Been riding 2 wheels for decades and at 73 I developed an urge to try a sidecar rig. Read up plenty & felt ready. Bought a ,02 Guzzi California with a Velorex 565, 619 miles away, sight unseen. The seller was honest & it's in excellent shape- looks new & runs terrific. Concluded the deal at 1:00 in Augusta, GA & knew storms were predicted for 3-4pm! I rode around town for bout an hour to get comfortable (what a difference!!) and struck out on better back roads going south. Torrential rains & high winds arrived on schedule. Now I can't see all that well, had no ballast (wind buffeting galore- with the occasional tree blown down just to illustrate my folly) and was navi-guessing with what remains of my brain. Got lost a couple times. Gotta say- folks are so very nice & helpful to lost fools. Decided to hop on I-95 to make better time. How bad can it be on a Saturday? WHY IS EVERYONE TRAVELLING ON SAT. AFTERNOON? I'm now clad in a dryrider suit & doing about 55 in the right lane- which is the beat to all hell truck lane! Spent the night in Brunswick- rained all night- and saddled up early Sunday. Rained all the way home, but the Guzzi never missed a beat. Arrived shaking from hypothermia and exhausted BUT VERY happy. Next morning I bailed 2" of water from the tub (HEY! drain holes would be clever). Cleaned her and put her away for a couple days. Been riding her around town & I believe its a keeper. Gettin' smoother & enjoying that beast.
My adventure will be twice as far as yours, will involve a car/trailer and a spouse.
You sir, are very much the adventurer! Rock ON!!
Illegitemi non carborundum est!
There has been more than one time we have stopped at a car wash and used the vacuum to remove water from the sidecar after a torrential rain storm. I've been reluctant to make drain holes, as they can be a source of water entry unless they are fitted with plugs.
For the past 14 years we have averaged about 10,000 miles per year with our rig. It is our primary vehicle for distance travel in the late spring, summer and fall months. This year most of our longer trips will be west to the USCA National Rally in Idaho and a ten-day GWRRA chapter ride to Colorado.
Welcome to sidecaring. You will meet lots of curious people at fuel and meal stops along the way.
Update- I've been enjoying riding about town & such. Still sans ballast, although I plan to try that soon. Got a bright light & began to inspect the Velorex frame & quickly found a nasty crack right up front near the front mount. Disassembled that rascal to inspect further & access the total cracked area for the local welding shop. May have said welder add some steel plate for added support & weight. Found a couple loose bits including the "wheel nut!" I'll touch-up the poor Vel. paint job & aim to be rollin' by this weekend. Glad this came about cuz I'll be more confident with the grandkids this summer. Remember those old silent movie guys with hacks approaching a fork in a road- car would separate & go one way & cycle goes the other and they join back up after a block or so? We don't wanna do that....
Welcome to the world of sidecars Jay! Your trip home would make a great article for the Sidecarist magazine. Hopefully, you're aware of the Sidecarist being one of the benefits of becoming a member in the USCA. Good luck with your new rig and we hope to meet you at the rally in C d'A this July.
Welcome to sidecaring Jay...….It's addictive.
