Sidecar Familiarization 101
It finally happened – the weather forecast said sunny and warm (high 50), on a Saturday, and I wasn’t traveling, so I decided to take the sidecar over to MCC and spend some time learning how to ride it.
The one thing I hadn’t counted on was freezing! (I neglected to notice that the overnight low was around 15!)
At 8:30 am I set out for the MCC parking lot. It’s about two miles straight down South Clinton. No turns, not much traffic.
Part way there a small herd of dear decided to dart out in front of me. Fortunately I was far enough away so I didn’t have to stop, only slow down. That’s when I realized I couldn’t feel my fingers, so I stopped and switched to my ski gloves. (I’d loaded the sidecar with a few extra items, just in case.)
Once I got to MCC I spent about 45 minutes doing lots of slow speed maneuvers – starts, stops, and turns. The security guard thought I was just a little crazy, but gave me his blessing anyway.
A few observations:
A scooter sidecar does not make for relaxed riding. Even when going in a straight line, it’s always wandering one way or the other. We did not install the steering dampener that came with it, so maybe that would help things a bit.
Be prepared to move your butt, especially for tight right turns. Failure to do so, even at low speeds, will result in the sidecar coming off the ground when turning right. (This is called “flying the chair”.) Sliding off when turning left will help keep the sidecar’s wheel from screaming at you. And yes, you slide towards the inside of the turn.
The sidecar pulls to the LEFT when stopping, so be prepared to counter-steer.
The sidecar pulls to the RIGHT when accelerating, so be prepared to counter-steer.
Stopping is better when you use BOTH brakes. Stopping with the rear brake results in less “pull” than stopping with the front, but the front brake has more stopping power. Your best result is to use them together.
Even with a sidecar strapped on I can STILL pop a wheelie on a Stella! (Not that I ever try to, but you know how it is!) It seems to happen to me a lot when my fingers are frozen.
Stella doesn’t like fourth gear when the sidecar is attached. I was able to get to about 35 in third, but when I shifted to fourth my speed immediately dropped to 30, and was only able to get up to 45 after going down a hill. The Stella is still completely stock engine-wise, so I suspect that the Sito Plus pipe and a new jet will be installed Real Soon Now.
Parking a sidecar WILL draw a crowd! I stopped at Tops to get a muffin, and had three people asking questions even before I got my helmet off.
Changing a flat tire on a Stella with a sidecar is a whole new experience! But that’s for another post.
I figure that a few more trips out and I’ll be ready for parade duty. Anybody want to ride in the chair and wave?
