Royal Enfield sidecar ideas you never thought of

If you can imagine a motorcycle doing it, you'll see it on Haul N Ride.

UPDATE: Jorge Pullin at the My Royal Enfields blog has indeed found an example of a Royal Enfield fitted with twin sidecars.

I expected more photos of Royal Enfield motorcycles with sidecars when I called up the Haul N Ride website, and there are some there.

Most of what is there is a crazy collection of both practical and monumentally impractical ideas for hauling people and things by motorcycle.

Created out of an interest in "accessible motorcycles" for those with special needs, Haul N Ride branches out into modified controls, leaning sidecars, motorcycles that pull trailers and trailers that are motorcycles.

How about an ATV with wheelchair seating? Beach wheelchairs, wheelchair boats, wheelchair accessible airplanes...

It's not just wheelchairs. Perhaps you'd like to haul a house trailer with your motorcycle? Or ride a motorcycle shaped like a giant cheeseburger, with lettuce, onions and tomatoes? Really — who wouldn't?

My own two favorite lunatic sidecar ideas:

1. A motorcycle inside a sidecar, along the lines of the Royal Enfield Dreamliner (nothing like this seen on Haul N Ride).

2. A motorcycle with a sidecar on each side (Bingo!).

Sorry, no lane splitting on this baby.

And there are plenty of other unusual ideas on Haul N Ride. As the website says, "Grab a coffee, there are a lot of amazing bikes (and other things) to explore!"

Haul N Ride could use up a lot of your Saturday.

Like what you see? There are links to the companies that make some of the outlandish/practical gear you see here. Really. You can buy this stuff.

The website was created by the Australian parents of a daughter in a wheelchair who wanted to include her in their motorcycle rides. In "Shanniah's Story" they explain (with step-by-step photos) how they went about creating a sidecar for her.

Shanniah got her sidecar and the rest of us got a gift of an (awe) inspiring website.

Homemade sidecar and Royal Enfield prove a success

Son Jesse goes for his first ride in Al Latham's home built sidecar.

Al Latham of Washington state didn't buy a sidecar to go with a Royal Enfield. He bought a Royal Enfield to go with his sidecar — a sidecar he built himself, and for a very special reason.

He built it so his son Jesse, with developmental disabilities, could share the fun of motorcycling with him.

Of course, Al couldn't be sure Jesse would agree to ride in the sidecar. So rather than invest in a sidecar, he decided to build a simple one for Jesse to try out.

Al's story of the sidecar project appeared in the November/December 2012 issue of Sidecarist, the club magazine of the United Sidecar Association.

Friend Bryan Hayes "just happened to have an old Watsonian classic sidecar frame for sale," Al wrote.

With advice from members of the Sidecar.com forum, Al created what I would call a "bullnose" style sidecar.

"Having started riding bikes in the '60s, and having always liked the style and sound of the old British singles, I'd started fantasizing about the newer 500cc Royal Enfields — old style with modern improvements like fuel injection, electric start, etc.," he wrote.

"When I finished constructing the sidecar body I painted it green to match the British Racing Green Royal Enfield I was trying to find... Finally a beautiful chrome and red 2009 Royal Enfield G5 showed up on CraigsList and I couldn't resist. It meant repainting the sidecar to match the bike, but Jesse likes red and this helped him 'bond' with it."

Friend Randy Charrier of Eaglemount Marine and Salvage helped Al set up the combination in his shop.

"Now the moment of truth. Though I had fairly extensive solo riding experience the only sidecar rig I'd ridden was during the training course. Heading out from Randy's I experienced the low speed wobble that can be a common characteristic, but it decreased as the speed increased — the terror/fun ratio was way over on the 'terror' side at this point. We increased the tire inflation from the solo specs and that helped quite a bit, and the terror/fun (T/F) ratio inched over towards the 'fun' side.

"Fortunately I'd made contact with the Sidestrider himself, Doug Bingham, and he'd sent info for using a VW bug steering damper to address  the wobble issue. Fitting the steering damper from the sidecar frame to a bracket at the top of the forks completely got rid of the wobble, and the T/F ratio was now completely over to the 'fun' side.

Jesse got used to the sidecar, sitting in it while it was under construction and taking short rides.

"Later I said 'Let's go to the Chimacum Corner store for ice cream' and he agreed. This would be the test: our first ride on the highway at 40-50 mph, for 14 miles. He did it! ...Since then, whenever I've given him the option of car or sidecar, he invariably says (with enthusiasm) 'Sidecar!'"

With his concept proved, Al moved on.

Jesse poses at the controls for the family's Christmas photo.

"I'm now running a California Companion sidecar on my 2009 G5. It works fine for around here on my 20 mile trips to town — some rolling hills where I go to fourth gear with passenger and headwind. No problem maintaining the 50-55 speed limits. I would liken it to driving an old VW van power wise, but if you're not in a hurry it's fine. And it's a great looking rig!"

What happened to the bullnose?

"Still have the 'bullnose,' or as I called it the 'soap box derby' body, but sold the frame... I advertised it on CraigsList and got a call from a guy who said 'You won’t believe this: you have a Watsonian frame but no body; I have a Watsonian body but no frame.' So a perfect match. By the way the 'bullnose' is a section of 30-gallon plastic drum."

Watsonian Meteor sidecar inspired by RAF Mosquito

The Watsonian Meteor sidecar appeals to the aviator in you.

There's a new champion in the universe of cool accessories for your Royal Enfield motorcycle.

The Watsonian Motorcycle & Sidecar Company will re-launch its Meteor sidecar, 60 years after production of the original ceased.

The Meteor was sleek and rare — only 601 originals were made, between 1946 and 1949.

Mosquito bomber fuel tank inspired the new Meteor.

But here's what makes them cool. According to the November Watsonian Newsletter, they were made from a "a batch of RAF Mosquito bomber reserve fuel tanks (ringed in red on the above photo) that they had bought from the Air Ministry shortly after the end of the Second World War."

Mosquito bomber reserve tanks being on the rare side these days, the body of the modern Meteor is fibreglass, from a mold of one of the originals.

According to the Newsletter, "It sits on a tubular steel chassis, which is uprated from the 1940s' design with addition of a shock absorber."

Royal Enfield's sidecar is world's smallest theater

This tidy "theater" is a motorcycle sidecar.

The Smallest Theatre in the World — seating capacity two — is said to be a large, boxy sidecar of a Royal Enfield motorcycle. The mobile theatrical venue tours with The Grand Theatre of Lemmings, a none too grand group of English comedians willing to do anything for a giggle.

Thus their completely inappropriate choice for this summer's touring production: "King Kong."

The theater on wheels is usually photographed from the passenger side, blocking the view of the motorcycle, but a photo on the Smallest Theatre's Facebook page shows a relatively recent Royal Enfield motorcycle. It is described as the theater's new "side kick." So presumably it is the sidecar tug now in use.

Cast members aboard Royal Enfield.

The Smallest Theatre in the World itself dates to the 1970s; reviving it recently meant stripping wallpaper so moldy it brought tears to the eye.

In the course of restoration it was discovered that some long ago cast or audience member had scribbled a message inside: "No Smoking This Side of Theatre."

The theater's website explains that "The Lemmings are now working in partnership with Chelmsford City Council Arts team to rehabilitate the 'Smallest Theatre in the World,' an extraordinary piece of street theater history and testimony to the madcap inventiveness of British street arts and its creator Marcel Steiner."

A 2003 article in The Guardian provides these details about Steiner, now deceased, and his sidecar theater:

"Marcel Steiner, a veteran of Joan Littlewood's Theatre Workshop, was touring with Ken Campbell's Road Show, when he bought a battered Panther motorbike, with a gigantic sidecar. 'That sidecar is ridiculous!' exclaimed Ken, or Bob, or Jim (authorship of the joke is disputed), 'you could build a theatre in that sidecar.'

"Before he ran away to join a circus, Steiner trained as a toolmaker, and is fondly remembered as a man who could make anything. He duly made the theatre, complete with box office, stage door, Sistine Chapel frescoed ceiling, red plush curtains, and one surprisingly comfortable red cushioned seat.

"He toured the world with it for 30 years, boasting that it was the only theatre which sold 100 percent of the tickets for every performance. When it burned to the ground at the Edinburgh Festival, donations poured in and he rebuilt it in 24 hours."

This circa 1980 video of the Smallest Theatre in performance is not to be missed:

Royal Enfield and sidecar help solve Deaths in Paradise

BBC comedy-drama "Death in Paradise" includes a Royal Enfield and sidecar.

A Royal Enfield motorcycle and sidecar outfit are key players in the BBC television series "Death in Paradise." One-quarter drama, three-quarters comedy, the show pits an oh-so-British police detective against crime on a Caribbean isle.

His police force drives a Royal Enfield with Watsonian Squire sidecar the sidecar maker happily notes. (A different motorcycle and sidecar appear in the opening episode, however.)

Conditions on the island (the show is filmed on Guadeloupe) are meant to be backward, perhaps explaining the sidecar outfit.

But nothing really demands much explanation in a detective series that relies on sunny beaches and a pretty girl as eye candy for shivering Brits. The show is such "cliche-ridden nonsense" that The Guardian's critic  demanded to know "how on earth does this get so many viewers?"

"It's no coincidence that both series (American translation: seasons) of 'Death In Paradise' have aired during winter, when sniffling viewers are dreaming of warmer climes. But surely that doesn't mean we'll watch any old rubbish as long as the sun's shining?" the critic asked.

Watsonian Squire sidecar and Royal Enfield in "Death in Paradise."

Oh yeah? The Guardian was immediately on the receiving end of critical comments from readers.

"Above all else, it is very funny — unlike most things on the BBC," writes MetalDad. "If the reviewer has not noticed any of these things, then perhaps he should consider another line of work..?"

Wrote Softarse: "When the rain and wind are lashing at your window and you can't afford the central heating on all day, and you just found out you have eaten a horse would you rather watch angry, shouty Eastenders or a no-brainer, sunshine detective show? mmmm, Horse rump!!"

"Death in Paradise" is available on my local PBS station here in Florida and several episodes are available online. I found it entertaining.

Check out the trailer:

Classy classic sidecar matched to Royal Enfield

This Royal Enfield C5 and sidecar look as though they were made for one another.

I've written before about the remarkable custom sidecar outfits being put together at Royal Enfield of Fort Worth.

There's no ignoring this latest effort, offered for sale on CraigsList for $12,995.

It's an Inder sidecar, painted to match a new teal 2012 C5. There's a custom leather seat and a "hood" ornament on the sidecar. The sidecar is marked as a Royal Enfield in the same style used on the tank of the C5.

But wait.

Fenders of motorcycle and sidecar are painted to match.

An awfully nice additional touch is the white paint on the fenders of the motorcycle, matching the sidecar fender. Who would have thought of that?

Another nice feature: the sidecar wheel has a brake!

The sidecar has front and rear grab bars; the front is shiny, the rear is painted to match the car. Someone gave this a lot of thought.

Sidecar has a brake. Note treatment of the grab bars.

Royal Enfield of Fort Worth is at at 8124 West Freeway, Fort Worth, Texas. Telephone is 214-629-4011. I have no connection to this dealer and can't vouch for them, but if I was in town I would go take a look at this sidecar combination.

Royal Enfield Battle Green sidecar looks battle ready

This Royal Enfield sidecar outfit looks ready for combat.

I recently saluted a very military looking Royal Enfield Desert Storm equipped with a sidecar by Scoots4U in Crystal Lake, Ill.

What I liked about that sidecar combination was its stripped down, army issue look, with a prominent grab handle for the sidecar passenger.

But here's a geared-up Royal Enfield Battle Green motorcycle with Inder sidecar offered on CraigsList by  Royal Enfield of Fort Worth. From the olive drab tool bag on the forks to the painted spokes (even on the sidecar wheel), it looks ready to report for duty.

This thing just looks so butch. Seeing it photographed from a low angle I just can't help thinking "Sherman tank."

Even the fork bag looks army issue.

One touch of genius: the tool bag on the forks is all zippers and straps and pockets and pulls. I recently went camping with an army surplus back pack. I don't know why soldiers need so many compartments, but they've got 'em if they want 'em.

The sidecar is actually surprisingly plush looking, with padded arm rests. The ad says this is "custom upholstery." It looks good and somehow doesn't detract from the overall military look.

No soldier ever had it this good.

This is a custom job. Price is $12,995. Phone number for information is 214-629-4011. 

Great photos of a Royal Enfield sidecar outfit...and its handsome owner and his pretty lady

What year is it? Tyler Horne's sidecar rig looks like
a visitor from another era in David Do's photo.

A Royal Enfield Bullet and sidecar in Houston, Texas came with an interesting story. Its new owner has added to its story, posing with it for a treasure trove of marvelous photographs by a talented photographer.

You can view them in a slideshow here:

" I recently picked up a 2002 Bullet in British racing green with a Cozy sidecar attached," wrote Tyler Horne, from Houston.

"It was previously owned by a grandmother who enjoyed taking strolls through the neighborhood and the occasional ride with a grandchild.  She put 180 miles on it during her almost-decade of ownership, so I am still going through the break-in period. I flushed out the tank and cleaned the carbs.

Ashley, Tyler and Wilma in one of Tyler's favorite photos.

"Everything is straightforward, and I find the work to be enjoyable.  I wanted something practical that would allow me take things to and from work without the need to drive my car. I manage farmers markets in Houston and the bike was quite the attraction  when I showed up to work on it."

Tyler and his girlfriend Ashley named their Royal Enfield "Wilma" in honor of Will Spoor, a good friend and "motorcycle mentor" who was known as the "sidecar king" of Houston when he ran a shop specializing in antique BMW motorcycles. Tyler and Will worked together on Tyler's BMW R90/6, and Will taught Ashley to ride a motorcycle.

Tribute photo signed by friend's of Will Spoor, the "sidecar king" of Houston.

Will passed away a few months ago. Tyler sent a photo of a card friends signed in his memory; about 40 people rode their motorcycles in a procession from his favorite watering hole to his memorial service.

"Quite a nice send-off to our friend," Tyler wrote.

"Ashley and I live in the Montrose area in Houston. It is the perfect neighborhood to enjoy a sidecar bike. Everything is close and everything is an excuse to hop on the bike and take a trip. One of our favorite spots is the West Alabama Ice House down the street from us. It's a great place to spend a hot summer evening. There is motorcycle-only parking in front, picnic tables with a basketball court and horseshoes. A little taco truck serves some delicious tacos to those brave enough to try them.

"The Enfield always gets compliments and the sidecar is a curiosity to many who couldn't care less about two-wheeled transportation. I've come to find a big part about owning this bike is being patient and knowledgeable enough to answer the questions people have about it. 'No, it's not restored,' 'yes it's made in India,' 'yes it's a lot of work,' and my favorite I learned from you,  'buy a Honda.'

"I find myself in conversations with people I wouldn't have been talking to otherwise, and I enjoy seeing people smile as they pass us on the road. It always feels like we are in a parade, even just to get the groceries or run to the post office. I've spent many evenings working on the bike and reading the repair manuals. Ashley usually sits in a chair beside me and offers female perspective and advice.

David Do's photos, and his young models, could sell a lot of Royal Enfields.

"I'd also like to mention that I love the world-class support I have received from Kevin Mahoney and Ron Greene at Classic Motor Works.  The first time I called in, I knew I was in good hands."

Ashley added: "Despite owning something newer (the Ninja), I find the Enfield to be much more charming."    

The remarkable photos of Tyler and Ashley with Wilma are the work of David Do, of the Houston-based automotive blog MayDay Garage.

"We feature local area cars and cover automotive events when we can," David explained. "What separates us from everyone else is all of our photographers, including me, are automotive enthusiasts first; we just happened to take photos as well.

"We've grown much larger and larger blogs such as SpeedHunters   recognize our photography quality, and that's what we're best known for both nationally and internationally. We have a good 23,000 fans on our Facebook page."

Tyler Horne is market manager for Urban Harvest,  which sponsors farmer's markets in Houston and encourages healthy gardening through education.

All photos are copyrighted by MayDay Garage. Used with permission.

Royal Enfield sidecar lights up for safety

A 2006 Royal Enfield Bullet with sidecar, for sale on CraigsList in Michigan, shows an interesting modification that never occurred to me.

The owner has added a tail light to the sidecar wheel fender, and mounted an extra turn signal to the outside front edge of the sidecar.

The effect, especially at night, would be to visually "widen" the motorcycle to almost automobile width.

It's clever, and I'll bet it really does increase safety, at least marginally.

We know that automobile drivers don't seem to have the same subconscious respect for motorcycles they show for approaching cars. A driver who would not dare pull out in front of an oncoming car will do so in the path of a motorcycle.

I don't think it's a mean streak. I really think it's the experience, repeated hundreds of times daily, of judging how close a car may be by how far apart its lights are. If a motorcycle somehow had widespread lights, it might be more intimidating and thus safer.

Maybe the solution would be to put a headlight in the nose of that sidecar!

Royal Enfield 'Naval' model is unique

A 2003 Royal Enfield Bullet in naval colors, with an aircraft carrier for a sidecar, certainly is a new take on the traditional Military Royal Enfield.

This one-of-a-kind motorcycle, with a model of the USS Saratoga attached, is decorated with U.S. Navy Shore Patrol (SP) markings. The combination is for sale on CraigsList in Deltona, Florida. Asking price is $5,000.

It has only 314 miles on it.

"The bike has only been ridden a couple of times to military events, since it was built from new," the seller advises. "This bike was built by my father, who is retired Navy as well as an old world artisan. I am listing this for sale for him, he is 74 years old and is too sick to take it to any more events."

"This is a great opportunity for someone to own a historical work of art."

Always garage kept since new, the motorcycle has never been in rain, starts, runs and rides perfectly, and has a clean Florida title, the ad claims.

The motorcycle is shown with the standard seat, but is currently fitted with a solo seat, the seller advises.

Contact phone number is 732- 688-2509.

For sale: Two Enfields, one sidecar, $4,000

Two Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycles, one with a Cozy sidecar, all for $4,000. That is the buy-one, get-one deal offered on CraigsList and in the YouTube video above by a seller in Pueblo, Colo.

The motorcycles are both 1999 models. The sidecar is a Cozy Rocket. The seller gives the mileage of the Bullet with the sidecar as only 1,963. He doesn't mention the mileage on the other motorcycle, and he doesn't let us hear them run in the video, but both appear in good shape.

He lists his phone number as 719-778-8995.