Friday, January 4, 2013

Watsonian-Squire sidecars popular on Royal Enfields

Here's a Royal Enfield motorcycle in the Watsonian-Squire sidecar factory.
Many Royal Enfield motorcycles are visible in a delightful BBC short (seen in this YouTube video) about British sidecar manufacturer Watsonian-Squire.

Not surprising: Watsonian-Squire is the Royal Enfield importer for the UK.

In the video you'll see some great vintage footage of sidecars and riders "back in the day" plus the always startling views of sidecar racers in action.

Some facts I didn't know:
  • Watsonian was founded in 1912 by T.F. Watson to produce folding sidecars that could be collapsed to make the motorcycle and sidecar narrow enough to be wheeled down the narrow passageways between row houses.
  • Watsonian-Squire claims to be the oldest remaining sidecar manufacturer in the world.
  • It also claims to be the largest maker of sidecars in the world, making about 200 a year.
  • Many sidecars go to export, with Japan the biggest customer.
  • A film star ordered a bespoke sidecar with leather upholstery — for his dog!
Here's the video. Check it out!

1 comment:

  1. Interesting Video !
    Know previously Watsonian as the oldest sidecar company and their beautiful match with Royal Enfield. I found their GP Jubilee looks super classy with new RE C5 solo seat (called the 'Classic' here in India ). Since the import & shipping is high, I'm planning to custom build an economic one for my ‘Classic 350’ in maroon, and I guess that'll be a great fun to do here in India !

    Thanks for sharing !

    ReplyDelete

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