Resurection, need a little help

Today I have been mostly stripping a sidecar (Watsonian Mitze) and offering
it up to the lucky recepient machine. I've had the chair for about 5 years
and always meant to sort it but never got round to it. Well I am now.

BUT, the chair was built for an MZ TS 250/1 and was modified (badly) to fit
an MZ ETZ 250. I now want to fit it to a TS 250/1. I have the brackets,
well a load of rusty blocks of metal, and a friendly engineering type.

What I would like is some help...[1]

Can anyone supply pictures or a written description of the mounting bracket
arrangements for both TS and ETZ combos? There must be some MZ outfit
pervs out there.


{1] Asked Watsonian, they no longer have diagrams or instructions for their
older chairs. Burwins 'don't do sidecars'.

 

I'm trying to think of something more uncontrollable than an MZ with a
chair attached and all the geometry wrong. There are all these arcane
terms like "sidecar wheel lead" and "toe-in". Do a google search about
how to set up a chair (must be some info out there) and make up new
brackets?

 

KH750 triple running on original suspension and carrying a fat pillion.

 

I've got the geometry angle (!) already covered [1], the problem is the
TS/ETZ frame. As you know, are spine types with the engine suspended on
rubber mounts. But the frames are different; the TS being twin tubes and
the ETZ a single box section.

Either way there is nowhere to attach the front chair mount and to allow
it to be adjusted with regards to toe in.

I have an MZ clamp that runs up through the centre of the fork yoke and
has provision for movement in the steering plane. It also has a fixed
clamp to attach to the front mounting 'strut' of the chair. But it is
pretty rusty and has a Chinese puzzle, or Heath Robinson depending on
your viewpoint, air about it.

To compound the problem the front mounting strut has been modified.
Hacked about would be a better description.

I'd really like some pictures or accurate descriptions of the components
and methods for both models.

It'll make a cracking support vehicle...

[1] For those who *must* know...

Sidecar wheel lead
The distance straight forward from the rear axle of the bike to the
sidecar wheel spindle is known as the lead

Motorcycle lean-out
When fully laden it is important that the bike should not lean towards
the sidecar.

Sidecar wheel toe-in
Toe-in is defined as the amount by which the track width at the front
wheel is narrower than at the rear

 

Yup, the front is a single mount that goes through the headstock. From
memory ( which may be flaky as I've only seen one and fixed it at the side
of the road for the owner ), the rear upper goes to the rear suspension
mount upper. The rear lower to the rearmost engine mount?

Try Pleasley Motorcycles, Pleasley, Mansfield. Small family run firm, MZ
enthusiasts.

HTH

 

After lots of investigation and trial and error, I finally set the
K75/ST2 up such that the bike was leaning slightly towards the chair.
Felt far safer than the when it was slightly leaning out

 

The complete quote:

Motorcycle lean-out
When fully laden it is important that the bike should not lean towards
the sidecar; if it does the steering will be heavy particularly when
turning away from the side-car. The amount of lean-out is measured at the
steering head of the unladen motorcycle and is usually less than 3cm.
Outfits with car tyres, particularly wide, low pro-file ones, should be
set up with zero lean-out.

 

The bit you missed out:

Motorcycles with lean out are as scary as **** when turning towards the
sidecar.

 

Well yes, that's the short and to the point version.

 

And different to yours!

 

Hmm, bloody good point. So vertical is the way forward.