Sidecar confururation for the little guy...

Rad,
Put Sue in the tug where she belongs, and your son on her lap holding him.
not recommended for passengers on the rear seat of the bike.
very usafe for balance reasons.

Rob,
I've been watching folks at rallies for a bunch of years. There are families all over this country who have carried kids in the sidecar with Mom and Dad or Grandma and Grandpa on the bike from infancy to adulthood. It is not certain disaster. You are properly balasting the sidecar and are practicing your skills, so take it slow, make sure everyone knows their part and go for it.

Just my personal opinion

Rob,

Joyce is right, lots of folks have carried kids in thr chair with two adults on the bike and you have the right idea in adding ballast (your Velorex will easily handle 100 lbs). What others are saying is that it isn't a "Best Practice". It is definitely a higher risk and could lead to handling issues, particularly in right turns. Best practice would be the tandem seating arrangement you mentioned.

A couple of other items. In many states there is a minimum age for children in a sidecar (or on a bike), you might want to check before you go to a lot of trouble rejigging your sidecar. Also if you are a helmet state (note: in "non-helmet" states there are often special rules for minors) you might have issue with finding a good helmet in a very small size.

Good Luck & enjoy the ride!

wife in the sidecar, child in front of wife, "Bobsled" style is what worked best for us. Thats just us though. When Sammi got bigger, I sawed the sidecar in half and widened it 10 inches so that Sammi and Donna could sit side by side in there.

I think the tandem set up is good also but that does not allow for a seat belt for Max. I could get creative and find a way for one to work while in Sue's lap.

I will check on the laws here regard to minimum age to ride in the chair. The helmets have not been a problem to find, even full face so we're all set there...

Thanks all for the input.

Rob & Sue... And Max... 🙂

All the solutions mentioned have some tradeoffs and different risks. Holding the child in your lap has increased risks in the event of collision-the child may be smashed between mom and the front edge of the cockpit, the forces in volved in collision are great enuf that it is unlikely the child will be restrained by mom and could be thrown out as well.

Even with ballast, mom on the back and child in the sidecar can cause handling issues

dualseaters can be difficult to keep an eye on the child and distribute the weight well.

If you choose to put wife on the back and child in the hack with ballast beef up your suspension, perhaps look into a sway bar. Secure your ballast. If your wife doesn't drive a sidecar herself, have her take a class so she is aware of the risks and can actively help you mitigate the handling issues. It can be done, many do it. If you choose to do it be very very careful. Try to minimize your risks-stay out of heavy traffic and off of fast roads and do what you can to improve your handling.

If you choose a dualseater, again, attend to your suspension and carefully look at your weight distribution. I would recomend against carrying the child in moms lap for anything more than parade duty or around the rally campground at low speeds. The risks of being nailed by a car at speed on public streets are difficult to contemplate.

I do think the dualseater or a second sidecar or motorcyle with your child passenger in a sidecar and mom driving the second rig might be the best options.

I would not take any child as a passenger on public streets without a good fitting dot approved helmet and sensible riding gear. If he is too young to hold up his head with a helmet on or to find a good fitting helmet for, he might be too young to go riding outside of very controlled environments, if at all.

just my opinion, and worth about what you paid for it 😉

Originally written by Joyce on 6/10/2006 11:47 AM

Rob,
I've been watching folks at rallies for a bunch of years. There are families all over this country who have carried kids in the sidecar with Mom and Dad or Grandma and Grandpa on the bike from infancy to adulthood. It is not certain disaster. You are properly balasting the sidecar and are practicing your skills, so take it slow, make sure everyone knows their part and go for it.

I am amazed at people who have been associated with sidecaring for many years, and still say it is perfectly OK to ride pillion on a sidecar rig, and have seen 'many others ' do it.
That does not mean it is safe. it is a stupid practice. like not wearing a helmet. "its my head!!"
This is not 'just my opinion' it is a fact of sidecaring. IT DOES make the bike off balance on turns, and at speed a sudden right swerve CAN throw the passenger off to the left..if he/she is not paying complete attention to what is happening, as they will in the course of a days riding enjoying the scenery...saying nothing has happened does not make it 'OK' for others to do it.
like saying "I have ridden for years without a helmet, and nothing has happened to me"
don't push your luck.
it all boils down to riding slowly,cautiously, and safely.
My wife rode a total of 3 miles on the back seat of my rig, at a top speed of 40 MPH, When I started sidecaring, and made me pull over so she could get in the SC.
She said, "no way would I ride out on the highway back there trying to keep balance all day. I am going to fall off!"
this after riding on the back on 2 wheels for 30 years.

Just my personal opinion

Hey Rob,

Could you point me in a direction or brand that carries helmets that small?

Thanks

You might try www.helmetoutletusa.com. I've shopped their retail store in C d'A, ID and been impressed with the people and inventory... And I've browsed their web site but haven't ordered from it. Good luck.

I purchased a helmet for my 3 1/2 yo son at my local Yamaha dealer with no trouble. Also check out www.familymotorcycling.com for other kid sized gear which is harder to find, like motorcycle appropriate gloves. I haven't ordered yet but am impressed with the site