What America needs: More sidecars!

Fred's 2016 Royal Enfield Bullet 500 with Cozy sidecar.

 Reader Fred Lenk, of California, likes motorcycle sidecars, and thinks you might too: 

I've been following your website for some years, since I got my own 2016 Royal Enfield 500 with sidecar. 

Interesting, in California, a three-wheel vehicle, such as an outfit, requires the same driver license as anyone driving a four-wheel vehicle. 

Remember, our former governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, crashed his outfit, but wasn't cited for driving without "a motorcycle license." Here's why: 

Post World War II, several European countries exported three-wheel cars to the U.S. and California. You know about those.

So, Mr. Sidecar, Doug Bingham, was able to convince lawmakers in California that since three-wheel cars don't require motorcycle licenses, three-wheel motorcycles don't require "motorcycle licenses."

I began riding outfits in 2008 because my employer forbade me from riding my three-wheel human powered push trike with trailer on the job. Trailer pulled my tools.

I repaired computer networks and teachers' computers for the local school district. I could pedal to all the schools to fix stuff. Some bean counter got worried about insurance, I think, and I could no longer pedal on the job.

I had some time to research a new transportation solution, and read about Gov. Arnold's problem. So I found a motorcycle outfit.

I had previously ridden motorcycles. Funny, on the way home driving the outfit, I suddenly learned I had to be very careful making a right turn (left turn in England). The Velorex car went airborne on my heavy Kawasaki 1400.

Lucky I still had my old motorcycle skills and could correct.

I wore out that Kawasaki motorcycle in a couple years, and bought my Royal Enfield 500 with "Cozy" car already installed. I can't drive the 500cc Royal Enfield on 70 mph highways, but it's perfect around town with a sidecar for shopping errands.

Fred's sidecar outfit stays off the Interstate highways.

I know all the slower backroads to get anywhere in the county at slower speed.

I'd like a freeway-capable outfit to drive 800 miles to a Northern California home. Maybe a new BSA 650 Goldstar outfit might work if the BSA ever make it to California.

Maybe a new Royal Enfield 750 might work. But even those engines would be working at their maximum on our California freeways. 

I think it would be great if some American motorcycle manufacturer besides Ural (assembled in Kazakhstan) could figure out simple technology to make sidecar motorcycles again. 

That's what Fred wrote, but it occurred to me to ask why a tricycle motorcycle, Servi-Car style, might not do? Tricycle conversions are available for powerful, full-size U.S. motorcycles. His response went farther, dealing with tricycles whether the two wheels are up front or behind the rider:

As far as trikes (Delta one front/two rear, as opposed to Tadpole two front/one rear), I found they're like driving a sidecar, with two tricky turning directions. Maybe that's why I've never seen them racing in any situation like dirt, grass, paved roads.

Tadpole trikes are much more controllable in turning situations, and have at least twice the front wheel braking ability.

Finally, a sidecar hauls a lot more stuff when running errands around town or strapping on an eight-foot-long 2x4!

Royal Enfield and sidecar are natural combination

The famous 6 hp Royal Enfield and sidecar combination.

Blogger Jorge Pullin has called the Royal Enfield 6-horsepower sidecar combination the motorcycle "for which nothing was impossible."

His My Royal Enfields blog recounts myriad examples of these Royal Enfield outfits of the 19-teens and twenties overcoming obstacles, winning competitions, fighting wars and proving their general utility.

In fact, Royal Enfield was so closely identified with motorcycle sidecars back then that magazine writers reviewing solo Royal Enfields felt compelled to explain that, yes, Royal Enfield would sell you a motorcycle alone.

Recently I was delighted to examine a Royal Enfield and sidecar photographed on a vintage post card. The post card is in the Lang Collection at the Owls Head Transportation Museum in Maine. This Royal Enfield was identified by Richard Miller, who blogs at Red Devil Motors, as a 6 hp model from about 1913.

The post card's circa 1913 Royal Enfield and sidecar were well used by the time of the photo.
(Lang Collection Photo, Owls Head Museum)

Curious about what it must have been like to ride such a machine, I found a slightly later (1917) owner's manual for the 6-horsepower Royal Enfield sidecar combination on the Barnstormers New Zealand website.

This explained much.

For instance, the small protuberance seen poking up above the flat tank just the other side of the top frame rail is the glass dome of the drip-feed lubrication system. The rider — even while in motion! — uses an adjacent valve to adjust the rate of oil flow visible in the glass dome to 30-40 drops per minute.

This so-called "automatic lubrication of the engine" is powered by "suction." So, while the oily glass dome can be unscrewed for cleaning, it must be returned carefully — as "unless all joints are air-tight, the system will not work."

The slightly more sophisticated looking 1917 6 hp Royal Enfield and sidecar.

To my surprise, the manual contains very little about the Royal Enfield sidecar itself. Designed and made by Royal Enfield, and fitted to coupling lugs brazed to the frame when it was formed, the sidecar was apt to give few problems. Apply a bit of furniture polish every so often and you'd be fine.

The motorcycle was more complex. Supplied in either 6 hp (770cc) or 8 hp (965cc) form, the V-twin motors were marked "Enfield" on one side and "JAP" (for J.A. Prestwich and Company, the maker) on the other. Although Royal Enfield did not make the motors, it did recommend its own formula "Royal Enfield motor oil" to lubricate them.

The starting procedure requires adding oil and petrol to the separate compartments of the tank, adjusting various taps and levers, and making sure the two-speed gearbox is in its "free engine" (Neutral, to you) position. Use the oil pump plunger on the tank to give the motor a shot of lubrication before starting. The "extra air lever" is closed for starting. You will open it for normal running.

It is "very important" (I bet it is!) not to advance the ignition lever fully before starting. That's because you are about to grasp the starting crank (not a kick starter — a hand crank) with your delicate right wrist. If this thing kicks back it's going to hurt.

With your left hand you use a handlebar lever to raise the exhaust valves. Now, quickly rotate the starting handle and simultaneously drop the exhaust lever. "The engine should then fire immediately."

Now all you have to do is ride the thing.

Draw the gear lever gently backwards towards low gear, being careful not to stall the motor. As speed picks up push the lever "sharply" forward into high gear. Gradually open the extra air lever as the motor warms.

Control speed with the throttle lever on the handlebars. Don't use the valve lifter to reduce speed, you'll pit the valves! In traffic you will have to put the gear lever in neutral occasionally to shed speed. Probably there wasn't much traffic in 1917?

Mind the lubrication! If you encounter a steep hill you'll need to use the oil pump plunger to give the motor an extra dose of Royal Enfield oil.

Complication: this same pump can send shots of oil to either the motor or to the gearbox. You'd better know to which the oil is going. The tap that controls this is out of sight beneath the tank. Move it forward to oil the motor, backward to oil the gears.

Meanwhile, remember to watch where you are going.

By the way, all this motor oil you're using isn't being automatically recycled back into the tank. It's accumulating in the crankcase and will have to be drained out about every 300 miles. The manual is silent on the question of whether you can then pour the used oil back into the tank. The manual does recommend adding lubricating oil to the tank "through a gauze strainer, so that foreign matter cannot enter."

It's easy to make fun and complain about all the complications of riding a vintage motorcycle. In fact, Royal Enfield had solved many of the problems other motorcycles of the time dished out. Chain drive was far superior to the maintenance hungry belt drives others used. And the "cush drive hub" in the rear wheel (still a feature of Royal Enfields decades later) eliminated "the usual shakes and jars associated with chain drive."

Other conveniences: a tire pump atop the tank, and a detachable rear mudguard to make removing the rear wheel easier.

And here's one trick you wouldn't try today: if you run out of petrol, "endeavor to get a supply of paraffin."

You then lift the front wheel, tilting the machine to the rear so that the very last of the petrol flows into the carburetor and allows the motor to be restarted. Use its heat to warm the paraffin, pour it in, and get going again!

Or, so the manual claims. But, then, it also suggests testing for water in the petrol "by pouring a little of the mixture into the hand, when the petrol will evaporate and the water remain."

His Royal Enfield sidecar rig takes him surfing

Bruce Gipson likes to surf. Now he can ride his Royal Enfield to the beach.

"Thought you might want to see the quick-release rack I built for my Royal Enfield so I can take my surfboard and surfski," said the email from Bruce Gipson, of Boca Raton, Fla.

"Works well!"

The photos he attached showed a Battle Green Royal Enfield sidecar rig with a surfboard on top.

And not just a surfboard: a "surfski" (a high-performance kayak) took a turn up there too. It's longer than a car!

Was this even possible, I asked?

"Yes, I have tested it out already," Bruce replied. "The Fenn surfski is 21 feet and 24 pounds (I am a surfski  and watersports dealer). Just won't take it in heavy side wind."

Bruce says the surfboard has no effect on performance up to 50 mph.

"I bought the bike brand new in 2014," Bruce wrote. "I just added the sidecar a month ago and did the rack system... I kayak and surf all the time — more now that  am retired from Miami Beach Fire Department. I am two miles from the beach so I figured why not get in a ride and surf or kayak along with it?

"I used SteelTek products from Loews. All you need is one Allen wrench and a hack saw or reciprocal saw. There are about a dozen different connectors with set screws. I used one-inch structural tubing. I can remove that whole rack from the base connectors just by loosening eight set screws in seconds.

"The crossbars are all adjustable so I can set the top bars to any height and more crossbars can be added in seconds just by adding more connectors. I used "U" brackets to connect two-by-fours under the front of the sidecar and on the top of the rubber suspension in the rear.

Royal Enfield is just as cool looking as a woody wagon or VW bus.

"Really works well — I don't feel any difference with the surfboard up to 50 mph. The kayak is just more difficult if you have a side wind...

"It does not have to be that high on the rack but gives more options and unobstructed view."

Surfski kayak is longer than a car, weighs about 24 pounds.

No sooner did I absorb Bruce's design than I encountered a custom Ural sidecar with topside surfboard, being offered as the prize in the Paddle and Pistons contest by paddle equipment maker Bote. (Entries due by May 31, 2019, if you're interested.)

Do great minds think alike?

Bote posted this video of the Ural outfit.



"You'll never see anything like this again," Bote boasted.

They were wrong about that. "Thanks for the link about the Ural," Bruce responded.

"That one looks like a more permanent, non-removable rack, but nice job. I did it all for about $100."

Only a hundred dollars? That, has to be the final word, on that.

Sidecar ride? His dog wags a precautionary tale

What dog doesn't want to ride in a sidecar? This one.

A 2012 Royal Enfield C5 and sidecar went up for sale on eBay in Santa Ana, Calif. when the owner's dog refused to go for a ride.

"Up for auction is a practically new, fresh off the showroom floor, two-week-old motorcycle," the seller wrote.

"Bought it so I could take my dog with me when I ride. We went out one day, did about 70 miles (in short sections) and now she won't go anywhere near the bike...

"I want this thing gone! It pisses me off every time I look at it. I spent a bunch of money (custom harness for the dog, side car and installation) and time with good intentions to have fun but it isn't going to happen...

"All reasonable and some not so reasonable offers will be considered.

"So if you're interested don't wait 'til the end because it might be gone, depending on the offer and how quickly it can be completed, I might take it (did I mention I want it gone!)."

Buy It Now price was $10,000 (and now has been lowered to $8,992).

Cape Cod sidecar tour by Royal Enfield takes you back

Seeing the world from a sidecar.

Once a fishing and whaling center, Provincetown, Mass. is a modern day vacation destination for tens of thousands in the summer, but one resident brings a vintage touch with her Royal Enfield motorcycle and sidecar.

Photographer Terry Rozo and her little black dog Butch can be seen cruising around town and you can go for a ride, too. Terry offers a  tour through the adjacent Cape Code National Seashore in the sidecar of her 2009 Royal Enfield G5.

Her Cape Code Vintage Sidecar Tours  was recently featured in Provincetown.com. They called it "one of the coolest ways to tour our prize-winning natural environment...

"Your ride includes a retro helmet and goggles, a stop or two along the route for photography opportunities, and a vintage style black and white photo of you in the Royal Enfield to print at home (she emails a digital file to you)!"

The sidecar outfit seems to roll back the calendar.

Terry sent me the photos you see here and added "let me first say I love this bike! I live at the tip of Cape Cod, in Provincetown, the world's most unique destination...

"My two passions are motorcycles and art, and this tour combines both. My route is what I  ride to decompress after a hectic day. The photos I take are mementos for life, the images, eternal. People love it!

"I'm licensed by the town of Provincetown and the Cape Cod National Seashore. All war vets and family can ride for free. I'm on the road from April to late October."

Price is $60 according to her website.

I asked Terry to describe why Provincetown is special, since she obviously loves it.

"Sixty miles out into the ocean, we are at the tip of the Cape. Surrounded by water, the light has drawn artists since the first days of Impressionism. We are the oldest, and largest art colony in the U.S.

"Formally a Portuguese fishing village, it is now a resort with many bed and breakfast establishments. The 18th and 19th Century homes themselves, with their English gardens, are characters in the theater that is Provincetown. Provincetown gave its beaches to the National Seashore, assuring the preservation of nature along the Atlantic Ocean.

"Drag queens, comedians, and bonafide Broadway stars perform nightly along Commercial Street... Provincetown is the unconditional loving Mother to a year-round population of those seeking their true selves."

Custom color looks vintage on Royal Enfield and sidecar

Here's a custom color on a Royal Enfield motorcycle and sidecar.

Royal Enfield of Fort Worth is at it again creating a custom Royal Enfield and sidecar combination for a customer.

This one was painted to match the customer's Jeep.

The Royal Enfield dealer placed an ad on CraigsList to show off its work.

"Not only did they custom paint the entire motorcycle and sidecar, they also put about every upgrade you can think of on the Enfield," the ad crows. "If you're interested in getting a one-off custom built Royal Enfield sidecar, contact Jeff at Royal Enfield of Fort Worth 214-629-4011."

Black trim gives a vintage look.

It is a striking motorcycle and sidecar combination. But the color caught my eye for another reason. As children, my brother Phil and I decided to repaint our toy pedal car precisely this color, using a leftover jar of paint Dad had in the basement.

Whatever kind of paint it was stuck well — to us and to the pedal car. The car remained that color for the rest of its days with us. I wish I had it today.

Dad had to repaint the basement floor.

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!

Royal Enfield Military with sidecar looks like Army issue

Grab handle and open design make this sidecar look like Army issue.

Royal Enfield Military model motorcycles look great with sidecars attached, I wrote, in 2009. There was only one problem: sidecars available today tend to look like civilian models, whereas the British Army of 1940 seems to have used a side car I called "a slab sided open box with grab handles and spare wheel on the back."

Northumberland Fusiliers, 1941.

So I was surprised to see a distinctly military looking sidecar attached to a 2012 Royal Enfield Desert Storm model, for sale on CraigsList in Crystal Lake, Ill.

It's made by Inder in India but as far as I know, only Scoots4U in Crystal Lake has it for sale in the United States.

Desert Storm model recalls the battle of El Alamein.

Bob Pilz of Scoots4U imported them himself.

"The car is an Inder product... It's a model that was just introduced. Nice change from the Cozy Rocket and Euro (sidecars available from Royal Enfield USA)," he explained.

"I imported the cars myself. It was an experience but I got four of them in and three have been mounted up."

Belgian girls give flowers to British troops riding a Norton motorcycle combination in Herseaux, as the BEF crosses the border into Belgium, May 10, 1940. © IWM (F 4344)

The Desert Storm with sidecar is advertised at $9,515, with a two-year warranty. According to the ad, Scoots4U also has the Royal Enfield Battle Green military model in stock, both with and without the sidecar.

Just add a tin helmet and tan shorts.

To me, this sidecar looks like just the thing to have if you want to look like the Northumberland Fusiliers.

Front plate was armor!

BUT NOT QUITE: From reader Mark Mumford: "The sidecars you illustrated are specific to the Norton Big 4 motorcycles they are attached to. The bikes had a driven sidecar wheel engaged by a crude dog clutch off the rear wheel. When they were sold off after the war the drive was usually "gas axed" (acetylene cut) off.

"I've seen a few of these at jumbles (swapmeets) and very few complete examples survive. The reason for chopping off the chair (as we call it) is that it was designed as a light Bren Gun carrier (a light machine gun) and that upright front is actually an armoured steel plate! Just losing that must have liberated a few horses! Enfield themselves don't seem to have supplied outfits to the Forces except for evaluation, which wasn't taken further."

Britain went to war on motorcycle combinations.

Royal Enfield and sidecar come with free advice

2008 Royal Enfield sidecar rig for sale.

A 2008 Royal Enfield Electra with Cozy Rocket sidecar is for sale on eBay in Charleston, W.Va. accompanied by an unusually complete description of the bike, the brand and its pluses and minuses.

I'm always impressed by sellers who take the time to put their vehicles in context for potential buyers.

In this case, the seller, Paul Nadas, includes this friendly note of caution:

"Those not familiar with the Royal Enfield sidecar unit should be aware that this set-up is not suitable for 'freeway' (Interstate) use. It simply does not have the power to 'cruise' at Interstate speeds. That said, I can 'drive' happily all day on the wonderful secondary roads all around my 'home state' of West Virginia at a comfortable 50-55 mph without concern. Those wanting a sidecar rig for 'long legged' interstate travel on the 'concrete slabs' of the Interstate Highway system need to consider a machine with more power and displacement than this classic 500cc single-cylinder machine."

There's even more advice for someone who may be considering purchase of their first sidecar rig:

"This should be considered one unit: you don’t just remove and re-install the sidecar at will for a two wheel ride. Although it can be removed, the intention is to be 'driven' as one unit, and is to be sold as one unit. Adding a sidecar to a motorcycle, although attached at the dealer is a highly specialized project. 'Marrying a sidecar to a bike' is both science and art. The owner gave the dealer all the time they wanted to fine-tune, test drive, and tweak the attachment, as it is not as simple as one might think."

This is more than just the full disclosure every seller ought to offer in an advertisement. It's good, first-hand, real-world advice you might otherwise have to gain through pain.

There's a lot more to this long, long ad, all well worth reading, including an explanation of why the owner removed the windshield. I'll let you discover that for yourself.

This sidecar rig is for sale for $7,999. It has 10,280 miles and you'll need to go to Charleston, W.Va. or arrange for shipping to get it. Check out the ad for yourself.

Cozy Rocket sidecar with Royal Enfield Electra.

Royal Enfield and Inder sidecar look great in Bogotá

Heritage is evident everywhere in this picture.

There is something about a Royal Enfield motorcycle with a sidecar attached. José Cepeda of Bogotá, Colombia sent me these beautiful pictures. They made his sidecar rig and his city look very appealing.

He wrote:

"I live in Bogotá, Colombia, where I purchased a brand new Royal Enfield Classic 350 in 2010 and as of 2011 am enjoying as well the company of an Inder Sidecar.

"I'm 38 and have studied journalism and political science in Colombia, Germany and Spain. I work as a professor and freelance writer for magazines, beside playing the guitar and conducting a music program on College Radio at my university.

 José Cepeda with his Royal Enfield and sidecar.

"Since I was a kid I've had an interest in classic cars and bikes, but just recently found the opportunity to buy a motorcycle with the long heritage of the Royal Enfield 350. I still remember in Heidelberg, Germany, an old Dnepr sidecar rig parking every day in summer semester beside the main library, and dreaming about it.

"This is my first bike so it has been an experience to learn how to drive it and assemble the bike and sidecar. I was thankful for the new Royal Enfield store in Bogotá  and the knowledge and patience of an Italian-English photographer and motorcycle restorer named Salvatore Salamone. We shared a lot of time learning how sidecars work.

"I also found an interesting book that I recommend for the sidecarist: Driving a Sidecar Outfit, by David L. Hough.

Even the young seem to appreciate the classic looks of the Royal Enfield.

"I ride my rig on weekends, especially on sunny Sundays, alone or with friends as passengers, and sometimes with other bikes including Royal Enfield models, around the countryside from Bogotá. I'm old-fashioned  and enjoy the retro-style and the unique feeling from the mid-20th-Century.

"Also I'm a beginner golf player, and carry my bag and clubs when I go for practice in the sidecar (they fit perfectly) and everywhere I go the reaction is great!"

In  José's pictures his Royal Enfield seems to have the streets to itself.

Almost as pretty as the Royal Enfield and sidecar in these pictures is Bogotá itself. I looked it up. Bogotá, the capital of Colombia, is "the Athens of South America," because of its many universities and libraries. It is (stunning to me at my seven feet above sea level) situated at 8,612 feet.

With its metropolitan area, it has almost 7.9 million inhabitants.

Royal Enfield sidecar owner hands out 'cheat sheets' to explain what it is

If you ride a Royal Enfield motorcycle, especially one with a sidecar attached, you get noticed. People stop you to chat, and they ask questions.

Ted Wetzler, of North Ridgeville, Ohio, decided to make his own "cheat sheet" to pass out to curious people, giving them something to answer their questions and remember their encounter with his unusual vehicle.

Printed on two sides, it offers facts on one side and pictures of Royal Enfield motorcycles downloaded from the Internet on the other. He has handed out about 50, so far.

Wetzler explains why he needs it:

"I have the good fortune of living not too far from a remarkable (and l-o-n-g) parkway meandering its way through a Cleveland park system here. It loops Cleveland and is called 'the emerald necklace.' I try to use it wherever I drive, be it to Lakewood (20 miles), downtown, or hauling my high maintenance mac in for a little TLC. Yesterday I drove 55 miles, most of it on the parkway.

"I am ever so pleased to receive smiles and waves from people walking the path, on 'bike' bikes, auto drivers, kids etc. It's just like rolling the clock back to the Eisenhower years. People who you have to believe are completely locked down and have been for most of their lives. A smile. a wave. a thumbs up. To me, this bike is not just a way to get places, but a way to 'get through' (to people). In the morning, at stop signs, exchanging greetings with folks waiting for their bus. Whodathunk, in these harsh days?"

Giving the people he meets a briefing sheet on the Royal Enfield is a neat idea. Naturally, he includes a mention of the local dealer, in case someone is inspired to buy. Wetzler was kind enough to share his cheat sheet with me. Here's an abbreviated form of what he wrote:

"(This) white Royal Enfield motorcycle with sidecar is new. Although many folks think it is a restored vehicle or a replica, it was actually built in late 2007 as a 2008 model...

"This model is called a Bullet. The manufacturing plant is in Madras (now called Chennai), India.

"This bike is pretty much the original design of the '50s. Drum brakes. Traditional carburetor, points, condenser, coil. It has a displacement of 499cc, with a rated horsepower of 22. The transmission is a five-speed. The current design is compliant with all emission and safety standards both here and in Europe. In 2010 Enfield offers four variations of this basic bike now, with engines upgraded to fuel injection and electronic ignition for better performance.

"The sidecar, an option, is also manufactured in India, but by a separate company. The design of the car was originated in the '30s by a German manufacturer, Steib. It mimics the design of the German dirigibles, which were a leading technology (able to fly the Atlantic) until the crash of their Hindenburg.

"This unit with a sidecar and rider will travel at about 55 mpg tops. It is mostly for recreation and is designed for the back roads, not Interstate speeds. You can look for up to 30-35 mpg. Weight of the bike is 375 pounds, sidecar 200 pounds. Plus driver, plus passenger. It handles quite differently than a two-wheel motorcycle.

"These bikes are imported by a company in Minnesota and sold by dealers in most states. Price on the bikes are in the range of $6,000 to $7,000. Sidecars run $3,000, plus about $400 installation. FYI: These models require hands on. We may be used to our new cars coming through trouble free now. This bike is not. For instance, my bike wouldn't start for a week when I got it. After investigation, it turned out to be simply a failed spark plug. At 200 miles! But let me say this is more than offset by the fun ride."

Wetzler is spreading the word about Royal Enfields, but he's also spreading good will, on many levels.

Did you recognize those odd sidecar lights?

Update: We now have the explanation for the Royal Enfield featured here with an attractive set of lights on its Cozy sidecar.

Ted Wetzler of North Ridgeville, Ohio, shared pictures of his rig, delivered to him with extra heavy duty marker lights front and rear on the sidecar fender. I speculated that better lights, like these, would be an effective way to increase safety.

How many of you readers recognized the lights on Ted's sidecar? I'll bet some of you did.

"We put those lights on because the Cozy comes with barely a marker light on top of the fender," explained Ted's dealer, Ben Erickson of Ural Northwest in Bellingham, Wash.

"The lights and mounts are for a Ural Retro (whether you believe it or not)! If you look in the Enfield parts catalog at the Cozy you can see the marker light I am talking about," he wrote.

Ted and I both had a notion that the lights looked — somehow — familiar. Those of you who know Urals probably recognized them.

But looking at the perfect installation, Ted couldn't believe that it hadn't been done in the factory.

"They had me fooled... so this car is one of a kind," he wrote.

Royal Enfield sidecar lights help put width to work to add safety

Bike's right turn signal was removed and wired to the car's signal, which also contains a small white running light.

Sidecars are often fitted to Royal Enfield motorcycles. I speculated recently that lights added to a sidecar might increase safety by helping other motorists better judge how far away the motorcycle is and how fast it is approaching.

Drivers, I suggested, are used to judging the speed and distance of another vehicle by the distance between its lights, something a solo motorcycle can't offer.

Ted Wetzler of North Ridgeville, Ohio helpfully sent me the pictures you see here of his Royal Enfield and Cozy sidecar, equipped with a clever set of running lights. He wrote:

Perimeter signals on the bike and car. The car's rear turn signal is also a brake light.

"I thought I would send along some snaps of the bike with car I received last fall. Both front and rear right turn signals were removed by the dealer (Ural Northwest in Bellingham, Wash.) and the signal wires attached to what appear to me to be original equipment signals fitted to the sidecar's sheet metal over the wheel.

Rear combo turn signal/brake light.

"This was no special order and made sense to me as placement was logical, showing the dimensions of the bike to approaching vehicles. The car is a Cozy and the bike is a 2008 Bullet with an engine that has been upgraded slightly to accommodate the extra burden the car puts on the motor's strength.

"I've passed 2,500 miles driving this arrangement during the eight months of drivable conditions in Northern Ohio — back roads and city streets only. Driving this rig gives you a workout. They don't drive themselves.

"I didn't consider this car's signal arrangement was anything special when I got it."

Front combo turn signal/running light.

Perhaps not, but it is interesting.

Wetzler says he chose the color of his Royal Enfield and sidecar in part for safety.

"You see a ton of black bikes roaming in my part of the woods with riders and their passengers dressed top to toe in black as well. Since black absorbs light and doesn't reflect any, they go mostly unseen while driving.

"My choice of color — white — was made in part so the hardware could be seen on the road. (And, yes, i was influenced a little by Hubert driving his white Ural all over the place.) After experiencing a close call where a utility truck did a wide turn into my lane, I started wearing a white shirt as well. So far, so good."

Enfield Military looks great with sidecar

Royal Enfield motorcycles look great with a sidecar attached. But one combination not often seen is a sidecar with the Military model. An anonymous comment from a reader raised the question: why not?

It's certainly appropriate on a Brit-style motorcycle like the Royal Enfield. The British Army used many motorcycle sidecars, often fitting them for combat with light machine guns.

Home Guard exercise with Lewis guns, 1941. Sidecar looks almost homemade.

Getting the machine gun might be touchy, but there is no problem obtaining the sidecar. Classic Motorworks, the U.S. importer of Royal Enfield motorcycles, offers sidecars for sale.

Travis Andersen at Classic told me there is no special problem fitting one of them to a Military model. The attachment points are the same and the pannier boxes do not interfere.

There are photos of a Military with a Cozy Rocket sidecar on the firm's Cycle Sidecar web site. Andersen said he has seen this motorcycle, and it has a clear coat over its paint, producing a glossy finish. Classic offers sidecars only in black, so getting the paint to match your Military is your problem. It would be easier if your bike has a flat, olive drab paint job and you're willing to sacrifice shine for authenticity.

RAF courier is handed target films for delivery in 1944. His sidecar may be a civilian model pressed into service.

Photos from the Imperial War Museum show several types of sidecars in use with the British Military in World War II. Everything that would roll was pressed into duty, so it shouldn't matter that Classic's Cozy sidecars look distinctly comfortable and civilian in comparison to the 1940 War Office variety.

This Cozy Euro model, with its canoe shaped prow, looks much like the RAF sidecar pictured above.

Northumberland Fusiliers exercise, summer of 1941.

A slab sided open box with grab handles and spare wheel on the back would look more war like. But do you really want to enlist to ride in that thing?

Comfy ride for Enfield sidecar passenger

An exceptionally clean looking Royal Enfield sidecar rig has shown up on Flickr. It was photographed at a "Weekly Bike Meet" on the Isle of Wight Jan. 18.

The tug is a Royal Enfield twin. I'm guessing it is a Constellation. Note the auxiliary headlight! What a clever idea.

Motorcycle and sidecar look to have been well and lovingly used. The pictures were posted by Flickr user g1smy. Thank you!

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