Last year I had the pleasure of meeting an older German fellow who was visiting the States. He came upon me (and Rusty) and our rig, and we spent some time talking motorcycles and sidecars.
As with most information concerning the evolution of machinery, a lot of it is conjecture and myth. Even the famous H-D "Serial #1" can't be entirely proved. But I like the story he told me about the first sidecar.
Apparently shortly after Daimler invented and produced the first motor-bicycle, someone added an outrigger attached to a ski so the "rig" could be driven in the snow....Spring came and a wheel naturally replaced the ski. The outrigger chassis, with a few planks attached, made a logical platform to strap a wicker chair.....and the sidecar was born....
OK.........
It might be true, because it must have happened pretty early that people mounted sidecars to their bike. I remember a sales advertisement in german "Markt" (oldtimer news) anouncing (with foto) an original 1903 (750ccm. 3hp, 1 cylinder) bike with an original sidecar made out of willow branches...
Here we go...
BTW: just got back from Argentina and Chile. Met only 1 sidecar on the hole trip. GW with 2 seater in Buenos Aires downtown 200m away from the obellisc.
Best regards
Sven Peter Pan
ok.....I find these kinds of tidbits of information interesting...for instance: Jean Davidson, in her memoir "Growing up Harley-Davidson" writes that the founders never meant to create anything more than a faster way to get to their favorite fishing spot....and that their friend Ole Evinrude simply got tired of rowing across the lake to meet with his girlfriend.....
