4 reasons why you should try a sidecar

There was a time when almost everyone knew how to ride a sidecar. Believe it or not, sidecars used to be the transportation mode of middle-class families who didn’t have the budget for a car. Its decline started in the fifties with the abundance of individual vehicles. Today, this relic is so retro that it’s no wonder it attracts vintage riders!

1- You can try it with your best bro…

You, your motorcycle, and a big open road. What better plan than this? Sure, but you might get a bit lonely. That’s when the sidecar comes into play. According to our favourite explorer Sylvain Tesson, this machine is an allegory for friendship. «Think about it! When we sit in a sidecar, we put our lives in the hands of the driver while at the same time providing the right balance for his machine and make it easier for him to steer through the curves. Is it not the perfect definition of the principle of friendly reciprocation?». So sure, it takes a bit of patience the first time you and your friend tries it, but it also takes a lot of teamwork and open communication to handle it together. Isn’t this exactly what friendship is about?

2- …Or with your wife!

A sidecar can bring new perspectives for your romantic holidays. With retirement on the horizon and a common desire for motorcycle trips, our riders Marc and Huguette Martigny embraced this new idea. «I was riding on a Triumph America and going out a little with some friends» Marc explains, «My wife wasn’t coming behind me because she didn’t like being a passenger, neither was she comfortable with the sensation of bending in curvy roads. This is how we bought our first sidecar. It was Royal Enfield attached to a Black Pearl panier.» But don’t expect it to be easy - after a couple of rides out Marc missed a turn and ended at the hospital with a broken clavicle. «We repaired the sidecar and went together for a two days initiation to sidecar driving. Today we are at the 24,234-mile (39,000 km) mark and never had another accident.» Ride on! Picture: Marc and Huguette on our East Side Story trip

3- You can try one with Vintage Rides

When speaking about his experience on East Side Story, our former summer sidecar tour in Mongolia, Marc is quite enthusiastic. «Our Vintage Rides motorcycle tour in Mongolia allowed us to learn new skills on how to drive sidecars. We were equipped with Royal Enfields harnessed to Yéti baskets. Many stages of the itinerary were very technical: ford crossings with engines in the water, fields of sharp stones, mud, roots, significant slopes, hilly terrain, holes and bumps. For the first time my wife had to help me to keep the sidecar on track. But the machines handled everything! It was a beautiful experience, for both pilots and passengers.» So what’s the difference between a regular motorcycle tour and a sidecar one? «A sidecar has a great capacity to carry luggage. You’re able to travel for several weeks in total autonomy. Another advantage, and not the least, is the natural sympathy inspired by this machine. People are attracted to the sidecar and come to talk to us easily. It’s not uncommon to have our picture taken during our visit in a village or to see people waving at us.» Today, you can ride a sidecar with us on the Frozen Ride: 8 days in January across the frozen lakes and steppe of central Mongolia, two riders per Royal Enfield sidecar, taking turns at the handlebars.

4- They are crafted by passionate people

For years, our sidecar hero was Jean Burdet. This well-known motorcycle enthusiast worked all year round in his workshop near Paris, assembling around 20 sidecars a year. From the deepest sceneries of Europe to the edge of the Sahara desert, the highest motorable road in the world at 5602 meters high on the top of the Himalaya mountains, or even crossing the Mongolian lakes in deep winter at -30°C, Jean Burdet spent his life riding, preparing and travelling with these charming machines. He built the sidecars of our East Side Story tour, and our riders knew that the person in charge of their machine had been riding three-wheelers for nearly four decades, over tens of thousands of miles, all over the world.

A sidecar is the best way to share the joys of touring and traveling, with friends, wife, kids, and nearly everyone. Whether you stop in the historic centre of a millennial city or in the middle of a desert, absolutely everyone has sympathy for a sidecar. Today, our sidecars come out in winter on the Frozen Ride, across the frozen lakes of central Mongolia. For three more reasons, read why travel by sidecar. Picture credits: Thomas Goisque - Marc Martigny - Alternative Sidecar Sources: Hi Consumption - Le Repaire des Motards