Steam Driven Chair

[Sin_Tiger]

I'm committed now. After spending a couple of days going around the various UK chair makers, talking to some very helpful people in the British Sidecar Federation, I am pretty well sold on the idea and more importantly so is the wife.

One thing that has come to the fore is that there are almost as many opinions on every topic, forks, shocks, tyres,  steering dampers etc. as there are chair makes. I will find out myself with all the advice to hand.

One thing is certain, you are not going to put a new chair on a bike for much less than £ 10k excluding the bike. Deciding not to throw money at it I have managed to source a second hand early Hedingham S/S that I intend to fit to the Steamer I bought from Jay in NI last year (it's still in his shed).

Plan is to get it all together on a budget and see how we like it before starting to spend a lot on leading link forks, rims, tyres and matching paint job. I have treasurer's approval  this plan and there may be a Trophy (two wheeled type) at the end of the tunnel if I can pull this off.

I am off to Dubai for a few weeks on Sunday so the project is not going to get started till October when I'll hire a van and collect all the parts together in one place and get the welder fired up.

This is the photo that started it all.

[Mustang]

be forewarned ........you will either Love it or Hate it .
There is no middle ground  !

If it turns out you love it , you may as well sell your other bikes cuz you will very rarely ride them .

Tigger 2 has No Chair and has not even been started since last September .

Tigger 4 is the same .

Tigger 3 has a chair and runs daily . I like to think it's because the sidecar has to be moved to get the other tiggers out of the garage , but that just isn't the real reason .

[Sin_Tiger]

That's a common comment I hear, like it or hate that is.

The main protagonist for this is my missus wanting to join in the fun but in a bit more comfort for longer runs. So I need at least one bike that I can still get some me time, there is still a bit of hooligan in me yet  :icon_wink:

[Mustang]

if you love it , you'll see what I mean .
you can still be a hooligan with the chair .............trust me 

[PompeyLad]

Sorry in advance for the highjack. Still relevant though.
Mustang, I have a couple of old Soviet era outfits and am planning on mounting one of the hacks to my Tiger. I am on the scrounge for sub-frame plans and the like. I ask because as the saying goes, I don't want to re-invent the wheel. I plan on fabricating it myself, largely on account of I am in Sweden and getting something shipped from the US and then paying EU/Swedish customs duty makes it prohibitively expensive. ( They even charge 25% on the cost of shipping) Having built 2 sidecars, 1 a trials outfit and the other an enduro/mx one, I believe I am up to the task.  Getting it through Swedish vehicle registry/inspection on the other hand......

[Sin_Tiger]

No problem with using this as a common thread for sharing. Might warrant a sticky if we can come up with enough information worthy of sharing.

In my research to date I have seen three variations due to that frame being used for several models. Asking around nobody would admit to having actual plans but Headingham had a pile of bits that they couldn't rember which triple of that era it was for. Whatever you do it's always going to look a bit ungainly.

I will be starting my fabrications in October and will happily share what I do, there might be something you can use.

[Bixxer Bob]

I remember seeing a 1200 Daytona in France with a chair on it.  Guy was a bit shirty to start with because he mistook my incredulous laughing as taking the piss.  He soon calmed down though and we had a good chat.  Might still have some photos somewhere, I'll have a look...

[theclowncrusty]

I will be watching this thread as this is something that i want to do to a Tigger some time in the future.

[Sin_Tiger]

With my friend Jay helping out as usual, I managed to get the other Steamer delivered to the door from Northern Ireland.

Now tucked away in the garage until I get back from my next trip.

[Sin_Tiger]

Managed to get the seller of the chair at home and luckily a good day for it, so it was off to Brechin with the trailer to collect it.

Nice run up, all loaded up in daylight and off down the road. The first couple of miles down the farm tracks made sure anything that was going to come loose was found before hitting the main road.

Stopped for a double check after the first few miles of dual carriageway, beautiful sunny but cold day, snow on the tops of the hills in the distance.

Everything still in one piece by the time I got home thankfully. The unit is a very early Headingham Solo, from when Keith Wash the original owner was making them. Complete and in good shape other than rusty fittings, seat pad been a bit chewed by mice and a few cracks in the gel coat in places.

Now the search starts for a sub-frame or plans to make one.

[Bixxer Bob]

Hijack.  I'll delete this later to keep the thread pure.  What's the ratchet strap holding down on the Range Rover????

[Sin_Tiger]

It's holding down another roof panel, if anyone was going to ask it would be you  That Rangie is getting cut up for parts as soon as I can get the plate off it. There is a CSK under a cover behind it, the long term project in the garage and an early Rangie Ambulance down on the farm, not to mention the two early chassis' under the lean to with a few engines scattered about 

[Bixxer Bob]

It's holding down another roof panel, if anyone was going to ask it would be you 

Attention to detail,  it's what I do.   

[rf9rider]

I thought it was a surfboard.

Probably not a lot of waves on the Lochs up there 

By the way Sin, did you get the handguards?

[Sin_Tiger]

By the way Sin, did you get the handguards?

I did thanks, thought I'd sent you a reply, apologies if I didn't, very nice they are too, saving them for the stocker since they are so good.