Riding A Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 SIDECAR At Watsonian Squire!
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- Опубликовано: 26 янв 2025
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"Loaf and death"? "Close shaves"? I love the Wallace & Gromit references! :)
There's one more near the end! :)
@@motobob It does indeed look like "A Grand Day Out"! :D
I caught that too. 😂
With over 45 years of riding, I’ve had three sidecar rigs. And you are right, it’s neither a bike nor a car, I equate it to more like a high speed shopping trolley ! 😆. First one I had was a BMW R50/2 with a Jawa chair, next was Harley rig, and the last one was a Moto-Guzzi 850 T-5 with an EML sidecar. By far the EML kit was the best because it came with a leading link front end for the bike, wheels with radial automotive tires, and a brake for the sidecar wheel. But even then, they are a lot of work to hustle down a twisty road. It takes a lot of upper body strength and you have to move around on the seat to really make them work well. Regardless, it’s a “perversion” I enjoyed when I was young and strong 🤪👍.
With a sidecar combination you use the throttle to steer as well, gentle increase when you're turning left to go round the sidecar and back off the throttle and maybe a touch of rear brake when turning right to bring the sidecar round the bike. All gently mind you!
Another thing to remember that as you don't need to put your feet down, you can really dress up with loads of clobber to keep the rain and cold out, such as heavy duty leggings and a thick trench coat for the winter etc. Once you're on the bike you don't have to move around so you can wear what you like and as much as you like.
I've had 3 motorbike/sidecar combinations and ridden a good few more over the years. Perhaps the best thing about them is that the sidecar is good for carrying the beers at bike rallies!!!
Wise words, I’ve been on two wheels for thirty three years and had a sidecar for five, always wanted one and they are different, but I love different. Great for camping, or carrying lots of gear! Settings are critical and a good weight in the chair as you learn is essential,
Since 1975 I own a 750 GT Suzuki Waterbuffalo with a Squire Sidecar on my right side. Did alot of traveling with my family trough out europe.
We had alot of fun riding over the alpinepasses and even had a wonderfull Trip to the IOM in 1978. With my 76 years I still love riding it in summer time.
I have two small foot break pedals on my right side. Wenn I want to turn to the right side I just tip the sidecar break easely and with my trottle handle I can
accelerad it great to the right bends. To the left I use most of the time my front break. The sidecare pushes the vehikel then to the left side. Fore a straight
Break I use all 3 breaks. Its through you have to work with your upper body more to stear it. I just want to say its alot of fun to ride around whit it. Peter from
Switzerland
Good to see a cameo appearance from Dan the man!
He is indeed the man! Hooked me up with a great day out 👍
About time you took on an outfit TMF. I’d love one for weekend cafe runs with my wife & dog.
A big Motobob fan! Thank you for great content You have turned bike reviews into stories. Well done sir.
That took me back. In the 60's had a Sunbeam S8 with a corrugared iron sheet construction side car . Builders sidecar. Later on had a Steib and after that a double adult Watsonian on a BSA . I frightened myself quite a few times. Great stuff. Great intro video to side cars.
I grew up with Motorbikes & Sidecars.
Dad had a Matchless 1000 with a double sidecar. With fabric sunroof. Leather front seat and rear dickie seat. Dad on bike, mom in the seat me in the dickie seat. If it was just me n dad I would stand on the seat, head out of sunroof. Off to the seaside for a shandy & ice cream
Loved it, loved the 60’s bikes burning wood alcohol in the petrol
The sounds the smells the awesome memories
Thanks for sharing
ps I think ours was a Watsonia car.
I just finished mounting a Velorex 562 sidecar on my Honda VLX Shadow. I had to build a sub-frame to adapt the sidecar to the motorcycle. That's a common problem with most modern motorcycles. Of course my sidecar is on the right side because I'm in Alabama, USA where we drive in the right lane. I love it!
Would you recommend that Velorex for an RE 650?
Any issues with the Velorex itself?
I live near you in Georgia.
@@Winterstick549 I think it would be just fine. The only thing I don't like about it is the small opening for a person getting into it. They must put it on kind of like a glove. You step into it, put your butt on the top of the seat back, and then slide in. When getting out you must pick yourself up with your arms until you get your butt up high enough to then stand up and step out. One good thing about that you can ride without the cover in place with nothing in the sidecar. It would be easy to keep someone from just quickly jumping in at a red light or stopped in traffic. The Cozy sidecars are easy in and out.
the blue Triumph America for alignment is mine, I spent all day in a tent near the shop waiting for my sidecar to be installed; best experience ever!!!
When I took my MC license here in Denmark driving with a sidecar was part of the "curriculum". That included balancing the sidecar in the air and doing a couple of donuts with the rear sliding around^^
Old mate had one mounted to his T500 stroker. He was an expert, especially on dirt. I couldn't get my head around riding it, but became reasonable at swinging. Very counter intuitive.
Great info, thanks. In the US of course they put the sidehack on the other side. Some guys get really good at flying the sidecar.
Yes! My rig made Right turns dicey, to say the least!
I have a velorex on my ravishing red interceptor.Recently i did a 2640 mile trip where the wind beat me up but the bike performed flawlessly.
Hi David, I am considering a Velorex on my Triumph T120. May I ask the process for acquiring one and having it installed? Thanks!
I haven't rode in a sidecar since probably 1992 but man it's an unforgettable experience.
i had two many to remember.i liked the sunbeam 500cc s7 and s8, the silver one and the green one,both fitted with a watsonion chair that was way back in 1955,
just wish...Watsonian..had a Branch in Southern Ontario Canada!!!...always considered putting a Side Car for my '76 Honda GL1000! ..cheers!
The eighties were my sidecar decade; I had four outfits in a row from plank-on-a-frame jobs through massive wooden feed boxes with car seats and all manner of bodged abominations. A lot of my friends had sidecars so they could ride big bikes on L plates, so there was always a bad one for sale.
Looks brilliants Bob!!!🤤😍 They need a franchise here in Australia!😎👍🏻
A friend of my old dad had a BSA 650 fitted wth a double adult sidecar that he used to take his wife and kids to visit relatives from south Essex to Manchester before the motorways were built. Heaven knows how long that journey must have taken and how how the recovery tine from it was.
Everything you say is true! Proper alignment is essential for a pleasurable and safe ride!
They are truly things of great beauty………. and cost! Want One!! 👍🏻
Fantastic video! Beautiful rig you got to drive.
iv had a number of outfits rule one you brive the outfit 2 throttle in left throttle off in right hand also leading link forks the trail of 2 inches or so the difference is amazing 60 years riding just saying
Hi from France ! I Like this , I've a Interceptor and i will love put a Sidecar on my bike
SQUIRE!!!! Nice one! One of our friends has one of these to carry his Dandie Dinmont Terrier around 🤘
Ah... I grew up in a sidecar. Doing the impossible with the unrideable. First time I rode one, I forgot to account for the camber and put it through a hedge...
No mention in the commentary of the effect of the inertia of the sidecar on the steering of the outfit. As you accelerate the outfit wants to pull to the left. As you brake the outfit tends to pull to the right
5:25
@@motobob I stand corrected
A scrambler with a sidecar ..it’s messing with my head !!! And what’s “loaf and death” ??
An Ariel Arrow with a sidecar, seen it all now.👍
Bet that combo is quick, what with all that torque ;=)
Great vid! Little bit confused? When I rode one you never hard throttled right handers as the front wheel could lift and you'd go straight on! (Speaking from experience) 😨
Fitting square profile sidecar tyres makes everything more planted.
You been watching to much on the buses Arthur & olive 🤣🤣🤣🤣
This is basic here in ph we have a big side car on 150cc engine motorcycle that can fit 6 ppl on it
What’s the 0-60? 😅
@@motobob , almost slow enough for the last passenger to be still able to make it aboard some seconds after the 'combo' (locally called a " tricycle ") has set off.
Just Google "Get to Know: 5 Different Types of Tricycles in the Philippines".
I have an Interceptor, 1 yr old under 1000 miles and the wheel hubs are corroding under the paint.
Just as well you have a 3 year warranty, then.
@@johnelrick8945 the dealer denied its corrosion until I kicked off. Waiting for enfield to respond now
Cool to see sidecar bikes on the road. I would enjoy a Ural 2 wheel drive I think. Not as much power as the Royal Enfield maybe.
VERY heavy steering.
@@stevemiller7433 2 wheel for emergency snow and mud at low speed 😂✌
This is great content.
Thanks mate!
Awesome quality video. Thanks! Good Speed. Товарищ )
Are Wotsonian Sidecars available in Thailand? I would love one on the Intersepter!
Why doesn’t the side car have its own brakes ?
It's a whole nother world isn't it??? I knew a dude that could really hang it out. You'll get white knuckles in that sidecar!!! Cheers mate.
Jay and Veeru will be proud. 😂
Cool maybe some competition for URL
Do you honestly feel like the single disk brake on the Enfield is adequate and safe for pulling around a sidecar and passenger ? Thinking about doing a sidecar rig and debating and enfield int 650 or a dual front disk bonneville. Just wondering if it’s worth the extra money for the bonneville with better brakes, suspension and engine power
Do they make them for right hand mounting too?
Ahhh….chair in the air! Not technically legal to do in the US…..accidentally of course is OK….but I think I’ll stick with two wheels…though I love seeing these things!
Definitely worth trying..
last time i was in a side car, when i was a child with my dad. Now 21 and i want to make my licence
Probably a stupid question but, in terms of learning curve and daily riding, would a DCT model be easier?
Gears aren’t really the difficulty. It’s the steering and weight transfer
So Neat!! I had a RE 500classic with a sidecar for 2 years... SO much fun! (when it wasn't trying to kill me!) Sadly my rig was sold when I was out of work.. I have a New 500 and an Interceptor and this would be THE BOMB!. I had a "Cozy" sidecar on my 500 but this looks like a larger, more substantial rig.
I own a RE Classic 500 with custom sidecar made in Thailand. One hell of a hard time to get the mechanics to talk to the fabricator to align the pair properly. No one seems to know about proper sidecar alignment or the Internet!
@@MrEye4get My RE 500 sidecar was installed by a Ural Dealer who also sold RE's. The Cozy is almost a direct fit but they still had to do some modifications to fit MY bike. Maybe if you find a Ural dealer who understands the physics and geometry of Sidecar-Motorcycle interaction you might have better luck.
Any idea how much is the price for the sidecar ? 😎😎😎
I was there a few weeks ago they are around £5000-6000ish so a spicey meatball!
@@thomasskinner240 oh no, that's expensive. it looks good but for that price....
Thanks for the reply 😎
@@p.santos6694 that's what I thought. You could buy an interceptor for that.
2.03 "it could be a matter of loaf and death"? Bread that silent killer
Looks interesting, but by the time I pay duty, shipping and taxes it'll cost as much as my Interceptor.. too bad RE didn't offer them for their bikes. Then there's 1wd vs. 2wd and no reverse gear.. Ideally the spare would work on all 3. It seems if you want a sidecar, you might as well buy a dedicated rig like the Ural, but now you're talking 3x the cost of the Int. 🤔
Buy a used Euro they are cheap and cheerful. I bought mine for like the price of the sidecar and getting the motorcycle for free
Now try the tricycle/trike in the Philippines. 😅😅😅
Guess moving my Cambridge from my Harley to one of those would be a no... ;-). have put over 100K (miles) on her...
When I was a lad I had a Reliant van - three wheels, one at the front. I wonder if riding a bike/sidecar combo is much the same as driving my old Reliant.
Far more stable
@@stevemiller7433 Actually, my reliant wasn't that bad. I used to get a mate in the back to jump to the other side as I went round corners. After the Reliant, I had a Bond Bug which cornered really well. Ironically, one of my bikes now is a reverse trike: Can-Am Spyder F3-S. Corners like it's on rails.
Super cool
Why not just make it a trailer ...hook it up to the back of the bike..much easier to ride bike...more narrow...no lean over tipping over problem ....simple attachment ?
Still, one is not allowed to take a passenger in a trailer, and Towing Hitches for motorcycles are NOT, in any way, simple.
I had owned a BMW R100 + Ural car outfit (for a few years) about seven years ago, and I still have a 830TA (48" x 34") box trailer which I have hitched up to my 2009 Suzuki Bergman occasionally - - the most MASSIVE load towed home behind the Bergman was a 320L refrigerator, and the most recent: a medium size flat-screen smart tv. . . . but, NEVER, carry a passenger in a trailer.
Love it!!
Just stumbled (👈see what I did there?👈) onto your channel, and was nodding my head “yup” thru the whole thing.
Sidecar riders like me LOVE that they are so different.
We are too. 😂
Great content & video.
I hit the Subscribe tab. 😎
So interesting!
Wow. These things look safe! Cough. Seriously, how are these even street legal?
Safer than a motorcycle
Have a watch of the 2005 anime "Ah! My Goddess" (Aa! Megami-sama!) and you will find that these 'things' are even suitable for carrying a Goddess as a passenger, and . . . they can be raced.
Just Google (images) the term: "Goddess Belldandy in sidecar".
(Featured is a vintage BMW RS54 Rennsport with a sidecar modification, plus disk brakes and electrics.)
nope
Only been in a sidecar once... It was absolutely terrifying! You have to trust the rider or, like me, you'll be convinced that your going to die on every corner..... 😱
A watsonian sidecar is probably twice as much as the Royal Enfield pulling it.
I’d like that setup, so I can take the dog.
Wrong side folks......😎✌️
He needs to mount a carnival Styled water gun to the side car so you can shoot at pedestrians walking by like some sort of 80’s evil henchman.
Frankly I'm surprised that they still allow them, what with the obsession with safety and the inherent instability of the set up, and the clear ease with which you could go over, it's amazing that the government hasn't banned em!
Trike in PH are just DIY.
One day 👍🤣
I cannot see the point anymore, back in the day when most folk couldn't afford a car, all day long. But there wasn't as many cars etc on the road. But now? Worse of both worlds? Stuck in traffic, and getting wet. Pointless. Before you say anything I have driven and been a passenger, great fun but would I shell out on a expensive outfit? nah.
Ah, but have you ever been aboard a 'Leaning Sidecar' outfit?
Nowadays it's considered a black art, and something for the experienced to… err… 'experience'.
However, when I first started riding bikes, learner riders at 16 had two options… A solo motorcycle up to 250cc capacity, or any size bike, as long as it had a chair (sidecar) attached.
Along with this, learners on solos were only allowed to carry a pillion if the passenger had a full motorcycle licence… but sidecar outfit riding learners could carry passengers in the sidecar (some larger family sidecars could carry two adults and a child). Like the solo learner, a passenger on the pillion had to hold a full bike licence. This made sidecars popular among spotty faced youths with rocker rather than mod aspirations, as they could buy their big bike straight away, bolt on a cheap chair (they'd be passed around as mates passed their tests) and ride with some sweet young thing in the sidecar. Once the coveted full licence was earned, off came the chair, to be sold to another 16 year old.
Strangely, when the crash helmet law came in, rider and pillion on the bike had to wear a helmet, but passenger(s) in the chair didn't have to, even though a decent outfit with a sports chair could often top 80mph… A schoolmate of mine had an old BSA M21 (600cc sidevalve single) with a big three seater sidecar (with the tall roof chopped off). Five of us would go the the local pub at lunch time (I'd be on the pillion ’cos I had a full licence). None of us wore helmets as the law requiring them hadn't yet arrived. The chair riders were also popular when the crowd of us had a party to go to… You can get a lot of ale in a sidecar.
So what was once considered suitable for complete novices (not even a CBT back then), is now something thought of as difficult… I guess that's no different from the learner passing his test on an outfit, taking off the chair, and setting forth on one of the time's potent roadburners like a 650 Bonnie, have never ridden a solo before (and having never needed to put his feet down at the traffic lights either 🥺).
More cheese Gromit
👍
Would give you $50 if ya let me ride your rig👍
❤❤💕👌👍👍
Oh heck no. It's not enough to go slow, now you get to go slower AND with even worse handling. Watching the experts throw a sidecar rig around the Isle of Man is one thing. Forgetting even for a second it's no longer the motorcycle you once loved is a life altering decision.... and not in a good way.