R1100R Rig wanders when braking.

I have a friend who attached a sidecar to an 1998 R1100R ,and it looks OK but veers left or right when accelerating and braking.
I think it's because he did not do anything with the bike's suspension, he did align it with 1/2 " toe in which I think should be about 1' since the oil heads have a lot of suspension travel.
Any input would be helpfull; maybe he can ride this hack this weekend.
Thanks,
George.
53610

I don't know a huge amount about rigs (yet) but am learning, and hoping to get a rig or assemble one myself soon, so you may take what I offer as "book knowledge" that is not supported by direct experience.

1. 1/2" toe in is probably a reasonable starting point, but I don't think that there is anything sacred about it and going to a bit more (1") won't cause the world to end - may see more tire wear as a result, though.

2. How much lean in/out of the bike (no rider aboard) is it set at?

3. Any rig will tend to pull right while accelerating (due to aerodynamic drag & rolling resistance of the hack's wheel) and tend to pull left while braking (offset weight of hack, momentum carrying it forward, especially if no brake on the hack wheel). How much of this behavior is acceptable can vary, though.

Others far more experienced than I will chime in soon, I'm sure.

53610 said:

I have a friend who attached a sidecar to an 1998 R1100R ,and it looks OK but veers left or right when accelerating and braking.
I think it's because he did not do anything with the bike's suspension, he did align it with 1/2 " toe in which I think should be about 1' since the oil heads have a lot of suspension travel.
Any input would be helpfull; maybe he can ride this hack this weekend.
Thanks,
George.
53610

Click to expand...

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http://www.bmwmoafoundation.org/motosafe/article0708.html

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Have your "friend" get This!

A Must Have!!

http://forums.bmwmoa.org/showpost.php?p=602356&postcount=1

I have a friend who attached a sidecar to an 1998 R1100R ,and it looks OK but veers left or right when accelerating and braking.

Click to expand...

Here's the deal... when a bike with a sidecar accelerates, the weight of the sidecar does not accelerate (because it is un-powered)... the weight of the rig falls behind the bike on the right side and the bike "veers" to the right as a result.

When the bike "brakes", the weight of the sidecar tries to "pass" the motorcycle because it does not have a brake (usually) ... causing the bike to be pushed to the left.... it "veers" to the left.

Simple physics....

From my limited experience with a hack

I found that being SMOOTH in accelerating and braking helps, but does not eliminate the issue.

And we don't want anyone veering off the side of the road!