Years ago, BS (Before Scooters), I recall a magazine article about a side hack rig made in the twenties, maybe the thirties, from a Ford front axle including spindles and tie rod as the main element of a sidecar rig that allowed the motorcycle to lean into corners normally. This was quite successful in racing at the time and even was produced as an aftermarket item for a few years before WWII. Any of you inmates heard or know of such?
Do internet and YouTube searches for leaners or leaning sidecars. Flexit is a brand discontinued now, but they made awesome rigs. There are a few threads on this site, too.
There are plenty of leaner threads on here. In fact, besides this one, there are two more right on Page One of HACKS. You don't have to go back to the 1920's!
Yow! Over run with contraptions and history! https://ridermagazine.com/2011/05/13/a-short-history-of-sidecars/
This, THIS IS THE ONE! https://www.rideapart.com/articles/246410/the-flxible-side-car-a-different-angle-on-sidecar-design/ The basic ideas of the Flxible design are by far, the most elegant. Running the tie rod THROUGH the main cross tube was genius, in my opinion! Putting the hack wheel on the rear wheel axle axis eliminates steering resistance by it being either forward or aft of that axis. The only thing that remains is the inertial steering on acceleration or deceleration.
There's also this guy in Canada -- https://www.dgsidecars.com/ Thread about him here -- https://advrider.com/f/threads/1456395/
This is what the Flxible Sidecar Company made after the crash of '29..buses! This conversion of a 1948 Clipper was used in the movie, "RV" with Robin Williams. https://www.google.com/search?q=flx...-android-samsung-nf-rev1#imgrc=_wjk4Ewq93ahtM
These flexible sidecar rigs do lean but it's not as you would call "normal". Learning to ride one takes a bit of practice. I learned to ride one in a couple of hours (slow learner). Got off the bike (parked it), then a few hours later had a heck of a time getting back into it. I'm guessing that If and when you learn to ride a flexible outfit, you need to remain in the saddle for a period of time just riding it around until it all becomes second nature. Even then,... normal? I don't think so.
When I was back in England, these were pretty popular because the licensing laws back then allowed you to ride a larger capacity bike while still on your provisional license (learner's permit.) I forget the exact rules (age and cc limits) but as a 2-wheeler I think you were limited to 50cc until you were 17, 125cc until you were 18, and as a 3-wheeler it was unlimited? In theory you could put a bag of groceries on there, but it was really just a way to get around the rules as far as I can tell. A buddy of mine in school had an RZ350 with one of these attached (stock pic with an RD, not his RZ)
Nice to see that you are into leaners. I still like and ride mine a lot. Learning how to ride a leaner isn't very hard, I taught a well known Dutch Youtuber within an hour how to ride it. He had a blast. See me in action from the 2.5 minute mark. Sorry, all in Dutch....
I really don't see the point of having the Sidecar Wheel articulated like that, especially when the 'Body' is still fixed like a rigid Outfit. If the Body was linked as well, so it leaned with the Bike, and it's Wheel, then OK. As for 'genius', I don't see it personally. Neat, yes, quite clever, maybe, but with that design you can't build-in much strength to the Linkages, as you're limited by the Tubing dimensions. They could easily have used a simple Double-Beam arrangement, and probably made it lighter and stronger, it's not like the design was critical due to lack of room/space in that area. What is the supposed benefit of that design over a Kalich style Leaner, for instance? You're still limited by the Body on the amount of lean available on the right, the fact the Wheel leans makes zero difference, in fact it might even restrict the amount of lean available to the left (compared to a Kalich style Rig), as the Wheel/Mudguard would contact the Body, just like the Bike/Rider does in right-handers. There's probably several reasons they stopped making them, and that no-one has copied it since.
