Hi there,
I'm getting an old vespa to ride around in the city, and was thinking about welding a custom sidecar just for cargo purposes. I've been googling all night but I can't find any information on rules and regulations that govern sidecars. Do they need to be DOT approved? What are the exact requirements? Are there any?
Thanks!
AFAIK in the USA anything goes with -0- regulation or inspection.
In most of Europe there are inspections and then there is the MOT in England the regulates the whole rig including the tires you are allowed to use.
If installing a sidecar, Do not weld it on to the scooter/bike.
Too many torsionial stresses are present that will ultimately crack the metal pan, or tube, in the heat affected zone at the weldment.
Reinforced brackets or mounting pads can be used bolted to the frame backbone or u-clamped to frame tubes. These will not fail and the frame has not been weakened by heating and welding stresses.
In the US the sidecar is considered an accessory not a separate vehicle.
Most states have little or no distinction in their motorcycle laws that apply to sidecar rigs since they are a rarity. Some states have lighting standards that apply to sidecars but not much else except passenger restrictions that mostly apply to all motorcycles in that State whether two or three wheeled units.
Since a three wheeled automobile is considered a motorcycle and licensed as such the vehicle requirements can be very confusing and police interpretation of these laws can be very subjective if you are stopped by the police.
Check your State's vehicle code requirements to be on the safe side.
Lonnie
Northwest Sidecars
Thanks everybody for your replies! I've been looking at the way they mount a third party sidecar here: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~gbh/VespaSidecar/ . It looks workable. I'm getting an old '63 125cc, and it would be nice to have a cargo area. I didn't know if I had to get a side car inspected or approved, but it looks like as long as it's safe and looks safe and isn't wider than a lane, i should be fine.
Thanks again,
Charlie
Charlie, where do you live? Here in VA if the sidecar is mounted to the bike at the time of inspection it falls under the same requirements as the motorcycle. If it has lights they must work, tire tread must pass, brakes etc. That's the only legal requirements I know of here.
Turtle
I simply leave my sidecar off during inspection. Nothing signifies that the bike may or maynot have a sidecar. No tag required on the sidecar like there is for a trailer.
Roy
