Posts
6185
Joined
8/27/2006
Location
Acworth, GA
US
Sidecar Motocross
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(Original photo replaced at the request of the photographer. – GuyB )
The Shop
We have a big international meeting here in the UK this bank holiday Monday!
Weather permitting!!!
Here's some photos from the Frome round of the British Championship earlier this year.
Always wanted a go , will try and blag a go at some point , what's the worst that can happen.
We are in the race at Frome above, see photo.
Building a bike for the Weston Beach Race today and turning spanners for a crew at Langrish on Monday.
Sidecarcross is awesome and needs to be seen in person to truly get the full perspective, most bikes run 80bhp + motors!!!!
Plus one year at the schevenghen beach race we rode with the sidecars. Getting roosted by 1000cc folan is no fun!!!
I would love a chance to have a go, but not fit enough now!!
it starts with both riders, wich have to be quite close to each other as it has very much to do with knowing how the other guy is reacting and trust him to do the right things. then both have to be healty and have their minds set the same. it doesnt work longtermed when someone is in it to win it and the other does it just for fun as example. you really should be able to talk with each others about how it feels for you on the track and also accept the others opinion.
then you have the bike, wich needs tons of maintenance. you have so many options enginewise, but finding a setup that works is not always easy. every engine got its weak points and you mostly get to know them when they fail. so keep a second engine ready for exchange.
the suspension is hard to understand aswell. sidecars got a very special front suspension and reacts different then normal forks. very few people really understands how to deal with settings and are able to change the setting to fit the track. of course, the shocks can fail aswell. so keep one complete set as spare of them aswell.
last but not least there has to be a team wich helps you, even if its not raceday. its nearly impossible to do your workouts so you can last a weekend racing, plus keeping the bike in good condition, plus looking after financial supporter.
if all those things fall in place, both riders dont get hurt and you still got some motivation left to do it over and over again, without really getting something as reward, then you are ready to go for some good sidecar-racing! its a hell of a life experience.
Pit Row
What the hell a couple more photos. My brother Rob and me on our EML KX500 and two of my best mates, Tom and Andy Smith, VMC KTM540.
As above, the work and commitment put in by every sidecarcross team is phenomenal, the bike wears out tyres, chains, sprockets, brake pads etc twice as fast as a solo plus the extra strain on the engine means clutches, bearings, gearbox components etc take a real pounding, then there's the damage caused by bumping, ramming, crashing into track marker posts etc, the bikes look battered very quickly yet everybody puts the hours in so our bikes look and run fresh every time out.
It's a lot of hard work but very rewarding.
But to answer your question they race together. Though some people seam to think that the right hand version has the advantage! It makes the racing more interesting
Does the sidecar increase the side load when cornering that could cause standard fork tubes to twist in the clamps?
As for the learning curve, it's very difficult at first but you soon get used to it, it feels odd not having to balance at first, especially when you ride along a slope or uneven ground. Being British our sidecar is on the left so when you lay the power down hard you have to turn the bars to the right, sort of dragging the front wheel sideways as the sidecar acts like a dragging effect, then when you shut off you have to turn the bars left as you brake as the un braked sidecar wheel then wants to coast/freewheel on meaning if your diving into a left hand turn you start to under steer/push the front end massively, this is when it's critical for the passenger to dive left (into the D as we call it) If your turning right you just chop the throttle late, brake hard and let the sidecar push you into the turn with the passenger over the rear end/ back fender to stop you high siding/rolling over. It's an art form but once mastered is mega.
Never thought this thread would last this long on page one, not my thread but thanks for all the interest in my little niche.
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