Sidecar racing

[Frost]

Cool? or for the gheys?

I used to stay to watch them when they were on with the superbikes, and i still watch them at the TT, but they've never really got much coverage.

I've been passenger on one for a short way and it scared the crap out of me. You certainly wouldn't want to fall off, and crashing one doesn't look much fun either!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a89tR8jGmDE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0xClP_frok

[Dave McCool]

Don't really care if it's 'cool' or not, I want to try this so bad!

Must be a proper buzz hanging off like that and having to trust the other bloke completely.
____________________
McGee - "When I go to the mall and see all the high school girls, I have to have DO NOT TOUCH THE GIRLS written on my hand. Every time I go to grope I see it and stop."
K7 GSXR750

[Ste]

Cool or ghey? Very cool!!

[Suntan Sid]

IMO, cooler than a very cool thing in the freezer, cooling down!

I really liked the old F2 oufits with the TZ350 engines in 'em, I've seen plenty of them over the years at the TT!

Although one could be tempted to say "you need balls of steel to oassenger one", a goodly proportion of the passengers are of the female variety!

[Mr_Cynical]

That's some seriously crazy shit

Fair play to those who do it, but you wouldn't catch me on one of those fcukers!
____________________
Bikes: '05 Better BT125-20 => '79 Honda CB750KZ (Now a project bike) => '99 Suzuki Bandit 600 => '01 Triumph Tiger 955i
"What's my motto? I like ham."
"It's a good motto, sir."

[Frost]

I know a guy who does the TT every year, best result is a 6th
What i like is the fact that you can be the best driver in the world, you might even have the best passenger too, but you're going to finish last unless you can work together and anticipate each others actions. It adds an odd new element to racing.

[truslack]

Anything sidecar related is cool, having ridden a road sidecar outfit for a few thousand miles, I'd love to get one on the track.
____________________
Current: Suzuki RG 125 Gamma, Honda H100, Triumph Tiger 800XC, Suzuki SV650 (minitwin)

[Paxovasa]

I like watching the side cars race. My local Yamaha dealer, was a side car racer. For those in the know his name is Ian Bell.
____________________
Suzuki GSF600 K3 (in the fastest colour, black).

[G]

Did you get to hang off properly when you had a go one one (presuming you were the monkey)?
I was surprised how much like hard work they were.
Quite fun going around a corner with your head a few mm over the grass inside the kerb .

As I've mentioned before, first time I went on for a 'charity trial' thingy, it was a bit damp and I didn't realise he was quite so near the limit until my foot slipped off the rest mid corner, which caused the outfit to slide a bit thanks to the weight shift!

[fireyphoenix1...]

i want to do this lol my mate from one of the shooting forums used to do this as a pro he said its the most insane rush ever 150 mph 3 inches off the road


..........YES PLEASE
____________________
2014 Aprillia dorsoduro 750 factory.

[G]

They're often looking for fresh blood (for some reason they keep running out ), so if you're actually serious about it and willing to commit time and some money to it, there's usually openings. Tend to be a pretty friendly if slightly eccentric lot.

[Frost]

The guy i know who did it also appeared an scrapheap challenge! Most of them are mechanics as much as racers and the outfits are usually winter projects.

I remember some years back being at the TT and seeing an outfit with the 3rd wheel heading for a curb. The passenger shifted his weight out a little and the inside wheel came up, floated over the curb then came back down again. Awesome.

[NickD]

Cooler than penguin piss!

Used to watch a lot when I lived near Mallory. It's worth getting up to their annual Festival of Sidecars if you're into it... Good stuff.

It always surprised me how many women were in the chair at club level... Loads of husband and wife/girlfriend and boyfriend teams. Imagine what rows must be like in those households.
____________________
I was only doing what it said on my licence officer....
Tear along the dotted line!

[Old Git Racing]

Back in the 90's a mate bought a 1000 suzuki outfit and got me passengering. Before the first race our total experience was a quick blast up the road behind work. 1st race - 8 lapper up near Croft somewhere, on the front row of the grid about 15 outfits behind us, got a good start leading down to the first corner then bang, thump. Kin ell its like dodgems at 90mph! Did it for a year then bought my own Gsxr1000 long outfit. Raced that for 2 seasons (4 passengers - I was a crap/dangerous driver) then packed it in, observations -

They're all looney tunes who do it, thats why they all hang out together in the paddock, good laugh though.

Its 'kin hard work passengering, even harder driving, you need forearms like popeye to do both.

There was always something to work on on the outfits, seems thats a general thing judging how many you see in bits in the paddock.

All in all cool and a hoot.

OGR
____________________
2022 Tiger Sport 660 2019 Street Twin 2003 K3 gixxer 1000 1998 Srad 600 track hack

[G]

Oh and when racing I once had a sidecar crew come and ask ME to borrow a tool - considering that fabricating their own parts between races was par for the course for them, I was quite proud .

[Bendy]

Gratuitous posting of sidecar passengering pic

https://dl.dropbox.com/u/3523115/bcf/RSL160607-2031.jpg

It's twatting hard work, and I wasn't trying to scrape my head along the floor, which seems de rigeur.

[G]

Well then...
https://www.swaffs.co.uk/images/Bemsee-Croix-06-report/Swaffs_Bemsee-Croix_290506-003.jpg
Though unfortunately haven't got the pic where I was hanging off a bit more trying 'properly' - I don't think I was actually QUITE as tense as I look in that picture - but you do have to learn where all the bits you can brace yourself are, so you're using them rather than your muscles to stay on.