjustable triple trees, tried without, I didn't like right turns....
Here is a close-up of my front connection, I agree with Bruce, wrong brace.

[jorrow]

Thanks for all your help guys, will get back when I get the right parts together. And 55tmm thank you for the pic, it always helps.

[Rollo]

Todd if your issue with right turns is the side car coming up adjustable triple trees isn't going to stop that. I had a 66 hand shift police bike with side car and had them stretched out and it still came up on right hand turns. It physics. You are steering into and immovable third wheel on the side car. It can't over come that and has no place to go but up. While the adj. trees might help it some it will not stop it. I rode that bike for 12 years before I sold it so I had planet of time on it and it takes a bit of getting used to the fact that you have all that extra out there. Got a side car for a 41 knuckle put have held off putting it back on as it makes it harder to work on that side of the bike having to lean over the side car to do anything. They are fun and useful but also have some draw backs and definitely take some getting used to on riding style.

Tom (Rollo) Hardy
AMCA #12766

[55tmm]

Rollo,
I haven't had much issues with it coming up as much as not wanting to steer into a hard right turn with it, I've been told the adjustable trees will help with that in giving it more trail.
I know it takes some getting used to and it was fairly new to me when I took it on the Blue ridge Road run last year, the Parkway with those descending radius turns was probably not a good place to start getting used to a sidecar rig, I was happy to make it to the end of the Parkway.
Thanks for your input.

[Rollo]

Todd I agree that the Blue Ridge run was probably not the best place to learn side car techniques but since we all survived it you are that much more experienced for the effort! Since my 66 had the side car on almost the whole time I had it and I had the trees out you may be right. The adj. were made for a reason and probably helped with handling but hard right turns are not what side cars were designed for any way and mostly at low speed since most were used by police or delivery services. Good pic in the lower parking lot but where is Mama? See you at Oley!

Tom (Rollo) Hardy
AMCA #12766

[Chris Haynes]

When I rode my sidecar rig over US 50 heading to Lake Tahoe I had to have the left side of my ass on the right side of the seat to keep the wheel down in the twisties.

[T. Cotten]

Good grief, Folks!

Those very slow speed limits on Interstate ramps are specifically for hacks. Step on the brake, and the tub comes right down.

If you expect to power into stiff curves, either get a healthy passenger, like a Labrador Retriever, or a bag o' window weights.
(If you are on a long trip, the tub should be full of supplies anyway.)

An empty tub on a run is a modern novelty,.. Like a cell phone replacing a fourteen-pound tool bag.

....Cotten
PS: Yes, that's a '65, although the pooch was only half Lab'.
PPS: Chris!
You never thought of putting your weight on your right foot on the hack frame?
That's how most of the hack VINs were 'erased'.