Leading link

[mikejohn]

So, where can one buy plans on making a leading link? got a good deal on a wreaked 1996 tiger, I would like to hack this kitty. which sidecars could be enclosed (wife no like getting wet) but still look like a ADV sidecar

[jaydmc]

No idea where you could get plans, I built a leading link for the tiger rig I built several years ago. We have another tiger in the shop right now that is getting one of our M72D sidecars, On this one we are building "Leading legs"
The tiger I built we did up in orange with "tony the tiger" Stripes, It was GREAT! one of the most fun sidecar bikes I ever owned.
What we do to build a one off leading link (with a bike that is not wreaked) we put it on the bike lift and tie it there so that it can not move around. We mark where the axle is on the lift and figure out where we want the trail to end up and place a mark where we want the trail. We then build the link off of the bike to end up with the trail we want. We start by figuring out what size down tubes to use. We usualy try to use 1 1/2 inch tubing as this is what our adjustable building jig is set up for. By using a jig it allows us to make sure that the swing arm is square. If the fork tubes are larger then 1 1/2 inch we make sleave shims on the lathe so that the down tubes will fit in the stock triple tree. If the fork tubes are smaller but not by a lot we will turn down the tubes before they are bent. We use .120 wall DOM tube with a second DOM tube in side. So for 1 1/2 tubes we will have 1 1/4 tube down the middle. We then bend the tubes. Once we figure out how long the tubes need to be and have located where we want the bend to be we then notch the bottom of the tubes so that we can weld in a sleave on the bottom of both tubes that will hold a total of 4 bearings for the swing arm. We want the pivot point for the swing arm to be a bit lower then the axle. If we are running a car tire on the front we may make either the fork tubes end up wider or the swing arm or both. Many ways to do this. We also have to figure out how we want to mount the brakes. If they are firmly attached to the swing arm the front end will climb on braking. If we do not want the front end to climb we float the calipars with tie backs to the down tube. By adjusting the tie backs we can make the front end either climb, dive or stay level on braking. If you go to the Hack Venders section there is a build of an F800GS we did that has a link we built like this. Of course you also have to figure out what shocks to use, if you want long travel or not. How the spedometer drive is going to mounts and on and on. Leading links look simple but there is a lot to them which is why they cost what they do.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
866-638-1793
www.dmcsidecars.com

[claude]

What Jay described is pretty close to how we do it as far as building a leading link on the bike. If you can find specs on what the stock trail is that helps. Then you can decide how far you may want to move the front axle forward to reduce the trail to what you want. Keep in mind that ride height changes will affect final trail figures. So when you do the measuring also measure ride height.
Here is a leading link we did on a V Strom. Note floating calipers. This is the
better way to go.

[claude]

MikeJohn wrote:
>>>which sidecars could be enclosed (wife no like getting wet) but still look like a ADV sidecar <<<

Mike, not totally sure what type of enclosed you mean. The Hannigan dual sport model sidecars have a nice convertible type top which is cool. We can do a bolt on hard top on the sidecars we build and have also done convertible tops on them.

HANNIGAN DUAL SPORT WITH TOP INSTALLED.
Note that this sidecar has been modifIed with a CSM swaybar, body lift and CSM bumpers from the standard Hannigan Dual Sport model.It also has a 5 lug wheel conversion on it that uses the 1200GS wheel. Handy to use the stock bike wheel when doing a car tire conversion on the rear of th ebike. We also can do a ca tire conversion on thsi sidecar to allow tires to be rotated with rear tire on bike. Lots of options.


SAME HANNIGAN DUAL SPORT WITHOUT TOP ETC.




CSM BOLT ON HARDTOP


SAME CSM OUTFIT WITH HARDTOP REMOVED


CSM CONVERTIBLE TOP ON A CSM-1A



OR????

[TouringDave]

Originally Posted by claude

OR????

Holy heck! What is that going to be fitted to?

[mikejohn]

Originally Posted by TouringDave

Holy heck! What is that going to be fitted to?

A mean motor scooter?

[cleatusj]

Since mpg is out the window just use a Boss Hoss.

[claude]

It was actually a sidecar we did for Kevin through Make A Wish Foundation. Mounted to a modified Harley. Ended up with a torsion bar suspension on the rear of the bike and some other things.The bike pulls it quite well considering the overall weight of the sidecar and motorized wheelchair. I just posted that picture of the body in the rough to show that the possibiliities are wide open for an enclosed type coach sidecar. Don't want to hyjack this thread, can start another one if anyone requests it, but here are some pictures.

[Melrone]

Wow that is really cool Claude..My hats off to you buddy....

[TouringDave]

Fantastic!!!