That splendid BMW sidecar rig reminded me of the golden era of sidecar racing, when the BMWs were so dominant. I remember seeing a similar race film as a short in the movie theater (no tv in Austria then), and it was a real eye-opener. I was totally blown away by what these guys do on the side car, hanging way out there, inches over the pavement at 100 mph.
I had one or two Corgi models of these sidecar racers. Wonder whatever happened to them? I, too, was always impressed by the work done by the live ballast sidecar riders.
Thanks Paul!
I remember those! Probably went the way of all my vintage cast-metal Marklin trains (tossed out by our dear mother). 🙂
The fate of the Marklin trains was a crying shame. Don’t get me started.
Sorry for your loss.
+1
It’s unbelievable how the rider cantilevers out over the track on the inside corner. They must be quite the athletes. Perhaps somebody can kindly answer if the sidecar on the left or right is a team choice? Thank you.
Sidecar setup is (street) determined by the side of the road you drive on, aka, what side of the car the passenger sits on. I believe a lot of setup has to do with the nationality of the team involved, what they’re used to. I’d also guess that the track layout would have some influence.
As to the antics of the monkey (guy in the hack), it’s necessary. Real necessary. I’ve never been in a full racing kit, but back in my Ducati Richmond days I was passenger in a couple of combinations ridden full out – and yes, you are definitely providing one hell of a counterforce to the motion of the combination. Miss your perch on the next curve and the whole combination will lift skyward.
Thanks Syke. Good information.
Syke you have my greatest respect,your balls must be made of steel!And big to be a sidecar racing passenger.The BMW had a long spell at the top in sidecar racing well into the 70s until 2 strokes took over
I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating:
You are insane, and I mean that as a compliment.
The closest I’ve ever come to sidehacking would be watching that awful Ross Hagen movie of the same name on Mystery Science Theater.
Can’t not laugh at the robots…:-)
Yer a braver man than me Syke I was offered a turn as the swinger on a demonstration run at a classic bike meeting but not on a classic this guy had turned up with a Kwacka 9 chair outfit and his passenger wasnt there he was prowling the pit paddock looking for someone the correct size and spotted me, yeah nar bro, I was pit crew for a Norstar we were racing I gave it a miss the poor sod who accepted his offer looked quite pale after the event he demonstrated all right flat out around Taupo circuit. Ive been on a road combination attached to a 750 Honda its wierd going sideways on a bike even at mere road speeds.
One of the solo bikes from theNorton Domiracer team of 61 is in NZ Ive seen it race
A shame the Domiracer was never fully developed.I think Paul Dunstall took it to Daytona with Dick Mann riding
I remember reading that the low cg allowed by the boxer were very important to their success. Didn’t try to stay current because I wasn’t nearly so pavement focused as dirt. Folks that had them loved them but normally all you see are 750s and up. The other article here today was noteworthy to me and I also just ran across an r450 on a bike site. I honestly did not recall ever knowing about them.
I have always been fascinated by sidecars and their unique handling characteristics.
Yes. They didn’t have to have the horsepower to match the competition, because they had them beat around the curves due to the cg advantage.
In addition to the Ross Hagen “classic,” I saw some Manx sidehack racing in a Matthew Barney art film. He also brought some bike parts to display as part of his exhibition at the Guggenheim some years ago. Strange dude. This exhibition was a follow-up to his previous success, “Chrysler Imperial,” a film early-Sixties Imperial lovers ought not watch.