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View Full Version : Sidecars at Taupo,Have a GO!



Kickaha
9th March 2004, 20:31
April 24th the Sidecar guys are having a "Have a Go Day" at Taupo if you've ever fancied hanging of the side of one of these,this is the day you get to try it for real,starts around 9.30

No real info posted on their site but it may be updated by then http://nzsidecars.4t.com/

Try it,its nowhere near as mad as you may think! :niceone:

k14
9th March 2004, 20:48
OMG, that would be so cool. Guttered i live in chch :argh:

Yamahamaman
9th March 2004, 20:53
OMG, that would be so cool. Guttered i live in chch :argh:
Yeah, my interest peaked when I heard the anouncement at Paeroa - now where did I put my guts :eek5:

Simon Haszard
10th March 2004, 11:10
I'm going to try so hard to make it to this! I'm a passenger on a '62 Triumph, and am dead keen to see what the fuss is with the Modern's ;)

White trash
10th March 2004, 12:29
Mr Haszard! Welcome to KB.

Tell me you're 1/2 of the pair of nutters I witnessed the past couple of years at Wanganui?

If so you and the rider are a couple of mad mad bastards and I express my thanks for the most entertaining outfit racing ever!

Bugger the "moderns" I say, old schools where it's at! :D

Simon Haszard
10th March 2004, 16:24
Mr Haszard! Welcome to KB.

Tell me you're 1/2 of the pair of nutters I witnessed the past couple of years at Wanganui?

If so you and the rider are a couple of mad mad bastards and I express my thanks for the most entertaining outfit racing ever!

Bugger the "moderns" I say, old schools where it's at! :D

LOL As much as I'd love to be providing your entertainment, I'm afraid I haven't had the good fortune of attending a Wanganui event as yet. Have been doing this for now going on 4 years I guess, and have only raced Pukekohe (numerous times) and Manfield once as well.

I'm actually going to be in Taupo for the classic meeting 3 weeks prior to this which may put a damper on my travelling spirits for this 'Have a go' weekend. If it doesn't i'll be there with my rider giving others a go ;)

Outfit I race is number 126, a red and white faring Triumph 1962 650cc. Built frame and all by my father in law (who upgraded himself to a 850cc Norton Commando Windle replica again built by himself!).

And thank you for the welcome :)

Simon Haszard
10th March 2004, 17:25
Oh and now I'm at home i can post a pic :)

http://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=1232

Kickaha
10th March 2004, 19:55
OMG, that would be so cool. Guttered i live in chch :argh:


Come out to one of Motorcycling Canterburys have a go days and quite often the chairs are taking people out in the lunch break,just go and ask them.

Simon I would be equally interested in trying a classic outfit to swing on,if I can make it and you're there,I'd be dead keen to come out on your outfit.

If you go out on the moderns try both a short and long chair,they are quite different.

XRNR
10th March 2004, 22:13
April 24th the Sidecar guys are having a "Have a Go Day" at Taupo if you've ever fancied hanging of the side of one of these,this is the day you get to try it for real,starts around 9.30...

What's gear is required, any kind of costs to be paid on the day? How do I find out if it's cancelled? The www that you list is a bit slim @ this stage.

Does Craig Sloan? (used to work as a mechanic @ Cycle spot) still have a chair (he was speedway).

Simon Haszard
11th March 2004, 03:33
Kickaha, if we make it I'm sure Lyndsay will be happy to run a few people around :) I'd never leave the classics, they're too much fun! I'm just interested to see how the moderns do comparatively to the classics.

Not sure what gear is going to be required, but I would strongly recommend leathers (1 or 2 piece SHOULD be acceptable).

Kickaha
11th March 2004, 05:52
What's gear is required, any kind of costs to be paid on the day? How do I find out if it's cancelled? The www that you list is a bit slim @ this stage.




I haven't been to one of the ones that the guys in the North run,but I'd imagine the minimum gear is boots,helmets,gloves 1 or 2 peice leathers
not sure about back protector.

They used to sell tickets for the rides I think and you could buy as many as you wanted and each ticket got you a few laps,try the email adress on that site although a week later I am still awaiting a reply.

Kickaha
20th March 2004, 19:01
What's gear is required, any kind of costs to be paid on the day? How do I find out if it's cancelled? The www that you list is a bit slim @ this stage.



Cost is meant to be $10 that gets you three laps and it starts at 9am

Aucker
20th March 2004, 19:27
Cost is meant to be $10 that gets you three laps and it starts at 9am
thats cheap and worth it compared to the cost of something like bungee jumping which only lasts about 10-15 seconds! :yes:

XRNR
27th March 2004, 22:06
I'll try to be there.

Kickaha
28th April 2004, 14:31
Briliant day,did anyone else go to it?

Here's the write up I did for one of the sidecar sites

NZSRA Have A Go Day
Taupo 24th April


This was held on the short Taupo circuit on the Saturday 24th of April and the association couldn’t have had better weather for the day, with a bright sunny day and no wind.

Arriving about 9-15am there were already seven outfits in various stages of preparation as guys checked them over before starting the rides and another three outfits turned up later on, what they do on these days is sell tickets for the rides at $10 a shot and the person presents this to the outfit of their choice and gets three laps on it in the swingers position.

The first person out on the circuit was a local radio presenter on Phil Laws outfit, unfortunately the outfit ran out of gas on what I think was his first lap, after coming back into the pits he then went out with Spike for a few more, and after finishing his ride said he thoroughly enjoyed it, a couple of people said they had heard about it on the radio so the publicity gained from his ride may have attracted a few more along.

From the time they started going on to the track there seemed to be a never ending flow of people wandering down the pits and waiting to be taken out, some children as young as 5 went out on some outfits with the swinger perched behind them holding them on and they were coming back in with big smiles on their faces, one young 8 year old and his sister had been bought out as a birthday treat and both kids and dad had a go with the kids wanting more turns, one other young girl I saw out at least a couple of times , perhaps these young people are the future of our chosen sport.

The swinger were kept busy all day as well, offering advice to the people going out, showing them how to sit and were to hold on and answering questions and chatting to the people going out,Spike went out as swinger on an outfit and he’s used to riding for a few laps and his comment when he came back in and got off was “F*%k that S#@t”, then Dennis went out in the riders seat Spike however declined to go out with him.

A few people seemed to be going out multiple times on different outfits as there were both short and long outfits available and I went out on both Brian Wyeths and Spikes outfits as I normally passenger a short chair and hadn’t been out on a long chair before and found it considerably different, one lady turned up with her partner under the pretext of going for a motorcycle ride when in reality he was buying her a ride on a outfit for her birthday, I couldn’t think of a better present to give someone.

The rides were briefly interrupted when a passenger fell off through the s bends, although they were sitting up in the ambulance so I don’t think they were in to bad a shape and that was the only one I saw for the day, no doubt she’ll have a good story to tell at work on Monday.

Marcus who is touring the country from Austria (Brochaus on KB)drove up from Tauramanui with the person he was staying with and went out for a few laps and enjoyed himself, but said he couldn’t imagine how you could hold on for ten laps or more at twice the pace.

They were hoping for around 150 people to attend and said they quite often get about 120 on days with worse weather, unfortunately I had to leave about 3-30pm so I don’t know the final numbers but when I was leaving they were still going strong with some very tired sidecar riders still going out so it wouldn’t surprise me if they got at least that, from what I saw of the day it was well run and organised and quite successful in putting sidecar racing in front of the public and hopefully may get a few people interested in the sport as I heard a few asking about availability of outfits, running costs etc

I would say it was an event well worth the trip up and all credit the NZSRA for running it, which reminds me I must join up!

White trash
29th April 2004, 07:48
Briliant day,did anyone else go to it?

Here's the write up I did for one of the sidecar sites

NZSRA Have A Go Day
Taupo 24th April


This was held on the short Taupo circuit on the Saturday 24th of April and the association couldn’t have had better weather for the day, with a bright sunny day and no wind.

Arriving about 9-15am there were already seven outfits in various stages of preparation as guys checked them over before starting the rides and another three outfits turned up later on, what they do on these days is sell tickets for the rides at $10 a shot and the person presents this to the outfit of their choice and gets three laps on it in the swingers position.

The first person out on the circuit was a local radio presenter on Phil Laws outfit, unfortunately the outfit ran out of gas on what I think was his first lap, after coming back into the pits he then went out with Spike for a few more, and after finishing his ride said he thoroughly enjoyed it, a couple of people said they had heard about it on the radio so the publicity gained from his ride may have attracted a few more along.

From the time they started going on to the track there seemed to be a never ending flow of people wandering down the pits and waiting to be taken out, some children as young as 5 went out on some outfits with the swinger perched behind them holding them on and they were coming back in with big smiles on their faces, one young 8 year old and his sister had been bought out as a birthday treat and both kids and dad had a go with the kids wanting more turns, one other young girl I saw out at least a couple of times , perhaps these young people are the future of our chosen sport.

The swinger were kept busy all day as well, offering advice to the people going out, showing them how to sit and were to hold on and answering questions and chatting to the people going out,Spike went out as swinger on an outfit and he’s used to riding for a few laps and his comment when he came back in and got off was “F*%k that S#@t”, then Dennis went out in the riders seat Spike however declined to go out with him.

A few people seemed to be going out multiple times on different outfits as there were both short and long outfits available and I went out on both Brian Wyeths and Spikes outfits as I normally passenger a short chair and hadn’t been out on a long chair before and found it considerably different, one lady turned up with her partner under the pretext of going for a motorcycle ride when in reality he was buying her a ride on a outfit for her birthday, I couldn’t think of a better present to give someone.

The rides were briefly interrupted when a passenger fell off through the s bends, although they were sitting up in the ambulance so I don’t think they were in to bad a shape and that was the only one I saw for the day, no doubt she’ll have a good story to tell at work on Monday.

Marcus who is touring the country from Austria (Brochaus on KB)drove up from Tauramanui with the person he was staying with and went out for a few laps and enjoyed himself, but said he couldn’t imagine how you could hold on for ten laps or more at twice the pace.

They were hoping for around 150 people to attend and said they quite often get about 120 on days with worse weather, unfortunately I had to leave about 3-30pm so I don’t know the final numbers but when I was leaving they were still going strong with some very tired sidecar riders still going out so it wouldn’t surprise me if they got at least that, from what I saw of the day it was well run and organised and quite successful in putting sidecar racing in front of the public and hopefully may get a few people interested in the sport as I heard a few asking about availability of outfits, running costs etc

I would say it was an event well worth the trip up and all credit the NZSRA for running it, which reminds me I must join up!


Brilliant write up!

I am truly sorry I missed it but no one to blame but myself.