Never let any one else drive your rig

An MC license does not a hack pilot make. Too many opposing habits are accumulated from solo riding and when push comes to shove muscle memory takes precedent over common sense and it can be costly. Sidecaring is a whole nother discipline.

Lonnie

When I first bought my used Ural and was at my local Ural dealership, a woman and her son came in and bumped along as they tried to stop the rig in the outside parking lot. They had purchased a used Troyka, just like mine, from another Ural dealership that was going bust in a nearby city. She was riding in the hack and was thrilled that her son was piloting, as "he has a lot of experience with motorcycles." In speaking with him, he had never ridden anything, but a sports bike. It was scarry in listening to them as the mother shelled out the big bucks for a windshield, chrome carrier, bat wing fairing and such, only to hear both of them chattering away without a clue as to what a sidecar rig was in the first place. They had never taken a class and were not encouraged to do so by the dealership. That was my first experience as sort of not respecting that particular Ural dealership owner, as I thought he would have tried all the harder to make sure they were safe, as opposed to just selling crap for a buck. Maybe it was because they hadn't purchased the rig directly from him, but I don't know. Later, he did the same thing to a fellow who owns a Ural in my city I live at now. This fellow should not be on a bike, let alone a rig, of any sort. However, that same dealer was happy to get his money for all the accessory goodies. I still hear others profess just how great a fellow that Ural dealership owner is. Me, I know better and really don't shop there anymore. It isn't that he had a real obligation, other than a moral one, but it just rubbed me wrong. I have never seen or heard from those two riders since I saw them in the dealership that day. There is a part of me that suspects they either hurt themselves or others, or simply lost interest in the rig the first time they did something stupid on it. Me, I hope they lost interest, as there are some folks who should not be on motorcycles in the first palce. These were two such folk. Maybe they are indeed ok and have learned, but I seriously doubt it.

As to letting someone else drive your rig, no matter what their epxertise, I would assume you did learn a valuable lesson. Certainly great that no one got hurt and that you didn't have a wrecked rig as the result. I have my doubts as to the insurance company willingly paying out for any damages with someone else using the rig, but you may have some type of coverage that works in that manner. Me, I'd be too scared of me being held liable in that situation by letting someone else pilot the rig. Close call for you, huh? Makes for a great swap meet or campfire story in the future though.

My really first rig experience was a 200ccm Victoria from 1952 on a huge farm patio.... In the first round I nearly smashed it against the cow stable's wall on the opposite side. I had to that time at least 110.000km on my personnel odometer, so I thought I'd know something about bikes. That day I became humild again....

12 years ago I let a nephew use my 1960 Willies in the pasture. On 300m he shifted twice bad. Result a week later I had to change synchronization rings once again....

With the same nephew I went down south to the Panamanian border on 1.1.07.(see: roads to go section) On that trip I let him drive for 2-3km. My advice to him was: When I say stop then stop- When the way became a little dificult again he got a real adrenalin shock as he had to stop on peebles...On the right was a several hundred meter deep cliff...

conclusion:
First: question everybody has to make himself: how much he loves his bike.
Second: how soldier proof is the bike (Intentionally I wrote soldier proof not idiot proof!)
Third: make it on a pasture, field or parking lot WITHOUT obstacles.

Just my 2 cent in respect.

When I had been a young student we said: I may lend you my car or my girl friend, but forget about to lend the bike...
Regards
Sven

Originally written by scrinch on 10/15/2008 7:19 PM

I let a friend drive my Ural because he wanted to see how a sidecar felt. He has his MC license and drives a HD Sporty. In the process he forgot about the hack and almost ran it into my new Toyota Yaris Whew!!! He decided a sidecar wasn't for him.

I 'm glad I didn't have to call that one into the insurance company.

On my first ride after installing the sidecar I proceeded down the street
and made a right turn at the corner. Of course I didn't allow for the
width of the sidecar and ran it up over the curb and flew the chair.
Scared the living hell out of me....It also took several weeks to learn
that I didn't have to put my feet down when I stopped. Lots to learn for
a beginner, no matter how much time you spent in the past on two wheels.

At first I wasn't sure if I had made the right choice in mounting a sidecar,
however it has grown on me and I wouldn't be without one again as long
as I can still handle it.

Brings back sweet memories of learning to ride with my Dad teaching me. On a totally vacant parking lot and on the back of my first Cushman Eagle, Dad said, "Son, don't hit that curb." I said, "What....crunch....curb?" A few years later he was insistant that he was going to teach me to drive his automobile. I was scared to death and didn't want to do it, but I did as he said. When returning to park the car between the two large hackberry trees at our front drive, my Dad said, "Son, don't get too close to that tree. I said, "I'm not going to get too close to that....crunch......tree." Well, he didn't speak to me for the next two weeks. It was his brand new Caddy I had re-styalized the front bumper on, and I seemed to have been a real clutzolla with anything mechanical. My old '52 Willys suffered much the same fate, as I abused it often. I guess I am truly luck with my Ural. No similar problems so far and still crossing my fingers, as I type. 🙂

It is always nice to have company. I am just really glad that I didn't let him on my new Road King. I would have probably died with a heart attack as I saw him coming closer and closer to the side of our car.

I thought I was pretty safe as we live on a dead end paved road in the country and my car and truck were parked well off to the side of the road. He just totally forgot he had a sidecar.

Lesson learned!! No cost except a big spike in my blood pressure.

Scrinch,
when was it? ....Take care for the next 3 days... My grandma and a very good friend passed by 3 days after an accident because of an embolia...
depending on your health constitution and the severeness of the adrenalin spike this is not a joke!

Good luck,
Sven

Originally written by Pat Huey on 10/15/2008 7:40 PM
They had never taken a class and were not encouraged to do so by the dealership.

Have you ever actually found a S/TEP course in Texas? I've found MSF courses and places than claim to give S/TEP courses but there's never any date announced and none have ever answered my emails. It's a good idea but having to go out of state to attend a 16 hour course isn't.

I'm currently inclined to believe there's no such course offered in Texas.

Originally written by Tomcat101147 on 10/16/2008 8:00 PM

Have you ever actually found a S/TEP course in Texas?

Please pass on the word if you ever find a S/TEP course in Texas. Or Louisiana. Or Arkansas. There was one posted last spring in Texas and the folks, via email, didn't even know of what I was inquiring. There was a S/TEP course cancelled in Ark last spring.

Originally written by SwampFox on 10/16/2008 7:54 PM

Originally written by Tomcat101147 on 10/16/2008 8:00 PM

Have you ever actually found a S/TEP course in Texas?

Please pass on the word if you ever find a S/TEP course in Texas. Or Louisiana. Or Arkansas. There was one posted last spring in Texas and the folks, via email, didn't even know of what I was inquiring. There was a S/TEP course cancelled in Ark last spring.

Or Wisconsin, or Minnesota, or a dozen other states. We all encourage people to take a class, as well we should, but it helps to also offer to help someone learn. I've never turned down a request to try my rig. Before everyone starts screaming, let me add that I carry the prospective driver in the sidecar to a parking lot somewhere, teach them what to expect and how to react, and then ride in the sidecar while they try it.

Yup Mike, that is the way how I do it too, but there are certain persons who I not even let touch the handle bar... And then still, when they do not obey the orders, the key is out for ever.

One of the persons with prohibitation is a so called HP specialist- who damaged 3 Computers over the years in my shop. I fear allready if he switches on a light bulb.
Sven

Originally written by Peter Pan on 10/17/2008 7:56 AM

One of the persons with prohibitation is a so called HP specialist- who damaged 3 Computers over the years in my shop. I fear allready if he switches on a light bulb.
Sven

I think I once worked with his sister. :0)

Cannot stop laughing... I believe you. Sad that there are so many people with 2 left hands out there.
Sven

My exposure to the sidecar education was from the people at Motorvation who installed the car. Having been on 2 wheels with motor since 6 years old and a brief exposure to three wheel riding, I approached the sidecar with, as I soon found out, a very false sense of confidence. I was told to park my butt in the car and we were going for a ride and then to an empty parking lot for training, 2 1/2 hours later we came back to the shop, me with an understanding that I was in a whole new world starting a totally new learning curve. We have multiple options to ride so I routinely switch from 2 wheels to sidecar and old habits die hard.

Years ago we had involvement through a club in getting an experienced riders course started. As a touring club we soon found that just because riders had years of riding experience it did not mean they knew how to ride safely especially in a group. Our sense of responsibility for everyones safety in the group was how to politely get the point across to people that they had bad or dangerous habits that they needed to correct and learn to be safe. This became a club mission of sorts to find a method by which this could occur. Our means of accomplishing this was ultimately to convince an existing trainer to give us a day of his time (paid by us but not state supported), early spring outside of his normal training schedule and we had a group of 10+ people show with their bikes to get a spring brush up course, it took three years and the experience riders course begain to evolve from that at a state sponsored level. We attempted the same with trailer towing behind the bike and ERC/with passengers, both never really took off, it all boils down to supply and demand.

The sidecar element adds not only supply and demand issues, it requires someone with enough experience and knowledge of correct methods to insure it is not the blind leading the blind. I firmly believe that the need for education never stops, we all learn something new everyday. What I discovered from the ERC's was the "Oh! that's right, I forgot that!" and your come away realizing that everyone including yourself need's to be reminded about the correct way to do things.

Fred