Chapter 12 (Sportsman Motorcycle with Driven Sidecar
Wheel)
Handling Differences from the Single
Wheel Drive
Since the sidecar wheel is driven, the Sportsman motorcycle
handles differently from the standard Tourist (single wheel drive)
motorcycle. Turning left, especially when accelerating from a stop
is much easier since the driven sidecar wheel helps to pull the
sidecar forward to the left. Turning to the right from a stop is
somewhat more difficult than the single wheel drive where the
drag of the sidecar tends to pull the motorcycle to the right when
accelerating. The driven sidecar wheel makes the Sportsman less
likely to pull right when accelerating and left when decelerating.
The sidecar wheel receives its torque via a differential in the final
drive. About 30% of the power is transferred to the sidecar wheel
during steady state operations with the sidecar wheel on the
ground. However, if the sidecar wheel is lifted off of the ground
when power is being applied, most of the power will go to it. If the
sidecar wheel is kept in the air, it will spin up and the motorcycle
will gradually roll to a stop. Thus, it is not recommended that the
Sportsman sidecar wheel ever be lifted for more than a few
seconds during normal operation. Lifting of the sidecar wheel
should be limited to low speed training in a parking lot with
extreme care taken to reduce engine speed as soon as the
sidecar wheel is lifted. Passengers or cargo should always be first
loaded in the sidecar before any load beyond the driver is put on
the motorcycle.
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