Flying the chair for the first time - Video

[bluesman]

Well, it was 50 deg. F here in the Boston area and I pulled the rig out of winter storage for the last time. This is the winder that wasn't. The clock shows 500 KM's and I was aching to learn to fly the chair. I took the 60 or so lbs of sand out of the car and boom up she came like butta! I was surprised how light the car feels with no weight. I don't have a spare tire and wheel like the majority of the rigs have so I was running naked!. It was like a feather, the sand went right back in after.

I couldn't fly it in a straight line much at all. After I was done practicing and videoing, I put the sand back in and flew it again and it seems to be able to go straighter much easier than with no weight?

Next step is to put some cones or markers down to see if I can steer where I want to go while flying, this is gonna be much tougher. Constructive comments or suggestions are appreciated.

https://youtu.be/fjfkq-Q6w80

[Albuquralque]

Nice job!!!! 1-1/2 full circles.......

[tx2sturgis]

Couple of things.

First, this is a great start, but you will not be able to travel in a straight line with the chair in the air if you keep leaning your body in towards the sidecar.

You should try to keep your body vertically inline with the frame of the motorcycle, and if you really want to get the chair up and travel in a straight line, you need to lean over to the LEFT. Hang your body so that your torso is just about over the left hand cylinder. Yes, it will feel completely and totally unnatural...but do it anyway. And SLOW down, you are going way too fast!

Whats happening in the video is that you're using centrifugal force to lift the chair, rather than a balance shift to fly the chair..

With plenty of room, and in first gear, start by going in a straight line, move the bar just a bit to the left and steer left, then quickly move the bar and front wheel to the right. Stiffen your arms, keep your body lined up, and do not lean in. The chair will come up, and this will take practice to get past the fear of tipping the rig. Work slowly, and progress until you can travel in a straight line with the chair in the air. Be prepared to use a LOT of steering effort to hold it up. You can steer back to the left to lower it, or use a bit of rear brake, and it will come back down.

You wont have it mastered in a half hour...or even a day....but after lots of practice, it will become much easier.

[tx2sturgis]

Duplicate post removed.

[Snakeoil]

Nice work. Agree with Sturgis. Gotta practice for at least a half hour the first time. You will start to develop a better feel for the balance and what kinds of input you need to make to keep it there.

[bluesman]

Couple of things.

First, this is a great start, but you will not be able to travel in a straight line with the chair in the air if you keep leaning your body in towards the sidecar.

You should try to keep your body vertically inline with the frame of the motorcycle, and if you really want to get the chair up and travel in a straight line, you need to lean over to the LEFT. Hang your body so that your torso is just about over the left hand cylinder. Yes, it will feel completely and totally unnatural...but do it anyway. And SLOW down, you are going way too fast!

Whats happening in the video is that you're using centrifugal force to lift the chair, rather than a balance shift to fly the chair..

With plenty of room, and in first gear, start by going in a straight line, move the bar just a bit to the left and steer left, then quickly move the bar and front wheel to the right. Stiffen your arms, keep your body lined up, and do not lean in. The chair will come up, and this will take practice to get past the fear of tipping the rig. Work slowly, and progress until you can travel in a straight line with the chair in the air. Be prepared to use a LOT of steering effort to hold it up. You can steer back to the left to lower it, or use a bit of rear brake, and it will come back down.

You wont have it mastered in a half hour...or even a day....but after lots of practice, it will become much easier.

Great tips, thanks. I will try shifting my weight and also slowing down. Much more practice is in order for sure, probably have to wait for the weekend for the local parking lot to empty out.

cheers!

[Casty62]

Great tips from these guys. Practice and you will get the hang of it pretty quickly. You can even learn to make left turns or ride around in very tight circles not much larger than your actual turning radius. It just takes some practice. Just keep in mind when riding on the street that the rig will want to go in a straight line once the chair starts flying so you will need to shift your weight to compensate. Otherwise the results could be catastrophic. Have fun!

[Ragmanx1]

Brian - Great post on how to fly the car!
Thanx,
Ragman

[tx2sturgis]

Brian - Great post on how to fly the car!
Thanx,
Ragman

Thanks....I think the yellow book is a great tool as far as it goes, but a book has no way of watching a rider's video and commenting on it.

I'm glad we can help.

[tx2sturgis]

You can even learn to make left turns or ride around in very tight circles not much larger than your actual turning radius. It just takes some practice.

Good points....yes you can learn to turn left with the chair in the air but its done very slowly, for the most part. It does involve a fair amount of body english, shifting and leaning your torso to the left. I don't recommend doing it for long periods due to the sideloads on the bearings, wheels, and tires, possible dragging of hard parts, and not to mention the oil that gets in that left cylinder....but sometimes you just GOTTA HAVE FUN!