BMW MOA Foundation: Sidecar Driving Tactics Part 1 August 2007

Part 1 Basic sidecar driving techniques

Reprinted from the August, 2007 BMW Owners News, with permission of the BMW MOA and David L. Hough

by, David L. Hough

More than a few riders have given some thought to a motorcycle/sidecar “combination.” Perhaps the growing family has young children who could come along on the ride if they were safely tucked inside a sidecar. Maybe, after 30 or 40 years of riding, the old legs just aren’t up to supporting a heavyweight two-wheeler. Or it could be someone with physical limitations such as paralyzed limbs who realizes that motorcycling can continue with a sidecar attached. These are all practical reasons for adding a third wheel to the bike, but the real secret is that motorcycle/sidecar combinations are loads of fun and a lot less stressful on slick pavement or loose gravel. Where the two-wheeler is threatening to crash, you can slide around on a sidecar rig with a big grin on your face.

I have a couple of two-wheelers in the garage for those occasions when I feel like leaning the bike from side to side. I also have a sidecar outfit in the garage for those trips where I need to carry more gear, or it’s going to be wet, or I just feel like jamming a three-wheeler through a twisty road for the fun of it. My point here is that you don’t have to make a choice between two wheels or three, you can have both, and a four-wheeler too, if you want.
One side of that coin is assembling a sidecar rig. The other side is learning to drive a three-wheeler. Let’s run through what’s involved in driving a sidecar outfit, just in case you get the itch someday. Many rider training sites offer the Sidecar/Trike Education Program, and that’s really the best way to get a good introduction.

Of course, reading about motorcycling and actually riding are two different things. To learn about sidecars, it’s necessary to get on one and practice some exercises. What follows assumes you already have some experience operating a motorcycle, and that we’re talking about rigid outfits with the sidecar mounted on the right.

It’s best to do your initial practice on smooth pavement, but any smooth, level surface will work if it’s free of obstructions, holes, or grooves. You need an open area of approximately 150 x 200 feet. For practice exercises, I make marker “cones” out of bright green tennis balls cut in half. They stay put, and if you crush one, it just bounces back.

Ballast

During the first practice exercises, you might find it helpful to add some ballast to the sidecar. If you have a heavyweight outfit—say an LT/Hannigan, you might add some ballast for the basic practice, and pull it out as you gain skill and confidence.

Figure 1, photo of heavyweight sidecar rig, K12LT Hannigan

A heavyweight outfit such as this K12LT with Hannigan sidecar isn’t going to tip easily, but while you’re just learning to drive a hack you might wish to carry some ballast.

If your outfit is lighter, say an R75 with a Velorex sidecar, you might want to keep some ballast in the car all the time. If you’re not sure about ballast, the “shade tree” test is to stand on the left footpeg and attempt to lift the sidecar by leaning out and pulling on the handlebars. If you can easily jerk the sidecar up, add some ballast, say a 40 lb sack of sand, or a steel bar bolted to the frame under the middle of the car.

Figure 2, Photo, driver lifting sidecar by left footpeg, Ural balance test 02

The “shade tree” test is to see if you can lift the outfit just by standing on the left footpeg and pulling on the bars. If you can easily raise the sidecar, add some ballast while you’re learning to drive it.

Basic Steering

The first time you attempt to steer a sidecar rig, you may be in for a surprise. If you’ve only been riding two wheelers, you may not be aware of how frequently you’re countersteering to initiate the lean that results in a turn. Two-wheelers steer backwards; to turn right, you turn the front wheel toward the left, and then center the wheel after the bike leans over. It’s just the opposite with a three-wheeler. To turn a sidecar rig to the right, you point the front wheel toward the right. It’s “direct steering,” just like an automobile, except you’re pushing the handlebar grips instead of turning a steering wheel. A rigid sidecar rig doesn’t lean into the turn, but tends to roll toward the outside, like an automobile.

Figure 3, Photo composite, steering, Counter vs Direct Steering 01

If you’re a veteran motorcyclist, you will probably find it confusing to steer a three-wheeler for the first few times. Riding a two-wheeler you push the grips toward the right to lean right. Driving a three-wheeler, you steer the front wheel toward the turn.

Direct steering comes naturally for someone who has never ridden a two-wheeled bike, but someone with years of counter steering habits usually needs some practice drills to get the brain synchronized with what the sidecar rig is doing. Iin case you’re wondering, it’s easy to switch back and forth between a bike and a rig once you’ve mastered both skills.

The first exercise for steering practice is an expanding cone weave. You simply weave around the cones, making left and right turns. One of the things you’ll learn from this exercise is that you have to allow much more room for the sidecar when making right turns. You’ll also learn that in left turns it takes a bit more pressure on the grips to accelerate the sidecar around the motorcycle.

Figure 4, Diagram, basic Steering, Exercise A, Exercise A

One of the oddities that make motorcycle/sidecar combinations unique is that the motorcycle and its driver are way over on one side. It’s all out of balance. The weight is mostly on one side, the driving force applied to the rear wheel is on one side, as is the wheel that does the steering. When you accelerate, the inertia of the sidecar causes the rig to yaw to the right. When you slow down, the inertia of the sidecar makes the rig yaw.

In turns, the wheel doing the steering is off-center, which means that left turns and right turns require different tactics. To go straight, you have to resist the yaw by applying a little more muscle the grips. That’s especially important when you’re just getting the rig rolling from a stop heading uphill, or when carrying a passenger.

Figure 5, Drawing, yaw on accel, decel, Yaw L & R

Because a sidecar rig is not symmetrical, accelerating causes the outfit to yaw toward the right; slowing down causes it to yaw toward the left. You quickly learn to press a little harder on the grips to hold your line.

Shifting Body Weight

Riding a two-wheeler, you naturally lean into turns with the bike. Driving a rig, you can reduce steering effort by leaning your body toward turns. That is, approaching a right-hander, lean your upper body to the right. Approaching a left-hander, lean your weight toward the left.

A good way to practice leaning into turns, along with more direct steering, is to make a big figure-eight around two 25 ft. (diameter) circles placed about 125 feet apart (say 40 long paces) The same circles can be used for braking practice, too.

Don’t get carried away with cornering aggressively, until we get to some advanced techniques a bit later. It’s possible to flip a rig upside down. Roll off the throttle and brake approaching both turns, then lean your weight and point the front wheel around the turn. Remember, its lean left for the left-hander, and lean right for the right-hander.

Figure 6, photo, leaning into right turn, Ural rear RT w pax

While you’re first learning, lean your shoulders toward the turns.

Figure 7, photo, leaning into left turn, Ural LT novice 01

It’s important to lean left in lef- handers.

Figure 8, drawing, basic cornering range, Exercise B

Stopping

It’s an advantage to have a brake on the sidecar wheel, to add some additional stopping force. It’s OK to have ABS or power-assisted brakes, but it’s not much of an advantage on a sidecar outfit. There are a number of different ways to incorporate the sidecar brake, so your braking technique depends on what’s on your rig. Whatever the system, it’s important to practice stops to gain familiarity with how your outfit reacts.

Driving a sidecar combination, the penalties for sliding the tires are reduced, but braking forces can cause the rig to “yaw” (swing sideways). So, depending on the brake systems, you may have to apply more muscle on the grips to keep the outfit pointed in the direction you want to go.

Those two circles you laid out for steering practice will work fine for braking, too. Set up some extra marker cones at the entrance to each circle, and remember to keep practicing that business of leaning your body weight toward the turn.

Figure 9, diagram, basic braking practice, Exercise C

Approaching the brake markers, squeeze the clutch, roll off the throttle, and apply both brakes smoothly. Bring the outfit to a complete stop with your front axle between the cones. After you’ve mastered stopping in a straight line, move the braking markers around to the ends of each circle. You’ll be stopping in both right and left turns.

Once you gain familiarity with stopping in the circles, you can add a little spice to the exercise by shifting up to second for the straights and down to first as you brake to a stop.

Controlling tipovers

Since a sidecar rig is off center, with both engine and driver on one side, an empty sidecar tends to lift up (“fly”) in right-hand turns. So, in a right-hander it’s very easy to roll a lightweight rig over to the left. It’s not uncommon for a novice sidecar driver to take a rig out to the street without any prior experience, and lose control in an off-camber right-hand corner. The lesson is, when you’re learning to handle a sidecar outfit, you are a novice again, and have a lot to learn. Once the proper driving techniques have been learned, a sidecar rig is potentially safer than a comparable two-wheeler.

Even at rest, half the weight of bike and rider are perched outside the support provided by the motorcycle wheels—the left “tip over line”. In motion, even a modest increase in centrifugal force during a right turn can result in the sidecar wheel lifting off, or “flying.”

Figure 10, illustration, weight vs tipover, tipover rear drv only

Even at rest on a level surface, half the driver’s weight is over the left tipover line.

Figure 11, illustration, weight vs tipover on slant, tipover rear drv only L camber

Since a rigid sidecar outfit leans with the camber of the surface, an off-camber situation can quickly position much of the driver’s weight over the left tipover line.

How you load the rig is very important. You want any extra weight carried in the middle of the “tipover” triangle described by the three contact patches. You should never carry more weight on the back of the bike than in the sidecar, because that would add to the tipover forces. So, if you’re carrying two adult passengers, the heaviest passenger should be in the sidecar. If your passengers are an adult and a child, both should be in the sidecar.

Figure 12. illustration, top view pax, tipover lines, tipover top drv pax in sc

It’s very important to carry an adult passenger in the sidecar rather than on the back of the motorcycle saddle, to keep the passenger’s weight mostly within the tipover triangle. If an adult and a child are to be carried, both should be in the sidecar.

Help is available

You should realize that this is just a very brief introduction to sidecar handling, and there’s a whole lot more to know. The book Driving a Sidecar Outfit is available from the Sidecar Safety Program. Telephone orders: 800 736-1117. Credit cards accepted. Driving a Sidecar Outfit is the text on which sidecar/trike training course was based.

The Sidecar/Trike Education Program (S/TEP) offers complete novice training courses that are available at many rider training sites across the USA. For information, contact the Evergreen Safety Council at 800 521-0778 or www.esc.org. I suggest that anyone thinking about a sidecar or trike take the sidecar/trike course, if for no other reason than to give you some hands-on experience without having to spend a lot of money.

WRITE TO MotoSafe! Have questions about riding techniques? Maybe you’ve read something in MotoSafe that you didn’t understand, or just flat disagree with! Have a riding tip that has helped you? MotoSafe would love to hear from you. From time to time, we’ll open the mailbag. Note that your letter or email message may be used, respectfully, in a future MotoSafe column. Write to: R. Wiles: roger@rogerwiles.com or 9223 Hill Street, Blairsville GA 30512, or to the ON editorial offices.

Next month, MotoSafe will speak to the growing number of riders who have discovered the pleasures of riding ‘hacks,’ or sidecars. Look for it!

The second portion of this article can be found here.

The BMW MOA Foundation’s MotoSafe is intended to present responsible viewpoints on thoughtful and safe motorcycling skills and practices; the authors, the Foundation, the BMW MOA and the Owners News do not guarantee readers’ personal safety, and can take no responsibility for readers’ application of this material.

BMW MOA members who are professional motorcycle safety trainers are invited to submit articles for inclusion in MotoSafe Please contact Roger Wiles (roger@rogerwiles.com or 9223 Hill St, Blairsville, GA 30512) for submission guidelines and instructions.

The BMW MOA Foundation is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt Public Educational Foundation dedicated to increasing and promoting the safe and enjoyable sport of motorcycling to all members of the moto-community. Tax-exempt donations to the Foundation will provide funding for current and new Foundation Projects & Programs. Contact Foundation Headquarters at: PO Box 3982, Ballwin, MO 63022 - (636) 394-7277 - for further information


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Total Control Advanced Riding Clinic August 2008 Preparing for and Riding Long Distances July 2008 The Dangerous Five Driving Sins June 2008 Safe Spring Riding May 2008 Riding Blind April 2008 Command Respect March 2008 Stayin’ Safe Riding School February 2008 Impaired-Riding Countermeasures January 2008 Being Seen, Passively December 2007 Sit Up Straight November 2007 MSF SeasonedRider Course October 2007 Sidecar Driving Tactics Part II September 2007 Sidecar Driving Tactics Part I August 2007 Accdient Scene Management July 2007 The Case for Professional Training June 2007 A Hidden Risk May 2007 Soft Hands April 2007 Mentoring a Novice Part III March 2007 Mentoring a Novice Part II February 2007 Mentoring a Novice Part I January 2007 Submission Guidelines	Sidecar Driving Tactics Part 1 Basic sidecar driving techniques Reprinted from the August, 2007 BMW Owners News, with permission of the BMW MOA and David L. Hough by, David L. Hough More than a few riders have given some thought to a motorcycle/sidecar “combination.” Perhaps the growing family has young children who could come along on the ride if they were safely tucked inside a sidecar. Maybe, after 30 or 40 years of riding, the old legs just aren’t up to supporting a heavyweight two-wheeler. Or it could be someone with physical limitations such as paralyzed limbs who realizes that motorcycling can continue with a sidecar attached. These are all practical reasons for adding a third wheel to the bike, but the real secret is that motorcycle/sidecar combinations are loads of fun and a lot less stressful on slick pavement or loose gravel. Where the two-wheeler is threatening to crash, you can slide around on a sidecar rig with a big grin on your face. I have a couple of two-wheelers in the garage for those occasions when I feel like leaning the bike from side to side. I also have a sidecar outfit in the garage for those trips where I need to carry more gear, or it’s going to be wet, or I just feel like jamming a three-wheeler through a twisty road for the fun of it. My point here is that you don’t have to make a choice between two wheels or three, you can have both, and a four-wheeler too, if you want. One side of that coin is assembling a sidecar rig. The other side is learning to drive a three-wheeler. Let’s run through what’s involved in driving a sidecar outfit, just in case you get the itch someday. Many rider training sites offer the Sidecar/Trike Education Program, and that’s really the best way to get a good introduction. Of course, reading about motorcycling and actually riding are two different things. To learn about sidecars, it’s necessary to get on one and practice some exercises. What follows assumes you already have some experience operating a motorcycle, and that we’re talking about rigid outfits with the sidecar mounted on the right. It’s best to do your initial practice on smooth pavement, but any smooth, level surface will work if it’s free of obstructions, holes, or grooves. You need an open area of approximately 150 x 200 feet. For practice exercises, I make marker “cones” out of bright green tennis balls cut in half. They stay put, and if you crush one, it just bounces back. Ballast During the first practice exercises, you might find it helpful to add some ballast to the sidecar. If you have a heavyweight outfit—say an LT/Hannigan, you might add some ballast for the basic practice, and pull it out as you gain skill and confidence. Figure 1, photo of heavyweight sidecar rig, K12LT Hannigan A heavyweight outfit such as this K12LT with Hannigan sidecar isn’t going to tip easily, but while you’re just learning to drive a hack you might wish to carry some ballast. If your outfit is lighter, say an R75 with a Velorex sidecar, you might want to keep some ballast in the car all the time. If you’re not sure about ballast, the “shade tree” test is to stand on the left footpeg and attempt to lift the sidecar by leaning out and pulling on the handlebars. If you can easily jerk the sidecar up, add some ballast, say a 40 lb sack of sand, or a steel bar bolted to the frame under the middle of the car. Figure 2, Photo, driver lifting sidecar by left footpeg, Ural balance test 02 The “shade tree” test is to see if you can lift the outfit just by standing on the left footpeg and pulling on the bars. If you can easily raise the sidecar, add some ballast while you’re learning to drive it. Basic Steering The first time you attempt to steer a sidecar rig, you may be in for a surprise. If you’ve only been riding two wheelers, you may not be aware of how frequently you’re countersteering to initiate the lean that results in a turn. Two-wheelers steer backwards; to turn right, you turn the front wheel toward the left, and then center the wheel after the bike leans over. It’s just the opposite with a three-wheeler. To turn a sidecar rig to the right, you point the front wheel toward the right. It’s “direct steering,” just like an automobile, except you’re pushing the handlebar grips instead of turning a steering wheel. A rigid sidecar rig doesn’t lean into the turn, but tends to roll toward the outside, like an automobile. Figure 3, Photo composite, steering, Counter vs Direct Steering 01 If you’re a veteran motorcyclist, you will probably find it confusing to steer a three-wheeler for the first few times. Riding a two-wheeler you push the grips toward the right to lean right. Driving a three-wheeler, you steer the front wheel toward the turn. Direct steering comes naturally for someone who has never ridden a two-wheeled bike, but someone with years of counter steering habits usually needs some practice drills to get the brain synchronized with what the sidecar rig is doing. Iin case you’re wondering, it’s easy to switch back and forth between a bike and a rig once you’ve mastered both skills. The first exercise for steering practice is an expanding cone weave. You simply weave around the cones, making left and right turns. One of the things you’ll learn from this exercise is that you have to allow much more room for the sidecar when making right turns. You’ll also learn that in left turns it takes a bit more pressure on the grips to accelerate the sidecar around the motorcycle. Figure 4, Diagram, basic Steering, Exercise A, Exercise A One of the oddities that make motorcycle/sidecar combinations unique is that the motorcycle and its driver are way over on one side. It’s all out of balance. The weight is mostly on one side, the driving force applied to the rear wheel is on one side, as is the wheel that does the steering. When you accelerate, the inertia of the sidecar causes the rig to yaw to the right. When you slow down, the inertia of the sidecar makes the rig yaw. In turns, the wheel doing the steering is off-center, which means that left turns and right turns require different tactics. To go straight, you have to resist the yaw by applying a little more muscle the grips. That’s especially important when you’re just getting the rig rolling from a stop heading uphill, or when carrying a passenger. Figure 5, Drawing, yaw on accel, decel, Yaw L & R Because a sidecar rig is not symmetrical, accelerating causes the outfit to yaw toward the right; slowing down causes it to yaw toward the left. You quickly learn to press a little harder on the grips to hold your line. Shifting Body Weight Riding a two-wheeler, you naturally lean into turns with the bike. Driving a rig, you can reduce steering effort by leaning your body toward turns. That is, approaching a right-hander, lean your upper body to the right. Approaching a left-hander, lean your weight toward the left. A good way to practice leaning into turns, along with more direct steering, is to make a big figure-eight around two 25 ft. (diameter) circles placed about 125 feet apart (say 40 long paces) The same circles can be used for braking practice, too. Don’t get carried away with cornering aggressively, until we get to some advanced techniques a bit later. It’s possible to flip a rig upside down. Roll off the throttle and brake approaching both turns, then lean your weight and point the front wheel around the turn. Remember, its lean left for the left-hander, and lean right for the right-hander. Figure 6, photo, leaning into right turn, Ural rear RT w pax While you’re first learning, lean your shoulders toward the turns. Figure 7, photo, leaning into left turn, Ural LT novice 01 It’s important to lean left in lef- handers. Figure 8, drawing, basic cornering range, Exercise B Stopping It’s an advantage to have a brake on the sidecar wheel, to add some additional stopping force. It’s OK to have ABS or power-assisted brakes, but it’s not much of an advantage on a sidecar outfit. There are a number of different ways to incorporate the sidecar brake, so your braking technique depends on what’s on your rig. Whatever the system, it’s important to practice stops to gain familiarity with how your outfit reacts. Driving a sidecar combination, the penalties for sliding the tires are reduced, but braking forces can cause the rig to “yaw” (swing sideways). So, depending on the brake systems, you may have to apply more muscle on the grips to keep the outfit pointed in the direction you want to go. Those two circles you laid out for steering practice will work fine for braking, too. Set up some extra marker cones at the entrance to each circle, and remember to keep practicing that business of leaning your body weight toward the turn. Figure 9, diagram, basic braking practice, Exercise C Approaching the brake markers, squeeze the clutch, roll off the throttle, and apply both brakes smoothly. Bring the outfit to a complete stop with your front axle between the cones. After you’ve mastered stopping in a straight line, move the braking markers around to the ends of each circle. You’ll be stopping in both right and left turns. Once you gain familiarity with stopping in the circles, you can add a little spice to the exercise by shifting up to second for the straights and down to first as you brake to a stop. Controlling tipovers Since a sidecar rig is off center, with both engine and driver on one side, an empty sidecar tends to lift up (“fly”) in right-hand turns. So, in a right-hander it’s very easy to roll a lightweight rig over to the left. It’s not uncommon for a novice sidecar driver to take a rig out to the street without any prior experience, and lose control in an off-camber right-hand corner. The lesson is, when you’re learning to handle a sidecar outfit, you are a novice again, and have a lot to learn. Once the proper driving techniques have been learned, a sidecar rig is potentially safer than a comparable two-wheeler. Even at rest, half the weight of bike and rider are perched outside the support provided by the motorcycle wheels—the left “tip over line”. In motion, even a modest increase in centrifugal force during a right turn can result in the sidecar wheel lifting off, or “flying.” Figure 10, illustration, weight vs tipover, tipover rear drv only Even at rest on a level surface, half the driver’s weight is over the left tipover line. Figure 11, illustration, weight vs tipover on slant, tipover rear drv only L camber Since a rigid sidecar outfit leans with the camber of the surface, an off-camber situation can quickly position much of the driver’s weight over the left tipover line. How you load the rig is very important. You want any extra weight carried in the middle of the “tipover” triangle described by the three contact patches. You should never carry more weight on the back of the bike than in the sidecar, because that would add to the tipover forces. So, if you’re carrying two adult passengers, the heaviest passenger should be in the sidecar. If your passengers are an adult and a child, both should be in the sidecar. Figure 12. illustration, top view pax, tipover lines, tipover top drv pax in sc It’s very important to carry an adult passenger in the sidecar rather than on the back of the motorcycle saddle, to keep the passenger’s weight mostly within the tipover triangle. If an adult and a child are to be carried, both should be in the sidecar. Help is available You should realize that this is just a very brief introduction to sidecar handling, and there’s a whole lot more to know. The book Driving a Sidecar Outfit is available from the Sidecar Safety Program. Telephone orders: 800 736-1117. Credit cards accepted. Driving a Sidecar Outfit is the text on which sidecar/trike training course was based. The Sidecar/Trike Education Program (S/TEP) offers complete novice training courses that are available at many rider training sites across the USA. For information, contact the Evergreen Safety Council at 800 521-0778 or www.esc.org. I suggest that anyone thinking about a sidecar or trike take the sidecar/trike course, if for no other reason than to give you some hands-on experience without having to spend a lot of money. *WRITE TO MotoSafe!* Have questions about riding techniques? Maybe you’ve read something in MotoSafe that you didn’t understand, or just flat disagree with! Have a riding tip that has helped you? MotoSafe would love to hear from you. From time to time, we’ll open the mailbag. Note that your letter or email message may be used, respectfully, in a future MotoSafe column. Write to: R. Wiles: roger@rogerwiles.com or 9223 Hill Street, Blairsville GA 30512, or to the ON editorial offices. Next month, MotoSafe will speak to the growing number of riders who have discovered the pleasures of riding ‘hacks,’ or sidecars. Look for it! The second portion of this article can be found here. The BMW MOA Foundation’s MotoSafe is intended to present responsible viewpoints on thoughtful and safe motorcycling skills and practices; the authors, the Foundation, the BMW MOA and the Owners News do not guarantee readers’ personal safety, and can take no responsibility for readers’ application of this material. BMW MOA members who are professional motorcycle safety trainers are invited to submit articles for inclusion in MotoSafe Please contact Roger Wiles (roger@rogerwiles.com or 9223 Hill St, Blairsville, GA 30512) for submission guidelines and instructions. The BMW MOA Foundation is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt Public Educational Foundation dedicated to increasing and promoting the safe and enjoyable sport of motorcycling to all members of the moto-community. Tax-exempt donations to the Foundation will provide funding for current and new Foundation Projects & Programs. Contact Foundation Headquarters at: PO Box 3982, Ballwin, MO 63022 - (636) 394-7277 - for further information

BMW MOA Foundation	P.O. Box 3982 Ballwin, MO 63022 509A Old State Rd Ellisville, MO 63021 ph:(636)394-7277 fx:(636)391-1811 e: foundation@bmwmoa.org The BMW MOA Foundation is dedicated to improving motorcycle riders safety, support for motorcycling, and increasing awareness and participation in the moto-lifestyle and its many enjoyable benefits. The BMW MOA Foundation is a non-profit Public Educational Foundation that meets IRS 501(c)(3) requirements.