Corrupting the youth of today - new sidecarrist

[greg_in_london]

Well I thought I had sold someone a sidecar chassis - quite happy to make space in the garage, although I do hate seeing my sidecar fittings go - although I realised that I would be left with even more sidecar chassis-es (? plural?) than I thought I had.

 

Ah well - he rings me up and says that someone has made him a better offer and would I come and look at it with him ! As I'm not ever going to make much money in business I obviously said yes and went over with the outfit and the trailer (which was for sale on Ebay but didn't.. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MEUSX:IT&item=180306957313 )

 

It was a 1960s (?) Watsonian Ascot with most of the fittings, just not the ones for the bike. I'm going to give him a week or two to see how he gets on and then help with the bits he can't do. He seemed to think it would take about an hour .....

 

The guy selling it had had it for years and was involved with the London Sidecar Club, but dropped out about the time I joined ten or twelve years ago. Anyway, I know how people love slightly odd pictures, so here they are.

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/sidecar/DSCF0080.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/sidecar/DSCF0081.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/sidecar/DSCF0083.jpg

[IH Truck Guy]

Greg,I'm not really into sidecars,but that one is friggin awesome..

[PBJ]

You really make that Venture work for its living don't you? The poor thing already has a sidecar on it plus its pulling a trailer with another sidecar loaded onto it. Its a good thing these 1st Gen's are made bloody strong!

[mini-muffin]

And I thought it was just the muffinman. You two must have been separated at birth. He's towed the hack on a trailer behind the bike. He's towed a bike on a trailer behind the bike.

 

Margaret

[greg_in_london]

As you say, they're tough old beasts. When you make them work this hard, it's best to do it gently, though ....

[juggler]

Upon close inspection you can see the mistake made here. The sidecar is on the WRONG side of the bike!

 

 

 

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/sidecar/DSCF0081.jpg

http://i252.photobucket.com/albums/hh10/greg_in_london/sidecar/DSCF0083.jpg

[Rocket]

Upon close inspection you can see the mistake made here. The sidecar is on the WRONG side of the bike!

 

But then, everything is right hand drive over there. Like driving from the passenger side, over here.

[86er]

And I thought it was just the muffinman. You two must have been separated at birth. He's towed the hack on a trailer behind the bike. He's towed a bike on a trailer behind the bike.

 

Margaret

 

Gee, Margaret, I thought that was the Muffin's blond pulling that hack!!! Wouldn't surprise me at all!

 

Hey, Greg, that rig looks like someone with a VW fetish made it! Seriously though, I like it! But aren't you parked on the wrong side of the road???

 

[greg_in_london]

Parked on the wrong side of the road, yes, but we had to lift that sidecar out of a front garden and over a wall. I'm not getting any younger and wanted the trailer as close as possible after that.

 

Besides, we didn't see when we drove down the road and had to turn round and come back - that's where the parking space was - right outside, so I wasn't complaining.

 

VW fetish ???? I suppose that's in the eye of the beholder...

[greg_in_london]

Well I gave him a couple of weeks and then rang him as I said. He had been full of confidence, set the sidecar up next to the bike with all the fiitings around.

 

And then just looked at it for about three hours thinking 'I don't know what to do next....'

 

So today the plan is to collect a few boxes of fittings and venture out into the cold and see if I can point him in the right direction.

 

Mind you, we went to the theatre last night (Jack and the Beanstalk) and had a few drinks afterwards and have been having a leisurely morning waiting for the headache and nausea to go away before we get up....

[quasimoto]

Toe-in

Camber

Rear Wheel/axles forward distance......

 

and you're done; should not even take an hour:smile5:

 

In the next couple years I think I might do my RSV with a Champion sc. I did my Sportster 1200 with a Velorex a few years ago, and I really miss it. Yes I did it myself and it took me less than one hour..........:bawling:Actually more like a month of trial and error.

 

Successfully installing a sidecar is like managing a marriage, it is all about "compromise".

 

Cheerio