Advice needed

WillyT

New Member
I have a 1986 Kawasaki Concours that I'd like to attach a rig to. I'm up in Canada and sidecars are not very popular here. It looks like I'll have to travel to the States to get something at a reasonable price. Does anyone have any suggestions as to what would look good on a Concours in the $1500-$2000 price range.
Regards, Willy
 
I've noticed that sidecars on US E-Bay are significantly cheaper than here in the UK [??]

More important - is what YOU want to see on the side of your bike !!!

Are you looking for retro classic ? Modern ? If your bike is stock OEM then something in the '80's era would be appropriate.

That said - you can't beat the looks of a Steib / Monza sports single seater !!
 
Thanks for the reply Beachcomber. I really like the look of the Steib 500, but I'm not sure if it would suit the Concours. I think it may look too retro on a sport touring bike? All the pictures I've seen with a Concours/sidecar combo show a Velorex rig. I'm not a big fan of the shape of the Velorex.
BTW, you're correct as far as US pricing goes, but I'm up in Toronto, a lot of the pricing I see on E-Bay is in California. That's 3500kms away and with the current exchange rate on our Canadian dollar, it really hurts the wallet! I'm still interested in a rig, just unsure of what would look good on the bike.
Lastly, I see your from Scotland, where about? I'm originally from Helensburgh just outside of Glasgow.
Thanks, willy
 
WillyT said:
Thanks for the reply Beachcomber. I really like the look of the Steib 500, but I'm not sure if it would suit the Concours. I think it may look too retro on a sport touring bike? All the pictures I've seen with a Concours/sidecar combo show a Velorex rig. I'm not a big fan of the shape of the Velorex.
BTW, you're correct as far as US pricing goes, but I'm up in Toronto, a lot of the pricing I see on E-Bay is in California. That's 3500kms away and with the current exchange rate on our Canadian dollar, it really hurts the wallet! I'm still interested in a rig, just unsure of what would look good on the bike.
Lastly, I see your from Scotland, where about? I'm originally from Helensburgh just outside of Glasgow.
Thanks, willy

I chopped 2" out of a Velorex [ horizontally ] and then channelled the chair right down on the chassis - totally transformed the look ! Most people didn't even realise it was a Velorex [ at some historic point ].

The Monza is a pretty timeless sort of chair, and the same era as the Steib. The Garrard Grand Prix was my weapon of choice - mainly down to cost !

My folks are from Glasgow ...... however, if you go back far enough on my maternal Grandmothers' [ Elizabeth Crawford ] side - you come to the Clan Crawford or Crauford [ hence the kilt - Crawford tartan ] - the Mother of a certain William Wallace.
 
HMMMM .. im kinda a fan of the meteor. Did you already check out the watsonian website?
 
Stanwich said:
HMMMM .. im kinda a fan of the meteor. Did you already check out the watsonian website?


The "new" Meteor has changed shape somewhat from the original post war design - reputedly [ I doubt it ] modelled from a Mosquito fuel drop tank.

I bid on an original about 5 years ago and just lost out - still kicking myself.

As a lifelong manufacturer of replica sports cars - I'm still mystified at the cost of a fibreglass sidecar bodyshell ???????


When I win the lottery ..............................

 
That Meteor certainly is sweet looking! After reading tons of interweb dribble I'm thinking I like the idea of a "leaner". The shape of the Meteor would lend itself nicely to one. Any thoughts on "leaners"?
Willy
 
WillyT said:
That Meteor certainly is sweet looking! After reading tons of interweb dribble I'm thinking I like the idea of a "leaner". The shape of the Meteor would lend itself nicely to one. Any thoughts on "leaners"?
Willy

Yeah, leaners take all the fun out of having a chair and completely defeat the purpose!
I'm sure someone will be along to disagree with me.
If that's what you want though, that's what must be done!
On the advrider.com website there's some v v good sidecar threads, enough to keep you up for many nights. Loads of inspiration there and a good smattering of leaners.
 
Erskine said:
Yeah, leaners take all the fun out of having a chair and completely defeat the purpose!
I'm sure someone will be along to disagree with me.
If that's what you want though, that's what must be done!
On the advrider.com website there's some v v good sidecar threads, enough to keep you up for many nights. Loads of inspiration there and a good smattering of leaners.

What he said !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The joy of a sidecar outfit [ traditional ] is controlling the drifts and turns. Long sweepers as well as tight hairpins become a funpacked excursion with a sidecar.

A leaner has nowhere near the dynamic abilities of a chair - my 4 pennarth
 
Here's the original Meteor I bid on - and missed ...... futtox



Another in period



The Charnwood version - which has now be reincarnated - with obligatory price hike.

 
That is a very nice looking rig! I think I'll be keeping my eyes open for a similar style unit.
I don't want to open up a can of worms here but I'm a little confused regarding the dislike of the leaner style units. My thinking was (keep in mind I've never rode with a rig) that a leaner would give you the best of both worlds? Am I missing something?
Thanks, Willy
 
WillyT said:
I'm a little confused regarding the dislike of the leaner style units. My thinking was (keep in mind I've never rode with a rig) that a leaner would give you the best of both worlds? Am I missing something?
Thanks, Willy

A leaner handles like a very poorly handling motorcycle; a fixed sidecar handles absolutely nothing like a motorcycle, hence the fun. A fixed sidecar and a motorcycle have nothing in common except the controls are in the same place.
 
A leaner is actually the worse of both Worlds !!!!

The original popularity of the leaner was to attach a simple leaning 3rd wheel to overcome the capacity limit for learner motorcycles [ UK at least ] which was easy to master - as there were essentially no new skills to learn. That is - you leaned a motorcycle and you also leaned the , well ....... leaner. ::)

A lot were simply an articulated third wheel with no provision for a sidecar body / passenger.

Unlike leaner dirt / shale track outfits - you cannot drift, slide the leaner, and the limits of adhesion / dynamics are reached very quickly. A true outfit on the other hand takes a lot to master and is an absolute joy once you have.

That's not to say don't consider a leaner - what floats your boat etc., but you would be missing out on a real experience if you went that way in preference to a traditional outfit.

Incidentally - I HAVE ridden both styles - albeit I was glad to get off the leaner !!! :eek:
 
Newagerocker said:
A leaner handles like a very poorly handling motorcycle; a fixed sidecar handles absolutely nothing like a motorcycle, hence the fun. A fixed sidecar and a motorcycle have nothing in common except the controls are in the same place.

That's the size of it. Maybe you could see if there is a sidecar club in your region, sure someone would give you a go to see if it's your bag. Personally, I'll never go back to 2 wheels.
Outfits defy all rational sense for a powered vehicle. And all motorbike sensibilities go out of the window. The whole set up is completely illogical. More fun than a box of monkeys.
 
Erskine said:
That's the size of it. Maybe you could see if there is a sidecar club in your region, sure someone would give you a go to see if it's your bag. Personally, I'll never go back to 2 wheels.
Outfits defy all rational sense for a powered vehicle. And all motorbike sensibilities go out of the window. The whole set up is completely illogical. More fun than a box of monkeys.


Or the Monkey in the chair .......boom, boom
 
Mid 80"s bike might go nicely with a Hitchhiker setup. Beware that there is no longer any manufacturer support...but there are a few aficionados out there that can help you, as they did me. Here's my completed basketcase car I set up on my "94 Honda Magna.
 

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