Anyone have a sidecar and have ESA on the bike

What settings are you using? And do you vary the settings during the ride

Thanks fir the help
Bob

Wow....What bike that has ESA did you hack? What did the sidecar builder (if you had one) tell you to do? What was done to the bike? Front suspension changed? Rear wheel changed?
If you desperately want to continue to use ESA, I would recommend to leave it in "Comfort" and change back and forth between the solo with luggage and the two-up setting, depending on how loaded the rig is.
To be honest, I would put a different shock in that leans itself to sidecar operation - talk to some sidecar builders (Hannigan for example) - and forget about ESA. One of the major advantages of ESA is to be able to adjust the handling when using the cycle as originally intended to: Leaning it into curves.
You have three wheels now, and you manipulate one of them with ESA.

This past winter I moved my Hannigan DS hack from my 2007 R12GS to a 2010 GSA. I picked up the completed rig ten days ago from Claude's shop in PA, and since then have only put 800 miles on it. So take my comments with a grain of salt.

I searched all over New England for a 2010+ GSA without ESA for the reasons EMSimon stated, but in the end the best deal I could find was on a bike with ESA. I figured I'd use it till the shocks were shot, then replace them with a non-ESA Ohlins, Wilbers, Hyperpro etc.

I've been experimenting with the settings and so far the most comfy has been the two up with luggage, set for offroad (the mountain icon). But I was glad to have ESA during a longish stretch on the Interstate when that rhythmic THWAP of the concrete seams became annoying. Flipped it to comfort and it smoothed right out. So while I'm not using ESA as it was intended, I'd respectfully disagree with EMSimon's blanket statement. I think the technology is still a bit new to determine its relative merit with sidecars.

Give me a year and I'll tell you how my opinion morphs after 12k of usage.

Pete

[QUOTE=glenfiddich;768653] So while I'm not using ESA as it was intended, I'd respectfully disagree with EMSimon's blanket statement. Pete[/QUOTE]

Pete, you speak with actual experience which definitely trumps any and all theoretical elaborations about this. I have never driven a sidecar rig with ESA and just could not imagine the system being of any benefit for the handling and performance of a hack.

[QUOTE=EMSimon;768850]Pete, you speak with actual experience which definitely trumps any and all theoretical elaborations about this. I have never driven a sidecar rig with ESA and just could not imagine the system being of any benefit for the handling and performance of a hack.[/QUOTE]

No harm no foul, Mike. The one thing I've learned in two years of hacking is that in a community this small and so varied (I've seen exactly two other hacks on the road in the past 2 years, and except for Urals seen at rallies no two are alike) it's all about experimenting. There are, as far as I can tell, few absolutes in the world of sidecars.

Well, except we tend to hug each other like long lost brothers when we meet in some distant place...

Pete

Thanks for your reply, I've got a 2009 GS with just a tad over 6K on it. This winter I ordered a M72DX from DMC sidecars. The car itself has electric trim that I'll be able to level the car on the fly depending on the crowning of the road. Additionally I've got a automotive rear wheel for the bike and sidecar

While I was riding the bike itself I utilized the ESA quite a bit in both the solo and two-up mode and never really found it to be lacking.

From what I've read on ESA it was installed to adjust the chassis for the riding style, road conditions, and load.

So you probably are using it correctly as will I

The technology is new, I know some that folks have it and still don't know what it is all about. Just ask a question about it on any of the forum that are out there

In the meantime my sidecar is two miles away, and I've got 3' deep of snow and 100' long to dig out to get to a dry road

Before I can get them connected

Thanks Again
Bob

Tell Sarah hello:wave

Well a years has gone by and still riding. I've put close to 4.5K on the rig so far I'm running it in the off-road setting ( large mountain) and alternate between comfy and hard. I drove across the Denali Hwy. the road got pretty rough and I put it in comfy ( it really smoothed out the ride) then took it back to normal and hard depending.

[QUOTE=bobpeek;864892]Well a years has gone by and still riding. I've put close to 4.5K on the rig so far I'm running it in the off-road setting ( large mountain) and alternate between comfy and hard. I drove across the Denali Hwy. the road got pretty rough and I put it in comfy ( it really smoothed out the ride) then took it back to normal and hard depending.[/QUOTE]

You do realize that pictures are required, right? :brow

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Early this winter

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A friend of mine joined me for a ride up to Talkeetna Alaska

I went ahead and bought a new front wheel an put the studs in, it did wonders for control.


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A friend of mine came from Whitehorse YT and we drove up to Talkeetna Alaska

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