Where have all the sidecars gone, long time passing.

Originally written by scrinch on 5/9/2009 4:54 AM

II hardly ever see a sidecar on the road here in Maine and In my recent trip to TN, NC & VA I saw but one sidecar and it caused me to wonder.

Everywhere I go people express interest in my rig and I certainly am enthusiastic in my testimony about the advantages of the sidecar. Often people say they would rather have a trike because they are safer, ( are they?) or that their wives would not ride in the hack etc etc.. I gather that in the past they were quite popular by the numbers of old photographs around. Sidecar enthusiasts certainly know their great advantages..Are we that ODD?. So why don't more people have rigs?.

One reason that sidecars (and trikes) aren't all that popular is that they slow you down. I say that because whenever I rode with other people in clubs or groups such as HOG, the main body of the group never went anywhere at under 85 mph! That speed is a little tough to maintain in a hack. Personally, I like to go slower and enjoy the scenery. I never have to put a foot down when I stop, either. Ha.

On the good side, I've noticed that a sidecar will generate a bit of interest whenever you show up among other bikers wih one. It usually generates questions such as "How fast will it go? or Does it have a reverse?

Harley-Davidson could sell a lot more of them if they could only do some training for their workers and some additional advertising.

As far as a trike being safer, I dont think so. a sidecar has one side that's harder to turn to (right in the U.S.) but a trike has two bad turns.

It's enough for me to own a sidecar rig and enjoy it. It is my little secret. LOL.

Sidecar popularity started dwindling with the production of the Model T.
The four wheel Fords were cheaper, more stable, provided protection from the elements, hauled more stuff and passengers.
Due to fuel prices and congestion most other countries are motorcycle friendly. Not so here.
Today's US driver demands lots of cup holders, complex audio systems, automatic everything, dropdown TVs, runflat tires, cameras and voices telling them everything that is going on in and outside of the vehicle, automatic parking assists and all the instant gratification leisure "do nothing yourself" accessories so important to the "All about me" generation. A sidehack is "Just too much work".
The spirit of adventure seems limited to video games like "Car Theft 5" and "Mega war". A virtual life, as it were.

Lonnie

i think i like it the way it is we talked about this in an earlier thread, if outfits got popular they'd get sanitized like the car has & that for me at least would take away most of the enjoyment. also we dont want some government body getting interested or they will have them banned on health & safety grounds. Hank

I like having something a little different. I get the reverse question. A lot of people don't understand them, don't like the idea of not having anything but a windshield in front of them. Then I get the "Keystone Kops" question, (I make a left turn and sidecar goes right)

Originally written by bluehdmc on 5/9/2009 9:13 PM

I like having something a little different.

I gotta agree with you there. I've lived to see a few things I liked go from obscure/oddball to trendy and something fun and cool was lost along the way.

I've seen sportbikes (and club level roadracing) go from fun things that a few enthusiastic, rugged individual, mildly eccentric types enjoyed to something that costs a lot, is full of poseurs and kids that think that they'll be the next GP star. It used to be fun to walk down pit row, check out the bikes and talk to kindred souls.

Motorcycle riding in general went from an enthusiasts pastime in the mid 80s when I started to the every-fat-dentist-rebel with a Harley, fresh tattoo and a doo-rag thing it is today. (no offense intended to dentists and I'm fat enough to get away with calling other people fat).

Ditto with motor scooters.

Be glad that sidecars are passe and that you are smart/lucky enough to enjoy them and the company of your "fellow travelers". Hope it doesn't change.

HI STALWART SIDECAR FOLK:
Old geezer; on 'em 40+ yrs. Ride present rig with the wife a LOT more, as it's best/most comfortable rig of the 4 we've owned.
Get LOTS of smiles and questions from adults and KIDS, everywhere we go. COOLEST rides, is when our club[NE 3 Wheelers of western MA - 50 members]is on a group ride! 8 to 12[average]sidecar rigs are a SIGHT to see! Of course, youngest member of club's in late 40's. No-one younger has joined recently and the rest of us ain't gettin' any younger[oldest members in 80s]. We accept ANY 3-wheelers[trikes/newer 2F1Rs]but don't stir any interest from them[they tend to ride lone-wolf or join clubs exclusive to their chosen steeds].
We MAY be a dyin' breed but when we get together, it's always FUN with lots of comraderie, good stories, laughs around our traditional event campfires. We always help each other with parts/accessories searches & tech tips sharing. And I also LOVE keepin' my feet on pegs at stoplights, LOL! TTFN & RIDE SAFE.....Old Tom aka papasmurf in southern NH
P.S. In March/April '08, we went to Germany on 3 1/2-week trip, to visit our daughter and son-in-law[he's in US Army there]. During all the daily rides we went on in their car, I only saw ONE sidecar rig and it was a 250 cc dirt bike! Was SHOCKED, but it may have been the early spring weather and area we were in. Did see MANY, MANY solos, including a beautiful, restored VINCENT on the road in Holland!

I still can't figure out why I bought a rig several years ago. To me its like, "why did I chose those lottery numbers?" It's the best choice I ever made! Love riding my rig. love working on my rig. Were I rich, I would have 3! 1 really hot [amazing bike and 30 000 hack], 1 Ural Gear-up with winter tires just for the winter months, and a rig that was a set-up intended to make people laugh. Like maybe the sidecar would be a hot-dog or a bath tub. I would sell my car and bike before I would sell my rig.

Well for me it was a no brainer...The wife and the dog wouldn't ride my 2 wheeler...so we got a sidecar rig. Now I am working on ther second rig and no 2 wheelers in sight. Just wish there were a few people to ride with now and then. Like it was said most 2 wheelers go way too fast to keep up with especially in tight turns. Unfortunatly westernn MA is about 6 hours from here.

Seems most folks consider a sidecar rig a expensive novelty. Many motorcyclists have commented they would likely purchase a 2nd bike for similar money as new sidecar. And some consider them too slow: Younger fellas prefer go-fast bikes, unless they are family folks with a double sidecar. Also, I'm a member of the local BMW club (altho no BMW for some time now), but have only tried one ride with the group, and, like the HD group, I was left behind within the first mile even tho we discussed I prefer to limit my sped to 60mph or so.

I'm in the group that likes being a little different; always have been for that matter. Children & my dog love it (Maddie as a puppy was the catalyst for the 1st sidecar). And I enjoy my sidecaring friends.

Although nothing compared to two wheelers, we have quite a few in northern Wisconsin. I live on a lake with about 25 miles of shoreline. I know of 5 sidecars on the lake. My Guzzi, a Virago, a Ural, and two Harleys. I know of at least five others within ten miles of my house. Of these ten bikes, two of them seldom leave the garage, and one guy has two, but that's 7 riding rigs in a twenty mile circle.
I agree, it's nice sometimes to have something different but it's also fun to get together with like minded friends.
I've never had anyone complain that I held back the pack, but then I tend to ride more aggressively than most sidecarists I know. Personally, I find group riding to be over-rated so I seldom go out with more than one or two others.
I've been riding on two wheels for 44 years now and on three for about 30 years. When my son got old enough to want to run with friends or ride his own bike, I sold the sidecar and went back to a Goldwing and a Harley sans sidecars. In two years I put on less than 300 miles per bike. I decided I was done with motorcycles and sold both. Three or four years later, I stumbled across Sheldon Aubut's sidecar diary. http://www.sheldonaubut.com/bikes/sportsman/sheldon.htm
That's when I realized why I quit riding. Two wheels are boring! I've had 4 different rigs since 2002 and now believe I will be riding the rest of my life. I even do two wheels occasionally. I have a friend rebuiding a 2002 RoadKing right now that I will probably end up with but will never put a sidecar on. Just the same, I probably won't put many miles on it either.

I am 5 hours from Maine, but i may pass your way en route to a rally in PEI this summer. if so, I will let you know. Are you going to Americaide this June?

Originally written by scrinch on 5/10/2009 9:02 AM

Well for me it was a no brainer...The wife and the dog wouldn't ride my 2 wheeler...so we got a sidecar rig. Now I am working on ther second rig and no 2 wheelers in sight. Just wish there were a few people to ride with now and then. Like it was said most 2 wheelers go way too fast to keep up with especially in tight turns. Unfortunatly westernn MA is about 6 hours from here.

there is a few hacks within the Niagara area here,..I've nodded to a few, and had coffee with a couple others...my friends and club members all know that after several years of hot-lapping sport bikes , broken limbs, fantastic speeding tickets and freeway wheelies it was time to slow down or die,..I scored a professional job of escorting funerals and weddings on motorcycle, after the police training, they secured a hack for bad, off season weather...I was hooked,..as a vintage bike enthusiast,..when my daughter arrived a few years later, a sidecar was the answer to avoid the mini-van dulldrums in the summer. people passing looking at my daughter, watching the video player under the convert top are always thumbs up with envy,..and she's the coolest kid at school,..in 15 min I can drop the car, and mommy and I can burn up the pegs,..it's the best of both worlds, people ask when solo what the eye bolt studs are for...they always smile when I tell them it's for my daughter's sidecar mounts...cheers crawf.

Originally written by david lloyd on 5/10/2009 4:56 PM

I am 5 hours from Maine, but i may pass your way en route to a rally in PEI this summer. if so, I will let you know. Are you going to Americaide this June?

We sell my work at Art Shows and fairs throughout the summer and those always take place on the weekends.....same as most motorcycle events. We may make it to Laconia for a day or two as that is only about 3.5 hrs from here and runs all week. Both Lake George and PEI are a fair piece from here.

Do drop by if you come this way....we can always take a day to ride and show you the sites. Are in in Quebec City? That is a place the wife and I want to go. Just working all summer has it's drawbacks. Winter in Quebec is beautiful I am sure, but I am more for warmer weather than colder weather than Maine in the winter.

 

Originally written by Hank41 on 5/9/2009 5:57 PM
also we dont want some government body getting interested or they will have them banned on health & safety grounds. Hank

I think a government body would have a hard time getting them banned. A long time ago and when I lived in the UK,I read a goverment paper on which vehicles were the safest. Motorcycle combinations were statistically the safest vehicles on the road.