Make way for Geländehack, yet another GS sidecar

[BeemerChef]

Hi iHop... sorry we missed you also... but you know, that is Life on the Road! We meet our Friends when least expected... and miss them when planning not to... But our hearts are always together.
Denver? I know we will be in CO soon (whatever that means you know...) and will hook up...
Quite a rig you are having... I won't get into the technical stuff because I know nothing about all that... just the basics you know!!! Love that rear wheel and tire though... Life saver I have to say and wallet saver...
Be well... always!
Ara & Spirit

PS: will be in Moab another week or so... exhausted from too much fun I think!

[Abenteuerfahrer]

Wow, iHOP & Gespannfahrerin....gorgeous. I like the McMaster vibration dampers. Great job on the damper plates. I'll do the same after my trip. Is the number stamped on them the item number? How thick are they and once air compressed how far do they rise? Have tested the brakes yet? As for the lenses, buy some film that they use for PIAA lens protective cover....wrap some of these on the front and all sides. It'll protect and strengthen the plastic some. I still used the original brass screws but added a dab of red locktite while tightening them lightly.

[Abenteuerfahrer]

Ach du Lieber....beautiful. Yellow, I always love yellow.....won't have any conspicuity problem. Can even find you on Goggle Earth, he,he! Great idea of using spray bed-liner for the insides as the insides came pretty raw(fiberglass and wood). Be looking for a yellow/yellow three wheeler...

CHeers...........

[Dr Jim]

Looking VERY good indeed ...

Two questions:

Are you planning to run 'beakless' since moving the Telelever struts forward for trail reduction puts the fender/hugger pretty close to the beak?

I'm still considering this, but am concerned about overheating, since the beak looks like it puts a lot of extra air through the oil cooler, which needs all the help it can get during the summer.

If I do remove the beak, I'd be very tempted to put two or three open-frame cooling fans like the one on this heatsink:



behind the oil cooler. It's not necessary to use anything complex like a thermostat and relay to control them, they only draw about two watts, are pretty quiet, and should run nearly forever if they're just powered from the ignition circuit through a dropping resistor. There's a pretty good selection of 12V, moderate RPM (e.g. less than 2000) quiet computer case fans in sizes from 60-180mm at NewEgg - and they're all pretty cheap too.

The other question is about the isolation mounts for the tub - I think that they're a great idea, but I wonder if it would be worthwhile to construct brackets so that they'd be lowered by an inch or two?

The snubber for my swingarm rotted away, so I've been playing around using rubber stoppers as replacement snubbers, and was disconcerted to find that as little as a 1/2" change in ride height made a very perceptable difference in the rig's handling - and it looks like the mounts raise the tub by a good two inches.

Cheers

Jim

[TouringDave]

Dayum! that's purdy!

Well done iHop, very nice indeed!

[mikepa]

Hi iHop -

Super looking rig. Excellent attention to detail in the work you guys did. I love (conceptually) those bleedable rubber shock isolators on the tub, and those backing plates should keep the glasswork intact for sure.

In regard to the beak, have you tried removing the front shock and move the wheel/Telelever through the full range of motion to see if you in fact have an intereference problem? Unless the R1100GS has a smaller/different oil cooler than the R1150, bobbing or removing the beak should be a viable option, as I've seen a lot of European GSes with the rhinoplasty's.

Best,

[mikepa]

Originally Posted by iHop

Thanks Mike. We did discuss a little plastic surgery on the beak. That may have to be the way we go.
-iHop

Here is one possibility:

http://www.boxer-design.de/en/detail.asp?ID=36&pID=609

. . . since they "require" your beak, obviously, they are simply modifying a stock part, something that certainly seems within your capabilities.

Wunderlich as the following available through their US distributor (BMW of Santa Cruz):

http://www.wunderlichamerica.com/mm5...Code=R1100GS-X

Good Luck!

[Dr Jim]

Originally Posted by LiteWait

Funny you should mention the beak and front end mod:


You said yours is close too. This close? Where did you get yours? How is it made? This is Dauntless' new steel version, which is much less expensive than the aluminum one they sell. We have a question in to Jay.

I have the first prototype of Jay's new-style trail-reducer plate, they were fussing around with the plasma cutter and cut one out to try - works like a treat, but it does put the beak close to the inner fender:


front view


left side


right side

You have MORE clearence than I do, but I'm running a Fox Twin-clicker shock up front which is set to fairly stiff so it isn't nearly as mushy as the stock suspension.

BTW - If anyone out there has a REAR Fox Twin-clicker for the R1100xx series bikes - I'd dearly like to have the set....

I'm thinking that a simple beak shortening may be in order - what Boxer-design of Germany does looks like the right idea:


shorten beak by 10cm (about 2.5")

And it really doesn't look bad that way either:



It looks like they cut off the 'droop,' narrow the tip, and slightly reduce the height of the valence - very clever.

Thanks to Mike Pauli for digging this idea out.

Cheers

Jim

[RedMenace]

What function does the beak serve? You already have a front fender. The beak looks goofy; just leave it off!

[twintwin]

I get my trail reduction mod from Dedome (French sidecar manufacturer).
This mod reduce the trail without changing the angle of the fork. The lower bridge is some how the same than Jay's one, but the front telelever was also cut and shorted by the same lenght the bridge is extented. So the front end do not drop and of course the look is the same as a GS on 2 wheels. Dedome does the same mod for the 1150 line. I get this mod a couple years ago, and I'm very satisfied with the handling and the look.

[twintwin]

Originally Posted by LiteWait

That looks better. Is that a is that a fender tip from an 1150 adventure?

Yes I put a Adventure extension on a R100GS beak, but both parts needed some extensive trimming and cutting to fit, as the 1150 beak is much more wider than the 1100 one. I did it only for the look, nothing to do with the Dedome mod.

[wato]

Anyone else with an 1100gs has clear pic of how they have mounted their chairs to the frame. Getting ideas at the moment.

[claude]

The beak clearance is one thing but Make sure the upper pivots for the fork tubes do not run out of travel. THAT can be a concern.

[claude]

Originally Posted by iHop

We're trying 1-5/8" high solid rubber mounts in front with air dampers in the rear. So far this looks like a promising combination. With four air dampers it was cushy, but had a little too much side-to-side wallow. Height's a little less jacked up now too. It would have been a little low just sitting on the frame.

If you continue to get unwanted side to side movement you can try mounting the front on some heim ends to create sort of a hinge and still keep the back cushioned. Worked well for us anyhow.

[Abenteuerfahrer]

Originally Posted by iHop

Yes, thanks. We're looking at that with some concern too. Pictures show the angles are pretty extreme.

Here's mine for the 1200 GS with Jay's $$$$ trail reducer. Hope it's sufficient. The front end really did lower a bit...1-2". Thought, they don't like the Dedome..but..??..so added some preload to the front HyperPro shock which rose the height by 1" but making the ride up front a tiny bit stiffer..