Sidecar ride, just not even craze

If the number of sidecar drivers in your area increases by 200%, so that two sidecar drivers are added… Then it is not immediately an indication that sidecar driving is becoming very popular. Yet…

So there will be more sidecar drivers

That also happened in the past. Back then, motorcycles were vehicles for people without money for a car. Sidecar combinations were vehicles for couples without money for a car, but with children. Or for small entrepreneurs without money for a van. Such a sidecar combination is an impossible thing: asymmetrical with the drive off center. A sidecar combination thereby combines all the disadvantages of an engine with that of a car. The cautious revival of sidecar driving can therefore be explained purely by nostalgia or tenderness for the awkward concept.

There were sidecar manufacturers

The sidecar usually came from a sidecar manufacturer, like Swallow that later became Jaguar. Steib is also a standing brand and was one of BMW's main suppliers. That third wheel was mounted on any motorcycle. When mounting (by means of a three- or four-point mounting), the adjustment, position, of the third wheel relative to the other two wheels must then be taken into account. That is more than important for the steering and handling of the tricycle.

When driving straight on, the resistance of the sidecar causes the combination to constantly turn right. As a result, the sidecar itself should tend to steer a little to the left. This is done by giving the third wheel a few centimeters 'in'. The front of the wheel points a little to the left, towards the motorcycle. Excellent guidelines have been devised for this and it is easy to add a sidecar yourself. After some test drives to do some fine tuning you are ready for endless fun.

What to do next to a sidecar?

In the worst times there were people who attached a third wheel to their 150 cc engine or to their scooter. That is poverty. To be able to swim along with traffic on secondary roads, an 250 cc is an absolute minimum. If you are at least satisfied with a cruising speed between seventy and eighty km / h. So let's keep 350 cc as a lower limit. And those 350 cc can safely come from a Jawa twin. And there are also sidecars mounted on Honda CB350 Fours.

But the most 'real' (also in terms of appearance) are the combinations from af 650 cc. And there is a huge spectrum available from a BSA Lightning to a Yamaha XS1100, everything is possible. But prefer not to tie a light sidecar (Velorex) to a heavy motorcycle. That does not run smoothly.

But is sidecar driving difficult?

Mwah ... It's a profession in itself. You steer from the shoulders and the handling is incomparable with that of a solo bike. The idea is that after a few thousand kilometers you can have a good grasp of the matter. The sidecar wheel is released when the steering wheel is turned sharply to the right. You can play nicely with that. When steering very sharply to the left, the rear wheel can rise and the combination can be turned over. If he lands on top of you, that limits the damage to the combination, but it doesn't necessarily make you happier.

But the proof of craftsmanship is only provided when you do not fall back on your solo motorcyclist reflexes in an emergency situation. Because then it goes wrong.