Another Use for a Rig

Hello All,

I have been riding for almost 50 years, but sidehacking for just a little over a year. My rig (1981 Yamaha XJ650/Velorex 562) has become my favorite ride, using it for around town riding, hauling groceries and parts, etc. This past weekend I found yet another use for this rig.

Over the years I have taught a large number of family members and friends to ride. As some of you may remember from your early riding days, coordinating clutch and throttle while balancing a bike can be a little overwhelming the first couple of tries. Several of the new riders suffered from "whisky wrist" where once underway they tended to forget how to let up on the throttle with some scary results.

This past weekend I taught my niece, nephew and son in law riding basics using my sidecar rig. I put them on a track where they could only make left turns and let them practice standing starts, up and downshifting, use of brakes, etc. After a short time, I moved them onto a two wheeler to continue practicing. All three new riders did very well with no drama. They all commented on how easy it was to learn while not having to worry about balancing a bike during starts and stops.

Many of you may already be aware of this use of a sidecar rig but I was really pleased at how much easier it was to get new riders familar with motorcycle controls. Just another use for these very versatile devices.

Larry