Lyn,
You must live a sheltered life. We seldom stop anywhere without listening to a story about Uncle George's sidecar, or "Gee I always wanted to ride in a sidecar", or "I've been intrigued with them since I was a little kid".
The Uralisti have a thing they call the UDF, Ural Delay Factor, which means they can't stop anywhere without being delayed by folks with questions or comments. I call it the SDF, sidecar delay factor, because it happens to us every time we leave the house.
Yesterday afternoon I went to the auto parts store on my Guzzi (no sidecar). The manager asked me how the new sidecar project was going. Before I could answer, another customer asked if I install sidecars and what I would charge to put one on his wife's Harley. Today the Yamaha dealer told me he had a potential customer asking where he might find a used sidecar.
2% is a lot. If we present these things as a viable family hobby and fun alternative to an SUV and something for more than just 60 year old guys and their dogs, those numbers will continue to climb.
If a celebrity riding a sidecar around the block gets 5 people interested, that's five more converts. Keep the faith! :0)
right you are Mike!,..I have a few old pics here of my grandad's old Indian from the '30's or'40's with a hack on it..as an avid- lifelong rider, I had seen a handful of them on the streets here, I'm a child of the 60's .....but I didn't get the chance to ride one til a local motorcycle company handed me one to ride during a snow fall here in '92 at christmas time,..whenever I am stopped, I am treated as a " biker from the distinct society" of sidecar enthusiasts.....always of a positive and envious nature,. of coarse,I always prefere the vintage bike crowd of riff-raff....hehe cheers, crawf.
Mike, I get my fair share of comments concerning the rig and I've had some funny incidents with folks wanting a ride but 2% isn't a trend no matter how large of a number that may represent. Sidecaring appeals to those who drive them and everyone has a particular reason for having bought one. In my case it was because my knees are shot from arthritis and I wasn't ready to give up motorcycles. Even if I have the double knee replacement surgery I need I wouldn't trust myself to be able to hold up a heavy cruiser. With a sidecar that's not a consideration.
The rigs attract attention from people, some who have never ridden, some who will never ride and some who are interested for some reason other than those. If it's a good looking rig it attracts even more attention but I just can't see a lot of folks buying one just because some celebrity took one for a ride on a sunny day.
"Heloise", the lady who writes the syndicated column, "Ask Heloise", rides a Ural but how many readers know that? As I pointed out, the article mentioned in this thread doesn't even name the bike! From a motorcycle Internet site that's just lame. People interested in boy bands aren't going to read it because it's on a bike site and bikers who read it are just as interested in "what is it?" as they are boy bands, maybe more so.
Ewan MacGregor and Charley Boorman did as much to raise awareness of adventure biking as anyone ever has but more people will remember them for their cinematic appearances other than "Long Way Around" than they will for riding around the world on motorcycles.
I really can't quite encompass the idea that teens that listen to boy bands are going to have a run on motorcycles that are generally custom fitted with sidecars and cost in the high 4 figures or even 5 figures (high or low). Most teens are lucky to get their hands on an old beater vehicle much less an expensive sidecar rig. Finance can be killer to ideas like that. If the author had said "He was given a Ural for his birthday" then maybe used Urals might get more popular but the hybrid rigs will still continue to draw the same attention from prospective buyers as they do now. It's an expensive sport to get into.
Once upon a time Annette Funicello in a Cozy sidecar mounted on a Vespa would have had college kids buying Vespas but the beach movie days are history. Now college kids are buying sport bikes. Sidecars are a novelty no matter how much we enjoy them. Bike and scooter sales are spiking upward but I suspect that sidecar rigs aren't a huge part of those sales.
I'm just being realistic about this. I enjoy my rig. I talk to folks all the time when they ask or want a closer look but those interested in buying one are way less than one percent of the folks I meet. Most won't even accept the offer of a quick ride. The teen who asked got a short trip down the street under hard acceleration and he whooped and hollered and had a great time but others not so much. The young man was real excited about telling his friends about his ride the next day at school and he might actually want a sidecar in the future. If so, it won't be because some celebrity has one. It'll be because it excited him.
There might be a trend among older folks wanting their dog along but older folks don't get excited much about celebrities anyway. People who live their lives vicariously through others (such as celebrities) are probably not going to buy motorcycles either. That's encompassed by the word vicariously. Folks who ride are most often living their own lives rather than being concerned with the entertainment headlines. Cruiser sales are often about image, sport bikes about thrills, adventure bikes about the great outdoors but sidecar rigs? They say things like safety, comfort, economy, utility and companionship, no matter how far away from the truth those things might be. Sidecarists often use their rigs as daily drivers but many folks are going to park it as soon as it starts to rain if they're not long time riders and it IS going to rain sooner or later!
Ride
Originally written by Tomcat101147 on 8/22/2008 12:30 AM
Mike, I get my fair share of comments concerning the rig Expecting or even hoping that sidecar sales will spike because a member of a boy band got one is not likely. Among other things, boy bands aren't noted for their longevity.
I don't remember saying anything about sales spiking. I only tried to say that the publicity will not hurt sidecars. I doubt that people will decide not to look at a sidecar because Madonna bought one. I recall a Ural dealer posting somewhere that he sold a number of bikes because people saw one in the movie Garden State, even though it was arguably one of the most boring movies ever produced.
I recall a Ural dealer posting somewhere that he sold a number of bikes because people saw one in the movie Garden State, even though it was arguably one of the most boring movies ever produced.
What do you mean arguably? It "IS" one of the most boring flicks ever produced. 🙂
In Germany its too about 97 bikes (over 125ccm) to 3 rigs,
Average rig pusher is 40 and over. Beginners start often at about 25 because of wife and baby. It never had been a "mode / fashion" and probably never will be. The rig pushers are normally "unicums" who just want to enjoy their life in a uncommon way and do not like the "latest on the market".
They like more to challange their own resistence. How else somebody would get to the idea riding thousands of km through ice and snow to a elefant/winter meeting and camp at -10ºC or lower.
Only the tough survive and they do not matter about what others think or say.
Here the saying is: "Nobody can take you what you have danced."
I for my turn might have damaged my bones and back with real stupidities, My wife blamed today that each of my outbreakes like:"Travel happy as a cow, but don't ask the cowboy (in the roads to go section) costed just 100 bucks in gas and food, but 1000 bucks in repair and 500-2000 in medical attention.
But what the heck on these trips I LIVE INTENSIVELY AS TO THE TIME WHEN I WAS A STUDENT.
My Grandma said: "It is not important how long you live but how intensive.
Nearly all rig pushers I got to know in Germany were real windfaces who lived their dreams and had learned that lesson well.
Only a very low percentage of humans learn that lesson ever, and many fear about to have efford or make their dreams real or step out of the crowd into the unique spot light. That's probably the reason why there will be very few rigs ever.
Mike: that film you mention in deed was boring, but you find Indiana Jones making more announcements for rigs. While in one of the last films of this "Suturday night fever guy" (forgot the name of that man) riding to the west coast with 3 buddies they made a dump anti rig advertisement. With Henry Fonda appearing for a few seconds saying that the only thing that counts is live your life...you do not need to wear the "colours" of any group, just be yourself and respect others.
Here we go.
God Bless you all.
Sven Peter
Originally written by Peter Pan on 8/22/2008 9:45 AM
Mike: that film you mention in deed was boring, but you find Indiana Jones making more announcements for rigs. While in one of the last films of this "Suturday night fever guy" (forgot the name of that man) riding to the west coast with 3 buddies they made a dump anti rig advertisement. With Henry Fonda appearing for a few seconds saying that the only thing that counts is live your life...you do not need to wear the "colours" of any group, just be yourself and respect others.
Here we go.
God Bless you all.
Sven Peter
The "Suturday night fever guy" was John Travolta and the movie was Wild Hogs. Offended a few bikers I know, but most thought it was entertaining. That was Peter Fonda, Henry's son, who did the cameo. He's the same guy who starred in "Easyrider" so many years ago.
Speaking of Peter Fonda, I see the new Harley museum in Milwaukee is claiming to have the original bike from that movie. Fonda donated it to the Motorcycle museum in Anamosa, IA and it was still there last time I went down. I wonder what it took to get it away from them.
At one time there were stories that there were four bikes, one of which burned up on the movie lot and three that were stolen after the movie was shot. Later, Fonda claimed that this was false and that he had possesion of the only Captain America bike from the time the movie ended until he donated it in Iowa.
His 5 year old daughter, Bridget, also had a bit part in the movie as one of the hippie kids.
Mike you are right:
Names go into one ear and out the other=> sorry for that one.
Funny I never had that with machine parts, I sometimes remember hole assembly and adjustement details 30 years later.
Thanks for the aditional info.
Sven
Originally written by SidecarMike on 8/19/2008 6:33 PM
While speaking of celebrities, though not real current, let's not forget Perry King
http://absolutelyperryking.com/photos.htm about half way down the page,
and I recall reading that Lindsay Wagner is also a sidecarist.
I met Perry King at Doug Bingham's back in 1986, he's a regular there
as well as at the annual Griffith Park Rally. I was there last year,
however didn't see him although he was there according to Doug. I had
leg problems and didn't walk through the event but just sat next to my
rig in a folding chair. Maybe this year I might walk around.
I might have chatted with you for a bit at the Rally. Were you across from my Low Rider rig? I was parked next to the DJ. (pic)
Perry was at the SIC Banquet on Saturday night. (pic)
Lonnie
Originally written by SidecarMike on 8/22/2008 9:26 AM
Originally written by Peter Pan on 8/22/2008 9:45 AM
Mike: that film you mention in deed was boring, but you find Indiana Jones making more announcements for rigs. While in one of the last films of this "Suturday night fever guy" (forgot the name of that man) riding to the west coast with 3 buddies they made a dump anti rig advertisement. With Henry Fonda appearing for a few seconds saying that the only thing that counts is live your life...you do not need to wear the "colours" of any group, just be yourself and respect others.
Here we go.
God Bless you all.
Sven PeterThe "Suturday night fever guy" was John Travolta and the movie was Wild Hogs. Offended a few bikers I know, but most thought it was entertaining. That was Peter Fonda, Henry's son, who did the cameo. He's the same guy who starred in "Easyrider" so many years ago.
Speaking of Peter Fonda, I see the new Harley museum in Milwaukee is claiming to have the original bike from that movie. Fonda donated it to the Motorcycle museum in Anamosa, IA and it was still there last time I went down. I wonder what it took to get it away from them.
At one time there were stories that there were four bikes, one of which burned up on the movie lot and three that were stolen after the movie was shot. Later, Fonda claimed that this was false and that he had possesion of the only Captain America bike from the time the movie ended until he donated it in Iowa.
His 5 year old daughter, Bridget, also had a bit part in the movie as one of the hippie kids.
There are a number of copies of the so-called "Captain America" bike. I've seen at least five of them at various times since the Easy Riders movie, Most of the owners claim that they own the original. Add Peter Fonda to the list. Unless a person has the original motor number and it matches the original bike, it's pointless to claim that yours is the original.
Pesonally, I wouldn't care for one anyway. They look to be rather uncomfortable.
Ape hangers are dangerous too.
Sven
