Thinking about getting a sidecar

[Steam]

Do you have any good sidecar experiences?
My Grandfather used to have one. my mum has shown me pictures of him on it.

I see sidecars on the road fairly often and they come up on Trademe too.
How much did you sidecar guys pay for your one?
Was it hard to bolt on, as in getting it modified to fit your bike?

I have always wanted one, it's on my list of nice motorcycle things to buy in the coming year. When I get a real bike.

[kneescraper]

You should smack a side chair on the GN and put a gun on it.....that would be real different.

[Steam]

You should smack a side chair on the GN and put a gun on it.....that would be real different.

I thought about that, but it would have to be a sidecar made of paper to be able to be pulled by a GN!~
No, this is for when I get a bigger bike towards the end of this year hopefully.
At a Lower Hutt militaria show I saw a german WW2 sidecar with a replica machine gun made by Custom Guns of Christchurch, that was pretty cool.

[kneescraper]

Nice one, I love they way you have used the amo cases? as panners..looks real cool! Oh and the a old tire on the front mad gaurd.

[Steam]

Oi, back on topic, don't worship my GN, (hallowed be its name,) I'm looking for people to talk about their sidecars.

[Ixion]

I had one, they're quite fun, but not very practical. Bit of a giggle though.

Mounting them on a modern bike can be problematic, the old BSAs and such had sidecar lugs and heavy tube frames.

Modern spar frames are another matter. And there's a bit of a black art in getting them aligned.

But it certainly can be done.

Have you though of a classic bike? Matchy 500 or such like?

[Steam]

Matchy 500 or such like?

Cor guv! I'd love one, but I don't think my skills would be up to maintaining such an aged glory. Maybe... well who knows till I try for myself?
Eventually I will get one. As a luxury rather than my everyday commuter hack.

[Eurodave]

Ive got a CX500 with a Sabiston Mk1 sidecar on it
Its a good, if slightly underpowered, outfit & CX's lend themselves to this well
CX500/GL400's have sleeved holes running across their frame that are perfect for mounting a chair to
I also made a set of proper leading link forks & have made several figlass sidecar bodies
If you go ahead dont think that you can add/remove the chair at will, for the best handling & setup the sidecar should be a permanent fixture as you will need stronger back shox, a steering damper & square tyres for a start
Its a bit of a black art mounting & aligning them properly,if you are serious, gimme a PM & I can advise

[Steam]

... if you are serious, gimme a PM & I can advise

Thanks Dave, I may get in touch at some stage this year.
I'm just dreaming at this stage though.
Ural with sidecar... sigh

[Motu]

I've had 3 sidecars,and have another lying around waiting for me to find a bike for it.They are a lot of fun....but you either love or hate them.Pick a good bike to do it with,some will need a subframe to transfer the forces to the correct areas.

[F5 Dave]

Well I wonder what the compliance people would make of what was once common practice, now must surely fall into modified vehicles category. I mean if bolting on another wheel doesn't qualify?!

Why don't we wander over to the legal section & see if there are any current threads on the subject. . .

[Motu]

They definatly come under modification - ''To change a vehicle from it's original state by altering,substituting,adding or removing any structure,system,component or equipment,but does not include repair''

But a sidecar has always been an add on...although these days an outfit is purpose built and permanent and therefore needs an LVV....but what about one that can be removed and replaced? I intend to have mine set up so I can remove or replace in half an hour.Of course then the bike will always get a WoF solo....but what about law enforcement on the road?

[Eurodave]

but what about law enforcement on the road

Surely if the bike has a current WOF & reg what can plod do? Sidecars are a bit of a grey area but I doubt youd get into any trouble, so long as the sidecar passenger/s were wearing helmets,& you wernt speeding or driving dangerously

[Indiana_Jones]

I thought about that, but it would have to be a sidecar made of paper to be able to be pulled by a GN!~
No, this is for when I get a bigger bike towards the end of this year hopefully.
At a Lower Hutt militaria show I saw a german WW2 sidecar with a replica machine gun made by Custom Guns of Christchurch, that was pretty cool.

BMW R75

They're not very cheap, but the Chinese do a look alike, the CJ750 Heaps of guides online on how to ww2 them up

http://www.sidecar.co.za/CJ750history.htm

be sure to get yourself a Fedora while you're at it and take your dad for a ride



-indy

[Ixion]

They definatly come under modification - ''To change a vehicle from it's original state by altering,substituting,adding or removing any structure,system,component or equipment,but does not include repair''

..

No, because for the classic chairs (the ones that can be detached, not like kneelers), the bike itself is unchanged.

In principle, they should be treated the same as a trailer which also bolts on (well attaches). So the chair should by rights have its own WoF and Rego. But there were never enough of them for officialdom to take note.

When I had mine I took the BSA , with chair attached , to the testing station. They didn't have a clue what to do, and settled for testing the bike only and completely ignored the chair.

Lights are the same issue too, a lot of sidecars had red rear white front light at side of the chair. But that is not mentioned anywhere in the rules.

Ditto sidecar brakes. How do you test those ? and what should their spec be ?