sidecar side, I can't de side....

[ShootersHoliday]

Sorry about the shameless pun...

So in my boredom and infinite insanity I've begun the project to find a Ural or other side car bike. But, it had me wondering...

Why is the sidecar almost always on the "right" side? It seems that they are usually set away from traffic (which of course makes sense). But, is there a specific reason otherwise?

And no, I'm not thinking my bike needs a sidecar... or am I?

[hamjam]

which side do you drive your car from?

[Guest]

So that you can Drive like a NASCAR racer.

Have you ever driiven a Trike.

Fist time on I pulled the Bars to the right chranked the throttle full like you do on a 2 wheel scooter to slide the rear wheel out and take a hard 90degree left turn.

Well Amazaing things happen. Once you thinke about it after the Morphine wears off as your sitting around with you foot all banadged up.

I belive putting a sidecar on sidesaddle would make bad mojo.

Cant imagine tose new backward SkieDoo Trikes. They must be dangerous as hell trying to turn them

[motoman]

Cant imagine tose new backward SkieDoo Trikes. They must be dangerous as hell trying to turn them
__________________
They handle like their on rails.......and at high speeds too.........looks to be the correct way to a trike's handling...........still a bit strange tho.....

[hamjam]

and a lot different than a sidecar
if you are looking at urals check out the 2 wheel drive ones
ok back on topic

[Rasputin]

Fred! Calling Fred! Car 52 where are you?

[fredintoon]

- - - Why is the sidecar almost always on the "right" side? - - -
And no, I'm not thinking my bike needs a sidecar... or am I?

Hi Shooter,
like Hamjam sez. The option of hanging the chair on the traffic side of the bike involves learning a different overtaking technique.
You ease out from behind the semi and watch the passengers eyes.
If they go big and round you pull back in. If the passenger starts to scream, you pull back in real quick.
OTOH, if you are wheelchair bound and operate a rig from a platform sidecar, it's best that the sidecar is mounted on the traffic side.
BTW, it's your soon to be purchased other bike that needs a sidecar.

[ShootersHoliday]

Hi Shooter,

You ease out from behind the semi and watch the passengers eyes.
If they go big and round you pull back in. If the passenger starts to scream, you pull back in real quick.
BTW, it's your soon to be purchased other bike that needs a sidecar.

awesome.... And no, I won't be doing a sidecar on this bike. It was more the curiosity of not seeing them on the "other" side. Even living in the UK, I only ever have sen them on the right side.

[TopCatGr58]

A little more research info

Well, according to Wikipedia:

RegulationSidecars are normally fitted on the near-side of motorcycles so that the rider is on the off-side, just as car-drivers are seated. In Australia and the UK. imported continental or US right-hand sidecars would be on the off-side, and are prohibited.

I remember the Indiana Jones movie, which was supposed to be in Europe, but yet the sidecar is on the right side!?



However, photos from a sidecar site in the UK clearly shows the sidecars on the LEFT side!

http://www.merlinsidecars.co.uk/gallery.htm

SO...they are positioned according to the country's driving side preference.
It makes more sense that way, but can't explain the wrong sided ones seen in the UK....perhaps imports or just running illegally??

T.C.

[fredintoon]

...they are positioned according to the country's driving side preference.
It makes more sense that way, but can't explain the wrong sided ones seen in the UK....perhaps imports or just running illegally??

Hi TC,
I would suppose that any UK registered rightside rigs operating in the UK would be older rigs that are grandfathered. That or European sidecar tourists; it seems that Euro-regs will allow the Euros to ride rightside rigs in the UK and Brits to ride leftside rigs on the Continent.
Another instance of ignorant bureaucrats imposing ridiculous regulations on minorities.
Our local arseholes have just modified motorcycle licences to forbid a rider from operating a sidecar, trike or foretrike until they have 2 years experience riding solo.
When folks pointed out that the restriction would forbid disabled riders from ever getting a licence they said that it wasn't their intention to do that. That fight continues.

[Guest]

Dont know much about those Rusky Urinel Motorcycles but here in the USA we outfit sidecars properly.

[fredintoon]

- - - I remember the Indiana Jones movie, which was supposed to be in Europe, but yet the sidecar is on the right side!? - - -

Hi TC,
that movie was full of inaccuracies but the righthand sidecar ain't one of them. Just like in North America, the Europeans drive on the right.

[cywelchjr]

Hi TC,
that movie was full of inaccuracies but the righthand sidecar ain't one of them. Just like in North America, the Europeans drive on the right.

Yep, it's just the UK and related countries that drive on the left side. I've read several theories on why the difference on the side of the road we drive on, some having to do with swords and guns (not sure I buy into that one) but I suspect that it may just be like the language, purely because we didn't want to be the same, we drive on the opposite side of the road from the British just as we spell a lot of words differently, for no other reason than to be different.

[fredintoon]

- - - I've read several theories on why the difference on the side of the road we drive on, some having to do with swords and guns (not sure I buy into that one) - - -

Hi Cy,
but it's true! Back in medieval times the Brits rode on the left so that their sword arm faced oncomers so that they could attack them if necessary.
OTOH, the French rode on the right so they could hide behind their shields if oncomers attacked them.
During the war of independence the French supported the USA out of spite for the Brits so the USA took up several effete French customs, like driving on the right.

[cywelchjr]

Hi Cy,
but it's true! Back in medieval times the Brits rode on the left so that their sword arm faced oncomers so that they could attack them if necessary.
OTOH, the French rode on the right so they could hide behind their shields if oncomers attacked them.
During the war of independence the French supported the USA out of spite for the Brits so the USA took up several effete French customs, like driving on the right.

See, that's different than the one I heard. I heard it had to do with swords vs firearms. With swords it's better to approach with other on your right so as to easily attack them with your sword, but with firearms (which is what the U.S./Colonies formed using) it's better to have the approach with the coming from your left as you fire across the body more easily. The sword more easily attacks to the right, the gun to the left, which as I heard it, determined which side we drive on, and the french liking the U.S. more than the UK chose to follow the lead of the U.S. rather than the UK and most of Europe followed suite being physically contiguous.

Of the two I think the second is slightly more believable, only because the colonies were founded after the advent of firearms, so driving patterns were formed with that as the driving force, where England's patterns were already set long before.

Plus it doesn't have us following the lead of the effete french.