Yes you must have added 'ballast', if the sidecar alone is not enough. The CoG must be within the triangle of the 3 tyre contact patches, the nearer to the centre the better. The chap who gave me initial tuition, at one point said a pillion passenger on the bike and no-one in the car (or equivalent weight) is a 'must never'. If the CoG goes outside the triangle it's game over (or, inertia due to turning left).Baggy Trousers wrote: ↑Wed Dec 01, 2021 6:52 pm . . .
Attached to this was a very tired 16H Norton. This was a dreadful contraption and negotiating left-handers was particularly hazardous. I had to consult the A to Z in order to plan a route which did not include these debilitating changes of direction; thus it became necessary to retain the ladders etc. to keep things on the ground and ensure less circular progress.
There is a skill in piloting these machines. I don't have it but I'm sure Mike has.
For reference, the Ural sidecar is 120 kg (I'm told), as it's all steel. Plus I had bumper bars on it, a 10 litres jerrycan in a holder, and a similar storage box for a while, and latterly have added a spare wheel to the boot lid. (As an aside, the spare wheel is weight that is high up, and it is noticable in terms of it's bit more unstable now.)
The Velorex sidecar is 75 kg, hence I'm getting 20 kg of ballast with it and I'll also have whatever else I normally chuck in, tools and suchlike. Dave A says the idea is to settle the sidecar suspension so that it works properly rather than 'bounce'.