This is my second sidecar. I'll locate a photo of my first one later. Mustbe mid'90s as my 4-5yo son is now 24.
The sidecar has a fibreglass body, inboard suspension using a torsion arm (or what wecalled a torsion arm) & was w i d e.
Not long after the above photo, I had a canopy made and the whole thing re-sprayed in something approaching original colours.
I kept it like this until around '99when I decided to have the first of my Tiger sidecar's built.
The '96 Tiger had this built for it,by my friend Leigh, during 2000. Modification of his standard design, he widened the seat by making the left side of the boat halfway across the wheel arch. The wheel arch was modified to take a 17" wheel. The front was lifted by about 10cm, just to improve approach angle. The windscreen was fixed in place.
It did us quite well until my my boys got too big to share the sidecar. After that, I founda fewpalces where it was limited on some twin track roads & was getting hung up underneath.
Leigh & I had been talking about a better all road sidecar almost since this one was finished. 2009 I sold the body / chassis, which was then attached to an XJR1300, so I could finance the new one.
I spent a lot of time agonising over whether to use the 900 or to look for more power in a 955, or a Suzuki 1250/1400. The amount of work that had gone into getting the 900 done ultimately convinced me to go with what I had. Maybe I should've upgraded, but I didn't.
So this is how it is now.
Leigh rode a borrowed NX650 on our recent trip. This was out western NSW, north of Euston, south west of Mungo N.P.
It's got a great carrying capacity. There is 20l petrol tank sitting in the box, except the first pump died and the replacement I obtained just before this trip leaked. So I've got 30 litres in jerry cans plus all my touring kit.
I love touring on this. Not fast, just fun. Too fast? - it just gets too tiring and not enjoyable.
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