Q's about bikes in Blighty
in [UK Motorcycles]
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From: Pip Luscher on 22 Nov 2009 08:48 On Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:59:42 +0000, totallydeadmailbox(a)yahoo.co.uk (The Older Gentleman) wrote: >sweller <sweller(a)mztech.fsnet.co.uk> wrote: > >> Steve Parry wrote: >> >> > > They banned l/h chairs some time in the 1980s, on some spurious >> > > 'safety' excuse. Despite the fact that they could produce no accident >> > > stats for them. >> > >> > and yet LHD cars are still legal? >> >> The position of the driver doesn't affect the way the car is driven >> (other than visibility). The position of the chair makes a huge >> difference. >> >> I suspect - with no evidence - that the decision was based on handling >> rather than visibility. > >But all sidecar combos handle oddly.... I've never ridden (driven?) a combination, but surely a LH chair is more liable to swerve right into oncoming traffig in a panic brake situation. -- -Pip
From: Andy Bonwick on 22 Nov 2009 08:55 On Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:48:29 +0000, Pip Luscher <pluscher(a)live.invalid.co.uk> wrote: >On Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:59:42 +0000, totallydeadmailbox(a)yahoo.co.uk >(The Older Gentleman) wrote: > snip> >>But all sidecar combos handle oddly.... > >I've never ridden (driven?) a combination, but surely a LH chair is >more liable to swerve right into oncoming traffig in a panic brake >situation. You're right but I found that fitting a damper made it more predictable and there's nothing to stop the rider from turning into the chair as they slam the anchors on.
From: Pete Fisher on 22 Nov 2009 09:04 In communiqu� <77gig51qm0qiabtjo7oqutbcdg2h3bgfka(a)4ax.com>, Pip Luscher <pluscher(a)live.invalid.co.uk> cast forth these pearls of wisdom >On Sun, 22 Nov 2009 12:59:42 +0000, totallydeadmailbox(a)yahoo.co.uk >(The Older Gentleman) wrote: >> >>But all sidecar combos handle oddly.... > >I've never ridden (driven?) a combination, but surely a LH chair is >more liable to swerve right into oncoming traffig in a panic brake >situation. > Indeed. A chair wheel brake (independent but also operated when the rear brake is stamped on) helps a bit if fitted. I had one on the 31CSR/Monza but not on the Mille/RS3. I was very glad of the Guzzi linked brakes system on that occasionally though. -- +-------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Pete Fisher at Home: Peter(a)ps-fisher.demon.co.uk | | Voxan Roadster Yamaha WR250Z/Supermoto "Old Gimmer's Hillclimber" | | Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" | +-------------------------------------------------------------------+
From: wessie on 22 Nov 2009 09:07 "sweller" <sweller(a)mztech.fsnet.co.uk> wrote in news:xn0ghycag698pm009 @news.individual.net: > Grimly Curmudgeon wrote: > >> >> Column shifts are rare here. I haven't seen one in years. >> > >> > Column shifts tend to be on the right - the last one I had was on a >> > 1975 SAAB 96 (manual). >> > >> > The old Jag autos were on the right too. >> >> Conversely, the two I had were on the left, so there's no >> standardisation. > > Jags or column change? I'm trying to remember but the old Hillmans I've > driven had them on the right too but I could be wrong. > UK column changes of the 50s & 60s were usually on the right. As a family of 6, we had a series of cars with bench front seat & column changes in the late 60s. One of them was like this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Vauxhall_Victor_1.jpg http://www.classictocurrent.co.uk/victor-6.jpg in RHD obviously -- wessie at tesco dot net BMW R1150GS
From: wessie on 22 Nov 2009 09:51
Pip Luscher <pluscher(a)live.invalid.co.uk> wrote in news:opfig55pum9oi9pi0cf20g9fvi4u3kuuh0(a)4ax.com: > On 22 Nov 2009 11:03:42 GMT, "sweller" <sweller(a)mztech.fsnet.co.uk> > wrote: > >>Pip Luscher wrote: >> >>> > What about steering-column-mounted gear shifts (standard or >>> > automatic)? Do they protrude from the right side like here, or on >>> > the left? (And where is the turn signal lever?) >>> >>> Column shifts are rare here. I haven't seen one in years. >> >>Column shifts tend to be on the right - the last one I had was on a 1975 >>SAAB 96 (manual). >> >>The old Jag autos were on the right too. > > Odd. Dim childhood memory says that Dad's Zephyr column shift was on > the left. > like this mk2? http://www.flickr.com/photos/doctor_keats/2062060256/ I rather like that. Much nicer than the base model Consul that we had. -- wessie at tesco dot net BMW R1150GS |