BMW R51/3 motorcycle with sidecar

Ural Retro with sidecar

Vespa scooter with sidecar

This article concerns sidecar as an attachment to a motocycle. For the alcoholic drink, see Sidecar (cocktail). For a type of insurance, see Reinsurance Sidecar.

A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, producing a three-wheeled vehicle. Early sidecars were intended to be removable devices that could be detached from the motorcycle. The first mention of a sidecar is in a cartoon by George Moore in the January 7, 1903 issue of the British newspaper "Motor Cycling". Three weeks later a provisional patent was granted to Mr. W. J. Graham of Graham Brothers, Enfield, Middlesex. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 505 KB) Photographed by Späth Chr. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 505 KB) Photographed by Späth Chr. ... A 1952 R51/3 1952 R51/3 left side: note the half-width brakes R51/3 right side R51/3 bell-bottom front fender R51/3 plunger and exposed drive shaft Disassembled R51/3: note the full-width brakes from the last year of production 1951 R67: note the rigid... Image File history File links Ural-sidecar-600. ... Image File history File links Ural-sidecar-600. ... Ural logo IMZ - Irbitski Motozykletny Zavod (Ирби́тский мотоцикле́тный заво́д = ИМЗ) is a Russian maker of heavy motorcycles (especially with sidecars). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Vespasidecar. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Vespasidecar. ... New Vespas Classic Vespas in Perth, Western Australia The Vespa is a line of motor scooters that was first manufactured in Pontedera, Italy in 1946 by Piaggio & Co, S.p. ... The Sidecar was originally invented at a bar in Paris for one of the patrons who was fond of arriving driven in a motorcycle sidecar. ... Reinsurance sidecars, conventionally referred to as Sidecars, are financial structures which are created to allow investors to take on the risk and return of a group of insurance policies (a book of business) written by an insurer or reinsurer (henceforth re/insurer) and earn the risk and return that arises... Mika Kallios KTM125 racing motorcycle A motorcycle, also called a motorbike or just a bike, is a single-track, two-wheeled vehicle powered by an engine. ...

A sidecar motorcycle is a three wheel vehicle with the sidewheel not directly aligned with the rear motorcycle wheel, and is usually powered by the rear wheel only. This is different from motorcycle trike, where both rear wheels are powered and share a common axle. However, either P.V. Mokharov of the Soviet Union or H.P Baughn of Great Britain seem to have to been the first to employ a driven sidecar wheel in 1929. In fact Baughn 2WD outfits were so successful in trials events in the early 1930's that there were attempts to have the ACU to ban them from competition. A great many companies experimented with 2WD in sporting events and indeed many companies employed them in military vehicles prior to the commencement of WWII.

The sidecar consists of a frame (which is rigidly fixed to the motorcycle's frame on one side and is supported by the sidecar's wheel on the other side) and of a body. The body typically provides one passenger seat and a small trunk compartment behind. In some case the sidecar has a removable soft top. In some modifications the sidecar's body is used for carrying cargo only (like a truck's platform).

Before the 1950s, sidecars were quite popular, providing a cheap alternative to passenger cars; they have also been used by the army and police. During WWII, German troops used many BMW and Zundapp sidecar motorcycles. On German and Soviet military sidecars, the side wheel was sometimes also driven using a differential gear), to improve the vehicle's all-terrain ability. // Recovering from World War II and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ... This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject. ... Combatants Allied Powers Axis Powers Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000,000 Total dead: 50,000,000 Military dead: 8,000,000 Civilian dead: 4,000,000 Total dead 12,000,000 World War II (abbreviated WWII), or the Second World War, was a worldwide conflict... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A Zündapp KS750 Wehrmacht sidecar from the 1940s. ... In an automobile and other four-wheeled vehicles, a differential is a device, usually consisting of gears, for allowing each of the driving wheels to rotate at different speeds, while supplying equal torque to each of them. ...

In Taiwan, Article 39-2 of the Road Traffic Road Traffic Security Rules (zh:道路交通安全規則) prohibits motorcycles from attaching sidecars when applying for registrations. These Rules do not specify the use of sidecars thereafter.

Manufacturers

Although sidecars have become much less common since the mid 1950's, a number of manufacturers worldwide have continued to produce sidecars for many popular motorcycles and scooters. Active sidecar manufacturing companies include:

• Hongdu and Zhuzhou in China
• Watsonian/Squire in England
• MZ in Germany (ceased manufacturing sidecars in 1989)
• Cozy in India
• IMZ-Ural and VMZ for Izh in Russia
• Harley-Davidson in the USA
• Dnepr in the Ukraine
• Highway Sidecars (HRD, DJP and Higgins) and Premier in Australia

Chang Jiang Motorworks Chang Jiang is the English name of the Chinese (PRC) cycle and scooter manufacturer. ... Squire is the brand name of a well known British sidecar manufacturer, Watsonian/Squire in Blockley, Gloucester. ... Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... MZ is a motorcycle manufacturer located in Zschopau (Germany). ... Cozy is a motorcycle sidecar line manufactured in India. ... Ural logo IMZ - Irbitski Motozykletny Zavod (Ирби́тский мотоцикле́тный заво́д = ИМЗ) is a Russian maker of heavy motorcycles (especially with sidecars). ... Izhmash was founded in 1807, and is now one of the largest corporations in its field. ... Logo on a 2003 Harley Davidson The Harley-Davidson Motor Company (NYSE: HDI) is a manufacturer of motorcycles based in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ... Dnepr, or Dnipro, is a model of heavy motorcycles produced in Kiev, Ukraine, since 1950. ...

Racing

Sidecar racing events exist in Motocross (see Sidecarcross), Trial and road racing with sidecar classes. The sport has followers in Europe, United States, Japan, Australia and New Zealand. The sidecars are often classed by age or engine size, with historic sidecar racing often being more popular than its modern counterpart. Older classes in road racing generally resemble solo motorcycles with a platform attached, where modern racing sidecars are low and long and borrow much technology from open wheel race cars. In all types of sidecar racing there is a rider and a passenger who work in unison to make the machine perform, as they would be almost unrideable without the passenger in the correct position. A rider cornering during a motocross race in Australia Motocross (often shortened to MX or MotoX) is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. ... This article needs to be wikified. ... Observed Trials (or motorcycle trials or observed motorcycle trials) is a non-speed event on specialized motorcycles. ... Road racing can be a term involving road running, road bicycle races, or automobile races. ... World map showing the location of Europe. ...

Road racing sidecars began to change away from normal motorcycle development in the 1950s with them becoming lower and using smaller diameter wheels and they kept the enclosed "dustbin fairing" banned in solo competition in 1957. By the 1970s they were using wide slick tyres with a square car like profile, the rider kneeled behind the engine instead of sitting on a seat and the motor of choice was generally a 500cc two stroke. In the late 1970s sidecars began to appear with hub centre steering and later the engines moved to the rear of the rider, to lower the centre of gravity further still, making the sidecar very long.

See also

• Squire (sidecar)
• Cossack motorcycle
• Motocross
• Superside

Squire is the brand name of a well known British sidecar manufacturer, Watsonian/Squire in Blockley, Gloucester. ... The term Cossack motorcycle can apply to any number of motorcycles, made in the former Soviet Union, a reference to the semi-nomadic mounted Cossacks who lived in Eastern Europe. ... A rider cornering during a motocross race in Australia Motocross (often shortened to MX or MotoX) is a form of motorcycle sport or all-terrain vehicle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. ... Superside is the name of the FIM World Sidecar Championship. ...

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Sidecars

• United Sidecar Association - Prominent sidecar enthusiasts club
• Annual Griffith Park Side Car Rally in Los Angeles, California
• Watsonian Squire - A Popular British Sidecar Manufacturer
• Ural - Russian Manufacturer of Classic-styled Sidecars
• Cycle Sidecar - Sidecar resource from the American Cozy Sidecar Distributor
• The Internet Sidecar Owners Klub, a popular Yahoo group
• Highway Sidecars, Australia - home of HRD and DJP sidecars
• Premier Sidecars, Australia
• Dauntless Motors, USA - manufactures and imports sidecars
• London Sidecar Club
• Superside - F1 Sidecar Racing