SUMMER 2010 SPECIAL EDITION

A North American Sidecar Club Publication

Technical articles Sidecar stories Memory lane Lots of pictures New products Clubs directory Manufacturers & Distributors directory

SIDECARS

US$9.75 / Cdn$10.00 SUMMER 2010

CANADIAN SIDECAR OWNERS CLUB

6465 Line 6 R.R. #3 Harriston, ON N0G 1Z0 Canada

WHAT IS THE CSOC?

PRESIDENT
Terry Brinklow sidecaring@cogeco.ca

The CSOC (Canadian Sidecar Owners Club) is a family oriented club. There are many reasons for installing a sidecar. Some members like bringing the whole family along by motorcycle. Others like to bring the family pets, or increase the carrying capacity of their motorcycle. Others still enjoy the stability the sidecar offers. They may not be able to support the weight of a motorcycle while stopped, or use their bike for year round transportation, even in the winter. The CSOC is a club where old and new friends can get together and go for rides. It is a social get together and a great time.
WHERE AND WHO?

VICE PRESIDENT
Tom OLeary porkchopp@lks.net 613-477-1130

SHOW COORDINATORS
Maggie McAmmond sidecarmaggie@rogers.com 519-927-3858

MEMBERSHIP
Carol Harper dennisharper@sympatico.ca 519-338-3259

EDITOR
Pat Castel castelp@rogers.com 613-523-3349

In past years we have had rallies in such places as Niagara Falls, Ottawa, Wingham, Kentucky U.S.A.,and Elliot Lake. There are many ages ranging from children to retired elderly. Types of motorcycles from Gold wings to Harleys, and sidecars from Velorex to Watsonian. While most of our members live in Ontario we have members that live as far away as Kentucky, Washington & British Coloumbia.
VICE PRESIDENTS SIDE CORNER by Tom OLeary

Newsletter & Advertising Office

2743 Massicotte Lane Ottawa, On K1T 3G9 Canada sidecars_magazine@rogers.com

COVER PAGE
Side-Bike Sidecar Zeus

DISTRIBUTION
This newsletter is distributed thru email in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, Kentuky, Michigan, New York State, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington State and as far away as England, France, Germany, Netherlands & China.

Notice
All information furnished herein is provided by and for the Canadian Sidecar Owners Club. Unless otherwise stated, none of the information (including technical material) printed herein necessarily bears endorsement or approval by sidecar manufacturers or the editor. The editor and publisher cannot be held liable for its accuracy.

PRINTED IN CANADA
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FROM THE EDITORS DESK

After reading and looking at all those fantastic rigs, if you are not piloting a sidecar, you might convert to sidecars. Sidecars have this Je ne sais quoi attraction.You either love them or hate them. I looked at trikes and sides, I rode on both and fell in love with the sidecar style. I have the perfect bike for a side but there is only one problem in my life, its not even the cost, its my wife. She cannot and would not ride in a contraption running as low as a Go-Kart (her own words). So, if I want to please myself, I need to win the lotto and buy myself a brand new rig and keep the RT for other times We are launching a new publication. Nothing is perfect and with your help we hope to bring you a great product. This publication is yours, so if you have a story, do not be shy, send it to us and we will publish it. To quote my good friend Thomas P. Hargrave Jr. : Sidecars aren't for everyone. You see some older people hauling a sidecar around, mostly because of comfort or because of some physical limitations but sidecaring is not necessarily an "old man's" sport. A lot of younger people are finding out that a sidecar rig is a great family machine. You just load the wife on the back, stuff the kids into the sidehack and then "off you go." You also get a fantastic amount of storage with some rigs which makes it a great cross country machine. A sidehack is definitely not for someone who thinks that leaning through twisties is the only thing that motorcycling is about, but if you love adventure and are into lots of new challenges then a sidecar may be for you! Leaning two wheels through a turn is easy because most of us learned about counter steer when we were very young, but navigating a sidehack rig through a turn at road speed takes a special kind of skill, a skill only learned and perfected through lots of practice!

Racing Sidecar Evolution

Walter BMW R 1200 R Powerful Boxer

This, in the motoring press highly praised BMW model R 1200 R has, thanks to the Walter company, found its way to a third wheel. This Hessian producer offers the current Roadster models here with the shown Stoye Sport or other sidecars of his own range. In the chassis conversion featured is a strengthened sub frame, a Walter tube forks with also strengthened leading links and stereo setup suspension, compound wheels shod with 145/65 R 15 front and 175/55 R 15 rear. Unique to this company , the sidecars 13 wheel hydraulic disc brake is picked up by a lever together with the bikes original pedal. Standard equipment also are shock absorber of the Wilbers Eco-Line.

BMW MOA
The Essential BMW Motorcycle Accessory
Over 40,000 Members and still growing! Tell a friend about the largest BMW Motorcycle Owners Organization in the World. For membership information contact

www.walter-motorrad-gespanntechnik.de

BMW MOA
P.O. Box 3982 Ballwin, MO 63022 USA (636) 394-7277 www.bmwmoa.org
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is a presentation by WhitehorseGear.com 800-531-1133 / 603-356-6556 ___________

Around the World on a motorcycle: 1928 to 1936 by Zoltan Sulkowsky

Book of the Month

Lefvre - Comeback from Sidecar News

to be for technical testing is a combination based on BMW K 1200 models with transverse engine. With this the Hessian design engineer goes back to previous solutions, tried and tested with the old K-range conversions. Now the LTS chair is attached with three fittings to the sub-frame on the K 1200. Two arms run down below the bike, one arm is fixed to the upper r/h chassis tubes. Also Lefvre developed his own compound wheels. Further expanded was the range of kits with CBR 1000 Honda, FZR 1000 Yamaha and other types, but due to employment reasons the brothers had to stop their part time sidecar business. It has been quiet for a long time around the sidecar specialist Lefvre. In 1983 brothers Walter and Erwin Lefvre did a Honda CX 500 conversion with the LTS sidecar that made them widely known. Other combo-designers avoided the Gllepumpe (liquid manure pump) as it was affectionately named. This best selling solo-bike wasnt easy to convert into sidecar use. Soon after a hub centre-steering with a wide steering angle was devised and a fitting kit for BMW K 100 model range that superseded sub-frames and calmed down those dreadful engine vibrations more than other competitors solutions did. As Walter Lefvre is retired now he finds time to follow his passion. Ready and soon Steering is similar to previous systems. Instead of the steel trailing arm of old a delicately machined aluminium part now comes into use. Realising 100 mm suspension travel, Lefvre minimised the Ferraria effect on the steering by a clever trick. Braking is by a modified AP-brake with ventilated 320 mm disc, a four piston calliper decelerates the wheel. Suspension of rear- and sidecar wheel utilises a torsion roll bar designed by Eibach especially for the job. As project design is nearly finished, Lefvre seeks for a marketing partner. A viable proposition would be that Ott at Flrsheim-Dalsheim (D) would add the steering and K-range machine kit to his range of products as he is short of an own axle-pivot steering and could save himself from designing one. At the moment it is still open if a co-operation comes into being. At least Levvre has introduced his outfit at the Ott Sidecar Factory opening in early August 2008.

The year was 1928 when two young Hungarians decided to travel around the world on a motorcycle. Like Robert Fulton, whose circumnavigation of the globe is chronicled in his 1937 book One Man Caravan, Sulkowsky thought his was the first around-the-world journey on a motorcycle. Sulkowskys account of his travels, originally published in Hungary in 1937, has recently been translated into English and published with the original photos. The trip, on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with sidecar, started in Paris, France. During the next eight years Sulkowsky and his friend Gyula Bartha traveled through Europe, Africa, the Mideast, India, Australia, southeast Asia, China, Japan, North and South America, and back to Europe. They earned enough money to keep traveling by selling photographs and accounts of their experiences and giving lectures in the many cities they visited along the way. Sulkowsky gives a very clear-eyed view of the world in the 1930sa world where the colonizing influence of Europe had affected much of Africa and Asia. He describes in detail the overwhelming effect the British had on Indian culture and contrasts that with countries farther east where the trappings of European dominance barely reached beyond the major cities.
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October 24, 2010 Upper Parking Lot #2, Griffith Park Los Angeles, CA. USA Contact Doug Bingham, 15838 Arminta Street, Unit 25, Van Nuys, CA 91406, 818-780-5542, Fax 818-780-1587 More details see www.sidecar-industry.com

On the way to the Elefantentreffen...

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SUMMER 2010

Did you know? BSA motorcycle, 1922

This motorcycle, powered by a large V-twin-cylinder engine, and its sidecar were made by BSA (Birmingham Small Arms) Cycles Ltd. Designed for reliability and comfort rather than speed, these machines tended to be serviced and maintained by their owners. Motorcycle and sidecar combinations using machines such as this were used in very large numbers throughout the 1920s, essentially by the working man and his family for whom the purchase and running of even a small motor car was often prohibitive. By Peer Lawther British-Motorcycle-Parts.com

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More than 5000 bikers every year since 1956 face hard weather conditions and extreme cold temperature (up to 20 celsius below zero) to take part in the hardest riders meeting: the historical Elefantentreffen. On the last weekend of January, near the border with the Checz Republic, the little town of Solla lives its moment of glory among the motorbike's lovers. For most of the people the big challenge is to get there in one piece, but lots of the riders are going there for the show, the atmosphere, the ambiance, but certainly not for the comfort and the warmth of the scenery. The rustic charm will make the trip memorable. And years later you will hear them say: I was there...

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SUMMER 2010

Wobble? By Bob Loberg

The dictionary denes it.... Wobble (wob'el) To move erratically from side to side; and unsteady motion...

made in a couple of different mounting designs. There are many ways we can mount a Steering Damper. The most ideal would be to anchor the base end on the bike frame and the rod end on the lower triple tree (Fig. A).

To better understand the solutions to xing "the big wobble", check out the article below by Bob Loberg for the cause, the cure and mounting instructions. Also read what you should know before adding a damper.
CAUSE: Let's assume that your bike is properly maintained; that is, good tires, straight and true wheels, the suspension and steering head bearings are snug, everything is copestatic! You've even laded up your travel gear properly. Chances are your bike will travel down the highway straight and true, hands off!!! Let's add the sidecar. Now the bike has changed its habits. Especially on deceleration at 30-35 mph. It never shook its head before, why now? Adding a sidecar is adding a nonpowered, off-centered mass of weight. The weight very simply is trying to pass you on deceleration and drip behind when you accelerate. These actions also will try to turn you right (on takeoff) or left (on breaking). Both of these actions are directly transmitted to your front wheel and its TRAIL (see drawing). Think of trail as a caster or the ability to center the steering when rolling. The more trail, the more self-centering action. Road bikes generally have more trail because they don't have to be maneuvered quickly between trees or on a wood trail (hopefully not often!). trucks. Dirt bikes usually have less trail for quicker woodsy type steering. If you sit on your bike and turn the bars full lock left to right, you will nd that the front rises and falls very slightly (witness some guy on a long forked chopper sometime) - the highest when the bars are straight and low on either side. This action, although very slight, with the mass offset weight of the sidecar, will produce an oscillation from side to side the wobble.... (combined with the weight transfer to the front wheel) on deceleration. Very few bike/sidecar combinations are without a low speed oscillation and usually can be overridden by a reasonably tight grip on the bars. But what about the wife or non-strong type person hanging there helplessly opping from side to side? A Steering Damper in those anxious moments could be the most important part of the combination. Kind of like a safety valve on your steering/suspension. Of course, there are many other factors that also produce oscillation (loose mounts etc.), but we've touched on the major ones. A CURE: After you have made sure all bearings are snug etc., you can add a Steering Damper. The best combination I've found and I think I can speak for Doug Bingham too, is a standard Volkswagen shimmy damper. They are readily available from the local auto parts store. They have a long enough stroke and are 10

As you know, in about 99% reality, this cannot happen. Somewhere down the road we have acquired a frame mounted fairing crashbars, driving lights, air horns, etc., etc., etc., all of which try to occupy the same spot. In the drawings following, I will attempt to show some alternate methods of mounting. Some parts will be available from your dealers, others from a local auto store or industrial supply store. MOUNTING:

More trail also makes them less sensitive to cross winds and turbulence from SIDECARS

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This is a typical mounting that will not interfere with fairings and other add-ons.

Manufacturer of original replicas from STEIB Sidecars

Extensive selection or parts and accessories, compatible and interchangeable with the originals, making restauration easier. We deliver connecting parts, frames, reinforced springs and spoke wheels for a wide variety of motorcycles. Seats for MZ and Stoye sidecars are also available. The bottom of damper could be mounted in any of these places. Online Catalog: http://www.ideal-seitenwagen.de/English/Katalog_e/KatSWhaup-et.htm Catalog download: http://www.ideal-seitenwagen.de/downloads/download01/sw_katalog_en_2008m ail.pdf

ideal Motorcycle & Sidecar GmbH

Kpenicker Strae 8 10997 Berlin-Kreuzberg Tel: 0049 (0)30 / 618-6258 Fax: 0049 (0)30 / 611-7002 info@ideal-seitenwagen.de http://www.ideal-seitenwagen.de

If you mount the damper anywhere on the fork leg, it MUST move freely up and down and let you turn full lock side to side. Before adding a damper, check: The steering head bearings Tire pressure Spokes Loose mounts Wheel bearings Excessive toe-in-toe-out Rear suspension bushings

MOTORVATION ENGINEERING SIDECARS & TRAILERS

941 Fourth Avenue Sibley, IA 51249 (712) 754-3664 jims@nethtc.net www.motorvation.com

Available from your nearest hobby store

1/10th scale BMW R69/S with Steib TR 500 sidecar Ref. # 450665900

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From Side-Bike, the Zeus...

The Zeus motorcycle will fetch 195 kph on the motorways, so it's no slouch. Straight out of the future. ZEUS is the ultimate for open air family touring. Comfortably carries four people...two in the sidecar with seat belts and two on the bike section. This is not a motorcycle with a side car, but rather a side car with a bike type attachment since the engine is in the side car unit. Truly a unique concept with huge storage space in both sections, that can hold luggage for four for long road trips. The Zeuss engine is located in the sidecar while the controls are operated from the bike. Passengers sit in the sidecar side by side while a third can sit behind the rider on the bike.

SPECIFICATIONS
1997cc 4-cyl 16-valve fuel-injected engine. 133hp at 6100rpm. 5 speed manual transmission with reverse. Seat belts, heat and audio system in sidecar. 2-wheel handlebar steering. 3 wheel ABS disk brakes. Custom Devil exhaust with catalytic converter. 7 gallon fuel capacity. 8.5 ft long x 6 ft wide x 4 ft high. Curb weight 1430 lbs. 600 lb towing capacity. Meets U.S. safety and emissions standards

One Spouse, 2 Kids: What To Ride?

Here's a problem for you. You're married, therefore a spouse, and you've got two teenage kids. You want to ride a motorcycle, but a bike will only hold one passenger. What are you going to do? Give up your dream? Not if you let Side-Bike help you. They've got some very nice sidecar motorcycles, and the nicest part is that they are homologated for 3 passengers!

The gas tank will hold 28.5 liters of that precious petrol.

Here's the ZEUS:

The heating for the sidecar is adjustable, and it even has interior lights. The luggage compartment can hold up to 400 liters of luggage. Shit... you could probably t in a spare motorcycle...

CONTACT INFO:
Side-Bike www.side-bike.com DISTRIBUTOR INQUIRY WELCOME

This sci- looking motorcycle is approved for 2 sidecar passenger, plus pillion. The sidecar portion has seatbelts. You can even tow a trailer with it (maximum permitted weight for the trailer is 300 kgs). The Zeus is equipped with a 2 liter Peugeot (the car) engine , with 133 HP and 19,5 mkg at 4100 rpm. The motorcycle has two wheel drive (that's the rear wheels).

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www.TexasSidecars.com

903-640-2149

England has some serious High Performance pursuit vehicles

SIDECARS
Watsonian Squire Velorex

Side Strider Inc.

Doug Bingham 818-780-5542 sidecars@la.twcbc.com

Police Honda Fireblade with Merlin Sidecar and Honda CBR1100XX.

Sidecar ( sdkr )
From Wikipedia the free encyclopedia
A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle,producing a threewheeled vehicle. Early sidecars were intended to be removable devices that could be detached from the motorcycle. The rst mention of a sidecar is in a cartoon by George Moore in the January 7, 1903 issue of the British newspaper "Motor Cycling". Three weeks later a provisional patent was granted to Mr. W. J. Graham of Graham Brothers, Eneld, Middlesex. A motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a combination, an outt, a rig or a hack. The Sidecar is also a classic cocktail traditionally made with Cognac, orange liqueur and lemon juice. -------------------------------

...Hang on tight now!!!

Oxford English Dictionary (2nd edition).

A vehicle designed to be attached to the (near-)side of a motorcycle to accommodate one or more passengers. Occas. attached to a bicycle. SIDECARS 13 SUMMER 2010

 NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS

MOBEC GmbH DUODRIVE - System

This year we have been the host of the Winter Olympics and we will also be the host of the Pro Side-Car Tour 2010.

The automatic, permanent two wheel drive forms the base of our DUODRIVE combinations

A bunch of friendly German sidecar riders will be visiting Western Canada from Aug 20th till Sept 6th. Their rigs and equipments will be shipped by container. The tour will start and end in Vancouver, going thru the different areas shown on the map below.

So lets welcome these guys the Canadian way and make them remember their trip forever.

VELOREX USA
The brand new Model 563 Tours are now available. This new model is a standard 562 sidecar body mounted on a 565 tour reinforced chassis with wide fender, 130/90/16 wheel, large running board, broad mud guard and chrome front brush guard. (516) 826-4184 VelorexUSA@gmail.com www.velorexusa.com SIDECARS 14

The Concept: all terrain sidecar combination, usable all year round Visco drive unit with a minimun of service requirements better traction due to better power distribution better cornering force interchangeable wheels high ground clearance from 260 mm long distance touring capabilities

Mobec GmbH Stuttgarter Strae 139 73066 Uhingen Tel. +49 (0)7161 - 32141 Fax. +49 (0)7161 - 38081 Mobec@t-online.de www.Mobec.de
SUMMER 2010

Trip to Memory Lane, Sidecars of the Past...

The rst sidecars on motorcycles made their appearance in the very early 1900s. Early models were often like wicker armchairs and are rare collectors' items nowadays. Before long they started to resemble the sidecars we see today. Many of them were enclosed and were made by companies that also made wooden or steel car bodies. Many sidecars were enclosed and acted as the equivalent of todays family sedan. In the recession years of the 1930's through the 1950s many different companies made sidecars. Some were aviation rms which brought new designs and materials into the market. Sidecars played a signicant role in WWII in all theatres of war. Up until the end of their heyday in the 1950s sidecars were used in a far more utilitarian role than those you see today which are mostly used for fun and sport. SIDECARS 15 SUMMER 2010

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Quick transport for the telephone line repairer. Helping a cinema star obtain a thriller

The middle left picture shows American sportsmen returning from a hunt and the two lower photographs were taken by gold mine prospectors in distant California.

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19 28

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Taking a calf to market. Delivering machinery. Hot meals for a dinner in Suburbia. Quick delivery service for the milkman. An ice-cream cart with extensive range of operation

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JOIN THE GUERILLA DRIVE-IN REVOLUTION

from carbon ber composite, and underneath is Mobecs proprietary Duodrive two-wheel-drive system, complete with reverse gear. Forged BBS 17 alloy wheels are shod with 205/40 ZR17 tires, and gear shifting is electricwith a foot-operated clutch. And although that carbon ber bodywork is no doubt light, its raised by a hydroelectric system for even easier access to the passenger seat.

Driving a Sidecar Outt by Paul Crowe

Retro-Thing charmingly posts on a subculture I didn't even know existed: renegade drive-in movie guerillas, who zoom around the country on their vintage hogs, 16mm projectors mounted in the sidecar, to agrantly violate lm copyright law on the blank wall of any out-ofbusiness shoe mall or condemned retirement castle. There are lots of these somewhat secret groups that put on clandestine impromptu drive-in movies. Once you know the secret handshake (I'm barely kidding), you'll get an email or a text message notifying you of the time and place of the drive-in - often that same day!. The location can be an old warehouse, a rooftop, or the side of a garage somewhere. LCD technology makes it easy to enjoy a high quality lm presentation just about anywhere. RT points out the excellent site Mobmov (http://mobmov.org/) as a tool to hooking-in to guerilla drive-in events in your area. Guerilla Drive-In Movies www.retrothing.com/2008/07/i-have-a-co nfes.html

also recognizes that many novice sidecar drivers have no motorcycle experience so all of the basics of motorcycle controls, riding gear and trafc safety are covered, too. The book has an additional chapter on motorcycle/sidecar assembly procedures, something you'll need to know if you're serious about these rigs. Sidecars are not as common as motorcycles in general and driving one means you'll need to take more of the initiative to learn the necessary skills. The S/TEP classes are a great resource but you aren't going to nd them everywhere. If you plan to get into sidecars, you should, at the very least, pick up a copy of this book and go through the practice lessons yourself. Many riders have used this book over the last 10 years and this new updated version gives you the current knowledge you'll need to ride these fascinating vehicles. The book is available directly from Printwerk Graphics (800)736-1117 for $34.95 plus shipping and handling. All proceeds from the sale of the book are used to promote sidecars and sidecar safety. It's money well spent, so, if you're going to drive a sidecar, buy the book.

MICHAEL KRAUSER SIDECARS

David L. Hough has rewritten and updated Driving a Sidecar Outt. The brand new second edition arrived in The Kneeslider's mail and it looks like a comprehensive introduction to everything you'll need to get started. You might recognize the name, David Hough, he's the author of Procient Motorcycling and More Procient Motorcycling, 2 very popular and informative books on riding safely. Driving a Sidecar Outt looks at the world of 3 wheeling with the same idea of giving you the knowledge you need to stay out of trouble while enjoying the world of sidehacks. If you've gone through a rider training course, you're already familiar with the step by step "from the basics" approach, but those courses, ne as they are, don't cover 3 wheeling. Safely driving a sidecar rig requires an extra set of skills and knowledge, but how do you get it? The Sidecar Safety Program is lling the gap with this book which also serves as the manual for S/TEP, the Sidecar/Trike Education Program, covering all of the basics of driving a 3 wheeler. The book 18

MOBEC 3-ROD

Its time we featured a sidecar again and this one from southern Germany is certainly an oddity. Its a design study from the Uhingen-based sidecar specialist Mobec, based on the Harley-Davidson V-Rod. The body of the 3-Rod is crafted SIDECARS

Time for something a little offbeat. Michael Krauser is a former sidecar racer who created one of Europes biggest BMW dealerships. Famous for organising the huge Krauser Rallies established in the 1970s, he now runs a business selling motorcycle accessories and you guessed itBMW-based sidecar rigs. This road-going machine, called dopo-domani, unites the technology of racing with the luxury features of a modern sidecar. The one-piece frame is designed and built with the help of LCR Engineering, a top racing sidecar manufacturer, so it probably handles well despite that 7 wide hub-steered front wheel. SUMMER 2010

Flexible Tilting Sidecars by Paul Crowe

maximum tilt and then put the whole rig in a slide around the turn. A few years l a t e r, d i r t track sidecar racing was banned due to too many injuries and fatalities but restarted in the 1930s with more restrictions. After another few years, it ended due to lack of interest and too few riders. The Flxible Company (Flxible was the correct spelling after a name change) went on to make buses for many years, going out of business about 10 years ago. The sidecars are just a footnote in their history and I doubt very many riders ever heard of these exi tilters. Doing a little digging I found a couple of patents for tilt wheel sidecars, nothing very recent, though, and I'm not familiar with any exi type sidecars currently being made. If you know of any out there, let us know. With all of this "new" tilting technology out there, it's interesting to see how long these very similar ideas have been around.

Return to Trenton Rally 8

August 13 - 15, 2010 Centennial Park, Trenton, Ontario GPS:N 44 06.036,W 77 33.822
Come and enjoy seminars and tech sessions provided by experts in their eld and the camaraderie of other riders. Pre-registration by midnight July 31, 2010 is $40.00. Registration at the gate will be $45.00. Registration includes a rally pin and a rally mug for the rst 250, 2 nights of camping, hot showers, 50/50 draws, eld events and great door prizes. Friday night hamburgers or tube steaks, Saturday morning free breakfast, Saturday night steak dinner with all the trimmings, and bottomless coffee/tea/hot chocolate, soft drinks/sodas and water are also included in the registration. Another special feature will be a Sidecars in the Park event, organized by Mike Baker and Rita & Tom OLeary. This will be the 4th continuous year for this growing Show and Shine. R&T Motorrad will be giving Trophies for Presidents Choice, Most Functional Sidecar and Peoples Choice. Last years winners were all BMW rigs. Bring your hack and join in the fun! Location: Centennial Park is located on the East side of the Trent River on Couch Crescent near the Amphitheater. If coming from the East or West on Highway 401, take exit #526 and head South on Sydney Street to Byron Street. Turn right on to Byron Street to Bay Street. Turn left on to Bay Street and follow the signs into the park. We hope to see you at the 7th Edition of The Return to Trenton Rally. For further information and Preregistration forms go to our webpage at www.ltbmwr.ca

Tilting 3 wheelers received a lot of attention last year, with the Piaggio MP3, the Brudeli 625, the Harley tilting trike patent, the tilting Vmax and several others I haven't mentioned. The one thing I had not seen was a sidecar with a tilting wheel and, as it turns out, the idea for tilting sidecars has been around for a long time. Back in the early 1920s, dirt track racing in the U.S. had sidecar events with rigid mounted sidecars and a permanently tilted motorcycle. Then one year, Reading Standard came up with a exible chassis mount built by the Flexible Company of Loudonville, Ohio. The motorcycle and sidecar were upright in the straights but in the turns, all 3 wheels tilted. It took a unique riding style to turn at speed since there wasn't quite enough tilt available so riders had to jam their foot against a footrest to maintain

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Add A Sidecar Instantly Turning two wheels into three

Chicks Love Sidecars

Text borrowed from RealClassic.co.uk This was going to be a "We go to Buntingford and admire some real classic sidecars" feature, but then Real Mart made a sudden left turn and started rambling Few things in life are certain. Taxes, death, numb ngers in January We can be pretty sure, though, that no one from the Transport Research Laboratory has ever piloted a sidecar outt. I use the word "piloted" deliberately. To ride a vehicle implies achieving a oneness with it, operating the controls by reex rather than through conscious thought. Driving a vehicle conjures up an image of wafting safely and effortlessly from a to b with a minimum of input, while listening to an interesting discussion programme on the radio and making the most of various heaters and cup holders. Piloting, however, carries with it an air of unknowing risk and adventure. Pilots are brave, foolhardy or reckless, depending on where you're sitting. They wrestle with the laws of gravity and aerodynamics in order to get from a to b, and seem to revel in adversity. The Red Baron, the Battle of Britain, Kamikazes, and so on.

Not ready yet for three wheels but like the stability and extra storage capacity. Tow-Pac makes the SidePack designed to turn a two-wheeled motorcycle instantly into a three-wheeler sidecar, with the sidecar being used for storage. Many motorcyclists use a sidecar for the sake of stability and/or extra cargo carrying capacity. Most do not primarily use their sidecar to transport people. SidePack is a removable sidecar designed to provide stability and a large cargo carrying capacity. It's a great alternative to the motorcyclist desiring stability but not ready for or comfortable with the idea of a trike. SidePack provides a large cargo carrying capacity in many cases eliminating the need for a separate trailer.

when desired. The attaching hardware bolts onto existing locations on the motorcycle frame and does not require any cutting or drilling on the motorcycle plastic body panels. SidePack does not alter your stock motorcycle.

The cargo pod is constructed of heavy duty berglass with a high gloss black gel coat coating. The pod is lockable and empty offers approx. 11 cubic feet of storage space SidePack is quickly removable allowing the user the option of riding their motorcycle as a standard two wheeled bike SIDECARS

Tow-Pac, Inc is located at 203 South Bridge Street P.O. Box 564 Aroma Park, IL 60910 For general information or to place an order call us at: 866-694-3500 or 815-936-0923 towpac@comcast.net 20

What has this got to do with sidecars? Well, apart from the risk and adventure, and the brave, foolhardy or reckless bit, which other means of transport sees the passengers breathing a sigh of relief on safe arrival at the end of every journey? Name another vehicle with these steering characteristics: Accelerate and you go left. Brake and you go right (Great Britain setup). Travel in a straight line at the wrong speed and the bars ap madly from lock to lock. If you try and turn left too vigorously you risk overturning the vehicle, but all is not lost because it's seemingly impossible to turn right too vigorously. So that's alright then.

SUMMER 2010

In the eyes of anyone responsible for road safety all of this would spell disaster. Or "immediate ban" at least. Which is why we know that no white coat wearing bofn has ever experimented with asymmetric wheel congurations. Thankfully there are so few sidecar outts loose on the road that they barely gure in accident statistics, granting them their lopsided freedom from extinction.

gressively more to the right, forcing us to pull harder on the bars to turn left, threatening to loft the sidecar Luckily, a gap in the trafc appears just as we need it most, and we are able to accelerate gently onto the roundabout ahead of that big lorry carrying a load of hazardous waste to Bidston. We'd like to carry on accelerating round the roundabout, but the sidecar has other ideas and is doing its best to drag us off towards Birkenhead. We could slow down - which the sidecar would love, as it would carry us smoothly round the roundabout - but the truck load of chemicals is getting closer so there's nothing for it but to open the throttle and heave the bars hard over to the right. Feel the spokes in the rear wheel s-t-re-t-c-h in sympathy with the fork-legs, which are being twisted in an unnatural manner by the opposing forces of trac-

when it suddenly starts snowing an hour before knocking-off time. You can even give them a lift home in the chair, calling in at the supermarket to pick up six weeks worth of shopping just to illustrate the load carrying benets. In fact, forget the supermarket; why not pick up a wardrobe from Ikea while you're out

Which is fantastic news for you and I. Yes, sidecar outts do handle a bit oddly, and yes, they do give you the worst of both worlds - you get cold and wet *and* you get stuck in trafc - but piloting an outt is something everyone should try once. For a start, it's the two wheeled equivalent of an out-of-body experience. You're sitting on a motorcycle in the normal way, all the controls are where you left them, the noises and sensations are all familiar yet everything is completely different. Counter steering is counterproductive, if you put your feet down you risk running yourself over when you pull away again, and bouncing along the road next to you is something that looks like it's just fallen off a nineteen-fties fairground ride.

Sidecar outts do handle a bit oddly, and yes, they do give you the worst of both worlds
tion, pilot and gyroscopic precession. Finally, our exit looms and we can relax, add a bit more throttle and waft smoothly away into the distance - the thrashing beast of moments ago forgotten as the outt regains equilibrium and adopts it's natural position; turning gently left while accelerating. We, meanwhile, are exhausted and already dreading the next junction - turning left at the trafc lights

And then there are the social benets. Chicks love sidecars. Women who would normally run a mile from a pillion seat will happily leap into a vinyl and wet carpet lined lump of breglass attached to your bike. "Bikes are dangerous, but that thing looks funky. Do I need a helmet?" Depends how far we're going In reality, it's usually either your friends' mums or their grandchildren who queue up for a trip round the block, but a sidecar ride can do wonders for social acceptability. Everyone just assumes you're riding it for charity or as a bet or something - it's very hard to be threatening on a vehicle with such high comedy value. Yes, I know that with a decent set of leading link forks, some wide car tyres, some careful set-up, some weight distribution management, and Done properly, an outt can be a rapid vehicle in its own right rather than an articial limb bolted to the side of a perfectly good motorcycle, but carry that development to its logical conclusion and you'll end up with four symmetrically arranged wheels, which is surely completely missing the point. If you've never ridden an outt, get a go on one before the men in the white coats nd out. And then get an experienced pilot to give you a ride in the chair. And then tell us about it...

Then there's the challenge of control. I've covered the basics already, but let's see what happens in practise. Imagine, if you will, a roundabout. We want to take the nal exit, towards Leasowe. Approaching the roundabout we'd like to slow down, and turn gently to the left. Except as we slow, the outt pulls proSIDECARS

The trick - and there's always a trick - is to play to the sidecar's strengths. How fast and how suddenly do you think you can turn right? Well double it, and then add a bit. Bonus points are awarded for particularly noisy tyre squeal, and for controlling the power slide with a bit of opposite lock handlebar action. Wet roads simply add to the enjoyment, and you can laugh in the faces of your two-wheeled commuting colleagues 21

SUMMER 2010

Man Builds Sidecar from Bathtub

Back in 1997, an unusual motorcycle appeared on the front page of the Bristol Evening Post. Unable to afford a costly traditional sidecar, bus driver Alan Iles of Bedminster opted to build his own, using a bathtub. Twelve years later, the 1959 650cc BSA is still going and has been ridden all over Europe to help raise money for Cancer research and various charities, for which he has raised thousands of British pounds. Over the last dozen years, the only modications made have been a splash of new paint and the addition of a seatbelt, so that his grandchildren can come along for the ride. Most often riding with his long-time friend, 55-year- old Tom Collingwood, Iles has also taken part in a motorbike funeral procession for friend, local tattoo artist and biker Dave Ayres including his travels across Europe with friend Christopher Thomas that included, Austria, Poland and France, a trip consisting of nearly 3,800 miles. Iles commented that throughout all of his travels, he tries his best to avoid highways, since it seems to distract drivers from the task at hand driving. I saw one person the other day leaning out the car window with his mobile phone trying to take a picture. Iles even used the bathtub sidecar to drive a friend to his wedding who requested the rather unusual wedding day transport to meet his bride and Alan was more than happy to oblige.

Lightfork Telescopic forks for combinations

Leading links and hub-center steering is not everybodys darling. With the new concept the Lightfork - System, based on Armecs upside down forks, Mobec now offers an easy conversion. It changes the existing teleforks of the base bike. For that purpose the fork is mounted in new alloy fork yokes with a reduced trail. Torque free mounting of the brake callipers is achieved by steel anchor plates and torque arms which rise to the lower fork yokes, resulting in an Anti-Dive-Effect under braking. It is possible to convert existing conventional or upside down forks even if a customers solo fork is not suitable for sidecar use, a second hand one can be obtained. The cost for a Lightfork conversion, which also includes tting arrangement for mudguard, starts from 2680 Euro plus 190 Euro for an optional strengthening fork stabilizer. There are various wheel / tyre combinations possible. Sort of an High Endversion to buy, there is for a mere 3890 Euro the genuine Armec Lightfork available. This features unique USD tube units with 40 mm tube diameter plus an eccentric adjustable trail. Rebound and compression damping are sevenfold adjustable. www.armec.ch www.mobec.de 22 SUMMER 2010

Enumclaw, WA USA

www.sidecars.ca Side Effects (250) 573-2364

SIDECARS

INTRODUCING THE ARMEC BMW K1200LT with the ARMEC patented ALS front fork system.

Incredible Sidecars

Side forces are an integral part of sidecar design. They present handling challenges to the novice and experienced sidecarist. BUT ARMEC's engineers continuously innovate. Sidecarists can now go where no sidecar has gone before. The patented ALS takes the superiority of the Telelever, PLUS innovates with a system that is best described as the SIDEFORCE ELIMINATOR. Steering commands are transferred directly and any sideforces are fully arrested. Result: Superior handling control under all circumstances. ALS delivers performance and handling in a sidecar outt that exceeds that of high performance sports cars ARMEC - SIDECARS www.armec.ch info@armec.ch

SIDECARS

23

SUMMER 2010

OTT - BMW F 800 Sporty Double-breasted Combo

Sidecar News
In the long run the F 800 has replaced the Boxer in the below 1000 cc class, in medium terms it will close the gap between the 650 cc singles and the R series with several variants. A rst taste of its abilities in relation of sidecars shows a conversion of a fully faired ST model with a single seater Euro II. The chassis of this powerful straighttwin needs a quite complex sub frame with reinforcements around the headstock and the swing arm pick-up. Besides Ott utilises a leading link fork plus Smart car alloy wheels shod with tires 145/65 R 15 front and 165/65 R 15 rear. Hagon shock absorbers are used on the front forks and the sidecar wheel, whereas in the back a 5cm shorter Wilbers shock does its duty.

Just too bad we cannot have such sidecar here in North America. This mid size design is the ideal setup for beginners. OTT does not speak English, so make sure to polish your German before engaging in any email exchange. SIDECARS 24 SUMMER 2010

SIDECARS

25

SUMMER 2010

The Great Unknown By John Goff

Because their on-the-road numbers are so few, most people in both the motorcycling and sidecarring communities really dont know much about articulated sidecars or lean capable sidecar attachments. Or worse, have picked-up bad information or misconceptions along the way. Most dont know the 2 basic types: Unison Leaners, and what I call: hybrid lean capable sidecar attachments that use a totally conventional rigid (non-leaning sidecar) with a system of linkage that allows only the motorcycle to lean or any of the pros & cons of either type. And though methods vary (a lot) - virtually all of the unison leaners are side-mounted parallelogram linkages and the hybrids are centerline based concepts. I have been involved in articulated sidecars and researching this topic for a long time. And I have a few observations for you. With few exceptions Worldwide - it is as though there is an ideological divide that runs right down the middle of the Atlantic Ocean that separates the 2 basic leaning sidecar types: Unison Leaners in North America, and hybrid leaners in Europe. I think that we can safely generalize an observation that European motorcyclists as a group are fairly aggressive sport bike riders, and more performance oriented and expecting than their North American counterparts. And when it comes to designing lean capable sidecar attachments, this predilection for more aggressive, higher performance signicantly inuences their thinking. So much so, that they become quite willing to make some very signicant design compromises, even when they are trading one set of negatives for another set of negatives. I've had a German enthusiast tell me that he felt that unison leaners were just fundamentally "wrong". And here is why: European sport bike riders they want to be able to "ick" their high performance sport bikes left & right through a series of chicane curves. And they don't want these rapid left /right transitions impaired or affected (at all) even when adding a sidecar. The out-growth of this thinking is the Armec /Kalich style wide track congurations we see today. The negative they are willing accept is a SIDECARS more demonstrative pendulum effect of a longer asymmetrical arm. The forward weight transfer effects under braking can signicantly controlled (or offset) with current off the shelf, slaved disc brake systems. Hard acceleration asymmetrical pendulum effects still exist and can only be moderated so much by design. It will always be there pulling to one side. But for most Europeans, better that than transitioning the weight and weight inertia of both the bike and sidecar in unison. I disagree. Especially, in North America I feel riders are generally less aggressive, especially when they carry family members and very small children. But clearly North Americans are NOT alone exploring unison leaning concepts: The French made TORO by SIDE BIKE The French made Axion GT II by AJF Motoside, The German made AvantGarde by Friedrich Hahn-Leusser, and of course The South African Flexit by Hannes Myburgh (truly inspired and brilliant) [A real shame he never completed the 2 adult passenger design...] Photos of these examples, plus those of the Flxi Flyer, Martinsyde, EquaLean and Fleximum demonstrate great diversity in design concept for accomplishing the leaning. And there many patents for ideas that were either never built or never went into production for retail sale. I know of one German who intends to try something that (as of yet) has not been tried before - a new compromise or blending of existing ideas. Honest European (German) leaning sidecar enthusiasts will concede that current wide track congurations really do have their negative performance issues, that include ground clearance. But the biggest one is that wider track width = more pendulum effect. The Laws of Physics apply, all of the time, even in Europe. What my German friend wants to do is to build an Armec with a narrower track width, by relocating the outside wheel under the center of the sidecar body. The result would be narrower track width than Armec or Kalich, but wider than a Flexit or EquaLean. And he already has the basic pieces from a wrecked AvantGarde to begin the build, 26

though I do not believe the demonstration project has actually started yet. For my part, I too have ideas for how viable American unison leaning sidecar might be made - an amalgamation of ideas already demonstrated. My rst love would be for Flexits production to restarted. But such a fantasy seems unlikely. The key to a successful unison leaning sidecar is style, function (how it feels) and cost. Of these the toughest is going to be cost. To achieve a signicant cost break through will require a truly integrated design and manufacturing production plan. I could talk about this subject for hours. Unfortunately, the rest of my Life gets in the way of that...

Carla King
Carla King is a motorcycle adventure travel writer and author of the Motorcycle Misadventures series of live dispatches sent to the internet from her travels around the world. She is a regular guest host on Side Stand Up motorcycle radio, contributor to Women Riders Now, and authors a very popular Motorcycle Misadventures weblog. You can read more of her stories and buy her books on her website at CarlaKing.com

SUMMER 2010

56 YEARS AGO: MIRACLE AT MONZA

In the Italian Grand Prix, Wilhelm Noll with Fritz Cron in the sidecar were the rst to see the checkered ag from their fully faired BMW sidecar combination. The upshot: it was the rst the World Sidecar Championship title for Germany and the rst for BMW. For the two riders from Kirchhain near Marburg, it was the third win of the season. Car mechanic Noll and telephone engineer Cron had previously claimed two impressive World Championship rounds when they won the German Grand Prix and the Swiss Grand Prix. Their season of success was complemented by two second places - in the Ulster GP at Belfast and the Belgian GP at SpaFrancorchamps - and a third-placed nish in the Isle of Man TT. It meant the BMW sidecar team not only took to the podium in all six World Championship races of that year, but Noll / Cron also managed to break the longstanding dominance of Norton in this discipline. "What was decisive among other factors," Noll emphasizes today, "was the signicantly improved injection system of our BMW." The reward: they took the World Championship title home to Germany for the rst time. "If you drop out, you're out of time". At the outset of the season, however, that was certainly not on the cards. Englishman Eric Oliver, four-times World Champion and defending title-holder, managed to claim the rst three races on his faired works Norton with sidecar man Les Nutt. But in the Feldbergrennen, which did not count towards the World Championship, Oliver had a serious accident, as a result of which he was unable to compete in the German GP on the Solitude track outside Stuttgart. That gave Noll and Cron their chance. With their fuel-injected RS, they claimed BMW's rst ever victory in a World Championship race. It was a GP win which, as Noll was at pains to emphasize, they would have managed on their own strength because, "at the point when Oliver dropped out of the Feldbergrennen, we already had a ve-second lead. Besides, if you drop out, you're out of time." In the Swiss Grand Prix, the fth round of the season, Noll / Cron were the rst to cross the nishing line again. Their rival Oliver managed to gain just two points, and ahead of the nal race at Monza both riders had drawn level rst with 26 points each. But Oliver couldn't race at Monza either, and his arm had to be put back in plaster. It meant all Noll / Cron had to do was score. But the duo, lining up at Monza for the rst time with a similarly fully-faired sidecar combination, would not have been content with Wilhelm Noll and Fritz Cron on their BMW during the 1954 season that. From the off they tackled the race in commanding style, carving out a lead of more than four seconds a lap over the Norton duo of Smith / Dibben. The press was disappointed that the big showdown did not materialize, but with their superior ride Noll and Cron proved that they were worthy World Champions. After the Football World Championship, there were World Champions to be celebrated again this time in motorcycle racing. "Our title win hit the national headlines," Noll recalls. Even Oliver would arguably have had little chance against the new full fairing, the unique hydraulic drum brakes and BMW's supreme team strategy in which "it is the brand that wins rst, and only then the rider". The rst World Championship title of 1954 marked the start of a unique run of successes in motorcycle racing. By 1974, BMW sidecar combinations had claimed 19 Drivers' and 20 Constructors' World Championship titles. Noll / Cron managed to repeat their title win in 1956 after having to settle as runners-up in 1955. And so a second World Championship title went to a sidecar combination whose rider expressed his enthusiasm for the sport in the following words: "Normal is too dangerous for me - a sidecar combination always stands on three wheels." After this nal World Championship event, the twosome retired from their racing career in autumn of 1956.

Another good French comic book

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SIDECARS

World champions on BMW 500 ccm side car: Wilhelm Noll (r.) and Fritz Cron

27

SUMMER 2010

You Built What?! The Luxury Motorcycle Sidecar

A French builder attaches the body of a sports car to a motorcycle By Gregory Mone
its estimated top speed, but never intends to fully open it up. After all, he says, despite the sidecars looks, its only along for the ride. How the Real Life Lunar Lander Replica Works Time: Ten years Cost: $22,000 BODY The sidecar isnt merely welded to the motorcyclethe two are seamHop In: The sole door opens Lamborghini-style, driven by an eleclessly linked, from the tric motor. Philippe Rony Photography chassis to the wiring to the carbon-ber, handCOMFORT crafted body. Getting the two pieces to work Knorreck built the entire frame and body of in concert was no easy feat. With the sidethe sidecar (he had to make 63 different cars wheel positioned too far forward or molds by hand to create its various carbonback, the off-kilter weight distribution could ber panels), but hes no upholsterer, so he cause the bike and sidecar to roll forward and had a friend custom-manufacture the seats. to the right. (Errors distributing the vehicles Just in case tooling around in a freakishly 877 pounds could also put excess strain on cool sidecar wasnt enough for his passenthe frame, leading to structural cracks.) To gers (it can seat two at a time), he installed a remedy these problems, Knorreck built an stereo system. For that, however, he kept adjustable aluminum chassis so he could costs to a minimum, using an old radio from tinker with the wheelbase and other elements his father. to see what worked best before adding interior parts. He found that moving the sidecars wheel forward just enough, relative to the motorcycles rear one, provided additional stability and ensured a straight ride. FUEL The original motorcycle had a gravity-fed system in which the fuel ran down to the carburetors from above. But Knorreck found that he had to relocate the tank and place it underneath the body of the sidecar. Then he added an electrical pump to route the fuel to the engine.

Red Hot The sidecars design is inspired by the look of a Lamborghini and the McLaren F1, and the color is a tribute to Ferrari. Philippe Rony Photography In 1989, Franois Knorreck took a long ride in the sidecar of a friends motorcycle and enjoyed it so much that he decided to build a rig of his own. Now, 20 years, 63 bodywork molds and innumerable headaches later, he has it: a handcrafted masterpiece thats part motorcycle, part Lamborghini. Knorreck, a 45-year-old French medical technician, started by sketching pencil designs and then built a full-size wooden model. He had worked on motorcycles in the past, but guring out how to distribute the sidecars weight and where to position its single wheel were wholly new challenges. After determining the dimensions, he machined an aluminum chassis and moved the sidecars wheel forward to keep the vehicle stable and prevent it from veering. He also had to beef up the motorcycles headstock bearinga piece of the steering column that bears most of the sidecars weight. At the motorcycles controls, Knorreck has pushed the vehicle to 125 miles an hour, near

The Luxury Sidecar: Philippe Rony Photography

An Artistic Masterpiece : The part that Im most proud of is the bodywork, Knorreck says. Not the design, but the high level of nishing. Philippe Rony Photography

SIDECARS

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SUMMER 2010

Shopping for a Sidecar By Larry Alger

Shopping for a sidecar to attach to your motorcycle isn't easy. There's just a few manufacturers, and let's face it, sidecars are a small part of the motorcycle business. Good information about sidecars IS hard to come by. If you can nd someone near by (say within 300 miles) who sells and installs sidecars, you're lucky. One of the best ways I know to get general information on sidecars is to contact the United Sidecar Association. (USCA, 130 S. Michigan Ave., Villa Park, Il. 60181) The two factors that occur to people when they begin think about sidecars are, PRICE and LOOKS. As far as price is concerned, historically sidecars have run about 30% to 50% the cost of a new motorcycle. If you have a $15,000.00 touring bike, expect to pay anywhere from $4,000 to $7,000.00 for a good sidecar for it. If you start looking at some small imported sidecar that is priced at about $2,000.00 for your Honda GL 1500 or your Harley FLHTC, you're kidding yourself. In fact Harley's factory sidecar for the Ultra Classic is about $6,000.00. Don't buy a cheap, used sidecar and try to get it on your bike with home made hardware to see if you'll like sidecars. I guarantee that if you have a mismatched, ill handling rig, you'll never like sidecars. Safety should always be your main concern in motorcycling, and motorcycle sidecars should be no different. You wouldn't try to put on the front forks from a Honda 350 on a big Goldwing or Tourglide would you? Of course not, and you should never bolt a sidecar onto your bike using clamps attached to the crash bar. That may sound silly to you, but believe it or not, some manufactures have actually done it this way. I've seen sidecars installed in just those ways, and it makes me shudder every time I hear about that kind of thing. After all you're going to put your wife and kids into the sidecar, and it denitely has to be safe for them, doesn't it? Don't do anything when mounting a sidecar that seems the least bit foolish or marginal. WHEN IN DOUBT, MAKE IT STOUT. Another good way to get information about sidecars is to get out to sidecar rallies and events and talk to sidecar owners. They'll generally be more than happy to share their experiences with you, and you'll nd they're a pretty nice bunch of people. Again, The USCA can help here because the SIDECARIST lists sidecar events all over the nation. A list of questions to ask sidecar owners: 1. Does it continually pull to the right when you add a passenger, ride into a headwind or the road is crowned to the right? 2. Does it lift easily in right hand turns, or do you have to carry extra weight to hold it down. 3. Does the sidecar push the motorcycle to the left under braking? 4. Did you nd the mounting instructions you received with the sidecar complete and easy to understand. 5. Can you rest your arms naturally on the sides and is there shoulder space in the sidecar to be comfortable on long rides? Can two kids or Mom and one child t in the sidecar? Did the company you bought it from return your calls promptly when you tried to get more information or to receive after purchase service from them? (Post sale service is very important)

6. 7.

Of course you want the paint on your sidecar to match, but even more important, you need the engineering of your sidecar matched to your motorcycle. A sidecar rig should have good stability when making right hand turns. To test a rig, just step onto the left peg of the motorcycle, grab the bars and see if you can pull the sidecar up in the air by throwing your weight to the left. If it comes up easily, it's not a good match. The mounting hardware should be designed to take not only normal stresses, but the exceptional pressures developed in hard turning avoidance maneuvers. "Universal mounts" for sidecars can't do the best job. Always make sure the sidecar has mounts designed for your motorcycle. Remember "The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price disappears" I hope these tips on Shopping For A Sidecar will make the process easier for you. Thank you and safe riding..... For more info on sidecars I recommend you check out SIDECAR.COM Click Here to visit the site.

R & T Motorrad - Sidecars Sales & Service

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SIDECARS

www.sidecarcanada.com
29 SUMMER 2010

Urals, Chang Jiang and the military sidecar

Almost everyone you meet reckons that the Russian Ural and sidecar is a wartime copy of a captured BMW R75. Well romantic as the notion maybe the fact is that even if the Russians did capture some German sidecars (and early in the war the Russians lost vastly more men and materiel than they ever captured) they were too busy moving all their factories behind the Ural mountains to tool up for an R75 copy. Besides that, tanks, guns and ammunition were way ahead on the production schedule. Where did the inspiration come from? Were the Germans the sidecar pioneers we tend to believe? Lets go back a bit to 1937, before the war. Looking at the military outts in production it was probably FN that inspired the BMW and Zundapp military outts. Even Puch tried to build one until the Nazis asked them politely to concentrate on other war essentials. The Belgian FN M12 outt of 1937 had sidecar wheel drive, high and low ratio and reverse gearbox, additional ltration, interchangeable wheels and cross country tyres. A range of sidecars were produced with or without armoured shields. These outts were so good that after the Nazi invasion the Wehrmacht kept these machines in production. The French, always adaptable, were quite taken by the Belgian idea and Gnome-Rhone produced a Boxer twin outt from 1938-40, the sv AX2 800cc. This outt also featured a reverse gear and a shaft drive to the sidecar wheel. Again the Wehrmacht was impressed and continued production after conquering France in 1940. It wouldn't surprise me if these machines are at times mistaken for BMWs or Zundapps under their camouage and Wehrmacht markThe yanks were taken by these machines as well after capturing a few in North Africa. The Harley XA prototype was based on the BMW and Zundapp models but in particular a captured 750cc BMW R12. Wherever possible the XA was kept common to the WLA and a sidecar version the XS was prepared. The Jeep killed off this particular venture after 1000 machines were built. However much we like our outts when it comes to war...4 wheels are better than 3. Back to the Russians......where did their sidecar outt come from? Well in 1938 they were licensed by BMW to produce copies of the BMW R71 as the M-72, a side-valve boxer which received some additional work such as extra nning to cope with Russian conditions. This machine was produced during the war (though niceties such as paying royalties to BMW were no doubt overlooked by then). Production continued after the war as the K750. Unlike the war-time BMWs and Zundapps, the Russian model was ings. There are suggestions that France built more military outts for the German war effort than BMW and Zundapp combined. It wasn't until the autumn of 1940 that the BMW R75 and Zundapp KS750 models were introduced with similar features to the Belgian and French models.

by Murray Barnard

not OHV, did not have sidecar wheel drive or inter-connected brakes, but remained in production until 1983. In 1968 Ural produced the ubiquitous 650cc OHV at twin which is still with us today in various forms.

Interestingly the Swiss also built late in the war their own at twin sidecar outts.... the Condor A-750 side-valves. So only Germany led with OHV in these machines the others all went for side valves and Russia didn't copy the R75 and KS750 during the war as production limitations were pretty severe but probably did capture a heap and use them in Russian markings, especially in lms after the war. Russian Irbit and Kiev side valve machines were built from the early 50s. A 650cc OHV model based on the BMW was built from 1968 and is more commonly known as the Dnepr, Neval, Phoenix or Cossack in Western markets. Chinese machines are based on the early Russian side-valve model and also the later OHV 650. I imagine they are direct copies of the Russian versions. The Chang Jiang certainly looks like the Russian side-valve motor. The more upmarket Chang Dong uses an OHV boxer twin.

SIDECARS

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SUMMER 2010

Purchasing Guidelines
A few notes for people new to sidecars. This page does not contain rigid rules or advice, it is just a brief guide designed to help those new to sidecars.
Size and Type of Combinations
Looking at the variety of sidecar combinations it is clear that the huge choice may bafe the newcomer. Before you go to view an outt it's a good idea to think about how it will be used, for example, how many passengers will you be carrying regularly, how much luggage space would you like, do your passengers need to have full weather protection, how important is easy access, will you only be using the outt locally or are you intending to tour great distances, will it be used mostly at speed on a motorway, or maybe you want something to explore rural, rutted tracks. Clearly identifying what you want to do with your sidecar outt should help to prevent a buying mistake such as an 1800cc goldwing double adult combination to explore narrow rural lanes on your own with just a picnic and ask, or a light weight 350cc single seater combination to undertake that lifelong ambition of taking your partner and children on a tour of the scenic alpine passes.

Car Wheel Conversions

Many experienced long distance sidecar riders have car wheel conversions carried out on their combinations. This has several advantages for high mileage, larger capacity touring combinations. Car tires offer good grip, cost less and last longer than motorcycle tires. Motorcycles with shaft drive may also benet from having lower gearing due to the smaller wheel size. Light weight or low power combinations are rarely seen with car wheel conversions.

Once you have mastered driving a motorcycle and sidecar combination it is no harder than driving any other vehicle. Many outt riders cover huge mileages, and get a great deal of fun from owning sidecar combinations.

Viewing a used outt

Check all the things you would normally check when looking at any used motorcycle, but in addition to this, pay special attention to wheel, swing arm, and steering bearings. Small amounts of play in these areas can make an otherwise very well set up combination handle very strangely indeed. Take a really good look at all the attachment points pull them , push them, and try to detect any play. Also check that any attachment points, brackets and pinch bolts look up to the job. If the sidecar is attached with a couple of exhaust clamps and a jubilee clip, walk away quickly and spend your money wisely, elsewhere.

Basic Geometry
Generally, the sidecar and bike tow in towards each other, so the track measured at the front will be narrower than the track measured at the rear of the machine. In addition to this, the motorcycle usually leans very lightly away from the sidecar. If you are new to sidecars and suspect the setup is not correct, you should either contact your club technical ofcer or take your combination to a specialist company with experience of sidecars. It is not the intention of this article to give specic set up requirements as every combination (and every rider) is different.

Matching the sidecar to the motorcycle

All of the above applies equally if you are having a sidecar attached to an existing motorcycle. In addition, take some advice about what size and weight of sidecars are suitable for the motorcycle you will be using. Don't go bolting a 1960's coach built double adult sidecar to a 1990's 400cc sports bike, or a 70 kg unbalasted single seater to a 2000cc maga tourer. You really won't like the results!

Adventure Sidecar, LLC

Your source for sidecar adventures in the Pacic Northwest

Riding Technique
It is not possible to teach riding technique in a few simple sentences. If you are buying from a specialist sidecar dealer they will offer basic sidecar riding instruction when you collect your sidecar combination. Many private sellers are happy to spend a little time with you when you buy from them. Make sure your rst ride is not hurried and take things easy until you get the hang of it. Riding a sidecar combination is very different to riding a solo motorcycle and it will take time to adjust before you feel completely at home. As a very general rule of thumb, if the sidecar is tted to the right side of the motorcycle you need to accelerate slightly as you turn the handlebars right to encourage the motorcycle to drive around the sidecar, and decelerate slightly as you turn the handlebars left to encourage the momentum of the sidecar to assist the combination in turning left. Practice this in a wide open space away from trafc. 31

Leading Link Forks

Many experienced sidecar riders agree that leading link front forks specically designed for or adjusted for your motorcycle will considerably improve steering. Both the feel and the weight of the steering is improved. Generally, the heavier the combination, the bigger the improvement. Light weight economy combinations such as the MZ250, Jawa 350, or Royal Eneld Bullet probably would not improve enough to warrant tting leading link forks, whereas nearly every BMW or Guzzi between 750 and 1000cc will benet from this conversion.

Adventure Sidecar is dedicated to making your rides enjoyable and safe. We offer S/TEP sidecar/trike education, both basic and advanced certication, and tours. Adventure Sidecar, LLC P.O. Box 89 Odell, OR 97044 USA (541) 354-1688 info@adventuresidecar.com http://adventuresidecar.com SUMMER 2010

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By todays standards, travel in the 20's was no picnic. Motorcycles had useless front forks and the rear had no suspension whatsoever. And yet they brought with them an almost limitless thirst for adventure. In the Fall of 2003 I sat down with my biker buddy, Hery, and talked about an unusual vehicle: my dream combination. The specications were strange and brought back memories from the past rather than the present; Hardtail frame, reliable motor, Springer front end, fat rear wheel and genuine period lights. It was not to be a combination to be trailered from show to show, it should be capable of surviving a North African rally. We decided on a Harley-Davidson Sportster engine. The reason: we couldn't nd a frame for a Japanese V-twin. We ordered it from a company in Holland called V-Twin, they make all kinds of Harley frames. Another advantage, it would be delivered with a TUV certicate. We agreed on the specs, 50mm trail, room for a 185 tire on the rear and a ground clearance with the Springer forks of at least 13 cm. I could have saved myself the work on the construction timetable however, because the frame delivery was delayed by several weeks. In the meantime I began to look for a used Sportster. It was a nightmare, the market was either empty, or the prices ridiculous. The I found a 883 on Ebay. I bid blind and won it for 4850 Euro. The tiny pictures on the Internet were a godsend, not many were interested enough to bid. It was a snap. The bike was immaculate and only had 6000 miles on the odometer. After the transfer we

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stripped the bike down in a day and removed everything that would be needed for the rebuild. A naked rolling chassis remained. It was a compromise to use as many original parts as possible but I wanted to remain in budget. In the process of the engine rebuild we increased the size to 1200 and reduced the compression. Meanwhile the Springer forks arrived from V-Twin and the rear wheel from Jrgen Roth. Slowly the machine was taking shape. We were under pressure; new emissions regulations meant that we needed to register the bike before 31 July 2004. We kept the deadline and the bike was registered as a (custom) Yesterdays model, manufactured by Martin Franitza. In August I took it to Jrgen Roth was to construct the sidecar according to my design. Working drawings ew back and forth via email. It was to resemble a 1918 Harley Davidson sidecar. The rear was to have a small trunk for my photographic equipment with the rest of the luggage being stowed on the folding luggage rack. The drawings were very detailed. I envisioned myself trekking fully laden throughout the Sahara. We agreed on November completion, I could have saved that planning too. Weeks and months went by. To try to explain the delay would be beyond the scope of this article. It wasn't until Christmas 2005 that I was able to see Yesterdays on 3 wheels. The sidecar met my design requirements, despite the unacceptable delivery time, Jrgen Roth had done a good job. Meanwhile however, my buddy Hery had closed his shop. I had the remainder of the work to do alone. Front and rear brakes had to be optimized for the sidecar combination, the electrical system had to be expanded and improved, and a thousand other bits and pieces were in need of attention. I still needed a large fuel tank, as well as a spare wheel mounting point, interior upholstery of the sidecar, paint and a thousand other things that lled two whole letter size pages. Procurement and planning ate up another 3 months. I began by dedicating my time to the sidecar. At the back of the garage I had a blank seat shell. It was tted to the sidecar by Jrgen Mayerle from the company Schne Linie. which weeks later, went straight to the upholsterer Kirschbaum in schwbischen Reutlingen. Meanwhile I stripped the bike SIDECARS

again. The long standing time had allowed rust to form. Al frame parts were blasted and painted with a PU-2K-paint, such as found on commercial vehicle chassis. It comes in all colors, is easy to work with, and costs a fraction of car paint. A couple of days later I installed the engine back in the frame. I made it my mission to be able to strip and reassemble the bike alone and without help. That was only possible by tilting the motor and laying the frame over it. Then I fastened the 4 gearbox screws and quickly mounted the front motor mount. The springer forks were quickly mounted, as were the risers and bars. Oil tank and electrical wiring were prebuilt, as were the used footboards. Wheels, tires and sump plate completed the construction to something that resembled a vehicle. But the devil is in the details, and in this case in the form of the electricals. When the motor was rebuilt Hermann Weigand made an unusual conversion. The standard Sporty alternator only has a capacity of 283 Watts. That was considered too little especially with accessories or for winter riding. You can usually get everything in a Harley dealership but no stronger alternators were available for a Sporster, just for big twins. We ordered a 32 amp alternator and converted it with the parts from the old Sporty alternator. Needless to say we also needed a new regulator. We also tted a fully adjustable electronic ignition that we could retard by turning a screw to avoid knocking if we had bad quality gas. I overcame all this but the resultant cable mess was killing me. Andreas ttl offered to help, he used to work for a Harley dealership before starting his own sidecar business. I handed over the bike to him to nish the electrical and I picked up the sidecar from the upholsterer in the meantime. Mr. Kirschbaum was drawn along by our enthusiasm and totally embodied the "yesterday" vision in his work. The seat and the side panels are perfectly pleated. A few weeks later Andreas ttl brings the bike back. In the meantime the sidecars has been blasted and sent with the tank to paint. While building the sidecar I had another brainwave; I would clad 34

the door and windshield bracings with wood. I got ash bracings from a carpenter, even curved pieces for the windshield. After the sidecar and tank were mounted I took the bike for its TUV inspection. It passed after a thorough test ride. The tires ironed out most of the bumps in the road and the spine was further pampered by a sprung seat and the bilstein suspension struts which were perfectly set. During a trip in the Fall the starter went out. My rst thought, that the battery was dead was not correct, and the starter was a lot more expensive. Luckily I was able to nd a used one for 180 Euro. During the winter months a few other little problems were dealt with. But one still stymied me: the search for brass hex screws for the windshield. Since the luggage strap hardware was brass I didn't want to use anything else but no one makes them. Finally I found a company in Neus who would plate my steel screws and after three long years I was done! In early Spring I continued the test rides. A few screws worked loose and locktite quickly became the order of the day on all parts. The bike cruised comfortably at 67 mph on the highway and fuel consumption averaged about 30 m.p.g. I am satised. In the next few weeks I must plan the second stage of the Yesterdays project. I want to relive the exciting traveling of the 20's and 30's and am planning a trip to Morocco in the desert. The Yesterdays project manifests Yesterday and Today in coexistence. For me, Morocco symbolizes the combination of the times together with the oriental air of an older culture in a grandiose setting.

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July 15 - 18, 2010 38th BMW MOA International Rally The Big One.
Redmond, Oregon
Deschutes Fair & Expo Center www.expo.deschutes.org GPS: N44* 14.4545 W121* 11.206 Contact: rallychair2010@bmwmoa.org You with your family and friends are invited to the 38th BMW MOA International Rally being held at the Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in Redmond, Oregon. Registration open at noon on the 14th to provide time to get familiar with the grounds, the area and start relaxing after your ride. The theme of this year's rally is Ride, Rally and Relax in Redmond. New for this year is an emphasis on meeting riders from your state/province/region to celebrate the character of our many local clubs. As the Fair and Expo Center grounds are large, we are able to offer an area for chartered clubs to have a tent brought in or use a club trailer as a focal point for activities. The tent or trailer will be in the loud camping area, but no generators are allowed and no roping off an area is permitted. We'll provide sufcient space between club tents and trailers to accommodate campers. March 1 is opening day for Rally Pre-registration and the registration for RVs and dry camping. 106 Sites are available for full service hook-up in the RV Park. The designated dry camping area is available at no charge and will be used for all individual trailers not pulled by a motorcycle.

Come and join us for our 4th Annual

CURDurham 2010
July 16-18 Durham, Ontario

August 13 - 15, 2010 Centennial Park in Trenton, Ontario GPS: N 44 06.036,W 77 33.822

Fourth Annual National Rally

At present, we know that the event will be hosted by the Head Cheese and the Ofcial Consort & Snugglebunny To The Head Cheese at a local campground (with full amenities) near the town of Durham. Durham is located in Grey County, Southwestern Ontario, approximately 2.5hrs northwest of Toronto. Registration will be done online. We expect the cost to be around the $30$40 range per couple and will include the cost of camping and hopefully a Saturday supper on site. Scheduled events will include a day ride on Saturday and a Brekkie Run on Sunday over some of the most scenic roads and trails in the county. And, as always, it will be a family event - children and pets are encouraged to attend. The rally is open to all makes of sidecars, for more info and updates visit the CURD website at:

Pre-registration by midnight July 20, 2010 is $40.00. Registration at the gate will be $45.00. Registration includes a rally pin and a rally mug for the rst 250, 2 nights of camping, hot showers, 50/50 draws, eld events and great door prizes. Friday night hamburgers or tube steaks, Saturday morning free breakfast, Saturday night steak dinner with all the trimmings, and bottomless coffee/ tea/hot chocolate, soft drinks/sodas and water are also included in the registration. Location: Centennial Park is located on the East side of the Trent River on Couch Crescent near the Amphitheater. If coming from the East or West on Highway 401, take exit #526 and head South on Sydney Street to Byron Street. Turn right on to Byron Street to Bay Street. Turn left on to Bay Street and follow the signs into the park. We hope to see you at the 8th Edition of The Return to Trenton Rally.

For further information and Pre-registration contact: Tom & Rita OLeary porkchopp@lks.net (613) 477-1130 Mike Baker MICHAEL.BAKER3@forces.gc.ca (613) 394-6122
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www.curd-riders.ca
SUMMER 2010

Sidecars
by Thomas P. Hargrave Jr. ( tom@hackpilot.com ) Introduction
Motorcycles with attached sidecars are like nothing else in this world. Once you add a sidecar to a motorcycle, the rig that was once a motorcycle is transferred into something else. It doesn't ride like a bike any more and doesn't drive like a car. It handles - kind of like a Sidecar! You counter steer a motorcycle and you steer a sidecar rig but at the same time you have an unequal weight distribution that plays with your steering and brakes. The ride is something like, well, maybe a truck with two bad left shocks? Seriously, I've ridden a few and all have types their own unique suspension and ride but all that I've ridden share some of the same ride characteristics. Because of the nature of sidecars, your high seating position on the bike and lean out (discussed later), you feel like you are being thrown away from the chair when you hit bumps. Trust me - the sensation goes away after a while. But sidecars are challenging and sidecars can be fun in their own unique way. If you're looking at sidecars then have a friend or local dealership give you a ride in his chair (sidecar) and then ask your friend to let you run around in an open parking lot with him or her in the chair. Play with it and see what it'll do - you just might get hooked! I wrote the stuff below because I'm a sidecar nut. There's a lot of sidecar info on the net but I've not found one place that gives people a solid opinion of sidecars so, right or wrong, I published my own. I'm no sidecar expert but I do have some sidecar experience. I ride 10K 15K miles a year, some with the sidecar on and some with the sidecar off and I enjoy one riding style as much as the other. If I had my way (and the money), I'd have two motorcycles, one HarleyDavidson Dresser with a sidecar with and another just like it without a sidecar. I'd probably put most of my miles on the sidecar rig. SIDECARS If you take the trouble to read what I've written then please also send me some feedback. I'll use your information to improve what I've already posted to hackpilot.com. Also, I'd be more than happy to post any other sidecar artices to this site along with full credit to the authors. A sidecar rig can be deadly to an occasional rider who refuses to lean how his unique machine performs.

Weight Distribution, Road Crown and Handling

Even if you pack unevenly, you naturally end up with an even weight distribution while riding any two-wheeled motorcycle because you subconsciously center the wheels under the vehicle. That's just not so with a sidecar rig. My sidecar is pretty much like any other in that it has a third wheel and the tub (the third seat) rides above (or is fastened to) the frame that bridges the third wheel and the motorcycle. And in my case, all of that 350 pounds of weight plus passenger and anything else that I can stuff in the chair is bolted on the right side of the bike. The uneven weight distribution plays with your handling. You compensate for your unequal weight distribution with sidecar alignment. The three elements that you are (or should be) in control of are toe in, lean out and vertical straightness of the sidecar wheel. In most cases, the one element that you don't have any control of is sidecar wheel lead. A good sidecar design should have the chair's wheel positioned somewhat in front of the rear wheel of the motorcycle. How much lead is determined by the design of the sidecar and the motorcycle itself. Toe in refers to the direction of the sidecar wheel relative to an imaginary line that you draw through both motorcycle wheels. All sidecars should have some toe in and mine is set to 3/4 inch. Without toe in, the sidecar is always trying to pull away from the motorcycle, aggravating your already out of balance situation. Lean out refers to the amount that your motorcycle is leaning away from the sidecar. A motorcycle with no lean out will always pull towards the sidecar. This is partly because you have all of that weight to the sidecar side of the rig and SUMMER 2010

Turns - Counter Steer Verses Steering with a Sidecar Rig

Two wheelers make a turn by forcing the front tire to the other side of center of gravity. This causes the bike to lean into the turn and is commonly called counter

steer. Most bikers counter steer without even thinking about steering the machine. But sidecars actually steer their way through a turn just like a fourwheeled vehicle. The most dangerous sidecar operator is someone who has rode two wheels for years and then decides to try a sidecar. The rst thing he wants to do is counter steer which points the rig in the opposite direction. I made that very mistake the rst time I tried my sidecar and almost ran into a tree in my friends front yard! Also, an untrained operator who has a lot of two wheel experience will invariably steer right into danger during a panic situation because his brain is telling him to counter steer. The only way to combat this is to practice until you are as familiar with your sidecar rig as you were (or are) with your two wheeled motorcycle. 37

partly because the road that you are riding on has a crown on it and you can't automatically adjust for that crown like you would on a two wheeled motorcycle. Setting up lean out is kind of like putting the motorcycle in a perpetual left hand turn (on R/H mounted chairs) which compensates for the two forces that are trying to pull you off the road. Vertical straightness of your sidecar wheel just makes sure that your sidecar wheel wears down the center. A properly aligned sidecar should track down a typical crowned road with just light pressure on the handlebars to keep it straight but you will never be able to go any distance down the road with your hands off the handlebars. Notice that I said "typical"? All road crowns and all riding conditions are different. For example, a four lane road with a center median passes through my town which means that the left lane is sloped off to the left. My sidecar is set up for the average road crown in my area but when I ride in the left lane of the highway, my rig pulls to the left. It's unavoidable unless you own a rig that can be adjusted "on the y".

the bike pivots around as the suspension is working. When you rst start to ride, the sensation is kind of like a truck with bad left shocks. When you hit a bump with the motorcycle, your suspension compresses, the whole rig pivots around the sidecar wheel and you get shoved slightly to the side. It kind of feels like you are about to fall off the bike - but you get used to it. Most (if not all) after market sidecars have the sidecar wheel sprung. You reduce but don't totally get rid of that "truck with bad left shocks" sensation, but they still suffer from every other problem (or maybe is it challenge?) that my Harley-Davidson has.

Flying the chair can be a lot of fun in a controlled environment but it can be deadly if done at the wrong time. The problem is the minute you lift the third wheel up into the air, your three wheeled vehicle instantly turns into a horribly balanced two wheeled vehicle and it behaves just like a two wheeled motorcycle. You immediately counter steer just like any other two wheeled vehicle but at the same time your sidecar is waving in the air, making any small lean angle changes appear to be much greater than they really are. If you really think about it "ying the chair" can be real scary at the wrong time. I believe that everyone who owns a sidecar will eventually unintentionally y the chair. Normally you'll do it while taking a right turn in your neighborhood a little two fast, you'll think "I don't think I want to do that again!" and then you'll either slow down or steer the other way and put the wheel down. But then maybe you'll take a right turn a little two fast out on the open road? Or maybe while in a right turn a gust of wind pushes your chair up in the air? You won't have the space to steer to the left (and off the road or into oncoming trafc) and in some cases, slowing down will just make the problem worse. In this case, the only option will be to remember that you are now riding a two wheeled vehicle, ride it out and then put the chair down after exiting the turn. Which brings me to my point. It may sound odd but the best defense against unintentionally ying the chair is to practice ying the chair. The only way to

Flying the Chair

"Flying the chair" involves picking the sidecar wheel up off the ground while going down the street. You might ask "why would someone wand to do that". Well, we do it because: Flying the chair is fun! Flying the chair is impressive! But, sometimes it can't be avoided and in those cases, ying the chair can be very dangerous. With a right hand mounted rig like mine, right hand turns tend to lift the chair up in the air. Two wheel riders have a tough time understanding this and always believe that the opposite should be true because in their minds I still lean my way through a turn and wouldn't a leftturn lean lift the sidecar up into the air? But that's just not the way it works folks.

Sidecar Suspension
A sidecar rig is a different because you have a normal motorcycle suspension but then you have a third wheel and quite a bit of extra weight off to one side. The off balance situation causes your motorcycle to act odd. A HarleyDavidson like my 92 model has a rigid sidecar wheel and the chair itself is mounted on two leaf springs. The wheel becomes a xed point that the rest of

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absolutely know how to handle your vehicle with the chair up is to practice with the chair up - in a controlled environment of course. Most people who practice do so by riding slow gure eight's until the chair comes up. Then they slowly increase the size of their gure eight's and speed. You should eventually be able to smoothly pick up your chair and set it down during normal right hand turns. By the way, gure eight practice works great until that scared Wall Mart employee chases you off the parking lot. As a side benet, you will learn to feel when your wheel starts to lift and you will be in more control of your rig. With all of this talk about ying the chair you would think that I'd prefer a trike. Personally, I think that trikes are much more dangerous than sidecar rigs. It's harder (some salesmen will tell you impossible) to put a trike on two wheels but a it's still a high prole vehicle and if you ever you do then you're really screwed!

don't have as much control as you would with some of the other congurations. My Harley-Davidson has a plumbed to the rear system and the sidecar brake is applied when I press on the rear brake pedal. I like the system a lot because with the system, I can come to a perfectly straight stop - even during a panic stop situation. It's easy - as I apply the front brake I keep the bike straight by varying my rear (and sidecar) brake pedal pressure. The second sidecar pedal is probably the most controllable sidecar brake system. With this system, you have the ability to apply only the sidecar brake during right hand turns which is something you can't do with any other arrangement. You can also vary your sidecar to rear brake pressure by rolling your foot between the two pedals. And of course you can still use both the rear and sidecar brakes together just like I do with my Harley. No sidecar brake? Just go nd a cliff to jump off and save someone else the trouble of running over you and your bike. The same goes for the decision to not connect the sidecar brake. Sidecars without brakes belong on circle tracks.

can be a lot of fun as long as you understand everything that's going on. Your greatest allies are proper maintenance and wheel alignment, education, practice and common sense. Most of today's sidecars (mine included) are attached to a motorcycle that's really not designed for the continuous, off center load that the chair puts on the bike. Many sidecar manufacturers are doing a great job of distributing the extra load through multi-point mounting systems but your suspension, swing arm bushings, wheel bearings and tires are still subjected to much greater loads than an equivalent two wheeled bike. So, you have to do maintenance more frequently and make sure that your alignments are really where they should be. The more that you learn about your rig and why it handles the way it does, the better chance you have of handling a bad situation when does occur. Also, when something goes wrong or just doesn't feel right, you have a better chance of guring out the cause before it hurts you. Sidecar riding is an individual sport. Unless you are very lucky, there won't be a local expert to ask "why doesn't this feel right" or "what do I do if....". More often than not, your local super duper motorcycle dealer will respond with a deer in the headlights look or worse, he'll try to BS his way through your questions because he may have sold it to you but he doesn't ride the thing. You are pretty much on you own if you are a new operator, just take the time to understand your new and unique toy.

Sidecar Brakes
Sidecar brakes come in four different congurations, plumbed to the front, plumbed or mechanically tied to the rear, through a second pedal next to the rear brake pedal and none (not recommended on the street). I've seen plumbed to the front systems mostly on Goldwing motorcycles. With these systems, applying the front brake also applies the sidecar brake. I personally don't like the system because you

Just Rambling
If you read all of the junk that I wrote then you know by now that the most perfectly aligned sidecar will not track straight in all situations. But, a well set up sidecar rig is a great machine and

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We've all heard the stories claiming that a friend of a friend, who knew another guy that knew your fth cousin twiceremoved, was looking through the buy and sell paper and stumbled on an ad that said something like, 'Bike for sale, best offer.' After removing decades of dust and refuge, the bike turned out to be the nd of the century and he purchased it for pocket change. This story runs along those lines except it wasn't a newspaper classied ad and I bet it cost more than pocket change, but it could be considered a nd as rare as hen's teeth. The acquisition of this motorcycle ran in more civilized circles which began with a conversation between Dave and a trader of vintage iron. With photographs and further conversation regarding the possibility of such a rare nd between Dave and his friend, Rich, also a fellow collector, it was a general consensus to all involved that it could be an extremely rare nd, a collectors dream. When Dave and his wife, Sue began collecting vintage Harley-Davidson motorcycles almost 20 years ago as a hobby, they really had no idea they would stumble on a bike as rare as the one that graces these pages. In fact, this bike is so rare, Dave has reason to believe that even the historical archive department of the Motor Company on Juneau Avenue in Milwaukee doesn't have one. Dave grew up around Harleys and has been riding and wrenching on them for SIDECARS

about 27 years. This has led Dave and Sue to have a long-time interest in Harley-Davidson history and the reason why they began their modest collection in 1989. They have now amassed a total of eight motorcycles in their stable, some of which Dave and Sue ride regularly. "We came across our rst one around 1989, it's a 1946 WL. It was road worthy and ridable, but it needed a lot of work," Sue said. "Since Dave is on the road a lot, it still needs work." Dave's job takes him on international travels and that makes it handy for making contacts around the globe, but not so good for nding time to work on the bikes. This might be one reason why Dave now looks for complete correct bikes and he keeps them that way, without restoration. He likes to see them naturally aged instead of showroom condition. Anyway, back to the story at hand. It was while Dave was working in the southern States that he happened upon a businessman who dabbled in buying old bikes and importing them into the United States for auction. He mentioned to Dave about a 1923 Model J he had for sale. Dave quickly did a bit of research and made some calls, before long he knew he couldn't pass up this gem. He got on the phone to "seal the deal," but it wasn't quite as easy as passing over some cash and receiving a key in return. The bike was 40

without an ownership, or any other type of paperwork for that matter. The pursuit began to obtain adequate credentials for the motorcycle before it could be imported into Canada. Dave and the seller of the bike got in touch with Harley-Davidson in Milwaukee and after being transferred to a few different departments, they nally were put in touch with an Identication Specialist at the Juneau Avenue head ofce. It was determined through photographs that the '23 Model J was the real deal including verication of the serial number font being correct for that era. Dave received a letter from the Harley-Davidson Archives Department ensuring the originality of the bike and the sidecar. But even after receiving the letter, the paper chase wasn't over. Dave had to now prove that the bike had never been registered in the United States or that would open up another can of worms. Finally, with the ofcial Harley-Davidson letter of authenticity and verication of never being registered on American soil, Dave was allowed to bring his new set of wheels home. "When we initially contacted HarleyDavidson about the bike, they were immediately quite interested in the 1923 Model J until they found out it was sold," Dave said. A photo in the January/ February 2008 issue of Hog Tales, clearly depicts a line of bikes with fender mounted number plates that start with 1922, then skips to 1924 and consecutively continues well into the '30s. Noticeably missing in the photo is 1923. SUMMER 2010

There is also very little information about these years when, in the early '20s after the First World War, Harley exported approximately 90% of their bikes according to Dave's research making this bike very rare indeed with little information available. It seems the newly acquired Model J came from Germany. Dave was aware that some of the importer's bikes came from Germany but it's the re extinguisher mounted On the sidecar with German writing and labels still afxed to the canister body that gave away its home soil for 80 plus years. After the First World War there were still many American servicemen in Europe and this bike was originally painted Olive Green, the colour of the Harley-Davidson military bikes. While the serial number makes this bike an obvious 1923 model, the original colour doesn't jive unless it was a military model. "In 1922 to 1924, Harley used 'Brewster Green' but the original Olive Green colour is still visible so we're pretty sure it was a military bike," Dave explained. The bike had been repainted at some point, but whoever did the paint painstakingly masked off all the original logos and decals. Dave commented on how bad the paint was back then so he isn't surprised it had been repainted. Dave's research has shown that HarleyDavidson made their own sidecar for some years, but they also used sidecars from 14 different manufacturers. From speaking with mechanics at the Wheels Through Time Museum in North Carolina, he's convinced that this is a true Harley produced sidecar. Regardless of its manufacturer, the serial number on the sidehack conrms it too is a 1923,

and Dave believes the sidecar has never been off the bike's frame. After discussions with many people inthe-know, Dave gures the bike is about 98% original including the leather shrouded cables, original wiring and the nickel-plated oil and fuel lines. The pat-

with internals from an identical carb, albeit a different year, that Sue found on eBay, I discovered the ignition timing was out. It appeared to have a new generator on it and the distributor is driven off of the generator," Dave said. "I expect someone replaced the generator, installed the distributor wrong and it never ran after that. After re-timing the distributor it started on the second kick. I'm sure the bike hasn't ran with the new generator on it because within a couple of minutes after starting it, every bulb in the bike blew." With more wear than Dave has ever seen in a carburetor, and by a few other telltale signs, Dave thinks this bike has well over 100,000 miles on it. Dave and Sue do ride their Model J at special events. I caught up with them originally riding it at the Canadian Biker Build-Off in the summer of '07 and they have been spotted cruising the streets of Port Dover during the Friday the 13th festivities. Dave is also quite excited about his newest acquisition, a 1952 H-D Model G Servi-Car complete with a springer frontend. "It only has 18,000 miles on it and the original Firestone tires," Dave said excitedly. He had been keeping his eyes open for a pre-1967 model because the bodies were all steel prior to that year, as opposed to berglass, and the inside of the trunk was lined with wood. Maybe it's time to scour the classied ads more closely. I know that somewhere there is a 'buried-in-the-back-ofthe-barn' special gem waiting for someone to rescue and resurrect. MMM SUMMER 2010

ina on the seat glistens as only wellworn and aged leather can. The 61 ci (1000 cc) intake-over-exhaust 'F-head' engine, showing off a ne dusting of rust, runs great and always starts with the rst or second kick. "I win bets with people who don't know the bike, that it will start on the rst or second kick, I always win. But it wasn't like that when I got it. It ran, but not very good. After rebuilding the carburetor 41

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Burro Has Three Wheels

(Tracing the Americas) by Gerald Smith
laughing ever since. With over 50 countries in our resumes neither of us are novices when it comes to traveling especially roughing it. The rst time I set eyes upon her was in the window of a classic car dealerships showroom 1998 (our moto not my wife). It was love at rst sight, little if any negotiations took place and that includes my wife and our moto. I remember calling Marilyn as I signed the papers, Marilyn, guess what I bought you. A hot tub she replied? Well you can ll the sidecar with hot water if you want and call it anything you like. Youre kidding? When I got home, Marilyn was sitting on the front steps of the house. The rst Ive been running away from home since I was two years old. Some might think that Im trying to escape some kind of problem but I dont think so. It seems to me there might be more to it than that, something thats simply innate within the soul that makes some of us want to see whats around the next curve. Motorcyclists call a series of these curves twisties. Many like to see how fast they can go through them but I like to take them at a speed that keeps me in the groove of my surroundings; I dont want to miss anything. When I left my parents home for the last time I was seventeen, I spent a lot of time hitch-hiking across the southeastern United States. Id nd shelter under overpasses and op-houses, panhandled for money and now and then found gigs with musician friends of mine. As an adult my passions have always been associated with things that move. If it runs, rolls, oats or ies I want to give it a try. These extended to my choice of occupations as well such as; horse groom on the thoroughbred horse race circuit, long haul truck driving and eventually an airline captain. It takes a special mate to live with my itchy feet. Marilyn and I met during my truck driving years and weve been words out of her mouth were, Lets go for a ride. The next morning I removed one of the heads and cylinders just for a look-see and the practice. The motorcycle is a 1997 single wheel drive Ural Deco. She is manufactured by Imitz Motors in the Ural Mountains of Russia. Though the history of its production is somewhat sketchy, the Russians have been making an exact copy of the famous WW II German BMW since 1939; mechanics and style have changed little. We call her Burro because she is short and carries a big load just like a donkey. In April of 2005 I was diagnosed with Epilepsy thus ending my ying career. As the remainder of the year pro-

WWW.MOTORCYCLETRIPS.NET
Here you'll nd motorcycle movies created by independent travel lms producer Gerald Gary Smith, in DVDs and book format to add to your motorcycle accessory package. Riding 2 wheels, motorcycle trike or motorcycle sidecar, this adventure travel DVD and web download series provide viewers a unique video diary of a motorcycle adventure rider. Travel the roads of the Pan-American Highway to Ushuaia Tierra del Fuego Argentina, driving to Deadhorse Alaska on Prudhoe Bay via the Alaska Alcan Highway and Dalton Highway the Haul Road, driving from Deadhorse Alaska at Prudhoe Bay on the Beaufort Sea, across Canada & the Northern United States to Happy Valley Goose Bay Newfoundland Labrador, via the Top of the World Highway, Road to the Sun and portions of the Trans Canadian Highway. Afterwards it's on to Key West, Florida while touring the Cabot Trail, the Skyline Drive, Blue Ridge Parkway and Tail of the Dragon. Within the coming year this travel lm documentary series hopes to have detailed a motorcycle road trip circumnavigating the Americas a circuitous ride back to the bottom of South America, a Trans America trail in the broadest sense. Riding a Russian, Ural motorcycle sidecar utilizing it as a lming platform for these lms. SIDECARS 42 SUMMER 2010

me I didnt do that either. Heck I was already spending enough money on this little get away as it was. Requesting a list a parts I might need Raceway Services in Salem, Oregon brought me to full attention. The rst thing they suggested was a new 2006 750 cc engine to replace the original 650 cc. That was one big part! I agreed and on February 5, 2006 Burro returned home with a sundry of spare parts including; alternator, throttle cable, clutch cable, fuel lines, lters, plugs, wires, ignition, tires, tubes, driveshaft and torque wrench. Furthermore the original liquid battery was replaced with a maintenance free Odyssey Dry Cell battery. I knew Id be utilizing the back roads as much as possible and on my own. If any problems developed, Id have to deal with them. In the winter of 2005/2006 the Japanese built alternator on the new 750 cc engine only produced about 35 amps, there was no way heated grips would be part of my equipment. I did the next best thing by installing a pair of ATV grip covers similar to what are called Hippo Hands. These kept my hands warm whenever I needed it plus they are great for storing things like a water bottles, food items, etc. I spent the remainder of the day packing typical camping equipment and one item

gressed, Oregons winter rain signicantly dampened my spirits. Out of work, without a journey on the horizon I must have been driving Marilyn crazy because she rmly pronounced I should take Burro for a ride. Well it didnt take any coaxing. Asking where Id goMy response was naturally south. Three important things needed to be considered: 1. Id never driven any motorcycle more than 150 miles from home before At the time our brand of motorcycle was not known for its dependability.

3.

People who liked grease beneath their ngernails were nearly a prerequisite in order to purchase one, No sponsorship has ever been sought.

However if all went well Marilyn planned on meeting me in Zihuatanejo, Mexico. After that I gured Id just return home to Portland. There was no way of knowing this rst journey would last 3 months. For trip planning purposes I could have gone to the book store and found tales of others adventures south of the border but I didnt. And though friends encouraged me to take a video camera with

2.

Irbit MotorWorks of America, Inc.

15205 NE 95th St, Redmond, WA 98052 Ph: 425.702.8484 Fax: 425.696.0834 info@imz-ural.com www.imz-ural.com When it comes to thrill, the Ural motorcycle & its sidecar will travel with you to the end of the World. Carla King, Hubert Kriegel or Gerald Smith are the living proof of world travellers who keep coming back to Ural to quench their thirst for adventure.

Join the Story Ride Ural

SIDECARS 43 SUMMER 2010

fear. The right cylinder was bad. I called Raceway Services with the information. As I would be detaching the sidecar it was suggested I nd a milk crate to put under it thereby allowing easy reattachment. Now Marilyn always says when I s--roses come out. It might be true because at that very minute a milk truck drove up. With a request to purchase a crate the driver simply offered one with a smile. To top that off a fellow camper was a retired motorcycle mechanic instructor. In reality I didnt need the extra help but two heads are better than one and I was glad for the inter-action. The following morning a new head, cylinder, piston and wrist-pin arrived via overnight express. Three hours later we were running like new Tijuana and The Baja waited for the sunrise. Using my cell phones camera I captured my journey until reaching Zihuatanejo when I nally purchased a video camera. Before I knew it my travels would take me along the Pan-American Highway to Ushuaia, Argentina on Tierra del Fuego. Returning to Portland family and friends encouraged me to take the video log I had made and turn it into a movie.

Since there was no recent footage of the Pan-American Highway I agreed. With no experience I attempted to learn the art eventually releasing four episodes titled Burro Has 3 Wheels which detailed the trip. In 2007 with a new Burro, a 2006 Ural Troyka specially adapted with a driveable sidecar wheel it was up to Prudhoe Bay/Dead Horse, Alaska in the arctic on the Beaufort Sea. This completed a route as far north and south in the world as one can ride. But I wasnt ready stop; my sights had become set upon a complete a tracing of the American continents. From Alaska it was off to Goose Bay / Happy Valley, Newfoundland Labrador then down to Key West Florida. These travels became episodes 5, 6 & 7 utilizing greater quality of lming equipment and experience. By 2009 Marilyn had retired allowing us to tour the Gulf States and all of Mexicos Gulf, Pacic and Baja coastlines. Currently in production it is hoped episode 8 will be available by June 2010. The new Burro has 46000 km on her now. With the exceptions of heli-coiling one of the cylinder head bolts (I drove 2000 miles before xing it) the only thing Ive done is normal maintenance. The days of requiring grease beneath the ngernails in order to purchase the Ural has faded into the past. That said I still like getting greasy. There is no doubt Ill continue to run away from home for the rest of my life. Why change a good thing. I expect the future to bring the drivable portions of eastern Central & South America, hopefully with my gal Marilyn.

that would prove indispensable, a Coleman gas burner for morning coffee. Whats great about the Coleman burner is that a person can just siphon gas out of the fuel tank. Its nearly impossible to nd other types of camping fuel south of the U.S. border such as butane. The next morning, February 6th, 2006 equipped with a cell phone, AAA road maps and Rough Guides publication Mexico, I rolled carefully out of the driveway. It would take some time to get used to the 1400 pounds gross weight burdened in and upon Burro. Avoiding the local Interstate Highway I took the side streets to the south end of town. I hunkered down every time a log truck passed us struggling up Coast Mountains passes. Reaching U.S. Highway 101 along the Pacic Oceans coastline I did my best to settle in. Three days later we rolled across the Golden Gate Bridge. On a multi-lane road south of San Francisco we fought a 30 knot headwind and attempted to keep up with the trafc. When oil puked onto my boot I called the dealership. The consensus was an oil line may have been plugged possibly due to a burr left in the new engine. I continued and no more oil blew out. Jockeying for position on the freeways between L.A. and San Diego a few days later Burro began running rough. In a parking lot I replaced the ignition and associated parts but found no relief. Tired and dirty we sputtered into a KOA campground near San Diego about 9:30pm. The next morning a newly purchased compression gauge conrmed my worst SIDECARS

44

SUMMER 2010

Think youve seen it all? Think again and come introduce yourself at Jasper Motorcycle Tours and enjoy the ride! Come ride the Rockies on legendary motorcycles. Cruise by raging rivers, beautiful lakes, and amazing wildlife while en route to world famous destinations. Jasper Motorcycle Tours offers you the option of taking a sidecar tour to Miette hot springs or to Maligne Lake. Both of these unique driving experiences will offer you the excitement you desire. Get ready for the ride of your life!

Jasper Motorcycle Tours 610 Patricia St P.O. Box 2187, Jasper, AB, T0E1E0 inquiries@jaspermotorcycletours.com 780.931.6100

The Canterbury Belle

(see advertising yer above) Picture this... 1960. We are in England and Canterbury Sidecars is offering the British riders a way to bring their girlfriends out on an inexpensive cruise. I really do not know if it worked or if they sold lots of these units, but by looking at the video, I just found it cute. http://www.britishpathe.com/record.p hp?id=935 By todays standard, it is called FALSE ADVERTISING. The rig is not amphibious. The boat is. It is actually a real mini boat, inline two seaters, powered by a 80cc JAP engine. The boat is resting on a frame manufactured by Canterbury Sidecars Ltd of South Ockendon, England. In our next issue we will have a complete article on the Canterbury Belle written by Martyn Aves, editor of Outlook (the Federation of Sidecar Clubs Magazine). SIDECARS 45

Detail of a modern sidecar front wheel

SUMMER 2010

No Way Out! By Neil Graham (Cycle Canada)

Shhh... There it is. See it hiding in the brush? An adult Ural Gear-Up ready to pounce on unsuspecting prey. Or, more likely, abandoned by a dejected Neil Graham. A little condence is a bad thing. The path through the trees ahead of me is narrowing and I have that feeling of invincibility that precedes most disasters. Ill blame this unwarranted condence on my Ural Desert Camo Gear-Up sidecar rig with its psychedelic orange and green livery, its purposeful 2WD logo and its prominently mounted spare wheel. Something that looks like this cant get stuck. My day at the 2007 CURDan awkward acronym for Canadian Ural/Dnepr riders grouprally just outside of Peterborough, Ont., begins well enough. I register at the gate, receive a plastic drinking mug with ashing LED lights, and then join a tech session already in progress. The CURD website described the association as a group of people loosely joined by fear and the bond of motorcycling, but those attending the tech session are neither fearful nor bonding. They look like theyre falling asleep. Heading the tech session is Ural dealer Ken Beach, proprietor of Old Vintage Cranks in Hillsburgh, Ont. Beach confesses that while he still owns a beveldrive Ducati 900SS, he was always attracted to Ducatis 500 cc parallel twins, widely considered Bolognas worst motorcycle. But then again I guess I just like terrible things, he says, before rethinking his comments, no, wait, dont put that in. Beach covers valve adjustment, carburetor synchronizing and oil changes, and traces his love of Russian motorcycles to their uniqueness and simplicity, the latter encouraging active owner involvement in servicing and customization. Customization? Really? Its true, Beach says, you see a lot of bikes with deep oil pans. After the tech session I stroll over to a pristine white machine and meet Konrad Zeh. His is a brand new machine with only 49 kilometers, and he tries to sell me his previous rig, an 03 Ural Northern Cruiser, for $8,000. Why did you buy a new one, I ask. Why do people buy new cars? he replies. When I dont have an answer he continues. I like it because I dont have to put my feet down and its good on streetcar tracks. My wife uses the old one for shopping, he adds, looking at me expectantly, as if word of his wifes shopping may cement a deal. Leaning over the fuel tank of his showroom-fresh rig I ask if he knows that his tank decal is coming off. Its Russian, he says with a shrug, not feeling the need to explain further. My sidecar experience totals 10 kilometres on an Ural rig three years ago, so I seek advice before I leave on the scavenger hunt. There is a technique to riding them, says an owner with a grave expression, go slow. I fall in behind Dave Corbett and his 2007 Ural Patrol. Corbett admits that he bought it as a toy to go along with his Gold Wing and69 Shovelhead, and hopes that it will be good for getting into the hunting camp in fall, but I still think Ill take along a block and tackle, just in case. The scavenger hunt is a three-hour back road tour that ideally requires a navigator, as the directions (go left after the bridge but if you go over the hill youve gone too far) have me riding with one hand and holding the directions aloft with the other. One of the rst items on the scavenger hunt list is Queen Annes lace, and were directed to a specic spot on a country road to look for it. An elderly couple on a Harley sidecar rig are holding aloft a plant and wondering whether theyve found it. Corbett takes his helmet off. Thats not Queen Annes lace, he says, thats ragweed, which sends the couple head-down back into the ditch. My interest in combing ditches on a hot July afternoon fades and I set off on a pleasure ride. What was most memorable about my previous Ural experience was the crudity of the machine, especially its transmission. I remembered thinking at the time that the term gearboxas in gears randomly tossed in a boxwas only too appropriate, as the crunching while shifting was horrifying, and only comparable in my experience with garden tractors and postwar hand shift Harleys. But this new machine is a revelation, as shifting is accompanied by a crunch of no more severity than that of a vintage BMW. Later I ask Beach about the improved shifting. Ah, so you liked those new Austrian-made gears? Many two-wheeler acionados view sidecars as an abomination, mid-way between a bike and a car but with neither the motorcycles agility nor the cars roof. Sidecars are also plagued, so the stories go, by handling peculiarities. At a popular motorcycle hangout I overheard a man explain to his companion that the rst and only time he drove a sidecar outt he immediately left the road and plunged down a ravineand the ravine was on the far side of the road. I suspect some are confused because typical two-wheeler counter-steering is not applicable to a sidecar rig. If you push on the right end of the handlebar you go left, and not right as you would on a twowheeler, but I dont nd adapting to the steering difcult. If an action causes the machine to go the wrong way, then survival encourages the operator to try SIDECARS 46 SUMMER 2010

something else, and the opposite input seems the most logical. Riding the $13,595 Ural Desert Camo is engaging, even at moderate speeds. It takes some practice to become accustomed to watching two tracks on the road surface aheadas you would in a carinstead of one as on a solo motorcycle. On one occasion the sidecar wheel whacks a dirt clump on the edge of the road because I swerve to miss a pothole with the front wheel. Power is moderate, and during a high-speed run with my body attened to the tank I only read 110 km/h on the speedometer. The upside of its slow march is that even eeing the scene of a murder police will be unable to tag speeding onto your charges. The riding position is 1970s standard, so legroom is good and the wide handlebar is a necessity for leverage. The solo tractor-style saddle is a disappointment, as its mounted on rubber blocks that have an unacceptable amount of side play, so as the rig travels down the road your torso wiggles in a to-and-fro squirm. At rst its fun but it becomes annoying, and over one stretch of wavy pavement my jiggling ass triggers my head to start wobbling and I go into a full body tremor, the human version of a tank-slapper. Later I try an $11,995 single-wheel-drive Tourist Deluxe with standard-style dual seat, and the improvement in comfort is signicant, though it doesnt share the agricultural chic of the Desert Camos solo saddle.

My left wheel has disappeared into mud and the right wheel is spinning madly. The problem is that the left track of the trail is much deeper than the right, and the rig is listing heavily to the left with no weight on the right wheel and a left wheel hopelessly buried. I try reversing, pulling, pushing, cursing and kicking, without success. I nd a log to use as a pry bar, but its twenty feet long and I cant move it. I come to the conclusion that I need ballast for the sidecar to aid traction, and devise, ingeniously, a method of driving the rig from the sidecar. But as Im about to step onto the sidecar cushion I withdraw my muddy boot. Ive not the heart to step on the virgin vinyl of a brand-new borrowed motorcycle with a lthy foot, so I take my boots off and roll my pants up. Then I start the engine and with my left hand pulling in the clutch I lie across the seat and reach underwater with my right hand and click the shifter into gear. The transmission, now mostly underwater, gives an aquatic clunk. I dry my right hand on my pant leg then grip the throttle and prepare to launch. It is an uncomfortable positionhands on the grips in the standard manner and toes wiggling to get a grip on the slick vinyl of the sidecar cushion. With a good dose of throttle I dump the clutch and hang my tail out over the right side as far as I dare. The rig wiggles, bucks and slides deeper into the mud. I squeeze the clutch and reconsider. I decide that Im lacking commitment, that my body is too tentative, so I give full throttle and let go of the clutch lever. This time I take my left arm and reach across my body and lean far past the edge of the sidecar body. Im now facing backwards in the chest-out palms-to-the-heavens pose that gure skaters use to mark the end of a routineand its working. I look over my shoulder to see where Im going and the Ural climbs out of the hole. With my boots back on I try to turn the rig around, but the trail is between two fences and I dont have the required room. Up ahead I see an area that will allow me to reverse my direction, but lying between the spot and me are another ve water crossingsso off come the boots again and ahead I go. This time as I lean across the seat and reach down to the shifter I pull up to select second gear for more speed and momentum, and with a view out the rear of ying mud and darting frogs I make it to the turnaround point. Facing back around I have six water 47

crossings until I have dry trail, and I clear the rst ve but at the sixth the Ural hops out of the two tire tracks and buries itself in long grass. And thats where it stays. On my cell I call Gerry and tell him that Ive buried his rig. Good for you, he says, and thirty minutes later three men arrive and together we haul the muddy Desert Camo to safety. Back at the campground word has spread, and later that night at the awards presentation I am awarded the off road prize of a rubber chicken and a double-extra-large t-shirt. I am tempted to ask if they have the shirt in medium but I stop before I embarrass myself, because Ural owners know that its not for the driver. Its a gift to lure the fattest person you can nd into the sidecar, because no ballast means a long walk home from the woods, and Ill not make that mistake again.

Late in the afternoon I stop for water and notice that despite riding on dirt roads my Desert Camo rig is still spotlessly dust-free. The inappropriateness of prissily chugging along smoothly graded roads when I should be out bashing a hole in the forest irks me, and following the directions of Ural importer and local resident Gerry Young, I leave the road behind and start down a twotrack trail through the woods, alone. Im not much of a dirt rider but the macho paint scheme and two driving wheels encourage me to exploit my naivety. Unlike a two-wheeler, where you pick your way around obstructions, the added width of a rig does not allow for subtly, and when I see the trail disappear beneath water I stop and remove my riding jacket and helmet, and selecting low gear and with the two-wheeldrive gearbox engaged I condently pull forward and sink. SIDECARS

SUMMER 2010

Gardeners dream

timesbigger as the original and sports an electric fan, switched on by line switchwhen oil exceeds 110 degrees C. With a wheel base of 1770, a track of 1310 mm and trail of 25 mm the outt is easy to steer. Usual weight is around 360 kg. The boxer engine was up-rated by sinter metal clutch plates, K & N air lter, larger diameter induction tubes and a tuning chip by Laser.

alloy machined brackets is 780 Euros excluding Tokico callipers. Both modications need approval of relevant technical authorities for roadworthyness. Contact: www.mobec-international.com

Watsonian Sidecar's Black Night

Mobec/EML - Better Brakes

Sometimes not the mechanics are the unique features of an outt but this time the country of destination. Horst Ullrich recently had a BMW combination made to special order from an Israeli gardener, who did not want to transport his tools in a humble van. With his requirement for the outt of a permissible weight of around 750 kg he came into contact with Ullrich at last. So the German sidecar designer, based in Hessia, constructed a load carrier on base of a four valve BMW - Boxer that can be used off road even in light terrain of Middle East countries. Actually a HU-standard, this combo features something special. Because of import problems the customer decided he wanted a German registered combination, unfortunately the second hand engine did not meet the EURO III emmision law. So Ullrich did cut out the original headstock which was than integrated in the HU-steel chassis and thus formally retained the manufacturers identity. The engine from a BMW R 1150 remains a self-supporting unit. Everything else remains HU-standard: Conventional steel rear swing arm with short back axle gearbox for sidecar use, interchangeable wheels shod with 185/65 R 15 tyres, front leading links with welded yokes and uprated rear brakes. The sidecar was construd in order to carry loads. Its rear tailgate can be turned down and the front carries a transport box. Additionally a box with backrest and guard rail for a passenger can be added. Furthermore an auxilliary fuel tank of 30 litres capacity is added. With the usual climate and hot temperatures of Israel an oil cooler in front of the box sidecar makes sense. This unit is 4.5 SIDECARS

Watsonian GP Manx sidecar for Harley Davidson Nightster 1200 Watsonian Squire, one of the longest surviving names in the British motorcycle industry, have developed a tting kit to match their Manx GP sidecar to the Nightster from Harley Davidson, one of the oldest names in motorcycling. Harleys XL1200N air-cooled V-twin produces 72ft-lb of torque, so its pulling power is ideal for sidecar work. Its traditional tubular steel frame is substantial enough to support a chair and the Nightsters forks, which are shorter than the regular Sportster, put more weight over the front end to give a more stable ride also ideal when driving a sidecar. Watsonians classically styled GP retains the octagonal nose cone from the 1920s but is manufactured from GRP glass bre with modern suspension and electrical system. At 1.8M long it is shorter than most sidecars and the boot design is altered, allowing access from behind the seat. For the Nightster, Watsonian produced the GP Manx with black ttings, including the steel perimeter frame, optional luggage rack and wheel rims, creating the perfect complement to this understated Harley Davidson motorcycle. SUMMER 2010

Nothing is as good that it cant be improved further. True for those front brakes that W-Tec uses in its sidecarcombinations equipped with hubcentersteering (Kawasaki ZZR 1100, Honda CBR 1100 XX, Suzuki GSX 1300 Hayabusa, BMW R 1100 S, BMW K 1200RS etc.). Mobec now offers stainless-steel brake discs that for the rst time can be used in combination with sintered metal pads. The Uhingen (D) based company claims an improved rate of brake power by 30 percent. Those EML brakes can further be improved by the Armec six-piston callipers brake conversion. Positioned on the horizontal plane, the tough high-grade Tokico callipers are not levering its brake pads open whilst going around road bends. Also the potential of deceleration is signicantly higher. Available too with sinter metal pads these conversions work with either original EML or Mobec brake discs. Price for Armec 48

Mobec-Superdrive ready for a spin

Recently SidecarNews had the opportunity for an interview with Manfred Beck, owner and technical wizzard of the German Mobec operation. We were curious of the rumors about a brand new off-road concept that should match the famous Unimog of Mercedes-Benz on three wheels. Manfred kindly answered our questions, for which we like to thank him. Working for almost four years on his Superdrive concept Manfred Beck proudly presented his new creation during the Sinsheim show last week. Superdrive consists of a sidecar outt that is able to run on- and off-road with a series of reductions and gears. Even six reverse gears are possible to be chosen by two hand levers situated at the right side of the petrol tank. All this enables the Superdrive driver to master even the most difcult surface conditions. Hence the name.

Says Manfred Beck of Mobec GmbH, Uhingen, Germany: "Our all new 3D-platform-chassis is the backbone of the Superdrive concept. Core piece is an integrated reverse and reduction gearbox. This modular design enables us to combine different groups of components and create the best solution for various applications. Regardless of the chosen basis motorcycle all Superdrive-outts are featuring a maintenance free shaft drive." Further Manfred explains the production steps: "First, the chosen basis bike is tted with our leading link forks and secondly, all rear bike parts are removed, eg. subframes, wheel guidance, power train, suspension and brake components. This group of components is than transferred to the 3-D central chassis that takes all dynamic forces. Highly suitable for our conversions are high torque enduro-type motorbikes. These can be of the following types: Honda Varadero XL 1000, BMW R 1200 GS , KTM 990 Adventure, Kawasaki KLV 1000, Suzuki V-Strom 1000, Triumph Tiger or Moto Guzzi Stelvio 1200. Please ask us for other types." SidecarNews is sure this all new concept is a winner and thanks Manfred Beck for the interview, wishing him the deserved commercial success. You can contact Mobec GmbH at www.mobec-international.com

July 8 - 11, 2010

Champlain Valley Exposition Essex Jct, VT Self guided tours Saturday Show & Shine Sidecar games Rally Cost (per person)
USCA members before june 1st $30 (after june 1st $35) - Non-USCA members before June 1st $35 (after June 1st $40) - Children (12-15) Cost $15 - Children under 12 are free Includes Saturday Evening Dinner -

Onsite Camping Costs

Tent Camping @ $9 per night some sites with electric RV sites @ $35 per night includes electric and water

(the Tent camping and also RV site prices are being extended for Rally participants that wish to come early and also wish to stay later.)

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Eric Adams 563 Rotax Road North Ferrisburgh, VT 05473 (802) 453-2324 ehadams@gmavt.net Chuck Tretyak 12495 Rt. 62 Lawtons, NY 14091 (716) 337-2689 tretyak55@aol.com

SIDECARS

49

SUMMER 2010

SIDECARS - CANADIAN DIRECTORY

Information incorrect or missing? Please tell us! (BMWnewsletter@rogers.com)
shailsmotorcycles@hotmail.com http://shailsmotorcycles.com Sidecar Name: Ural Fax: 905-686-0497 www.pickeringvillagemotors.com Sidecar Name: Ural

R & T Motorrad
86 Thrasher Road RR# 1 Plaineld, ON, K0K-2V0 613-477-1130 porkchopp@lks.net www.sidecarcanada.com

Side Effects Sidecar Specialists

RR5 S4 C3 Kamloops, BC, V2H 6C2 250-573-2364 Fax: 250-573-2365 sidecars@ocis.net www.sidecars.ca Sidecar Name: Champion, Hannigan,Motorvation, Watsonian, Unit and EZS

R & T Motorrad
86 Thrasher Road RR# 1 Plaineld, ON, K0K-2V0 613-477-1130 porkchopp@lks.net www.sidecarcanada.com Sidecar Name: California, Champion, Cozy, Velorex, Dedome

DEALERS
ALBERTA
Bad Ass Customs, Inc.
3735-99st Edmonton, AB T6E6J7 780-436-3279 Fax: 780-430-0335 rip.easyriders@telus.net www.badasscustoms.ca Sidecar Name: Ural

BMD Sidecar Conversions & Sales Company Antica Inc.

400 Colborne Street Midland,ON, L4R 2K4 705- 526-2558 Fax:705-526-4639

SportMax Sidecars
6105 Pat Bay Hwy Victoria, BC, V8Y 1T5 (250) 544-4351 sales@sportmaxsales.com www.sportmaxsidecar.com Sidecar name: Cozy, SportMax

Ural Canada
6860 Highway RR #5 Peterborough,ON K9J 6X6 705-742-6120 Fax:705-742-9474 info@uralcanada.com www.peterborocyclesalvage.com Sidecar Name: Ural

QUEBEC
Trans-Moto
1023 Principale Prvost, QC, J0R 1T0 866-666-8969 info@trans-moto.com www.trans-moto.com Sidecar Name: Trans-Moto, Velorex

Destination Cycles
3 - 73 Eastlake Crescent N.E. Airdrie, AB, T4A2H4 403-948-6940 info@destinationcycles.com www.destinationcycles.com Sidecar Name: Ural

NOVA SCOTIA
Kottwitz Werke Inc
#1 Yankeetown Road Hammonds Plains, NS B3Z1K7 902-832-1629 Fax: 902-835-1484 lutz@kottwitz.ca www.ural.ca Sidecar Name: Ural

QUEBEC
EuroMoto
4900 Boul. des Laurentides Laval, QC, H7K 2J5 450-628-2301 www.euromoto.ca Sidecar Name: Ural

COMPONENTS
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Side Effects Sidecar Specialists
RR5 S4 C3 Kamloops,BC, V2H 6C2 250-573-2364 Fax:250-573-2365 sidecars@ocis.net www.sidecars.ca Components Mfg. Steerite triple tree conversions, steering &suspension kits, sub-frames & sideframes.

Motoparts inc.
204 Windermere Drive Edmonton, AB, T6W0S4 Phone: 780-988-8198 motoparts@motopartsinc.com http://www.motopartsinc.com

Fleximum Sidecars
610 Rang 6 Ouest Laurierville,QC, G0S 1PO 819-362-2392 Fax:819-362-6731 info@side-car.net www.side-car.net Sidecar Name: Fleximum

ONTARIO
Hamilton Motosport Kingston
244 Dalton Avenue Kingston, ON, hamiltonmotosport@MAC.COM www.hamiltonmotosport.com Sidecar Name: Ural

BRITISH COLUMBIA
Rob's Motorcycle Roadhose
1993 Hwy 3A Nelson BC V1N 4N8 Phone: 250-399-4573

Trans-Moto
1023 Principale Prvost, QC, J0R 1T0 866-666-8969 info@trans-moto.com www.trans-moto.com Sidecar Name: Trans-Moto, Velorex

Inglis Cycle Center

466 McCormick Blvd. London,ON, N5M 4C5 877-734-2453 ax:519-455-9611 inglis@ingliscycle.com www.ingliscycle.com Sidecar Name: California

ONTARIO
BMD Sidecar Conversions & Sales Company Antica Inc.
400 Colborne Street Midland,ON, L4R 2K4 705-526-2558 Fax:705-526-4639 ComponentsMfg. Converts Dnepr, Ural & CJ to t /5/6/7 BMW engine.

Robins Classic Motorcycles

Victoria, BC, Phone : 250-652-9853 rmullett@islandnet.com robinsclassicmotorcycles.com

Savage Cycles
7-10189 McDonald Park Road Sidney, BC V8L 3X9 250-656-9979 Fax: 250-656-3328 alex@savagecycles.ca www.savagecycles.ca Sidecar Name: Ural

INSTALLERS
BRITISH COLUMBIA
Side Effects Sidecar Specialists
RR5 S4 C3 Kamloops,BC, V2H 6C2 250-573-2364 Fax:250-573-2365 sidecars@ocis.net www.sidecars.ca

Old Vintage Cranks

RR#1 5841 5th concession Rockwood, ON N0B2K0 519-856-2822 Fax: 519-856-2833 info@uralontario www.uralontario.ca Sidecar Name: Ural

SASKATCHEWAN
J. S. Accessories
Box 1327 Martensville SK, S0K 2T0 306-242-7587 gold_bm@hotmail.com Components Mfg. Custom sidecar frames, mounting, etc.,

Shail's Motorcycles, Ltd.

1727 Powell Street Vancouver, BC V5L 1H6 604-266-8990 Fax: (604) 266-7736

Pickering Village Motors

599 Kingston Road West Ajax, ON L1S6M1 905-686-6928

ONTARIO
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SIDECARS - CANADIAN DIRECTORY

Information incorrect or missing? Please tell us! CLUBS
Canadian Sidecar Owners Club

ONTARIO BMW DEALERS

MAGAZINES / COMICS / BOOKS / CATALOGS

BMW Durham 920 Champlain Court Whitby, ON L1N 6K9 905-428-5960 905-428-5961 info@bmwdurham.ca www.durham.bmw.ca BMW Toronto 11 Sunlight Park Road Toronto, ON M4M 1B5 416-623-4269 416-623-2700
richard.minott@bmwtoronto.ca

Contacts: Terry Brinklow sidecaring@cogeco.ca Tom "Porkchopp" O'Leary porkchopp@lks.net

www.bmwtoronto.ca Budds' BMW 2454 South Service Rd. W. Oakville, ON L6L 5M9 905-845-3577 905-825-9887 sales@buddsbmw.com www.buddsmotorrad.com Open Road BMW 87 Mulock Drive Newmarket, ON L3Y 8V2 905-895-8700 905-895-2690
graeme.hill@openroadbmw.ca

United Sidecar Association

USCA Inc. P O Box 7282 Villa Park, Illinois, 60181-7282 USA

Cdn Ural / Dnepr Riders Group

www.openroadbmw.ca Ottawa Good Time Centre 450 West Hunt Club Road Ottawa, ON K2E 1B2 613-731-9071 866-731-0700 jthoms@ottawagoodtime.com www.ottawagoodtime.com Wolf BMW 1859 Oxford St. East London, ON N5V 2Z6 519-951-9482 519-951-6493 sales@wolfbmw.com www.wolfbmw.com

www.curd-riders.ca

Sidecar Industry Council

www.sidecar-industry.com

SIC Members
www.sidecar-industry.com/sic members.htm

SoCal Sidecar Club

http://socalsidecarclub.com

MOTORCYCLE HEARSE
Forever Free Motorcycle Hearse
George Winney (519) 915-6424 foreverfree@live.ca http://www.foreverfree.biz SIDECARS 51 SUMMER 2010

www.harley-davidson.com SIDECARS - US IMPORTERS / MANUFACTURERS

Every one of the manufacturers listed below offers a unique perspective on sidecars. Some only offer an online catalog of their products while others go through the trouble of handing out quite a bit of information. ARMEC Sidecars
www.armec.ch info@armec.ch Used to have a rep in the US. Distributor inquiry welcome Yep, Harley-Davidson really does produce their own sidecars - You'll have to visit your local dealer instead.

World War II ghter plane inspires awesome sidecar

Liberty Sidecars California Sidecar

www.californiasidecar.com Their web site has an extensive list of authorized California Sidecar dealers. www.libertysidecars.com Liberty Sidecars produces a line of sidecars specically for Harley-Davidson motorcycles.

Motorvation Engineering Champion Sidecars

www.championsidecars.com They sell sidecars, reverse kits for Harley-davidson motorcycles and an "EZ-Steer" system which is a new set of triple clamps that will modify the steering angle of your Goldwing motorcycle - making it much easier to steer with a sidecar attached. www.motorvation.com jims@nethtc.net Motorvation Engineering has an excellent "Shopping for a sidecar" section. It appears from their web site that they have a mounting solution for just about anything you would want to fasten one of their sidecars to. Inspired by a Second World War Messerschmitt ME109 ghter plane, the latest custom-built sidecar by Henrik Toth, a Hungarian bike builder and Wild West theme park owner, is good enough to arouse nostalgia, if not to be classied as the best sidecar in the world. Tucked to a Yamaha Wild Star cruiser, the German ghter plane-based sidecar integrates a propeller which unfortunately doesnt take the vehicle to the sky but helps propel it only on the road.

Side-Bike Classic Motorworks Ltd.

www.cyclesidecar.com info@cyclesidecar.com Cozy sidecar distributor www.side-bike.com Distributor inquiry welcome

Side Strider

www.sidestrider.com sidecars@la.twcbc.com Side Strider is a reseller of www.dauntlessmotors.com Dauntless Motors imports, Watsonian, Squire, Ural and exports, wholesales & retailes Velorex sidecars. Many of sidecars. They also model/ these products are sized for make motorcycle specic smaller motorcycles. mounting hardware, sidecar tires, front end modications Texas Sidecar Company (triple tree bolt on & leading www.TexasSidecars.com links) & can provide special needs modications. Ural America www.imz-ural.com info@imz-ural.com EZS Sidecars Ural America has an excellent info@sidecars.ca "how to ride" section that www.sidecars.ca should be read by any new sidecar owner. Hannigan Sidecars www.hannigantrikes.com/cont Velorex USA ent/sidecars.html www.velorexusa.com hannigan@apex.net Hannigan manufacturers trail- velorexusa@gmail.com ers, sidecars, trike conversions and tri-cars (a cross between a sidecar and a trike).

Dauntless Motors

Harley-Davidson

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SportMax Sidecars
6105 Pat Bay Hwy Victoria, BC, V8Y 1T5 (250)544-4351

sales@sportmaxsales.com www.sportmaxsidecar.com Distributor of Cozy, Inder & Dedome sidecars and Unit Leading Links. DEALER INQUIRY WELCOME

Dog on Motorcycle Sidecar USA Tour

Van Frederick and his dog Bobaji, are on a mission. They are touring the USA in their sidecar, Van Frederick is driving - his dog is the passenger, and their mission is to educate people about neutering your pets. Overcrowding in animal shelters of dogs and cats are epidemic, and most of these cute animals are put to sleep. One way of preventing this is neutering or splaying your animals. So the duo are crossing the USA, and have riding on their motorcycle sidecar some 29,000 miles already.

The CVMG National Rally has been held on Father's Day weekend, every year since 1973, currently it is held at the Paris Fairground in Southern Ontario. 38th Paris National Rally June 18 - 20, 2010 Everyone is Welcome! Full registration includes: Participation in seminars, road runs, cavalcade of bikes, concours, trials and other displays, ea market camping, 24 hour access, coffee and donuts, parking inside fair grounds. Pre-registration Members: $20 per person, NonMembers $30 per person Day Passes, $5 per person, are from 8am to 5pm only. Parking in the outside lot. Access to ea market. No participation in the events. Registration fees at gate for Rally entrants and Vendors: Members: $30 per person, NonMembers $40 per person

The Franklin Mint

Both are baseball nuts, and even have a blog, where you can follow their adventures. To mark their adventures, they have produced a cute video. Van Frederick has written the music, and it's quite catchy. www.bobaji.com

1-866-566-2233

www.sarasotatrailers.com

BUILT WITH PRIDE SOLD WITH INTEGRITY

1/10th scale 1965 Harley Davidson Electra-Glide with Sidecar

Price: $225.00 or 3 easy monthly payments of $75.00 www.franklinmint.com/product1. aspx?SID=2&Product_ID=9687

SIDECARS 53 SUMMER 2010

Sidecar Events List 2010 Latest issue, 1/11/2010

For additions and corrections, contact the United Sidecar Association Publicity Chairman, Bruce Stephens, 841 Summit St., Bethlehem, PA 18015-3957, or stephens.bruce.d@gmail.com. Permission to copy this list is granted. May 20-24, 2010 Chelan Sidecar Rally, Chelan, WA. For event information go to www.chelanrally.com , or contact dLynn at dlynnor@hotmail.com . May 21-23, 2010 Motorcycle Safety League of Virginia, Inc. Sidecar/Trike Class, Danville Community College (Danville) contact Mark McFaddin at 434-797-2222 ext.6421 for more information. Other classes will be scheduled as demand warrants. Class costs vary by location. Contact the listed Coordinator at each site. Other classes will be scheduled as demand warrants. Class costs vary by location. Contact the listed Coordinator at each site. Class Schedule: (Approximate) Friday 7:00pm - 10:00pm, Saturday: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, Sunday 8:00 am - 6:00 pm. For all other classes contact The Motorcycle Safety League of Virginia, Inc. at 1-888826-7584. For additional registration information and directions please click the specic Community College link at the Virginia Rider Training Program web site www.learn2ride.com . June 4 6, 2010 7th Annual Skunks in Da Woods Sidecar Rally at Pioneer Village Museum, Cameron Wisconsin. All are welcome. For more information contact Kevin Hahn 715-458-0894 or hahnda2@gmail.com or www.skunktails.com/ June 4-6, 2010 Motorcycle Safety League of Virginia, Inc. Sidecar/Trike Class, New River Community College (Dublin) contact the Workforce Development ofce at 1-866462-6722 or scarpenter@nr.edu for more information or to register for the class. June 5-6, 2010 Black Dog 2-Day AMA National Dualsport/Adventure Ride, Hood River, OR. Staged around Mt. Hood, Oregon. We love sidecars! More information and sign up forms can be found at: www.blackdogdualsport.com/ , or contact tawmn@blackdogdualsport.com June 10-13, 2010 16 th Annual Howdy Summer Sidecar Rally will be presented by the Georgia Sidecar Club and held at the "World SIDECARS 54 SUMMER 2010 Famous" Two Wheels Only Motorcycle Resort in Suches, GA. All motorcyclists welcome with or without sidecars. Registration fee: $25 per person if paid prior to Monday May 31, 2010. After May 31st, fee will be $30 per person. Children 12 and under are admitted free. Camping is $10 per person per day, children under 12 $8 per person per day. There is no ground or day use fee at TWO for noncampers. Registration includes Saturday night dinner, tea & coffee, trophies, door prizes, bike show and bike games, self guided tours, lots of fun. Lodging rooms are available at the camp grounds. There is no additional camping fee if you rent a cabin, trailer or room from TWO, or stay off site. Call TWO for details or go to their web site. www.twowheelsonly.com . For more information see the yer at: http://members.cox.net/georgiasidecarcl ub/index.htm Contact info: James Allmond 478-471-9153, Eddie George 706-654-2648, Janice Rinaldo 404-3125290. June 21, 2010 RIDE TO WORK DAY has been moved to the third Monday in June. So Ride To Work!!! June 23 27, 2010 10th Annual Gathering of High Performance Sidecars in the Blue Ridge Mountains (Maggie Valley) of North Carolina. Most are staying at Applecover Inn and RV Park 4077 Soco Road, Maggie Valley, NC 28751. For more information, go to www.hpsidecar.com/ or contact Roger Symington Sidebike99@aol.com June 24 26, 2010 39th MGNOC National Rally with the Bigfoot Sidecar Club in attendance, to be held at the Grant County Fairgrounds in John Day, Oregon. The town of John Day is located at the junction of highways 26 and 395. Registration is $45 per person before May 25th, $55 thereafter, $35 for children 7 to 12, 6 and under free. Send pre-registration fee to Gerri Jenkins, 28375S Sundowner Ct. Canby, Oregon 97013. Payable to MGNOC of Oregon. For more info, call 503-2633336 or email Gerri at mamaguzzi@gmail.com , or Gary at motogary@gmail.com or www.orguzzi.org . Registration includes rally pin, Thursday, Friday & Saturday tent camping, Friday dinner, Saturday breakfast & dinner, Sunday continental breakfast, eld games, bike show, self guided tours, closing ceremony. 25 RV spots are available on site, reserve early, call 541-575-1900 or email gcfair@grantcounty-or.gov . June 25-27, 2010 Motorcycle Safety League of Virginia, Inc. Sidecar/Trike Class, Central Virginia Community College (Lynchburg) contact Dennis Phillips at 434-832-7621 phillipsd@cvcc.vccs.edu for more information. Other classes will be scheduled as demand warrants. Class costs vary by location. Contact the listed Coordina-

tor at each site. Other classes will be scheduled as demand warrants. Class costs vary by location. Contact the listed Coordinator at each site. Class Schedule: (Approximate) Friday 7:00pm 10:00pm, Saturday: 8:00 am - 6:00 pm, Sunday 8:00 am - 6:00 pm. For all other classes contact The Motorcycle Safety League of Virginia, Inc. at 1-888-8267584. For additional registration information and directions please click the specic Community College link at the Virginia Rider Training Program web site www.learn2ride.com . July 8 - 11, 2010 United Sidecar Association 32nd Annual National Sidecar Rally, to be held at the C h a m p l a i n Va l l e y E x p o s i t i o n www.cvfair.com , located in Essex Junction, Vermont. Tent camping @ $9 per night, some sites with electric. RV sites @ $35 per night, includes electric and water. Tent and RV camping site prices are being extended for Rally participants that wish to come early or stay later, compliments of the CVE. For USCA members, pre-registration $30, after June 1st , $35. For non members, preregistration $35, after June 1st , $40. Self guided tours, Saturday Show & Shine, and sidecar games. For more info, www.sidecar.com or Chuck Tretyak 716-337-2689 or ne_director@sidecar.com . July 16-18, 2010 Middle Friday Campout. Georgia Sidecar Club VP, Eddie George organizes a campout on months with 5 Fridays. These are not rallies, and there is no admission fee. They are just informal sidecar gathering. What happens at these campouts depends on the weather, and who shows up. You reserve your own campsite or lodging. This is an open invitation. All sidecarists or solo bikers interested in sidecars are welcome to attend. For more information contact Eddie at 706-654-2648 or egads1744@yahoo.com . August 7, 2010 The Rat Dog Dualsport Ride. Sidecars are welcome. For more information, www.blackdogdualsport.com/rd_events. htm or tawmn@blackdogdualsport.com . August 7, 2010 Heindl Engineering, LLC 4th annual Rally and Open House Saturday August 7, 2010 9am-9pm at your friendly Ural/ Royal Eneld Dealer. All makes and models welcome. Free Food & ReSIDECARS

freshments, Door Prizes and Good Times. Help make this year the largest yet. Contact: Sales@heindlengineering.com or call (937) 787-3686 August 13 15, 2010 The Return to Trenton Rally 8 and The Sidecars in the Park. Presented by The Loonie-tic BMW Riders of Quinte West, and to be held in Centennial Park in Trenton. At the gate the cost is $45 Cdn. Pre-registration by midnight July 31st, $40 Cdn. This includes rally pin & rally mug for the rst 250, 2 nights of camping, hot showers, 50/50 drawing, eld events, ea market, door prizes, seminars, and a Sidecar Show and Shine on Saturday. Friday night hamburgers or tube steaks, Saturday morning free breakfast, Saturday evening steak dinner, and bottomless coffee/tea/hot chocolate and soft drinks. Centennial Park is located on the East side of the Trent River on Couch Cres. Neer the Amphitheater. Coming from the East or West on the 401 expressway, take exit #526, make turn at the end of the ramp and go South on Sydney St. to Byron St., then turn right follow Byron St., make a left on Bay and follow the signs into the park. For more info www.ltbmwr.ca/html/return_to_trenton_r ally.html or Tom Porkchopp OLeary at porkchopp@lks.net . August 20-22, 2010 Northeast-3-Wheelers Laid Back Vermont Campout. Bald Mountain Campground in Townshend, Vermont. Call Butch Cross at ( 413 ) 519-0015 for more info. Campground ( 802 ) 3657510. August 26 29, 2010 Sidecars In The Flint Hills. All motorcyclist welcome. Council Grove Lake, Canning Creek Cove Group Area S-2, Council Grove, Kansas. Pre-registration $30 USCA Members, non-members $35.00 at the gate $5.00 more, children free. For more information and directions, contact Joyce Caneld, 5201 Cook Road, St. Joseph, MO 64505, 816-232-2726, cell 816-390-4132, or, jhcn92@yahoo.com http://jhcn92.wordpress.com . September 12, 2010 Scaredy Cat Adventure Ride, Detroit, OR, just east of Salem. This is an easy dualsport ride targeted at larger, adventure bikes and sidecars. For more information

KOA Offers Earthy, Civilized Alternative for Motorcycle Travelers

If you plan on dusting the cobwebs off your bike and planning a two-wheeled road trip, you might want to know that Kampgrounds of America-- aka, KOA-have revamped their lodges, outtting them with creature comforts like full kitchens and bathrooms, at screen TVs, replaces, A/C, and heating.

The upgraded digs run around $100 per night, and many of KOA's 475 campgrounds nationwide also feature espresso bars, pools and hot tubs, free internet, and on-site shing. Some also have multiple rooms, enabling groups of travelers to split the cost. If KOA's so-called "Kamping Kabins" are a little bit too luxe (or kitschily spelled) for your taste, you can always rough it with some old-fashioned motorcycle camping. But after a day of wind-in-the-face riding, it might take a bit of fortitude to resist these rather civilized accommodations.

www.koa.com Tel: (406) 248-7444

SUMMER 2010

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www.blackdogdualsport.com/sc_events. htm or tawmn@blackdogdualsport.com September 24 26, 2010 New England Moto Guzzi club / Northeast-3-Wheelers Rally to be held at Camp Stanica, Rt. 181 Palmer [ Bondsville ] MA. Look for sign Palmer Industrial Park to turn into. Preregistration before Sept. 1st $35.00 after $40.00 Children 6-12 $19.00 5 and under free. Includes Friday night stew and Saturday night supper and two nights camping. Plenty of room for RVs at no additional cost. Must be self contained. Cabins with bunks are also available on a rst come basis for an extra charge. Day fees are welcome with an option to purchase meals. This is a combination solo/sidecar/trike rally. More information; Millie Pease, New England Moto Guzzi Club 860-2199289. 60 Basswood Rd. Windsor, CT 06095 or Dale Cochran, Northeast-3Wheelers 413-596-8295, or Butch Cross 413-519-0015. October 1-3, 2010 Motorcycle Safety League of Virginia, Inc. Sidecar/Trike Class, New River Community College (Dublin) contact the Workforce Development ofce at 1-866462-6722 or scarpenter@nr.edu for more information or to register for the class. October 15-17, 2010 Middle Friday Campout. Georgia Sidecar Club VP, Eddie George organizes a campout on months with 5 Fridays. These are not rallies, and there is no admission fee. They are just informal sidecar gathering. What happens at these campouts depends on the weather, and who shows up. You reserve your own campsite or lodging. This is an open invitation. All sidecarists or solo bikers interested in sidecars are welcome to attend. For more information contact Eddie at 706-654-2648 or egads1744@yahoo.com . October 24, 2010 39th Grifth Park Sidecar Rally Upper Parking Lot #2, Grifth Park, Los Angeles, CA. USA Contact Doug Bingham, 15838 Arminta Street, Unit 25, Van Nuys, CA 91406, 818-780-5542, Fax 818-780-1587 Sunday 9 AM 3 PM, spectators free. More details see www.sidecar-industry.com December 17-19, 2010 Middle Friday Campout. Georgia Sidecar Club VP, Eddie George organizes a campout on months with 5 Fridays. SIDECARS

These are not rallies, and there is no admission fee. They are just informal sidecar gathering. What happens at these campouts depends on the weather, and who shows up. You reserve your own campsite or lodging. This is an open invitation. All sidecarists or solo bikers interested in sidecars are welcome to attend. For more information contact Eddie at 706-654-2648 or egads1744@yahoo.com .

BODIES IN MOTION
EVOLUTION AND EXPERIENCE IN MOTORCYCLING

Why is riding a motorcycle so exciting and yet so relaxing - and why does this combination make so many riders feel so good? Rather than ask "why," most motorcyclists and scooterists simply settle into the saddle, turn the key, grab the handlebars, and enjoy the experience. Yet as Steven L. Thompson shows in Bodies In Motion, there are compelling reasons to ask "why." Writing in accessible language for rider and non-rider alike, the author helps to disentangle the psychobiological connections between motorcycle and rider from a complex mix of cultural elements as he explores what evolutionary science, psychology, human factors research, and engineering research can tell us about why some people ride and others do not - and why it all matters. Thompson's groundbreaking ideas suggest an innate afnity between the motorcycle and the rider that goes beyond pervasive cultural norms. From a scientic perspective, he connects motorcyclists to their bikes using the fundamentals of evolutionary biology and explores the intricate brain chemistry behind the sensations of riding. Download and read the first 26 pages here Visit the Website Buy the Book

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SIDECARS

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SUMMER 2010

HUMOR HUMOR HUMOR HUMOR HUMOR HUMOR HUMOR HUMOR HUMOR HUMOR HUMOR
tools are, if you want to borrow one. Or maybe I could take a message for Dad." "Well," said the rancher uncomfortably, "I really wanted to talk to your Dad. It's about your brother Howard getting my daughter, Suzie, pregnant." The boy considered for a moment. "You would have to talk to Pa about that," he nally conceded. "If it helps you any, I know that Pa charges $500 for the bull and $50 for the hog, but I really don't know how much he gets for Howard." for a $50 million compensation The Scotsman grabbed the y by the throat and shouted, 'Now spit out all that you swallowed.'

A TRIP TO COSTCO sent by James

Frind
Yesterday I was at my local COSTCO buying a large bag of Purina dog chow for my loyal pet, Biscuit, the Wonder Dog and was in the checkout line when a woman behind me asked if I had a dog. What did she think I had, an elephant? So since I'm retired and have little to do, on impulse I told her that no, I didn't have a dog, I was starting the Purina Diet again. I added that I probably shouldn't, because I ended up in the hospital last time, but that I'd lost 50 pounds before I awakened in an intensive care ward with tubes coming out of most of my orices and IVs in both arms. I told her that it was essentially a perfect diet and that the way that it works is to load your pants pockets with Purina nuggets and simply eat one or two every time you feel hungry. The food is nutritionally complete so it works well and I was going to try it again. (I have to mention here that practically everyone in line was now enthralled with my story.) Horried, she asked if I ended up in intensive care because the dog food poisoned me. I told her no, I stepped off a curb to sniff an Irish Setter's ass and a car hit us both. I thought the guy behind her was going to have a heart attack he was laughing so hard. Costco won't let me shop there anymore.

'Waiter - There's a Fly in My Champagne'

QUOTE OF THE MONTH I have long been of the opinion that if work were such a splendid thing the rich would have kept more of it for themselves. Bruce Grocott A multi-national company held a reception to celebrate Christmas. The waiter gave each guest a glass of champagne, but on inspection, each guest noticed that their glass contained a y. The Swede asked for new champagne in the same glass The Englishman demanded to have new champagne in a new glass The Finn picked out the y out and drank the champagne The Russian drank the champagne, y and all The Chinese ate the y but left the champagne The Israeli caught the y and sold it to the Chinese The Italian drank two thirds of the champagne and then demanded to have a new glass The Norwegian took the y and went off to sh The Irishman ground the y and mixed it in the champagne, which he then donated to the Englishman The American sued the restaurant and claimed

Farm kid sent by James Frind

A Montana rancher got in his pickup and drove to a neighboring ranch and knocked at the door. A young boy, about 9, opened the door "Is your Dad home?" the rancher asked. "No sir, he isn't," the boy replied. "He went into town." "Well," said the rancher, "Is your Mother here?" "No sir, she's not here either. She went into town with Dad." "How about your brother, Howard? Is he here?" "No sir, He went with Mom and Dad." The rancher stood there for a few minutes, shifting from one foot to the other and mumbling to himself. "Is there anything I can do for you?" the boy asked politely. "I know where all the

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