The Sidecar — Keeping the Excitement Alive

We all do it once we get familiar with the sound, look and feel of something. Most of us start getting a little bored and start looking for something new. I'm talking about things, not people — like husbands and wives. Although some would disagree. I know I'm this way — about things, that is. At the shop I'm always looking for the "new" thing to create more excitement. I can testify to that by all the bikes that I personally own. I want to keep that motorcycling excitement and adventure alive.

A couple of years ago I noticed an Arlen Ness bike on a magazine cover. It had a sidecar. It was a Sportster made to look like an old 1920's vintage bike, and it was so cool! I remember thinking "what a great thing to have!" To just ride it at those specials times, like around Sturgis at night, or down to Ocean Shores next year. I could take someone for a ride, or even take my shop mascots, Max and Dot, long for the ride.

That's how it all started. A year or so later a friend of mine for a URAL (Russian for a tank of a motorcycle), copied after a 1940's BMW, with a very military-looking sidecar. It even had reverse. My brother-in-law, Bob, and I picked it up for my friend, and I got my first ride in a sidecar.

What a piece of shit! It scared the hell out of me when Bob took me for a ride, then I scared the hell out of myself when I drove it. I couldn't manage more than 30 mph and it was all over the place. Get on the throttle and it yawed and had a mind of its own. Put on the brakes and it dove toward the side of the road. Put all this together with speed wobble that would start every time you slowed you and you had a handfull...

I finally made it home and on the way I noticed that this sidecar rig got more attention than any bike I've ever been on. Kids wanted a ride, my neighbors (in their 80's) wanted a ride, and GIRLS wanted a ride. All wanted a picture taken of them in the sidecar. The thing flat got the attention, ugly as it was. Everywhere you went people would stop and take a look.

After getting my shop open I was looking for a way to advertise my business. I needed something that could be seen all the time, get lots of attention, and not cost me a fortune. What kind of interest and excitement could I create if I hooked up a vintage-style sidecar to my vintage-looking Road King (that I call Big Red)? I had built this bike from a total wreck, with lots of custom parts and a color that stands out in a crowd (Porsche Red). Even the frame was powder-coated red. Now, if I got a sidecar and painted it to match, I bet it would get more attention than the URAL.

The Hunt for the Right Car

MY CRITERIA: 1) It MUST look like it belongs to the bike. Just a single car, big enough for one person or two small Jack Russells, with matching fender, spotlight and wide whitewall tires; 2) It MUST handle well, and have its own brakes.

After searching the internet, I found Motorvation, Inc. in Iowa. They've been in business quite some time and make several different styles of sidecars. The owner suggested that I send them a panel off my bike so they could match the paint — and it was perfect. It took several months, but it is hand made; however, the owner called me every couple of weeks with a status report.

When it arrived and I opened the wooden crate, it was beautiful — like a bright red banana. Everything was packed and bolted to the crate, it was easy to see that this small company takes a great deal of pride in their product. My car has the body and chassis molded together, saving weight and space. It came with two manuals and tons of instructions for various bike models, since attach points, ride height and everything else are bike specific.

There weren't that many parts in the box, but at first that's not what I thought. I was confused, to say the least, but kept making calls to get help and the right answers from Motorvation.

For the first week the sidecar just sat there with its parts spread all over the place. To say that it's not a snap to install is an understatement. But, I finally got it. My advice is that if you ever do this, get it professionally installed by someone with experience.

After reading all I could I installed the wheel and got the whole thing up on a stand. It required yet more levelling, toe in, toe out, all kinds of stuff. After a long Saturday, it was ready for my first ride.

All the horror stories came to mind right away. Seems like everyone that came in had one as soon as they found out I had a sidecar on order. Funny, they were all the same kind of story. You know, the guy didn't tighten everything right and watched his wife go over a cliff when the sidecar came off, or how you have to watch out for the sidecar wheel because guys have hit mail boxes sending then into an uncontrollable crash. On and on they went — watch out for those right turns, it will flip over on you. When I put all of this with my experience of the Ural, I was a bit rattled as I pulled Big Red out of the shop. All this aside, though, the thing sure was beautiful. Motorvation's attention to detail is the best, with chrome struts and gold zinc fasteners — it's quite a package. The whitewall tire, matching spoke wheel, fender and taillight, and spot light all mate perfectly with Big Red and its vintage look. And a real eye-catcher is the Brookland glass windshield. There's a trunk with lots of room, and the wiring harness and connectors are installed. Just plug it in to your bike.

The Ride

I pulled out of the shop very carefully. Motorvation had recommended that I put a steering dampener on — they were right, it really helped. As I turned back and forth from right to left in the parking lot, I noticed a big difference in riding a sidecar rig. You don't need to worry about balance, the bike won't fall over and I guarantee you'll get really lazy after a few feet-up stops. To make a turn, just turn the bars. The bike doesn't lean, but you need to lean your shoulders and upper body in to the turn. Left turns are easy, it's like having an outrigger to hold you into the turn. But right turns are a little different.

The instruction manual said that when you first take it out, put 100 pounds of weight or more in the car. It didn't. I wanted to see just how easy the car would come up. All I can say is it's not that easy if you're careful, leaving the right way (into the turn) and take it easy until you've had lots of practice.

This thing is FUN! It handles great, and I'm sure it's not set up for maximum performance right now, still needs some adjusting. But, it only took a few minutes to get the feel.

One of the stories I forgot to mention was how the sidecar took away your freedom of a two-wheel motorcycle. Total Bull, you still have lots of freedom of movement, it's just done a little differently. I can tell you this—it goes around those left corners faster than most would dare, and the rights aren't that bad once you get through the learning process. I do admit, though, that I've scared the B-Jesus out of myself, not being sure on the freeway how fast I could go around a right-hand curve. I'm still learning, and still leery of those right-handers.

The Verdict?

Does it do what I thought it would? WAY MORE. I left it out in from of my shop and was amazed how bikes and cars drove into my driveway to stop and look at it.

My first gas stop took me 30 minutes because I was answering questions and talking with all kinds of people who wanted to take a closer look.

People want to take pictures, they want to go for a ride. Need to stop at the store? No problem, plenty of room for groceries and beer! You can even talk to the person riding next to you.

The wind is still in your face, and it still feels like a motorcycle. My dogs can go for a ride, and they love it. Everyone we see smiles and waves. What's the deal with this thing? It really is fun to ride.

I'm totally jazzed about it. It's brought me a new motorcycling adventure. Oh, I haven't lost interest in riding bikes by themselves. But now I have a totally different kind of bike to enjoy. One thing for sure, when the weather is nice my dogs and I will be cruisin'. And if my wife decides she doesn't want to ride her own bike, she can go cruisin', too!

I'm sure there's a place for these things in the motorcycling world. It's more agile and economical than a car, it will carry up to three people (two on the bike, one in the car), it will carry small loads, and it's a great bike for the handicapped rider who can no longer handle a big bike. And the LADIES love it!

Am I trying to convince you to try one of these things? YOU BETCHA! If you're lucky enough to have more than one bike or a bike that sits and doesn't get ridden as much as it once did, try converting it to a sidecar. Even the smaller bikes like the 833's can handle one. It's certainly been one of my best motorcycling experiences yet, and I'm just getting started.

If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and say "Hello." I'll be more than happy to show you Big Red. Keep the excitement alive—I'll see you on the road!