It's hard to explain?
I have owned/driven/played with probably over a 1000 or more "machines" (with wheels, and tracks, can you say Thiokol), yes really. I can send you a list...
I feel that I got my zen (genetics maybe?) from mom & dad. I was raised around their machines and their love of the machine.
Anyway I have always formed a "relationship" with my machines with wheels, (computers and other tech I loath, I still use a flip phone by choice) and have always named them. My daughter Stacey once pointed this out to me and I had never realized it before. I form a love/hate relationship with my machines.
Sometimes I am initially scared by them. I then try and learn their style, and usually I can empower them to allow me to smile.
I can also send their piece of shit ass to the scrap yard. I can only take so much of "the bonding"...
The Mule has entered into my world of machines.
Today was a scheduled day of experimenting/test driving on the Mule for me. I even remembered to take a tool kit with me, yeah send me a thank you note on that one...
AGATT (All Gear All The Time) again cause my baby still scares the shit out of me. She ain't friendly just yet. I am still trying to earn her respect.
I rigged the broken tach cable so it would not do any damage to the tach drive gear (major $$$ to fix as it is inside the engine) by removing the damaged cable and sheath. I then removed the broken cable from the sheath and reinstalled the empty sheath. Thus protecting the tach drive gear inside the engine from the outside elements.
I don't need no stinkin' tach, I know that red line is when shit starts to vacate the engine casings! Right?
I then do a visual of all major mounts (that I touched) check my tire pressure, add BG MOA (great product) to the crankcase in hopes that this will help to protect my Mule under high heat. Say my prayers, gear up and off I go.
Initially as I am driving through my neighborhood I can not really decipher much. Yeah it stops, it accelerates but not enough speed to decide if you are going to die today...
Out I go onto the first 45+ mph side road. I notice that I am having to pull hard, yeah really hard on the left handle bar to get the Mule to track. I keep going as my mind processes the minuscule amount of information I have stored on a sidecar hack and how they are "supposed to handle" I ain't no wussie, I can throw a motorcycle around so on I go. Shit, as I get up to speed or around 60+ mph the Mule wants to gallop off the road to the right. I can form a less abusive straight line as I get everything settled and then she kind of evens out. Then I start to notice that the hack dives severely to the right under steering correction, braking (normal) or farting...and does not rebound well.
So after about 7 miles I kind of have my Mule figured out, yeah right. I pull over after turning around and shift my 60 lbs ballast bag in the hack to the left and then sit off the seat to the left as I ride and regain a significant amount of control. Not enough to get rid of my squishy pants but enough to ponder what is happening as I head for home.
OK so now I know that the Mule wants to vacate the road @ 60+ mph to the right. Shifting weight to the left makes a noticeable improvement in the ability to steer and get the Mule to track straight.
I get back to the garage and park her, shed my gear and stand back and look at the Mule from behind.
Yeah I am lookin' a Mule in the ass...
I notice that the bike is leaning to the right into the hack. I would guess between 2-5 degrees at least.
Hum, if a motorcycle leans in either direction it will turn in that direction.
I look at an adjustable rod connecting the bike to the sidecar and say why is that adjustable?
I call the tech line of the sidecar manufacturer and ask pointed question about my ride.
The tech guy is very nice and has been for the last 6 months with my "tard questions".
He gives a lot of latitude to a motorcycle safety training company, thank God. Anyway I can tell he knows that he has someone that understands about 20% of what he is saying. He is nice and repeatedly says "have you read the download about sidecar installation from our web site". I humbly say no and tell him I will, I promise ( I don't need no stinkin' directions, I am a MAN).
Again I stand looking at the ass of my Mule and it clicks, it is leaning to the right, or into the hack. I then call my sidecar guru who is totally patient with my lack of understanding and he says yes the bike should lean left or at least centered. OK enough info for me. I break loose the lock nut (hammer required, cool! I get to beat my Mule) and adjust the rod and low and behold the bike stands up straight and leans to the left. Eureka! Amazing how shit works if you know what you are doing...
I contemplate how this changed the dynamics of the bike and then think, I have ballast in the hack now, the guy said it should lean to the left without a passenger (or pillion, my grandson Bryce). I leave the 120 lbs ballast in and "eyeball"(scientific verbiage) the Mule from the rear. Sure as shit the Mule is standing upright! I play with it a little, gear up, take my trusted hammer with me and out I go on my next test drive. WOW what a difference a little geometry makes (never took a class, almost failed algerbra but WTF?) the Mule tracked 80-90% better. I pulled over once, smacked the lock nut with the hammer (love the use of a hammer) and tweaked it a little more. Off I went saddled to my Mule, learning all the way.
Other notes;
the hacks shock is blown, leaking and does not operate properly. The tech guy says that you might be able to rebuild it or, spend $500.00 to upgrade the suspension that we figured out 2 years later, was not adequate on your sidecar, great.
Once I hooked up the lights for the sidecar from the bike I noticed the right side turn signals did not work well. They operated fast and what appeared to be hard on the relay. Fast clicks instead of a steady click.
I asked my mechanic what this might mean and he said that the sidecar was drawing to much voltage for the circuit.
Cool, his thoughts made sense, I ask him; "should I snip a wire on the bike or remove an unneeded bulb", he turns his head as he thinks and says "remove the bulb". As I am driving home I think about all of the light bulbs I have replaced in our home to more energy efficient ones. Somewhere I have heard about LED bulbs for vehicles that will draw less voltage. Yeah this might fix my problem.
I ride the Mule to my local parts store and yes they have LED 1156 & 1157 bulbs that I can buy @ $12.50 each are you F'in serious! Well I can not spare any expense to make the Mule road worthy, period. I am stuck with what little, no wait the serious lack money that I have left has to go to feeding the Mule.
I get the bulbs installed and what 'ya know the problem is solved by using less energy, just more money I don't have. Wish my life always worked like that, problem solved by less energy... NOT!
Tomorrow Bryce (my pillion) and I will "scout" our course for the charity ride on the 27th.
I just hope and pray the Mule can stand, not buck, and deliver.
W
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