Author Topic: New Hacker rides it home (Read 4890 times)

wolfeguitars · « **on:** May 13, 2019, 01:58:09 PM »

Been riding 2 wheels for decades and at 73 I developed an urge to try a sidecar rig. Read up plenty & felt ready. Bought a ,02 Guzzi California with a Velorex 565, 619 miles away, sight unseen. The seller was honest & it's in excellent shape- looks new & runs terrific. Concluded the deal at 1:00 in Augusta, GA & knew storms were predicted for 3-4pm! I rode around town for bout an hour to get comfortable (what a difference!!) and struck out on better back roads going south. Torrential rains & high winds arrived on schedule. Now I can't see all that well, had no ballast (wind buffeting galore- with the occasional tree blown down just to illustrate my folly) and was navi-guessing with what remains of my brain. Got lost a couple times. Gotta say- folks are so very nice & helpful to lost fools. Decided to hop on I-95 to make better time. How bad can it be on a Saturday? WHY IS EVERYONE TRAVELLING ON SAT. AFTERNOON? I'm now clad in a dryrider suit & doing about 55 in the right lane- which is the beat to all hell truck lane! Spent the night in Brunswick- rained all night- and saddled up early Sunday. Rained all the way home, but the Guzzi never missed a beat. Arrived shaking from hypothermia and exhausted BUT VERY happy. Next morning I bailed 2" of water from the tub (HEY! drain holes would be clever). Cleaned her and put her away for a couple days. Been riding her around town & I believe its a keeper. Gettin' smoother & enjoying that beast.

Dave Swanson · « **Reply #1 on:** May 13, 2019, 02:02:44 PM »

Great story! I should say that you had quite the bonding session!!

Roebling3 · « **Reply #2 on:** May 13, 2019, 02:10:31 PM »

You are a brave courageous and determined soul. Good on you!
Best wishes for sunny days and great rides. Special thanks for sharing your experience with the rest of us; including this octogenarian.
Good fortune, R3~

kballowe · « **Reply #3 on:** May 13, 2019, 02:11:23 PM »

Wow.

Dave Swanson · « **Reply #4 on:** May 13, 2019, 02:50:48 PM »

That's one way to get some ballast I guess!😀

Chuck in Indiana · « **Reply #5 on:** May 13, 2019, 03:00:38 PM »

Now that you lived throuh bringing it home.. I'm serious here..

take a sidecar course. There are a few things about them that might get you killed. They are perfectly capable of doing you in on a right..or.. left turn as you get more confident.

s1120 · « **Reply #6 on:** May 13, 2019, 03:01:12 PM »

Nice... self adding ballast. Awesome. Sounds like with all that you had a nice time, and have a great story!

Frenchfrog · « **Reply #7 on:** May 13, 2019, 03:34:14 PM »

Brave man ! riding a combo isn't exactly the same or intuative!!!!!!

twowings · « **Reply #8 on:** May 13, 2019, 05:43:20 PM »

Get some rubber floor plugs from a dealer in vintage CJ-5/7 parts, drill some holes, and you can drain/washout tub whenever necessary...

Cam3512 · « **Reply #9 on:** May 13, 2019, 06:07:16 PM »

The guy that bought my V7 Special just rode it home from NJ to Denver. Took the long way back - 2,500 miles, much of it rain. The Guzzi never missed a beat, and he’s 77 years young. 11 days.

jwinwi · « **Reply #10 on:** May 13, 2019, 06:22:48 PM »

Thank you for giving us youngsters hope for the future! Will truly be enjoying my golden years if I'm still riding at 77 or even 73!

Ncdan · « **Reply #11 on:** May 13, 2019, 06:30:48 PM »

How about some pictures of the beast:)

drdwb · « **Reply #12 on:** May 13, 2019, 06:39:23 PM »

Nice story. I’m with Chuck on taking a class, it helped me. 2 thoughts, big empty parking lots are great playgrounds, in a pinch a couple of 35 Lb plastic kitty litter containers make great practice ballast.
There is a difference in riding a bike and driving a bike, I predict you develop great forearm strength by the time you learn. Good luck, and have fun.

Rich A · « **Reply #13 on:** May 13, 2019, 06:46:09 PM »

One thing that helped steer my rig (Jackal/Texas) was to put a set of the wide Bassa handlebars on it. I also got the 3-trees modified by Steerite, but I'm pretty sure they are no longer doing that, unfortunately.

Rich A

Testarossa · « **Reply #14 on:** May 13, 2019, 06:58:37 PM »

Quote

Get some rubber floor plugs from a dealer in vintage CJ-5/7 parts, drill some holes, and you can drain/washout tub whenever necessary...

Install a self-bailer!

https://andersenwinches.com/aw/bailers.asp?RnID=411

wolfeguitars · « **Reply #15 on:** May 13, 2019, 08:10:35 PM »

Ya know, it did handle better the last 50 miles with all the water. I'm having a tonneau made that should solve the water incursion. Came with one but it was in poor shape. I'll take some pics when I get her back together, as I just disassembled the car to have a crack I spotted welded, add some reinforcement (ballast for free) and perform some touchup painting on the frame where it wasn't done well from the factory. There's no rust but I do live & ride near salt water. Taking the car apart allows me to examine the frame closely for any other cracks. Velorex are not known for sturdy frames, but I don't plan to go off road (intentionally) nor spend much time on any Interstate. May as well add some strength while the welder is in there.
I will endeavor to attend a proper training course as I can. I realize the real benefit from that. This forum has been a valuable resource that I appreciate.

Chuck in Indiana · « **Reply #16 on:** May 13, 2019, 08:15:36 PM »

Quote

Taking the car apart allows me to examine the frame closely for any other cracks.

That gets you an Attaboy.

Welcome to WG, btw..

Rich A · « **Reply #17 on:** May 13, 2019, 08:37:47 PM »

Sounds as though you're going about things in a thoughtful way.

The USCA site (sidecar.com) is a good resource. Click on the <Sidecar Tech> button on that site for info on lots of relevant topics.

Rich A

kingoffleece · « **Reply #18 on:** May 14, 2019, 05:25:36 AM »

David Hough has a book "Driving a sidecar outfit" that's worth it's weight in gold. DO NOT fail to practice your right hand turns until you can't get it wrong. You can find yourself on the wrong side of a curve before you know it. Tip: you CAN pivot to the right by using the FRONT brake hard. Practice this in a parking lot. It may save your life. No joke.

adaven · « **Reply #19 on:** May 14, 2019, 07:15:30 AM »

Quote

There is a difference in riding a bike and driving a bike

After driving it home I am sure you know this, but you might want to remind yourself, everytime you start it up, until it becomes a part of your habitual behavior system, that you are driving, not riding.

cookiemech · « **Reply #20 on:** May 14, 2019, 07:33:03 AM »

You don't really remember the easy rides you take on nice days, but you'll always remember this one!

Good for you.

BrotherJim · « **Reply #21 on:** May 14, 2019, 12:15:36 PM »

White knuckle action! Wow! I would not have survived.

guzzisteve · « **Reply #22 on:** May 14, 2019, 04:37:34 PM »

Here ya go, loads of info--------https://sidecar.com/forum/

Florida has a fairly active sidecar club just like GA. I have seen 1/4" plate laid on the frame under the tub for ballast.
Enjoy the ride.

bigbikerrick · « **Reply #23 on:** May 14, 2019, 05:17:57 PM »

Quote from: adaven on May 14, 2019, 07:15:30 AM

After driving it home I am sure you know this, but you might want to remind yourself, everytime you start it up, until it becomes a part of your habitual behavior system, that you are driving, not riding.

How do you pivot to the right by using the front brake hard? On my rig, when I apply the brakes, be it front, or rear, it pulls to the left, when I accelerate, it pulls to the right.
Rick.

kingoffleece · « **Reply #24 on:** May 15, 2019, 05:36:34 AM »

It's all in the book

drdwb · « **Reply #25 on:** May 15, 2019, 08:01:12 AM »

This is how my rig seems to work also. I’ll have to reread the book to learn the brake pull to the right trick. My understanding is momentum of the rig versus pull of the bike is what makes accelerating pull the bike to the right and brakes force the bike to the left.

How do you pivot to the right by using the front brake hard? On my rig, when I apply the brakes, be it front, or rear, it pulls to the left, when I accelerate, it pulls to the right.
Rick.

Chuck in Indiana · « **Reply #26 on:** May 15, 2019, 11:27:35 AM »

Quote from: drdwb on May 15, 2019, 08:01:12 AM

This is how my rig seems to work also. I’ll have to reread the book to learn the brake pull to the right trick. My understanding is momentum of the rig versus pull of the bike is what makes accelerating pull the bike to the right and brakes force the bike to the left.

How do you pivot to the right by using the front brake hard? On my rig, when I apply the brakes, be it front, or rear, it pulls to the left, when I accelerate, it pulls to the right.
Rick.

I think where the confusion is.. is this. On a right hand sweeper, if going fast enough, the hack wheel will come off the pavement by a minute amount, and the driver doesn't realize it. As the rig starts to drift to the left, normally you turn the bars in the direction you want to go. *However* with the car wheel off the pavement, you are now driving a 2 wheeled vehicle, and turning the bars to the right will make it countersteer (!!) and dart across the centerline. This has scared the crap out of many and killed a few.
The thing to do is get on the front brake, and get your ass out over the chair. You have to get that hack wheel back on the pavement.
I've never felt like I was out of control of *any* machine until I started to drive a hack.

They also have a trick when panic braking on a left turn that can find the hack going over the bike, but that's a story for another time..

Rich A · « **Reply #27 on:** May 15, 2019, 12:25:31 PM »

I thought the idea was to use the front brake and at the same time give the throttle a little power to help pivot the bike.

Rich

bigbikerrick · « **Reply #28 on:** May 15, 2019, 01:44:20 PM »

As far as using the front brake to get it to turn to the right... Are we talking about a "European" style sidecar ,mounted on the left side of the bike? Just a thought that came to mind.....

Rick.

John A · « **Reply #29 on:** May 15, 2019, 03:22:54 PM »

I cheated and the sidecar has a separate brake with no brake light . Useful and fun, I got the idea from a pre 1920 sidecar manual. Right handers are more fun and to subtly change lane position, slow or fast add some sidecar brake

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Author Topic: New Hacker rides it home (Read 4890 times)

twowings

jwinwi