Hi!
The diesel enfield is near to completion (and perfection ofcourse )
So I'm daydreaming of a extra little project:
A luggagetrailer or sidecar! My question: how realistic wil it be on a 10 HP diesel? And what is your opinoin: sidecart or luggagetrailer?
My opinion: the sidecart looks great and gives a lot of space and a nice seat for the passenger but it will catch more wind than the trailer.
I've never driven a motorbike with sidecart. Is'nt it quite boring in comparisson with 2 wheels?
trailer: the bike wil me narrower what makes it easyer to drive in traffic. The sidecart can only hold luggage but wil give a more playfull bike to drive with.
below some photo's to give a general view of the idea. Tell me your experience or opinoin!
http://www.tagalongtrailers.info/ygp49c.jpg
http://www.suzuki-lohre.com/images/1005334.jpg
sidecart or luggage cart
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Re: sidecart or luggage cart
Driving a sidecar is different in comparisson with 2 wheels, not boring!travelcrazy wrote: I've never driven a motorbike with sidecart. Is'nt it quite boring in comparisson with 2 wheels?
Anyway it will be very difficult to drive between the cars to cross a traffic jam with a trailer. Even my Cargo boxes are to big for this. If you are fixt to the car ways everything below 2.60 m feels narrow when I drive it.
A trailer has the advantage that you can easily take it off and leave it. Even when it is on your bike it will not flatten your tires as a sidecar does.
A sidecar is more stable when the streets are going slickly in winter times.
Also Different countrys have different laws. In Germany, for example, you are only allowed to drive 60 km/h (38 mph) with a trailer behind a motorcycle. Which is, in fact, the reason why trailers are rare in Germany.
That's what I am thinking about. I have a sidecar and a solo motorbike at the moment so I can change between them if I like or if one breaks down.
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Re: sidecart or luggage cart
I'll want to travel with the enfield. Long distance trip and in the future (after completion of my current study) a journey of a year or so.
With that I want the best option to take luggage.
Sidecart in mud/gravel: no falling and nice and stable, "easy riding" and yes one wheel draging me to the right the entire trip.
luggage cart in mud/gravel: ???
I've travelt with GS500 & KLE 500 both good strong machines but more power and fuel consumption than I need I generaly I know what I'm doing
With that I want the best option to take luggage.
Sidecart in mud/gravel: no falling and nice and stable, "easy riding" and yes one wheel draging me to the right the entire trip.
luggage cart in mud/gravel: ???
I've travelt with GS500 & KLE 500 both good strong machines but more power and fuel consumption than I need I generaly I know what I'm doing
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Re: sidecart or luggage cart
A motorcycle turns buy whats called counersteering or negative steering, in other words you turn the wrong way initially. Easy to do and everbody does it without thinking about it, if you didnt you would fall off. A motorcycle with a sidecar works like a car. Go right steer right. A trailer on a motorcycle can be 1 wheel or 2 wheel, in England 2 wheeled trailers can only be 1m in width, if you travel off the main roads the tyres of the trailer are on a different part of the road to the bike, and so if you avoid a pothole the trailer probably wont. Also when braking and cornering the trailer is trying to push the back of the bike out of the corner. A 1 wheeled trailer, is different, follows the bike perfectly, is going round the corner at the same angle as the bike and so no push. I have one and apart from seeing it in the mirrors you wouldnt know it was there.
Hope this helps.
Hope this helps.
Sam
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Re: sidecart or luggage cart
I know the counterstering is a great thing to exlpain to people (they dont believe that they do that when riding a bicycle)
I'm thinking of the sidecart: posibble to take a passenger en lots of room.
Also no problem with falling over on muddy tracks. Quite easy to build. Link the brake with the rearwheel brake of the bike. And design a 3 bolt system to connect en disconnect the sidecart.
I'm thinking of the sidecart: posibble to take a passenger en lots of room.
Also no problem with falling over on muddy tracks. Quite easy to build. Link the brake with the rearwheel brake of the bike. And design a 3 bolt system to connect en disconnect the sidecart.
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Re: sidecart or luggage cart
I've had both sidecars and trailer and done thousands of miles with each including about a thousand miles with my current diesel pulling a two wheeled trailer with a dog in it..
If you don't want to carry a passenger I'd go with a trailer. Sidecars are fun but sap power and kill top speed and most diesels have modest power to start with I certainly wouldn't recommend it for a 10 hp bike. My friend who has studied automotive engineering says that total frontal area of a vehicle is the most important factor of a vehicle drag and hence top speed and with a sidecar you are probably almost doubling that. I've had both sidecars and trailers and have currently retired my sidecar in favour of a two wheeled trailer behind my diesel bike. I use it for commuting to work and every day use. Other advantages to consider are that you're stuck with a sidecar on the bike as there is no real easy way of making them quickly detachable and still maintain correct wheel alignment whereas a trailer can simply be uncoupled or re-attached for each trip. I also have better success parking in my crowded street with the detachable trailer than a sidecar which needs a whole car parking space. I'm not trying to be anti sidecar, I really love owning and using one but this is all in context with a lower powered bike and luggage capacity.
I've had both types of trailer, single and two wheeled. Both are fine and don't adversely affect the bikes handling or speed plus you can still filter through the traffic if you are brave enough, especially with a single wheeled one. You can feel the weight of the one wheeled trailer in much the same way as you can feel the extra weight of full panniers or a well behaved pillion. With the dog in it I could feel when she leaned from left to right in much the same way as a pillion looking over your left shoulder then over the right one. There was also a bit of extra momentum when banking into a fast tight corner but that was pulling it behind a 1200 Bandit so probably dosnt apply here The two wheeled one has hardly any affect on the bike at all except a lower top speed climbing hills. The flat road top speed is almost unaffected and that is with a large Rottweiler in it
I deliberately put the coupling as close to rear wheel axle height as possible so any push on the bike from the trailer would be neutral and it kind of works as far as I can tell. As for riding style I am more cautious towing than being solo as stopping distances are increased and I hope to never get into a rear wheel skid when banked over with a trailer pushing me into a jackknife as its bound to end in tears.
The only other thing to consider is the trailer coupling bracketery. It has to be strong and rigid. In addition to the push / pull forces of a two wheeled trailer the single wheeled trailer will have torsional forces and if there is any flex at all in the coupling subframe it will coil up like a spring (even just a little bit) and then uncoil, this will tend to somehow start an oscillation with the bike and put you into a weave. I've seen it on my earliest trailer experiment and I've seen it with a friends failed attempt which weaved with almost comical affect. And like any trailer you need to balance the trailer with weight forwards or it will be unstable.
This is my current setup. A two wheeled trailer, used to go to part time workplace three times a week and probably totalling over 200 miles a week.
This is my old single wheeled trailer that I've stopped using in favour of the two wheeled version. At a show last year.
I recently fitted to a friends bike and he is doing just fine with it. This is from last weekends camping doo.
If you don't want to carry a passenger I'd go with a trailer. Sidecars are fun but sap power and kill top speed and most diesels have modest power to start with I certainly wouldn't recommend it for a 10 hp bike. My friend who has studied automotive engineering says that total frontal area of a vehicle is the most important factor of a vehicle drag and hence top speed and with a sidecar you are probably almost doubling that. I've had both sidecars and trailers and have currently retired my sidecar in favour of a two wheeled trailer behind my diesel bike. I use it for commuting to work and every day use. Other advantages to consider are that you're stuck with a sidecar on the bike as there is no real easy way of making them quickly detachable and still maintain correct wheel alignment whereas a trailer can simply be uncoupled or re-attached for each trip. I also have better success parking in my crowded street with the detachable trailer than a sidecar which needs a whole car parking space. I'm not trying to be anti sidecar, I really love owning and using one but this is all in context with a lower powered bike and luggage capacity.
I've had both types of trailer, single and two wheeled. Both are fine and don't adversely affect the bikes handling or speed plus you can still filter through the traffic if you are brave enough, especially with a single wheeled one. You can feel the weight of the one wheeled trailer in much the same way as you can feel the extra weight of full panniers or a well behaved pillion. With the dog in it I could feel when she leaned from left to right in much the same way as a pillion looking over your left shoulder then over the right one. There was also a bit of extra momentum when banking into a fast tight corner but that was pulling it behind a 1200 Bandit so probably dosnt apply here The two wheeled one has hardly any affect on the bike at all except a lower top speed climbing hills. The flat road top speed is almost unaffected and that is with a large Rottweiler in it
I deliberately put the coupling as close to rear wheel axle height as possible so any push on the bike from the trailer would be neutral and it kind of works as far as I can tell. As for riding style I am more cautious towing than being solo as stopping distances are increased and I hope to never get into a rear wheel skid when banked over with a trailer pushing me into a jackknife as its bound to end in tears.
The only other thing to consider is the trailer coupling bracketery. It has to be strong and rigid. In addition to the push / pull forces of a two wheeled trailer the single wheeled trailer will have torsional forces and if there is any flex at all in the coupling subframe it will coil up like a spring (even just a little bit) and then uncoil, this will tend to somehow start an oscillation with the bike and put you into a weave. I've seen it on my earliest trailer experiment and I've seen it with a friends failed attempt which weaved with almost comical affect. And like any trailer you need to balance the trailer with weight forwards or it will be unstable.
This is my current setup. A two wheeled trailer, used to go to part time workplace three times a week and probably totalling over 200 miles a week.
This is my old single wheeled trailer that I've stopped using in favour of the two wheeled version. At a show last year.
I recently fitted to a friends bike and he is doing just fine with it. This is from last weekends camping doo.
Kubota Z482 which is plodding on with unnerving reliability. Three years so far.
1900 Diesel Bike being rebuilt with better clutch control.
1900 Diesel Bike being rebuilt with better clutch control.
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Re: sidecart or luggage cart
Hi!
That are good photo's thanks! Is there a big difference in topspeed when driving with or without cart?
How is the handeling? I cant see a brake on the luggage cart.
Is it not needed on steep mountain tracks or emergency stops?
That are good photo's thanks! Is there a big difference in topspeed when driving with or without cart?
How is the handeling? I cant see a brake on the luggage cart.
Is it not needed on steep mountain tracks or emergency stops?
Re: sidecart or luggage cart
Hi Mouse. Very inventive re the trailer, but I wonder what the poor dog's experience is of having diesel or petrol fumes pumped in its face for hours on end! John.