A Little Something On the Side
A LITTLE SOMETHING ON THE SIDE
HOW, WHERE AND WHY TO BUY A SIDECAR
RALPH SPRINGER
HAS SOLO motorcycling lost some of its wind-in-the-hair, freedom-riding appeal? Maybe your wife or girl friend has begun to shy away from those double-up weekend trips. Or the size of your family has grown to where two wheels just aren’t enough. Well, how about trying a little something on the side? That’s right, a sidecar!
Right now there’s a quiet explosion of interest in touring sidecars in the United States. You might not be able to gauge it because it certainly isn’t as large as the demand for solo motorcycles. But more and more motorcyclists are discovering a whole new way of enjoying the inherent advantages of motorcycling while borrowing a little bit of the convenience of the automobile.
No one really knows who first hit upon the idea of attaching a little wooden box to the side of a motorcycle. Perhaps it was quite a few enterprising fellows at the same time, for sidecars have been a part of motorcycling almost since the first motorized two-wheeler went wobbling down a quiet country lane.
The sidecar in many guises delivered telegrams to front doors, officers to battle areas during wars and slapstick comedians to pratfalls and predicaments in the earliest silent screen comedies.
Yet, in today’s age of instant communication and ultra-fast transportation, the homely sidecar lives on, with only refinements in basic design distinguishing the modern versions from the ones in which the Keystone Kops swerved around trains and trolly cars.
Why has this seemingly anachronous appendage survived the decades to now attract a growing number of enthusiasts eager to trade two wheels for three? Perhaps novelty has much to do with it. Machine-weaned Americans have been brought up with visions of four-wheeled automobiles dancing in their heads. In recent years, of course, the motorcycle has thrust itself into the national consciousness and become part of the accepted scene.
But the motorcycle sidecar outfit (be chic and call it just an “outfit!”) is neither fish nor fowl. It demands attention and gets it. It isn’t a car. It isn’t a motorcycle. It’s something different and in style-conscious America, “something different” is very important indeed.
Virtually every motorcyclist has an uncle or brother, father or friend who has seen and/or sat in and/or ridden in a sidecar, but these people are hard to find.
“Yeah, I remember a guy a couple of blocks over who had one. He used to drag it out on the Fourth of July. No, I never did get a ride in it.” So goes a typical conversation when the subject of sidecars is broached.
The growing interest in sidecars can best be channeled three ways. The venerable Harley-Davidson Motor Corp. in Milwaukee, Wis., continues to manufacture and market a sidecar outfit, but apparently only with reluctance. Most buyers seem to be police departments and other law enforcement agencies.
Nonetheless, Harley-Davidson sells between 350 and 500 sidecars each year and still offers a special sidecar package for its big road cruising 74 that includes special front forks and a reverse gear added to the gearbox!
The Czechoslovakian Jawa company manufactures a beautifully finished sidecar under the brand name Velorex. Adaptable to a variety of motorcycle makes, the Velorex unit fits most comfortably next to the 350cc Californian roadster that Jawa manufactures. The Californian comes equipped with special provisions for mounting the Velorex unit and the sidecar can also be bolted onto the Californian’s smaller 250cc brother.
However, like Harley-Davidson, the Jawa marketing group in the United States makes only a token effort at pushing its sidecar outfit. Understandably, Jawa has its hands full filling orders for its line of CZ motocross and enduro models and specialized Jawa speedway machines. Solo motorcycles, a big part of the Jawa picture in Europe, constitute a small portion of the American motorcycle market and sidecars naturally take a back seat as well.
All is not lost, however. Filling this partial vacuum with an amazing amount of enthusiasm is one Doug Bingham, a man in his early 30s who markets a sidecar of his own design and manufacture, the Bingham Sidestrider Mk 1.
Bingham’s heart and soul is sidecars. He seems truly happy only when he is either working on a three-wheeler or riding one. Bingham’s enthusiasm for
sidecars has helped him build a profitable business that continues to grow.
While Harley, Jawa and Bingham dominate the American market in sidecars, there are other sources as well. One of the most recent entries is the Thompson Cycle Car. These lightweight units are manufactured by an ex-aerospace engineer in the Los Angeles area, and are designed to adapt to practically any motorcycle up to 750cc displacement. The honored, old world companies that manufactured Steib, Bender and Hollandia sidecars have long since switched to cabinetry or other types of manufacturing. The sidecar market in Europe and in England, once large and demanding, has dwindled in recent years and the English Watsonian group remains as probably the largest foreign manufacturer of touring sidecars.
Watsonian outfits are, in a word, expensive and because of the cost and shipping problems, few find their way to U.S. soil. Let’s look a little closer at the Harley-Davidson, Jawa and Bingham outfits since they are the Big Three.
Several years ago, Harley scrapped its all-metal sidecar for the unit marketed today, a two-piece tub of smooth fiberglass. The Harley sidecar is the heaviest of the three because of the massive supporting frame members, constructed of thick-wall tubing.
The sidecar wheel, which is virtually identical to the normal Electra-Glide motorcycle wheels, features a brake that is tied into the rear hydraulic brake system on the motorcycle. It is sprung with an automobile-type leaf spring. Interestingly, the rear sidecar attachment fastens onto the motorcycle’s swinging arm, a departure from other mounting theories. Thus, the sidecar rides up and down with the movement of the swinging arm.
The body is sleekly styled and fits nicely next to the big Milwaukee road Twin. Upholstered and carpeted, the Harley sidecar comes with a plexiglas windscreen, tonneau cover and a fender for the sidecar wheel. The price is close to $600, the most expensive of the three we’re looking at.
Jawa’s Velorex sidecar exhibits the timeless classic European lines of the Steib and Bender sidecars. It is also a two-piece fiberglass assembly and features probably the sturdiest sidecar windshield around.
The interior is roomy and the seat is nicely upholstered in a red imitation leather. A passenger grab bar loops around the front of the compartment.
The chassis is stone-ax simple and follows the design of the Jawa Californian motorcycle. That is, strong, functional and trouble-free. The Velorex sidecar wheel is a spoked affair, fully sprung and features a brake tied into the motorcycle’s brake system.
A luggage compartment is another convenient feature and, although impractical for large pieces of baggage, will accommodate smaller items like camera bags, lunches, purses and the like. It locks, too.
The Velorex’s wheel is covered by a nicely shaped fender complete with running lights fore and aft. The fender partially encloses the entire wheel which makes riding in the rain or through a puddle nicer for the passenger. A tonneau cover is another Velorex plus.
The entire package is finished in lustrous black, accented by gold pin striping and is certainly the most attractive sidecar on the market. The Velorex goes for $450, but remember they are hard to get. American Jawa, the western states distributor, has less than 100 sidecars ordered in a year. The Velorex can be adapted to a number of different motorcycles, but again, it was designed to be pulled by the 350cc Jawa Californian.
If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, Jawa should be flattered. Doug Bingham’s Sidestrider sidecar looks much like the Velorex unit. When Doug first got started, he followed the smooth Jawa design, only adding touches where he thought the Czech outfit was lacking.
Bingham’s sidecars are two-piece fiberglass buckets that score high in two areas. They are the lightest and the least expensive of the three outlined here. Doug’s outfits weigh around 150 lb. with wheel, body and chassis mounted. The price is just over $400 for the basic sidecar setup.
The Sidestrider chassis, designed by Bingham, is made of tough steel tubing. The entire frame, mounting struts and hardware are given a gleaming chrome plate job for looks. The mounting struts are heavy, round members and attachment to the frame in four spots is by heat-treated clevis and bolt arrangements. In the interest of safety, Bingham uses fine threaded fasteners which provide a secure cinch-down.
Only recently has Doug switched from a rigid sidecar to a swinging arm for the outboard wheel. Consequently, the Sidestrider unit floats along on a par with the other sprung units. It is slightly more expensive to manufacture but worthwhile on an extended trip. The sidecar swinging arm pivot has a Zerk fitting for periodic greasing.
Bingham departs from normal sidecar practice by using a utility trailer wheel on the sidecar. He feels that the solid wheel is stronger and vastly more flexfree than a spoked wheel.
In addition, the small diameter trailer wheel makes the Sidestrider sit a little closer to the ground for a claimed handling edge. Also, on a long journey, service on a trailer wheel, should anything go amiss, is as close as a gas station or trailer park.
Bingham does not equip the sidecar wheel with a brake, but explains that the brakes on a motorcycle are entirely adequate to stop the relatively lightweight Sidestrider unit.
Compared to the Velorex, the Sidestrider body is rather spartan. There is no windshield or handholds, although both can be ordered as optional extras. Bingham simply didn’t want to furnish his sidecars with too many passenger convenience items for fear that the basic wind-in-the-face exhilaration of sidecaring would be lost. In a Sidestrider without a windshield, a pair of goggles or a faceshield is a very good idea, and is required in some states.
Doug’s unit comes in refrigerator white so that purchasers can paint the sidecar to match the motorcycle. The naugahyde seat flips forward, revealing a > surprisingly large storage area for, again, small items only. The interior floor is carpeted and the interior fiberglass, although naked, is nicely finished and smooth.
With a little customizing, the Sidestrider will fit into the styling of just about any brand of motorcycle around. The mounting hardware is also completely adaptable to any motorcycle with a tubular frame. Detachment takes only a few minutes.
Of the three detailed here, Bingham’s Sidestrider is probably the only one that can be easily used on many different types and sizes of motorcycles. The Honda 750 Four and the big BMWs seem to be the most popular motorcycles on which to attach a sidecar. Bingham has made a number of installations on Harley-Davidson Sportsters as well as big-bore Triumphs, BSAs, Yamahas and Suzukis.
For his personal use, Bingham uses a fire engine red 350cc Honda roadster with a matching scarlet Sidestrider. The light weight of the Sidestrider allows the mediumweight Honda to pull the sidecar package along nicely at freeway speeds. Naturally, the added weight and wind resistence is going to make a dent in performance and gas mileage, but Bingham has found his Honda to be a near ideal sidecar setup for around-town motoring.
Literally pages and pages could be written about driving a sidecar unit. Notice the word driving as opposed to riding. Unless this key word is understood at the beginning, sidecar touring can be tricky.
Perhaps the thing to keep uppermost in mind when you first swing into the saddle of an outfit is that the rig must be steered when cornering. The solo motorcycle is leaned into corners and steering is accomplished largely by the shifting of body weight. Not so the sidecar. It does n'ot lean, and getting it around corners is almost strictly a matter of pulling and pushing on the handlebars. A novice should approach his initial sidecar drive with a passenger in the sidecar. There’s literally a world of difference in driving an outfit laden and unladen. Straight line driving is the easiest. Motorcycles that have steering dampers are very good since the damper helps control an odd although perfectly normal tendency for the motorcycle to wag its head back and forth at slow speeds. A firm grip on the bars neutralizes this as well.
Front end shimmy is just one of the reactions that have to be accounted for in sidecar driving. After several hours, it ceases to bother you.
Cornering is where most first-timers get into trouble. The left hand bends are great. In fact, an unwary neophyte can get himself into a heap of trouble taking a left hander too fast because when turning left, centrifugal force comes into play and nails the sidecar to the asphalt. This is assuming, of course, that the sidecar is mounted on the right hand side of the motorcycle as is normal practice in the U.S.
The right hand corner is a whole new ball game. Centrifugal force, your instant friend on the left handers, becomes your foe turning right. It tries to lift up the sidecar and you have to counter with some body english and a slower speed.
At anything above a crawling pace, the right hand corner can most easily be negotiated by leaning slighting into the corner, applying some front brake and rolling on the throttle simultaneously. It sounds awkward and is initially, but this cornering drill allows the motorcycle to pivot around on the sidecar wheel with a minimum tendency for it to lift.
Another important consideration is to always remember that you have some extra width to jockey around. Gi/e curbs, cars and other objects in and around your patch a suitably wide berth.
All these hints should be considered even more if the sidecar is empty. With no passenger, the outfit is lighter and right hand turns should be made with extra caution, at least until you are as proficient as Doug Bingham.
Practice is the key to developing into an accomplished sidecar pilot. Temper that practice with a liberal dose of caution and common sense and soon you’ll be flinging your outfit through the corners like a veteran.
Sidecar maintenance, simply, is good motorcycle maintenance. The sidecar itself requires a minimum of service. Periodically check the sidecar wheel’s brake (if it has one) and tighten the spokes if it has a wire wheel. An occasional wheel bearing repack is also called for. Air pressure in the sidecar tire is generally nearly the same pressure as in the motorcycle rear tire. Bingham’s trailer tire, however, carries around 50 lb. of pressure.
The body fiberglass demands no more than a Saturday afternoon wash and wax and a vacuuming of the interior. Sidecars are quite agreeable creatures and need a minimum of care.
However, special attention must be paid to the motorcycle which is pulling the sidecar. Most important, keep an eye on chain adjustment and spoke tension of the rear wheel. The bike is working under a load at all times and key systems like brakes, clutch, tires and the like are consequently under more strain than they would be solo.
Periodically check the swinging arm pivot to make sure nuts and bolts are tight. The rear shocks come in for a good deal of use and most sidecar pilots either replace the stock units with a stronger specialty brand or move the stock units to their stiffest position.
After several weeks of practice, you’ll probably notice two things: One, sidecar driving is becoming almost second nature to you and two, people in cars and on the street are usually very friendly, with smiles and waves the norm.
In fact, that may be one of the sidecar’s biggest pluses. After all, when was the last time someone smiled and waved at you when you were riding solo? |§
WHERE TO GET'EM! Bingham Sidestrider Mk 1 15838 Armiriita St. Unit 25 Van Nuys, CA 91406 Harley-Davidson Sidecars Harley-Davidson Motor Co. 3700 W. Juneau Ave. Milwaukee, Wl 53201 Jawa Velorex Sidecars West—American Jawa 3745 Overland Ave. Los Angeles, CA 90034 East—American Jawa 185 Express St. Plainview, Long Island, NY 11803 Thompson Cycle Cars P.O. Box 2 San Fernando, CA 91340 Watsonian Sidecars Watsonian 19 Albion Rd. Birmingham 11, England or—Flanders Co. P.O. Box 2297D Pasadena, CA 91105 Watsonian & Other Mise. Brands Mundays of Brixton 124 Dalberg Rd. Brixton S.W. 2, England
