Sidecars Rock!

I've not been near a bike since the early morning I arrived back from the
Elefantentreffen and got myself to A&E and into plaster. After another
enjoyable BOSM and after watching CIHAGM from the sidelines I was feeling
wistful. Leading folk back to the Hogsty in the Saab made my mind up and
with a bit of kind help the R65 outfit was adorned with the stainless
exhausts and a charged battery.

Platy wheeled everyone around the local loop on Sunday so on Monday I
cleaned up the front brakes, visited the jetwash with a bottle of cleaning
acid and covered 50 miles on M-way, A and B roads.

It isn't comparable with riding a solo or driving a car. Like bringing a
sail boat into harbour under canvas you need to know just what you are doing
and anticipate well in advance. And likewise you cannot completely
eliminate risk. Braking distances are long and left hand cloverleaf m-way
exits are challenging, the equivalent of the inexpected squall.

But it IS an absolute hoot. Younger people stare in amazement. Incradible
amounts of gear can be transported. It would be amusing to tour with a
flatbed 'chair with a small roadbike or a trailbike on-board and a decent
luggage box. Find one and try it out. Mr B you should sort yours out and
use it enough to justify keeping it.

www.flickr.com/photos/15262772@N00/sets/72157608243738971

 

This walking stick conceals a venomous blade

 

I've lost my reading glasses, sorry

 

My mate and I built a BSA A65 outfit in the 70s that was just an old
Watsonian chassis with a sheet of ply and an old pine box bolted to
it. The idea was to transport his trials bike plus spares and tools
around as neither of us had a car licence then.

It almost worked but we got the alignment so wrong that the only time
I rode it, it kept trying to climb the nearside kerb and would not
turn right at all, unless you could get both hands on the right side
of the handlebars!

I walked away from it then and there but I think he perserved for a
while, until the motor blew up!

It would be fun to try an outfit again though.

Mark

 

Drinking beer whilst watching you fettle is the kind of help I'm always
willing to offer.

I still can't believe I agreed to be a passenger but it does give you a
big grin. Handled amazingly well with my 15 stone in the sidecar.

 

IRTA "This walking stick conceals a venomous Bede"

 

Whatever you do, don't grope for them in the woods...

 

The message

Like my G3 Matchless with Swallow chair - until I passed my test.

The box was about 6' 6" long, and had a canvas tilt. Because it wans't
adapted to carry a passenger, and I was going to take my mate round my
place for a spot of spanner-twiddling, he lay in the box with the tilt
over him. (He'd got a full licence...)

I arrived at a major road and waited for the traffic to leave a
com-shaped hole.

Tump - tump - - tump - - tump - -

Wondering what was keeping me, he swept the tilt back and sat up, looked
into the rather surprised countenance of the constable who was standing
at the kerb, swept the tilt down again, and lay down, as I accelerated
(FSVO accelerated) into a passing space...

Ah, now that's an art. The bike leans out a bit, the sidecar wheel
tows-in a bit, and the lead of the sidecar wheel over the rear wheel is
critical, too.

As they did...

Yes, but get some gen on how it's done before you trust your alignment.
If it's not properly set-up, OOOH-NASTIES can happen innit.

 

The message <>

I've never managed to get Shpxre to work.

 

There's rather a good pic of you with said big grin in the
aforementioned sidecar.