Jump to content

Classic Sidecars


laird387
 Share

Recommended Posts

 
  • 3 weeks later...

 

Hi,

Here's a first, for all you chair fanatics, kindly loaned by my old mate Will Hawkes, showing him in the 1980 Three Musketeers Trial near Reading, with Howard Crafter in the chair of the first Fantic outfit that Will built, sponsored by the Fantic importer at the time, Roy Carey, with the chair built by Harry Foster.

There had been lightweight outfits before, notably the Greeves outfits of Alec Wright (built by his passenger, John Gazely, by the way) and the DOT outfit of Arthur Pulman, but the little Fantic was thought to be the forerunner of a new trend in sidecar trials outfits at the time.

Issue 3 off 'ORRe' will be live in a few days time and I am already busy on Issue 4 which will include a feature on sidecar trialling over the years - and the history.

Enjoy.

post-19290-0-45918000-1406184416_thumb.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
  • 1 month later...

Hi,

Having 'lived' with sidecars for many years - for example, my earliest memories of travelling around the country are as a child with the family transport. In my case that was as a passenger in the sidecar of my father's 1934 500cc Ivory Calthorpe outfit.

Dad had bought the outfit when he was demobbed from the RAF after the '39-'45 War, as a complete outfit that had been standing outside in a garden throughout the war. The first task was to go by bus to the previous owner's garden, complete with my Dad's bag of tools, and set to and get the engine running. That took a good few hours, then I was 'installed' in the open launch sidecar - which was made of plywood that was busily separating into individual sheets of wood with every throb of the engine.

We made it home - and the new toy was installed in our garden ready for the winter-long renovation to start. At the time we lived in Huddersfield but Dad worked in Leeds, so it was off to bed ready for Dad to get off to work on his solo Royal Enfield Flying Flea twostroke early next morning.

Working in our front room through the evenings and weekends, Dad created out of a wooden frame that he designed and built himself, then covered in thin aluminium sheet, a child/adult saloon sidecar, with perspex windows and a canvas roll-back roof. The Calthorpe was stripped completely, engine and gearbox carefully rebuilt and lo and behold, early next spring we had 'as new' family transport. Mum sat in the front seat of the sidecar whilst my baby brother and I shared the back seat.

We visited relatives and friends around the country, ranging from visits to Lincoln, Scarborough, Blackpool, Rhyl, Morecambe for the lights, the Lake district as tourists. As I grew bigger I was promoted to the pillion seat and we carried on travelling, culminating with a return to Wales, where I had spent most of the war years, starting school with my first year in primary being all in Welsh.

Dad only had two weeks holiday, so we all went down and stayed with the people I had grown up with and called 'Auntie and Uncle' - even though we were not related - whilst Dad unbolted the sidecar and rode the solo back to Yorkshire and work, Mum and the family stayed in Wales for six weeks then Dad came back one Saturday, bolted the sidecar back on, and we all returned to Yorkshire on the Sunday.

So I have an affinity not only with motorcycling in my blood - but also with the world of the charioteers - so you may not be surprised when I tell you that there are a series of sidecar related features coming along in the new magazine - but compiled and written by someone who knows what they are talking about.......so, watch this space for more details later.

But, just for fun, here's an image from the archive to show you just how great an advantage in stability you gain by adding that third wheel to your trials machine.

Enjoy.

post-19290-0-08255300-1409909126_thumb.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
 
 

hi deryk its john perry and andy hay on on jack matthews victor outfit which john

purchased from eira after jacks accident will.

Thanks Will,

I recognised Andy but couldn't put a name to John Perry, I blame it all on Al.........(Al Tzeimer - my new lodger)

Cheers

Deryk

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
  • 3 weeks later...

Hi,

Spotted in the 1988 Gerald Simpson Memorial trial by Barry Robinson, Messrs Busfield and Sunderland with their Fantic outfit.

Enjoy.

This photo No 45 is not of Messrs Busfield and Sunderland but It is of the Cuckow Boys - Brothers Sean Cuckow and Paul Cuckow

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
 
  • 2 weeks later...

Hi,

It's over to the armchair sleuths time again - please can anybody put a name to this pair applying a little too much throttle in too low a gear with their Ariel outfit in the 1998 Downland Trophy round of the Sammy Miller series.

PHOTO: MARY WYLDE

post-19290-0-35557000-1413032407_thumb.jpg

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

 
  • 4 years later...
 
  • 3 months later...
 

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
 Share

×
  • Create New...