I am looking to add a sidecar to my Bonneville t100. I'd like it to have a vintage look. Were sidecars used on Bonnie's in the 60's? Do you have any suggestions in cart manufacturer and styles?
Hi Guillermo. In this country - the true and spiritual home of Triumphs - sidecars were already waning in popularity in the mid- to late sixties as car ownership gradually became more affordable to "the masses". From memory I can recall three predominant British manufacturers - Swallow; Busmar; Watsonian - plus the German made Steib. Swallow, of course, became Jaguar cars; Busmar, I think, ceased production in the sixties - victims, I suspect, of the burgeoning popularity of the motor car - and Watsonian ..... well, remarkably, Watsonian are STILL in production! https://www.watsonian-squire.com/home/sidecars/ So, Guillermo, in my humble opinion, the very best sidecar you could add to your modern Bonnie would be a modern sidecar which looks every bit as good as its forebears and is almost certainly a much better built item and will be correctly set up for your specific machine - see the photographs on the web page on the link above. Finally, to address, your question about whether or not sidecars were used on Bonnies in the '60's, I would say a definite 'YES' - but it would not have been a common application. Reasons? Well, the Bonneville wasn't really built for sidecar use - it's engine power characteristics would be far less suited to hauling the chair than would the 6T Thunderbird of the period. The unit construction Thunderbird was a supremely suitable sidecar 'hack' - quite, powerful, torquey, half skirt fairings and a beautiful looking machine worthy of a classy "chair"! So,how can I be so sure that Bonnies might have been used, then? Apart from the fact that I'm old enough to remember them on the roads here, you have to be aware that an anomaly in the driving licence laws in this country allowed machines of ANY capacity to be ridden by learner riders providing they were permanently attached to a sidecar! That allowed the callow youths of the period to enjoy the kind of high speed thrills that the Bonneville delivered so well ..... though, admittedly, the enjoyment lasted only until the first bends in the road appeared ........... If you would like me to find out more information on Watsonian Squire feel free to let me know - I'll happily speak, and seek, on your behalf!
Wow, thank you for valuable insight. Your experience is much appreciated. I guess it will have to be a watsonian. My question would now be which model sidecar should I go with? I've attached a picture of my Bonnie. I appreciate your assistance. Thanks again for all your help.
"Insight"? Hmmmmmm ..... not too sure my limited experience qualifies for that level of rhetoric! But - thanks anyway. I'd suggest that Watsonian is the most realistic choice from a limited resource pool and, of the range shown on the web site, I'd personally think that the GP or the Monza are the best suited to a modern Bonnie like yours. I can foresee quite a few questions that need to be asked and I'd be happy to make enquiries on your behalf should you wish. PM me if you like.
Sidewinders where a novel approach to the ‘chair’ loophole in UK laws. Popular with some for a short while. https://www.pressreader.com/uk/practical-sportsbikes-uk/20160316/282239484736301
I had an A10 with a sidecar in the sixties, you could have one on L Plates, I say sidecar as I chopped off the top half to a sort of kneeler outfit
You'll probably find you'll need to spend a bit more than just buying the chair. Uprated suspension, new tyres and beefier master cylinder for a start if the chair has an independent brake. Better still just buy a BMW outfit second hand or something ready to go.
I once saw a road legal race outfit at the TT some years back, gosh that thing looked so good, I couldn't see the owner so did not get the opportunity to chat about how it came about, be no use now with all the crappy road surfaces though.
I'm not sure you'd actually ever get permission to import one of these to the US as it's two smoke ... sorry, two stroke ..... powered but they are still available in the UK. http://www.jawamotorcycles.co.uk/sidecar.html Perhaps slightly more interesting (and relevant?) is the page accessed via the link made by clicking on the picture at the bottom of that page. The link takes you here http://www.f2motorcycles.ltd.uk/Chang_Jiang_650.html It wouldn't surprise me in the least to find that the 650 Chang Jian outift is probably cheaper than just a sidecar from Watsonian, though I've no intention of looking at either, to be honest. My memories of sidecars can remain intact and untarnished by modern refreshment! Nevertheless, I'd be interested to know if/how you progress with this pproject, Guillermo. I do think your Bonny would look nice with a colour matched sports style sidecar.
The jawa can't be imported, it does not meet our emission or department of transportation requirements. I fear the reliability of the chang Jiang, support network and probably won't meet the California emissions requirements. The email addresses for the USA watsonian all bounced back. I called a number and it went straight to voice mail, so no luck on actually speaking to anyone. From shopping around for sidecars it appears the out the door cost will be approx 10k dollars to add brakes and match up the paint. This seems like too much money for an accessory. The bike/ powerplant cost me 5k. I think I will sit on the sidelines hoping someone has lived out their sidecar indulgence and is ready to part with it. Then perhaps, I will be able to live out mine. I too will tire and be ready to hand it off to the next person experiencing a mid life crisis.
Hi Guillermo, is this the sort of modern outfit you are looking for, this will meet the emissions regulations, it benefits from a Watsonian set up as well. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/234268774744?hash=item368b81d158:g:iB0AAOSwxGFhgkFy
