(Non-thumper topic) I'm thinking of buying an outfit...

[Richard 003]

Well, I've won the chariot! I went very slightly over budget, got it for £620. Hoping to pick it up thursday. I'll let you know how I get on.

Dave B

Excellent. You'll never look back. In fact I wouldn't recommend looking back ;-)

[002]

Well, I've won the chariot! I went very slightly over budget, got it for £620. Hoping to pick it up thursday. I'll let you know how I get on.

Dave B

They are AMAZING FUN ! 
Bit of a black art but stick with it.
I've had 4 and starting to build my 5th.First was a Jawa,small and v.light right up to the last bruiser 900 Divi and double adult chair.
Really missed not having one for the last few months now cant wait to get the next sorted.
So much fun and can be a head turner too.
Best of luck.

Jethro

[pigafetta]

Cheers Chaps

I've never owned a Kawasaki!

I'm dead excited about it but a little apprehensive. I think the ride home's gonna be a steep learning curve. I've only ridden one once, an A65 about 20 years ago and only went a couple of hundred yards up the road and back.

Can you confirm the law regarding helmets for me? I have no intention of going anywhere without them but, as I understand it, helmets are not compulsory on an outfit. Is that right? And is that just for the person in the chair or the rider too? Also, is it ok to ride with a pillion and a kid in the chair at the same time? Is it ok to stuff 2 small kids into a single person chair? Do kids need to be strapped/nailed/glued in?

Sorry about the barrage of dopey questions, the DVLA site doesn't seem to have much to say about it.

Ta,
Dave

[Andy M]

For all things legal with an outfit you can pretty much think that the Bike is a Bike and the Sidecar a Car (or maybe a trailer!). Things like construction and use are utterly vauge on the subject, but the helmet law is clear. Anyone on the bike must wear one, anyone in the chair doesn't have to. This is UK only BTW, Europe (if you get that far) has some different rules and it's better for everyone to wear a lid.

To be able to drive anything bike like without a helmet it needs to be a Tricycle or light Quadricycle. To qualify you need a symetrical arrangement of wheels (C&U regs). Register an outfit as a Trike and you should always be refused an MOT as the wheels are in the wrong place (bet they don't have a tick box for that one)!

Google Ural USA, there is a decent sidecar drivers manual on the web site if you want a refresher.

Should be taking the Bonneville for the start of the chair fiting tomorrow if everything goes to plan.

Andy

[pigafetta]

Thanks Andy.

One more thing (for now!), Any ideas for insurance? Cheap is important. I'm with Bennetts for the XBR but they won't let me add another bike to my current policy. So if anyone has any recommendations...

Cheers all,
DaveB

[Andy M]

I dropped Bennetts over that, I'm now with Carole Nash.

Andy

[pigafetta]

Ever had one of those days?

I went to pick up my new outfit yesterday. What a stinker! You have to bear in mind that I bought it on the understanding that it could be ridden away MOT'd as long as I got the legal side covered). It was miles away from an MOT pass and proper scruffy, rear tyre was knackered, chain was dry and rusty, Left hand downpipe very rotten, wiring to the chair had been cut and the chair was mounted really badly. It ran like a bag of poo. Engine started and sounded OK but had no bollocks at all, it could barely pull the chair. The chair itself was really nice but the fella was and idiot and I got the distinct impression he was hoping to take me for a muppet so I politely told him to shove it, took my money and went home.

I'm a bit gutted really. I've lost money on the insurance and the cost of transport getting there and I stuck a load of petrol in it too. Not to mention a whole day p!ssing about when I have other things to do. I really wanted the bike, I wanted it to be good.

Still, apart from that, I had quite a nice day and a good laugh hanging out with my Dad.

[guest27]

Good man for telling him to stuff it - and I would report him on Ebay too for not telling the truth.

R

[pigafetta]

The bike simply wasn't roadworthy, there was no way it could be ridden away as arranged. If it was just the worn tyre I might have let him get away with it but the more I looked, the more problems I found. The bloke reckoned he was a bike mechanic and built trikes for a living. Righty-oh.

The bloke phoned my Missus yesterday when I was out to tell me that he'd got the bike running ok now if I was interested. I think not. He also left me positive feedback on Ebay saying that I payed promptly etc. Very odd. I'll not be doing the same for him.

Chalk it up to experience I suppose. I tend to give people the benefit of the doubt but Ebay is always a bit risky. Anway, I'm once again on the lookout for a cheap but serviceable outfit in the North Wales/Northwest area. If anybody spots anything interesting tip us the wink.


Thanks everyone.
Dave B

[SteveC#222]

Seriously, you want to keep an eye out for a Ural/ Dnepr outfit. They are built like a tank, built to pull a chair, dead simple to work on and, contrary to popular belief, reliable transport.  You can probably pick up an older one for that sort of money and with russian bikes an older bike is'nt a problem, in fact the older ones are arguably better than the newer ones. I've been in the cossack owners club for many years and they take their bikes all over.. just look around at the Dragon/ Elephant rallies. 

[guest27]

I think if I had the money I would have one - I like them, real basic I know.  Is it right that some of them have drive to the sidecar wheel too?

Oh I guess what I would really like - and apologies for the phoenetic spelling of my best memory of the word - is a Kleinkatenrad (?) - one of the WW2 german things with BMW M/C front end an a troop carrying track laying rear. - Would be great for the shopping!

R

[guest27]

OK - they look like

this

and are called  Kleines Kettenkraftrad (Sd Kfz 2) (small tracked vehicle w/ one wheel)

and it was an Opel 1500/4 not a BMW, well I cannot get it all right...

R

[pigafetta]

That'd turn a few heads in Sainsburys car park!

My mate had a Ural in his shop for a service a couple of weeks ago. It was pretty new, looked excellent. some of them do have a driven sidecar wheel but you have to have the chair on the right. I'd definitely have one if it popped up in my price range. You used to see them regularly on Ebay pretty cheap but I've noticed prices have gone up a bit in the last year or so.

Dave B

[SteveC#222]

The Dnepr MT16 has sidecar drive, the chair has to be on the right as the drive shaft to the chair comes off the bevel drive housing. I think you can also get a diff lock kit.The best bit with russian outfits though is the reverse gear - you want to see the jaws drop in Sinsbury's car park as you REVERSE out of the parking bay.  COC had a rally on the same site as the Goldwing owners and we challenged the 1800CC goldwingers ( with the pretend reverse that runs off the starter motor) to a race twice around rally site in reverse but they wouldn't play!!

Have you seen the Ural promotional film showing just what these things can do?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dN5PAwc1ns8

[guest27]

WOW - they are having fun.

So a 2X3 would not be allowed in the UK as it is not LHS sidecar?

R