DISCLAMER: I am not a sidecar expert, I’ve never even driven a ‘real’ sidecar and I’ve only test-driven the type I’m getting for 30 minutes. This article is a high level summary of my 3 years research on the topic to explain what I’m getting and why. In short: no point telling me my presentation is non-exhaustive; I know it’s not.
For me there are 3 main types of sidecars, and while 2 are basically one category, the last one is a world on its own (of course it’s the one I’m getting).
The ‘real’ sidecar
It’s basically a three-wheel rigid structure. The “boat” is entirely attached to the motorcycle used for traction. Due to the “3 wheel” design, it’s not possible to drive the sidecar like a motorbike. On a motorbike, just like a bicycle, you lean in order to turn. On a sidecar you have to turn the handle bar in the direction you want to go (like you do in a car), while fighting rotational forces to keep all wheels on the ground in right turns. That’s why it can be very dangerous to switch from riding a motorcycle to driving a sidecar without any training.
The benefit of such a vehicle is that it’s overall lighter than a car, you’re still out in the fresh air and you can transport another person or some luggage easily. Also, since you’re on three wheels, you have more stability and can also drive it in the winter on snow; which is not recommended on a motorbike.
This category is sub-divided in two types.
1- Factory Sidecar Rigs
As the name suggests, those vehicles were designed and produced in the factories and then sold “as is”.
I’m not a History crack, but as far as I know, sidecar rigs where a popular means of transportation during the two world wars as they were light and agile compared to bigger trucks, and still allowed to have a passenger that could hold a gun. BMW had their very own model which has become very famous.
Due to lack of demand, not many sidecars are built from the factory, nowadays it’s mainly Ural (russian version of the army sidecar) that still produces them – but they are regaining popularity thanks to hipsters (not gonna lie, I’ve considered getting one).
The main drawback for me is their power which can be limiting for higher speed travels. And the russian engineering. The good thing however is that they are fairly cheap (in comparison to what comes next), count around all together 12kEUR for a new model.
Example of a factory rig: Ural Sidecar
2- Custom Sidecar Rigs
From a design perspective they are the same as the factory rig, the difference is that they are… custom made! Meaning, you use the motorcycle of your choice and you have the “boat” attached to it.
The benefit is of course that you can choose whatever machine you like and really have it set up for your needs. The downside is that it can get very expensive, especially in Germany. On top of paying for the motorcycle, you have to pay for installation of the boat to that motorcycle. And if you decide to do that in Germany, in order to get it road approved by the TÜV you will have to make sure the suspensions and wheels are adequate for the additional weight and changed handling. This often means changing the entire front fork system and all this work comes with a price and you can easily add another 15-20kEUR to the price of your bike.
Of course some countries are less strict and you can get a sidecar installed for cheaper, but you won’t be able to have it registered in Germany. I fell in love with a R9T built from Gusto Motorbikes, but he made it very clear right away that he wouldn’t build for Germany 🙂
Example of a custom rig: Armec Stradale
Note the redesign of the front fork compared to a standard motorcycle (it’s basically a car tyre). This also means that you can’t ride the bike without the boat as you wouldn’t be able to lean with those flat tyres.
And that’s where “typ 3” comes in.
3- The Leaner Sidecar
The leaner sidecar is a sidecar that is attached to the bike only in two points under the bike. Thanks to this design, the motorbike can still lean left or right in order to turn, the side car just follows.
The fact that you keep the leaning properties of the motorbike has 2 very attractive benefits: 1) you can still ride the motorbike without the boat as you have no change to the front of the bike, nor to the tyres – 2) since you don’t have to change the entire front suspension nor change the wheels, the built is a lot cheaper than the one for a rigid rig – count around 10kEUR here in Germany.
As for the downsides: well, you’re still riding a motorbike and the handling is roughly the same as before, so snowy rides are reserved to very skilled riders. Also the boat is not as large in order to leave space for the bike to lean into corners, meaning you can’t store as much as in a rigid rig boat.
Example of a leaner side car: Kalich Swing
Considering the many advantages, and the limited drawbacks of this design, that’s what I decided to go for in order to “transport” Loki. Unfortunately not too many sidecar builders also build leaner sidecars (you can count them on one hand), so it was quite challenging to find one that would do it, and then get an appointment. But that’s a story for a different post. Bottom line for now: I’m getting a leaner side car 🙂
Here you can see one in action (that’s the video that sold it for me):
If you want to read more about the properties and physics of the leaner sidecar, you can check out this page: https://www.haulnride.com/leaner-sidecar-combination-bike-leans-sidecar-doesnt
