[jdvorchak]

Wow! Really looking nice! You work fast, not the procrastinator that I am, lol

Thank you. Well I'm retired and the weather sucks so what else do I have to do? Besides I love doing this stuff. This morning I had to replace the water heater in the house. That is no fun at all!

My petcock and fuel filters came in, my brother-in-law fixed some cracks in the left side cover, so I could be riding it in a couple of hours of re-assembly. I just want to go back and look at the carbs again and clean some electrical connections in the charging circuit. So probably won't ride it today but I'm pretty close.

I really appreciate all of the kind words and interest in this project the forum members have shown. It means a lot to me and I thank you all.

 

[jdvorchak]

Update: I put the bike back together and was in the middle of doing the first test run and the right side quit running. Quick check showed that there was no gas going into the right side carb. I pulled the fuel line off and nothing coming out so I started by replacing the brand new fuel filter and it started flowing gas nicely. Put it back on the carb and nothing... Fuel is getting to the carb but not going into the carb. Now I've seen plenty of floats stuck open but I've never seen one stuck closed!

Long story short I'm going to pull the carbs again and see what's going on. Puzzling part is that when I first put it back on it took fuel nicely then stuck closed or a chunk of funk plugged the inlet.

In the middle of tracking down the fuel delivery problem I did some measuring and it looks like the sidecar was just kinda attached without any thought of actually aligning it. So I think what I'll do is completely remove it and start over. That will also give me clear access to the right side of the bike and I can get to the oil filter cover with it's stripped screw heads.

 

[jdvorchak]

I never could find the problem with the fuel on the right side carb but I removed it and cleaned it all. Checked the float level, which wasn't off, and put it back on. Fired right up and I did a little tinkering with the throttle cables and got them set/synced. It now runs pretty good. Starts easily and no hesitation on cracking the throttle. I am already getting better at removing the exhaust. LOL I would have taken it for a test ride but the temp was about 8 deg F and still some snow on the roads in my neighborhood. Now I have to track down why the brake light isn't coming on with either lever or pedal switch. Bulb is good.

 

[jdvorchak]

I found the problem with the brake light not working. As is often the case it was more than one problem. The connector inside the headlight bucket had worked loose so i cleaned the connectors and put it back together. That fixed the brake lever switch. On the pedal the switch is corroded and stuck. I'll get a new switch.

 

[jdvorchak]

Took my first test ride on the sidecar rig. Now I've never ridden a sidecar so I wasn't sure what to expect. Of course I put my feet down at the first stop sign. Bike runs really good but towing the sidecar is, well, not what I expected. Front wheel wobble from about 5 to 20 MPH but seems to smooth out above 25 mph. I did not ride it over 30 mph to see what it does. But it didn't seem like it tried to pull me one way or the other. Now I was gentle. No hard acceleration or hard braking. Only went about 1/2 mile because it's 21 Deg F and I was freezing my butt off.

But I had a smile on my face! That's what counts.

This thing is just too cool!

First thing I'm doing is to replace the steering damper. They have them at Autozone. See if that helps the wobble. Supposed to be near 50 Deg tomorrow so maybe I can put some miles on it before it rains.

 

[bilbikek411]

John,
I think you could install a sidecar type front tire on there too,something similar to a Metzeler K-Block w/ a squared-off tread;also check to be sure your front wheel is 'true' and all the spokes torqued 'to spec' plus your wheel bearings.

 

[jdvorchak]

Thank you sir. Truing wheels with spokes will be new to me so I'm looking forward to learning. I had the front wheel off the ground a while back and I didn't notice any spokes or bearings loose or making noise. I ordered a steering damper and it will be a week or so before it gets here. Weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow most of the day, approaching 50 Deg F then the rain starts. I am lucky in that the subdivision in which I live has a couple of miles of road so I can get some more experience with the rig before I take it out on the real streets. I still have plenty of work to do on it. I was just anxious to ride the thing. I am just pleased that I got it starting, running, shifting and stopping good and all of the lights work as they should. I got the new chain and sprockets in the mail and waiting on tires and tubes and some gaskets. when I have the wheels off for the tire change I'll true the spokes and get a much better look at alignment of the rim. I had read that sidecar rigs are rough on spokes and you have to constantly maintain them. Also read that you have to tighten down the steering stem. Not Godzilla tight. Just make the stem nut a nudge more tight that you would without the sidecar. I also read that all sidecar rigs have a front wheel wobble at one speed and that speed varies. If mine is just from 5 to 20 MPH I can live with that. Although I wish mine was above 80 'cause I'll never ride it that fast!....LOL

 

[jdvorchak]

After my test ride I decided to check alignment. Here is the method I used taken straight from a sidecar article.

I was fortunate to have a couple of pieces of 1 1/2 square tubing to use as straight edges. I spaced them up on a couple of 2x4 scraps and pulled them tight to the bike rear wheel and the car wheel.





Then measured the distance between the straight edges. The rear measurement was 54 3/4 inch and front was 54 1/2 inch which is some toe in but probably should be closer to 1/2 to 3/4 inch toe in.

 

[dtsmjr8dan]

Rear wheel drive cars average about 1/8" toe in. Front wheel drive cars average about 0.0" toe in. I have no idea what a side car rig would need.

 

[jdvorchak]

Rear wheel drive cars average about 1/8" toe in. Front wheel drive cars average about 0.0" toe in. I have no idea what a side car rig would need.

From what I've seen on sidecar sites and youtube the sidecar rig should have between 1/2 and 3/4 inch toe in. Sounded like a lot to me too. I used to align cars for a living and in the 70's we usually went for 1/8 to 1/4. After I posted the pics I took a turn in on the front and ended up with right at 1/2 inch toe in. I'm going to see how that does. The idea of a lot of toe in is to counteract the drag the sidecar has on the bike and wanting to turn it to the right all the time. So I guess they set up a lot of toe in so the car tries to steer into the bike. It takes two people to set up the lean of the bike in relation to level. I have to sit on the bike and have someone measure how much the shocks compress. Then when I go to align it, I just clamp down the suspension to that same point and then I can set the lean.

Hey I'm new to this but Google is your friend!

 

[dtsmjr8dan]

I, too aligned cars for a living. To counter the drag, I would think adjusting the camber out away from the side car would help steering straight.

 

[jdvorchak]

No more wobble, or some call it head shake. The steering stem bearings were in good shape but way too loose. I pulled it apart anyway, fresh grease and put it back together with proper bearing torque and test rode it. No head shake and actually handled pretty good. As all 3 wheel bikes it seemed twitchy to me. I'm too used to 2 wheel bikes but I'm sure I'll quickly learn how to not over control.

 

[JimmyRiot]

Nice garage too!

 

[jdvorchak]

Nice garage too!

thank you. I am proud of what I've built over the years. I spend a lot of time out there.

 

[neal]

Perhaps it will ride even better with a cycle tire on the sidecar..not as flat a tread...?

 

[jdvorchak]

Perhaps it will ride even better with a cycle tire on the sidecar..not as flat a tread...?

Thanks for the suggestion but that is not possible. It was designed to use a 5 bolt trailer tire and wheel.

What I've done so far, and it has made it very solid and good handling:

1. Tightened the steering stem bearings as they were very loose.
2. aligned the side car to give me about 5/8 inch of toe in
3. Had the front connecting link extended 2 inches allowing me to have a couple of degrees lean out. The rear link was fine.
4. Replaced the sidecar tire, which had a slow leak and tire was old, causing drag when being pulled.

I and two of my sons have ridden it before and after the correction, listed above, and we all agree it's a different rig now. Very stable and easily controlled at all speeds up to 50 mph. None of us have tried to go over 50 yet but the engine was still pulling hard at 50, I'm told. My intention was not to try to "tour" with it, rather to give the grand kids a ride and maybe use it for local errands. Parts pickup, grocery shopping etc. And it seems to be well mannered enough for those tasks. I'll test it on the highway when the weather gets better but I'm pretty sure I'll be able to run at 65 mph just from what I'm seeing now. If not I don't think I'll really care. It was bought as an "around the town" hack.

I still have to put the new tires/tubes on and new chain and sprockets and finish up with tuning the spokes/tuning the wheels. The bike has 30k miles so new brake shoes will probably be needed as well. All the of final work is to make it safe and reliable.

I'm pleased with how it turned out and it's now a pleasure to ride.

 

[bilbikek411]

That sounds great John I think you could pull along ok on an interstate w/ it at 65-70.Does it have the stock CL350 gearing? if so you could add another tooth or 2(if needed) and have it pull strong as the stock engine will enjoy singing more above 6500 rpm and that's what it was meant to do

 

[Barney]

Be careful on the right turns, I always had 2 50lb weights in mine when I was solo.

 

[jdvorchak]

That sounds great John I think you could pull along ok on an interstate w/ it at 65-70.Does it have the stock CL350 gearing? if so you could add another tooth or 2(if needed) and have it pull strong as the stock engine will enjoy singing more above 6500 rpm and that's what it was meant to do

Thank you. I have one tooth larger on the rear sprocket. The CL350 came, as I remember, stock with one more tooth than the CB350 so when I ordered the sprockets I got one tooth more than stock. That should be 2 teeth larger than a CB350 of the same vintage. It pulls really well now. I have no trouble keeping up with traffic and never go to full throttle as it is or near the redline. Usually shift it about 5500 rpm when just running around the neighborhood because it just feels better that way. Besides these old 350's don't really charge the battery until about 5000 RPM. Pretty weak charging system. I intend to do the single R/R mod and get rid of the stock Regulator and Silicon Rectifier.

I'm really in no hurry because being February in the Midwest it's mostly too cold to do much riding.

One drawback to having a Honda 350 with a side car attached is that I can't use the kick starter. The rear link is in the way. So I have to make sure the battery stays up with my battery tender. So far that has not been a problem as the charging system does still work. But I'll do the mod and make it even better.

 

[jdvorchak]

Be careful on the right turns, I always had 2 50lb weights in mine when I was solo.

Funny you mention that. I have not had a problem running the car empty and can't seem to find anything around here that I could use as ballast other than an 80 lb bag of Quickcrete! But the other day my youngest son came over and took it for a ride. He went around the block and when I saw him come back he was on 2 wheels all the way down the street! I reminded him that I had not tightened the spokes yet and if he bent a spoke he was buying and installing new ones...

I have a large church parking lot, just down the street, that I use for left and right turn practicing. I need to get more aggressive on right hand turns so I can see what it feels like to have the sidecar come up. I can tell you that I can make a right hand turn, with the handlebars all the way to the lock, while turning it around in the driveway going about 2 mph. I've also noticed that if I park the rig with the wheel turned all the way to the right, it acts like a parking brake on slopes. Anything steeper than a slight slope and I park it in 1st gear.