Sidecars On Line 3

The Online Mini Magazine for UK Sidecar Enthusiasts

Sidecars On Line

Available Bi-Monthly

Issue 3 – February 2013

Early morning and ready to leave Delta, Colorado

UK Importer for Tripteq Sidecars, Parts, & Accessories

Sales, Service, Build

• Scotia Sidecars offers the complete sidecar service.

• The Tripteq Heeler range can be supplied in DIY kit form with comprehensive build manual, complete, or partial build.

• The 'Heeler' has been developed and manufactured by Tripteq in the Netherlands with over 250 units sold throughout Europe since 2005.

• The left hand version was developed in conjunction with Scotia Sidecars to bring affordable technical innovation qualities of European sidecars and conversion parts to the UK sidecar market.

• Options on bodies, screens, & accessories • Chassis option for BMW 'K' and Guzzi motorcycles Telephone: 01333 429451

Mobile: 0773 468 3429

email: info@scotiasidecars.com http://scotiasidecars.com/index If you contact Scotia Sidecars for information, or to make a purchase, please acknowledge Sidecars On Line 2

Contents this Issue Editorial – Reflections on a wet 2012 and what's in this issue.

SideLines – Digital Photography – A Side Perspective Oscar's Odyssey – A breakdown story from hell, or a memory never to be forgotten ? Oscar is almost on the road again.

A Rockies Ride – Part 2 - A continuation of a memorable 2009 ride in the Colorado Rockies.

The Oil Can Cafe – A cold,wet ride, but a warm welcome at a different, but interesting catering establishment.

Wet Weather, or Not - A personal look at wet weather motorcycle clothing.

Disclaimer

The information contained in this publication is for general information only. Whilst we try to keep information up to date and correct, we make no representations of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability with respect to the publication, or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained in the publication for any purpose.

Any reliance placed on such information is strictly at your own risk.

In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this publication.

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If you contact Anson Classic for information, or to make a purchase, please acknowledge Sidecars On Line

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Editorial Sidecars On Line is now known to be read in the USA, Spain, Tasmania, and in various parts of the UK. Interest has been expressed from elsewhere, but it's still early days with only two issues prior to this.

The wet weather in the UK and Europe affected the whole of 2012. Motorcycle and sidecar outfit riding was affected, as were many events. We recall it was reasonable up to Easter, even hosepipe bans were initiated in the UK around that time. Then, in every sense of the word, the heavens opened, basically for the duration. The experiences prompted a look at our wet weather protection.

At the end of the year our club's post Christmas run was also a wet affair, but still ultimately enjoyed as we took a ride to an interesting place, the Oil Can Cafe. An account appears this issue.

A 2009 ride undertaken in Colorado remains in the memory banks assisted by the wonders of digital photography. It was whilst working through the many images from this trip that stimulated the Sidelines piece on experiences with digital photography.

The rather off beat world of sidecars, in my humble opinion of course, sometimes intrigues, makes you think, and on occasions can raise a smile. Our regular feature,

Oscar's Odyssey often illustrates the point perfectly. This time around a tale from Oscar that the author swears is true. It's really worth a read.

Over the past four years some changes have been made to our own sidecar outfit.

Virtually from the moment the BMW Primmer Saluki K1 outfit came into our lives, the deal has been to amend it to suit our requirements. Some minor details, but a particular mechanical problem initiated a fairly number of radical changes to what was acquired. The various aspects of converting the K1 have been chronicled on our website. Following a suggestion, the story of how the outfit has been changed will appear in the next issues of Sidecars On Line.

Finally, another thought about the seriously damp weather in 2012. We don't need convincing of the merits of a sidecar outfit regardless of climatic conditions, but travelling on a wet motorway near the Spa race circuit in the Ardennes region of Belgium, we passed a group of solo motorcycles as they struggled through a torrential downpour. Those poor guys were really up against it, were hardly visible, even with lights on, and were making slow progress. As we motored past, albeit at a steady 60 mph, it showed just how much that third wheel can be positive and enable riding almost regardless.

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Digital Cameras – A Side Perspective First, a confession. At the outset of the digital revolution in photography when early edition digital cameras were already available, I went along with the view that you couldn't beat film. Maybe this stemmed from a long term cautious approach to technology over such things as disc brakes, overhead cams, and stereophonic sound. Possibly, the persuasive words of dedicated film enthusiasts, I don't know. However, as digital cameras hit the shops, this coincided with a desire to reinvest in a “decent” camera. Consequence, does anyone out there wish to purchase a hardly used single lens reflex camera with case that has only hosted five films ? Don't rush.

A year later, my first digital, a Canon Ixus 2 megapixel, completely seduced me.

Other than the advantages of being able to store numerous images on memory cards, the elimination of developing costs and inconvenience, the Canon's robust metal case appealed. This offered a reassurance when used around our prime activity of motorcycling. The only reason for moving on from the Canon has been improvements in picture quality as digital cameras offered ever increasing picture quality.

The picture quality, i.e. megapixel race led to the 8 megapixel Samsung NV8. The attraction was good customer reviews on the increasingly influential internet, and a reduced price. Whereas the Canon had cost over £200, and that with a slightly reduction, the Samsung cost £99, and many useful features, not least of all that it also had the now preferred metal body.

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The feature most used is the manual setting, which provides an alternative to the automatic. The latter can initiate flash, which is not always desirable, and in some places such as museums, is frowned upon. Manual settings allow for different light levels, so can be beneficial in darker locations, as well as sometimes enhancing the quality of an image. It also eliminates problems such as red eye in people and animal photography, plus flash bouncing off reflective surfaces and detracting from a desired image.

Another well used feature has been the video facility. We have some memorable sequences taken from the sidecar, plus others such as those taken from a car in an Arizona sandstorm. Of course, there are priceless sequences of a young grandson as he has developed from being days old. The video capability identifies another confession. It wasn't so long ago I purchased a tape based camcorder.

That did get a little use, and could again, but it's unlikely. Anyone like to purchase.....

Over time it became obvious the missus would like her own camera, so another Samsung was purchased for even less again than the NV8. A 10 megapixel with a metal body, that produces images better than the NV8. The only criticism of the Samsung ES55 is that mode changes are via the view screen, so, unlike the earlier NV8, slecting manual, or video requires some tedious button pressing. The NV8 system of basic selection being by a simple turning knob is child's play. Some adjustments are on screen, but are quick and easier. Consequently, both our Samsung cameras are kept in regular use.

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Digital cameras prices are price attractive. The rapid worldwide acceptance of the technology means increased production has reduced cost, even though equipment continues to improve. Also, the entry of major electronic manufacturers, capable of high volume production, and almost weekly technological advances. New models appear constantly, creating stocks of “redundant� models at even cheaper prices.

Taking movies from the sidecar led to considering a so called action camera. A look at the market suggested different options and there a was a time when the preference between the Drift, and the much publicised GoPro. However, price was an issue, but internet forums and YouTube ultimately led to the an acceptably priced Muvi HD. As with most action cameras, the Muvi HD is to usually mounted, rather than hand held. A number of different mounting arrangements are possible, and come with the camera. An optional, solid protective case was chosen for mounting the camera on the sidecar outfit. A number of location possibilities were considered and one was initially tried and ultimately rejected.

Towards the front of the sidecar body between the bike and sidecar was tried, but vibration created images with a wave effect under some circumstances, so a rethink was necessary. A location on top of the sidecar body rear has proved a good choice. More rigid and with the option to face the camera forwards, or to the rear. Results both ways have been pleasing. Forward facing images can include various views of the bike, rider, and pillion. The Muvi has been clipped to a jacket pocket with reasonable results, but more thought is required to achieve desired results from this approach.

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So far, have not attempted the well known action camera approach of mounting the camera on the helmet. Unlikely to opt for this any time soon as there are plenty of possibilities to be tried around the sidecar and bike.

The Muvi HD is small, compact and has a useful remote control facility.

Experience so far suggests it will prove to be a worthwhile purchase. Just need to get out and ride, and be a little creative.

Digital photography offers limitless opportunities to click away, hardly worry about recording another image, and offers the opportunity to reject garbage.

Memory cards can store hundreds of good quality still images, and hours of HD quality video. Digital technology offers creative presentation options with readily available computer software, some of it even free. With appropriate computer software you can even challenge the adage that a “picture cannot lie�, if you so choose !

On a ride at the European Sidecar Rally 2012 in Luxembourg (Still taken from Muvi camera video sequence)

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A Day in the Life of an *R.A.C. Victim This would be sometime in the early 1980s, I was attending a rally organised by the Ariel Owners club. The venue was somewhere deep in darkest Derbyshire, I do believe it was at a pub on the A515 called the “Bull i' th' Thorn” (Bull in the Thorn in proper English for the less informed).

Bull I' th' Thorn pub

I duly turned up at the pub with a couple of my riding friends to find that all the grassy areas had been filled. So, it was put up the tent in the parking area and hammer the pegs into the asphalt, that did the trick.

Come the Saturday, and it was time to go on the ride out. I forget what the other guys in our group were riding, but I was on my Honda 750F2 with widened Palma. The Honda was fitted with Earles type forks and a 15inch spoked rear wheel conversion.

We had rode along a series of back lanes, and then over part of the “Cat and Fiddle” road, a well known riding road in the Peak District.

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A537 known as the Cat and Fiddle

As we approached the village of Langley, we came across a group of horse riders going our way. As was the norm when confronted by these unstable beasts, I cut the motor, and coasted steadily towards them on the right hand side of the road. Sure enough, one of them reared up and did a sideways leap, right in front of me. Brakes hard on, and even though I was travelling slowly, the wheels picked up, and I slid off the side of the road. The rear wheel came to a thumping stop against a rock embedded at the roadside. After a careful examination of the wheel, nothing seemed to be amiss. Apart from one broken spoke.

After an exhilarating ride around the back roads, petrol was needed. We all pulled into a petrol station in the Staffordshire town of Leek. As I pulled into the pumps, I felt the outfit lurch to the right. That felt strange, I hadn't had that sensation before. I re-fuelled, and as I approached the outfit I noticed how odd it looked. The wheel was leaning against the damper unit and all the spokes on one side were broken. I didn't need a brain surgeon to tell me that this rig was going nowhere else today. We dragged the outfit off the filling station forecourt into the pub car park next door.

I then had a brilliant idea. In my wallet, I had a card, which stated that I was a member of the RAC. Why not give them a ring ? I had never had to use this facility before, so I duly did in a nearby telephone box. What a job, trying to get the telephonist to understand I was on the A53 in a pub car park exactly at the side of the “Leek United Football Club”. She kept asking me to be more specific, but eventually agreed to send out someone to investigate. I knew then that this was not going to be a fulfilling experience.

After sitting for over an hour, the pub opened it's doors, so I went in where it was nice and cosy. On my second coffee, a breakdown truck appeared and parked on the road outside. I confirmed that I was the chap he was looking for. He then stated that he was to repair the wheel in order to get me on my way. “If you can get that fixed, and enable me to carry on with my weekend, I'll be the happiest man in Christendom”, I replied.

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After giving the outfit a brief look over he told me that in his opinion he didn't think he was able to fix it (What a surprise). He then told me that he had to ring in and tell control that the call out should be changed from a roadside repair to a recovery. The recovery man, who was a contractor to the RAC, then spent the next 20 minutes or so on the pub's telephone waiting in a stacking system to get the job changed. Getting no satisfaction, he decided to load up the outfit onto the truck (At least it wasn't a van) and get on our way.

This we did. As we passed through the middle of Leek he noticed a telephone box, pulled up and tried to phone H.Q. again. All this time the truck was lit up like Blackpool Tower, flashing lights everywhere. Phone call successful, we could be on our way home.

Away we went on the A53 all the way up Axe Edge, well almost. The truck lost power, grinding to a halt halfway up a bloody mountain. I was getting a little fed up. “Not to worry”, says he, “we've just run out of fuel.” He then produced a jerrycan and proceeded to fill the tank. Then the B*****d thing wouldn't start, the battery was flat.

Not to be deterred, he then jump started the truck by running it backwards down the hill.

I had visions of my outfit flying off the back and finishing up back in Leek. Thankfully, the straps held, and once again I had highish hopes of getting home.

Over the top of Axe Edge we went, all the way down to Buxton, and to the traffic lights in the middle of the town. Whereupon the truck stalled. Would it start again ? Would it by heck. Not to be thwarted, our intrepid truck driver RAC man jumped down from the cab, dashed across the road to a nearby taxi rank. The leading taxi pulled over the road, across our bows, and administered first aid in the form of jump leads. The taxi then reversed back into line on the rank. I was gobsmacked, all of this incident happening in the space of 2 minutes or less.

As we drove through Buxton, the recovery man said we should stop to see what the problem was with the truck. We pulled into a car park, which was on a slope, under the railway viaduct. He then produced a gizmo from his pocket, and stuck his head under the bonnet. When he re-appeared, he said that nothing seemed to be wrong, but to be on the safe side, he would phone up his friend, who was on standby, to go to the breakdown truck depot and fetch along a replacement alternator. We would remain here under the railway arches.

After twenty minutes, or so, he said, “We'll head back and meet him to save us a lot of time. He has to use the same road that we are on.” Ships that pass in the night thoughts were going round in my head. So, another jump start down the slope, and we headed off back the way we had just come along.

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Back through Leek, and past where I had originally broken down. Then, wonder of wonders, flashing head lights told us that we had rendezvoused with the standby man.

After another ten minutes or so discussing the problem, it was decided that we would go to the main garage where the job could be done in relative comfort. So, it was further West we went, a garage in Biddulph was the place.

Where the heck are we, I wondered, while they replaced the alternator. I at least had a warm cup of coffee, but then realised that I was starving. I'd had nothing to eat all day since breakfast, and now it was somewhere around 10.30 in the evening. Another half hour passed, then the two guys decided that the replacement alternator hadn't made one jot of difference, so they put back the old one, put the new one back in its carton, and we were ready again to roll.

As we were driving out of the compound, my knight in shining armour, who had now in my eyes become my mortal enemy, said, “ Being as we are so near my home, do you mind if we pick up my missus, I've not seen her all day.” By now, I had lost the will to live, so I just nodded in resignation. This meant another 3 or 4 miles in a westerly direction.

We pulled up at a public house “The White Swan” I think it was I noticed it was conveniently situated on a slight hill. Into the pub we went. His missus, who was the landlady, was behind the bar still pulling pints. She immediately offered me a half, two bags of crisps and a Mars bar. Boy, was I grateful. I scoffed these down while she was changing into jeans and sweater. The pub emptied, and we were off again into the dark night.

Once again, the truck had to be bump started. Back we went, past the workshop, past Leek football ground, into, and through Buxton. Could this just be it ? Would I make it home ?

On through Castleton, and on to Sheffield. YES! We pulled to a stop outside my front door at 02.30 in the morning. After off loading the outfit, the truck was bump started again, and off it went. Thankfully, never to be seen again. I don't know if the recovery guy was expecting a tip of any kind. The only one he was likely to get was, “Not to cross my path again.”

A couple of months after this incident. I had a courtesy call from the RAC asking me if I was satisfied with their service. I just replied “No comment” Keep the Faith, Oscar.

*The R.A.C. is the Royal Automobile Club, one of the original roadside vehicle assistance organisations in the UK. 13

A Rockies Ride - Part 2 We had already enjoyed a relatively short ride to familiarise ourselves again with Colorado roads and traffic, plus the 1800 Gold Wing outfit, and that evening the route for the next day's ride had been somewhat agreed without detail.

Independence Pass was mentioned, but no suggestion of how the route would develop, however it was destined to turn out as quite special ride.

An early, cool start saw us heading north east on Route 24 out of Colorado Springs, past Manitou Springs and on what was a familiar road from past rides through Woodland Park and on through Lake George. The scenery varies as do the roads.

Curves and hills are met, which added to the enjoyment of the ride, but there were occasional undramatic straights, plus harsher scenery with less vegetation. Some scenery was down to nature, and much of course is down to man. However, the roads are predominantly good enough to make reasonable progress, something that both outfits, our borrowed Gold Wing, plus our hosts' Rocket 3, were well capable of providing.

Our first stop was at the top of Wilkerson Pass, yet another high pass to tick off, although this elevated location was new to us. The journey resumed along Route 24 past Hartsel, Antero Reservoir and Johnson Village. It was then head north through Buena Vista and past Clear Creek Reservoir before Route 82 took us to Twin Lakes, a name which actually identified lakes and a community.

Top of Wilkerson Pass

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Then it was the more notable climb up Independence Pass, which was a real joy as the Gold Wing outfit easily hauled us up to the summit car park. As ever, both outfits attracted interest from a likeable group of solo motorcyclists. The banter clearly reinforced the worldwide camaraderie of motorcycling, even though we featured an extra wheel apiece.

The only oddity was a car driving guy, who openly commented on the inferiority of all our machinery because he claimed to be a Harley fan. Oh well, never mind.

Summit of Independence Pass

We resumed our journey and the two of us were pleasantly surprised as we entered the outskirts of Aspen, and then parked close to the centre on East Main Street opposite the beautiful Saint Mary's Catholic Church. Once the motorcycle gear had been stowed in the sidecars, the four of us, plus Cosmo the wonder dog, set off to do the tourist bit, although the object of the exercise was to find lunch. We eventually settled on a pleasant eatery on East Hyman Avenue. Local shops that highlighted Aspen's exclusive credentials, as did the “beautiful people” strolling through. It was hard to find many shop windows displaying prices, suggesting the old maxim, “if you have to ask, you can't afford”. In the event SidecarPat did come away with a reasonably priced embroidered top (t shirt to the uninitiated ?) as a souvenir, which the shop assistant was happy to agree Aspen citizens discount. Mention that we came from Yorkshire possibly helped !

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Aspen Lunch

The lunch stop was memorable for more than its exclusive shops and apparently similar population. During our walk around a passing Jeep was observed with an unusual pet aboard, namely a tiger. Now that's something you don't see everyday, and perhaps wouldn't wish to under different circumstances.

Cosmo inspects the Rocket 3/ Daytona sidecar

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Our journey resumed and we continued along Route 82 through Snowmass and El Jebel to Glenwood Springs where we turned east on highway I70 towards another famous Rocky Mountain resort, Vail. The nature of the ride now changed as our speeds rose to exploit the nature of the interstate as it initially tracked the Colorado River. Some might frown on such a road, but the 60 miles, or so of I70 from Glenwood Springs to Vail provided a memorable riding experience, plus variable and stunning scenery. It may not have wholly compared with the mountain roads, but this part of the journey did not disappoint.

Interesting perspective on interstate construction The I70 near Vail, Colorado

We continued along I70, passing Idaho Springs to the south west outskirts of Denver. Taking County Road 93 south we joined Route 470 at Morrison to bypass the greater Denver area. We passed many suburban developments as darkness descended.

We then turned south again to join Route 85, which led us to highway I25 After a brief drink stop near Castle Rock, our concluding ride south to Colorado Springs was in complete contrast to the generally less crowded roads experienced prior to entering the greater Denver area. Nevertheless, those final miles of interstate traffic did not detract from what had been a perfect day.

When we pulled up outside our temporary home on the outskirts of Colorado Springs we had covered a surprising 428 miles. Surprising because past rides of that length back in Europe had been more arduous, had less stops, and certainly didn't include a lengthier lunch stop in the iconic Rocky Mountain city of Aspen. What a day !

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Today's Sidecar outfit is a practical leisure vehicle, which creates interest wherever it goes. It enables you to include the family in the fun motorcycling, short trips or longer holidays while providing: •Extra space •Stability •Greater travelling comfort •Convenience for passengers Children and dogs LOVE sidecars!!

Decades of experience riding, selling, manufacturing, and fitting sidecars provides you with a wealth of experience that can help you join the great world of sidecars.

Sidestrider supply the famous classic European sidecars from Watsonian Squire and Velorex, as well as Unit leading link fork kits for most model motorcycles. In addition, Sidestrider also offer a bespoke sidecar service.

Sometimes there are questions you might have, so I will be happy to personally send reprints of various articles pertaining to your specific questions or just "interesting stuff" regarding sidecars.

So, if you reside in the USA, and are interested, please get in touch; Call Doug Bingham on 818 780 5542 or Email via our website; http://www.sidestrider.com/

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The Oil Can Café Hepworth, near the small West Yorkshire town of Holmfirth might be considered fairly insignificant. Some may have thoughts of a pipe works with the same name just up the A616 road that connects nearby Huddersfield to Sheffield. On the other hand, Holmfirth might come to mind as the location of the long running, nostalgic BBC television comedy series, “Last of the Summer Wine”. Indeed, Hepworth has featured in the iconic series as an outside location, as well as the village's pub, the “Butchers Arms”.

As with other Pennine communities in the area, Hepworth is very much a dormitory location for residents working in larger urban areas, although there is still some local employment. Industrial activity, notably textiles, has declined over the years, and so a mixture of business premises are occupied by very different business ventures.

Amongst these, in Hepworth's old Dobroyd Mills, is IK Classics and Racing Services.

Proprietor Ian Kellett is the driving force behind a business specialising in all engineering aspects relating to the running of historic and classic racing vehicles.

We first became aware of Ian Kellett's business when a local newspaper article featured the opening of the Oil Can Café, an addition to the existing venture. Being petrol heads at heart, a visit was soon arranged to see for ourselves what was on offer. It didn't take long to agree that this could prove a good possibility for our club, the South Yorkshire Sidecar Club, to visit for its annual post Christmas Cobweb Run. A friendly chat with Nicola Kellett, who runs this part of the operation, started the ball rolling and within days we arranged the necessary.

Pleasant surroundings for a meal and drink, don't you think ?

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The Cobweb Run itself took place on a very wet post Christmas Saturday, although nothing new with wet 2012 now in the UK record books as more than damp. The usual suspects met a few miles from Hepworth, everyone having splashed their way from different parts of the region. Once gathered, a quick call to politely inform we were on our way, and off to test the waterproof qualities, or otherwise, of our bike gear.

Waiting for the next swimming event

We had already visited the Oil Can CafĂŠ, so no real surprises, but there was a noticeable lifting of spirits for our group. The vehicle collection, albeit mainly four wheeled, as well as the unique feel of the place certainly did the trick. Of greater importance was to order drinks and particularly breakfasts.

One for the Jaguar enthusiast

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There is something to be said for being able to sit down on good, old wooden chairs, and equally period wooden tables, and be served a good old English breakfast with beverages served in china cups. To be able to wander around looking at wonderful examples of classic motoring machinery before, or after the culinary delights proved to be an absolute joy. Equally, we were not alone. A group of cyclists were leaving as we arrived (no, not as a consequence), and other tables were occupied by a mixture of couples and families, clearly enjoying the situation, even though not all were too bothered about the fine auto engineering surrounding them.

Oh, and the Oil Can CafĂŠ also features some shopping opportunities, and some of this did attract the Cobweb Run ladies, bless 'em.

1950 Norton Dominator Model 7 – Nice

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Winter Weather, or Not Sidecar riding and motorcycling, both in the UK and mainland Europe, was significantly affected by extreme weather during last year, 2013. Notable rainfall levels broke all records, as well as possibly changing the perception of what constitutes good riding weather. With so much rain on a regular basis, even a cold, dry day might have been seen as a bonus when out and about on the bike.

For many years our personal preference for all year riding, rather than the high days and holidays now prevalent amongst many, was influenced by a simple philosophy. The rain is thicker in the winter and daylight is less ! Equally, a quoted Automobile Association “statistic” that the roads in the UK are “wet for a third of the time” tended to be another mantra. After all, in these particular small islands alongside the Atlantic Ocean, summer does not mean no precipitation.

For us, the “third of the year” figure is an observation, for others an influential fact of life that means many motorcyclists do not venture out on the bike when it's wet, cold, cloudy, or a mixture of the three, even in the longer days of summer. In recent years this does appear to have become a motorcycling norm, so even fellow motorcyclists question the merits of venturing when the weather is UK normal, i.e. wet and possibly cold. The argument is that motorcycling is about leisure, so association with better weather is implicit.

Consequently, our motorcycling paraphanalia includes clothing that emphasises being hopefully warm and waterproof. The latter is questionable, as we have a long history of buying jackets and overtrousers when manufacturers' claims haven't quite lived up to the billing. No, not “quite”, more “haven't”.

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However, an electric vest bought a few years back is certainly a recommended buy.

Indeed, the view is that I should have obtained one many years before, or could it be that the younger version of me felt such things an indicator of no longer being an adventurous, devil may care youth. Sadly, as a few years on the odometer of life now shows, a dubious, self imagined hardy image doesn't keep you warm, or save you from potential long term physical consequences.

In our case, the sidecar passenger is also necessarily catered for with a choice of 12 volt devices. For a while, an electric blanket, a heated seat cover, and a very imminent electric vest of her own, which can also be beneficial on those occasions when travelling pillion.

A major factor for motorcyclists is keeping the extremities warm, notably the hands.

Without a doubt, the advent of the heated electric vest has made a positive contribution. Whilst its obvious benefit is to keep the torso warm, the spin off is that the body is then in better shape to keep the far flung parts of fingers and toes in better shape. However, backup is still essential and the need to keep hands functional in poor weather conditions is influenced by hand protection. As a sidecar rider, the need for the kind of fancy impact protection now prevalent on quality motorcycle gloves is hardly a priority. In fact, I do know many sidecar guys, who are quite happy with gloves that are not designed for motorcycle use when weather conditions are good.

Curiously, in my case, a cheap pair of ski gloves, bought for a single skiing trip many years ago, gave good service in all weathers for over ten years. Not perfect, and not absolutely waterproof, but certainly made significantly more expensive specialist motorcycle gloves look something of a rip off.

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The desire to keep a slightly ageing body from becoming ravaged by the elements has led to recent investment in heated grips and winter gloves. The latter were chosen following a comparison report on a well read internet website. Having spent more on these gloves than ever before, I will be seriously expecting performance on a par with the claims. Equally, I will be prepared to be scathing, if outcomes are not as expected.

However, I am possibly providing the new gloves an opportunity to shine by the recent installation of heated handlebar grips. Heated grips have been successfully used in the past, but moved on when selling the last outfit. Our current outfit had them, but they didn't function, a mixture of broken switch, but more significant, internal breaks in the heating wires.

The success of previous heated grips was enhanced by using handlebar muffs as well.

Fashionable and stylish ? Of course not, but who cares, this combination works. I share the view of others with regard to heated grips. With no barrier to the pervading effects of wind chill on the back of even a well gloved hand, heated grips influence is all about heating the insides of gripping hands. Beneficial, of course, but not as much as when there is something to reduce, even eliminate, the curse of wind chill. Muffs may seem excessive for some, so plastic hand guards can be an alternative. Personal experience indicates that these can be effective, but not in the same league as handlebar muffs.

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Unfortunately, fitting handlebar muffs can present problems. The muffs can be moved by the wind, and create other problems. This can include movement that affects manipulating handlebar switches, to even bearing on clutch and brake levers.

If this seems incredulous, I have experienced both, notably an issue with creating clutch slip. Maybe this would have not been so bad, if the clutch hadn't been on the road to the end of its useful life.

As a result, it has been necessary to fabricate a simple method of holding the handlebar muffs away from the levers. Threaded rod and adapted angle brackets have been used to produce a more rigid set up.

Clearance for gloved hand

Clear of brake lever

Variation due to use of Suzuki lever & switches

6 mm threaded rod, reduced angle brackets

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The last element in the protective equation, boots. Years ago, along with many in the UK sidecar scene, we were disciples of the Derriboot mob. It seemed that everyone had abandoned leather, the long time option, and gone for the waterproof qualities of the Derri. Indeed, many solo motorcyclists joined the ranks, despite the clear lack of any protection beyond keeping the damp stuff at bay.

It took us a few years to move on, having purchased successive pairs, even lined variations. There are still two pairs in the garage, although maybe they probably now provide shelter for other creatures. The beauty of the Derri was that they served well as general wet weather footwear, and were ideal when camping. Happy days.

Sadly, the original Derriboot, produced in the UK, soon gave way to inferior versions, and so we moved on, as did many of our contemporaries. Our particular choice of riding boot was the AltBerg. We visited the factory in North Yorkshire to be measured for what is recognised as a good quality product. These have given good service for some years now, although mine have suffered a little compared with my esteemed passenger. Only problem has been a sole coming partially unstuck, which I fixed myself.

A merit of the AltBerg boots for many years was the factory reconditioning service, but this has now ceased, I guess to economic pressures. However, this does not detract from the good waterproof and protection qualities. No reason to believe these will continue to serve us well.

Good socks, sometimes doubling up on pairs worn, are used to try and keep feet warm, but on long journeys in poor weather the tootsies can start to feel cold. It doesn't help that the presence of a sidecar creates its own problems with respect to air movement, so I suspect that the way forward is to fabricate some form of foot guards, a ploy that is understood to work fairly well.

Now it's time to see how the latest bike gear and amendments to the outfit will perform. Maybe some tweaking will be required, but nothing new in that.

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