I obtained some literature from Watsonian Squire about their models and kept an eye out for combos in the motorcycle press. I enquired about a coach-built chair with a Goldwing 1100 power plant, but the economy frightened me, plus it only had a single seat. I decided the best option was to buy a cheap outfit to see if I was up to the idiosyncrasies of sidecars, most likely a Jawa outfit.
One eventually turned up, involving a round trip of 400 miles in a hired Ford Onion. Having read a little on the handling of such beasts I went equipped with a bag of cement to act as ballast to keep the wheel down on left-hand bends. The trip turned out unsuccessful as I couldn't start the bike for ages. I was on the point of giving up when it burst into rattly, smoking life.
I went for a ride along the country road on which the vendor lived. True to form, the left-hand bend caught me out. It was only a slight one but I fell into the typical mistake of backing off the throttle when approaching the bend. Making the outfit veer across the road towards a ditch and hedge - there were a few worrying moments as I tried to remember what I needed to do to get around the bend. A few heart palpitations later I had steered the bouncing beast around and went back to have a break and to recover my composure.
I was prepared for, but unnerved by, the way the front end shook at speeds of less than 10mph. Other problems were the hopeless idiot lights, the two stroke fog and the difficulty (read, my inability) of starting the engine with the combined kickstart and gear change lever. The gearbox was very imprecise as well and the chair itself was very basic and only a single seater. We decided not to purchase, the thought of driving a machine I did not trust 200 miles home putting me off.
The Jawa experience, rather than turning me off, helped in the decision to take the plunge by buying a combo. Enquiries were made about a number of outfits in the paper but to no avail. With a very young family, a saloon sidecar seemed the best choice. Further enquiries revealed that very few of these were available and that Squire had ceased production of their QM1 model. Their demo chair was up for sale so a deposit was put down. The QM1 is a double adult sidecar that’s best described as being of a similar shape to a Reliant Robin! Ours was fitted with most of the available extras (interior lights, wide front seat, wiper, tow bar and sunroof plus a stereo). The next problem was what bike?
I wanted shaft drive so initial thoughts were towards a Kwack GT550 but Watsonian reckoned on a 1000cc for this size of sidecar but a 750 would do at a pinch. The choice became between a GT750 and K75. After some test rides it was evident the BMW was way ahead. A K75 was duly purchased from a local dealer. Next problem, joining them up. I let Squire do the job, the K75 needing a subframe around the engine. I chose the cheaper subframe from Wasp but later found this had some shortcomings such as making access to the spark plugs very difficult and removal of the top end impossible without first removing the sidecar and subframe.
Four weeks later we were ready for the road. I was a bit concerned about how it’d handle and how I could acclimatize myself to it. I need not have worried as the heavier sidecar showed none of the signs of lifting its wheel off the deck. First impressions were very favourable - it was stable and held the road well. I have only once brought the sidecar wheel up, and this happened when a bend suddenly sharpened. I had to straighten up, brake quickly, and steer around the corner. You can sometimes end up on the wrong side of the road!
Our first ride was around the estate on which we lived at the time, which had a short circular route with limited traffic, but enough obstacles to get used to the steering. Having conquered my concerns about being able to control the outfit on the local estate roads, I was eager to get out on the open road. The weekend arrived, other than being windy the weather conditions were reasonable. With my wife on the pillion and son plus father-in-law in the sidecar, we were away!
The 750 ran cleanly but acceleration was considerably reduced. Even small cars were pulling away faster! Still, they were welcome to their cages. It was great to be able to have transport for the family which we could all enjoy. The engine showed no signs of stress until 70mph was reached, which didn't bother me as I keep to the speed limits. Stability was fine, even strong crosswinds, whilst disturbing, were easily handled. What did the family think? My wife said it was great to be on a bike again rather than being stuck in a car. She quickly adapted to the necessary pillion input. My three year old son really enjoyed the rides and was always demanding more outings.
However, our first long journey exposed certain shortcomings. The K75 seat turned rock hard within one and a quarter hours. I could feel my wife fidgeting and a quick glance through the sidecar window helped me decide a break was long overdue. But we had only done 60 miles. After ten minutes we were sufficiently recovered to continue. Subsequent long journeys confirmed the maximum time we could stand in the saddle was about 1.5 to 2 hours. However, later, when the chair was fitted to the K100RT we were able to cope with up to three hours on the same route.
The narrow and flat bars resulted in chronic shoulder and arm ache - I could never find a position to sit that gave a completely comfortable ride. This problem was overcome by fitting a set of K100RT bars. The steering damper, fitted by Squire, made for heavy but steady steering. There was certainly none of the head shaking experienced on the Jawa.
The common BMW problem of soft suspension quickly reared its ugly head. The Unit leading-links sorted out the front but the single rear shock had us bouncing all over the place! Sorted by placing a stronger spring in the shock. The bike then had very stiff suspension but it matched the primitive rubber damper on the sidecar wheel. Driving over sleeping policemen was unusual with the wheels being out of step. I would describe the ride in the sidecar as on the rough side of lively (i.e. poor) given the state of the roads. It does possess a very soporific effect, particularly on young children. Most people who’ve ridden in it comment on the bumpy ride and how close they feel to the road.
The K100RT was bought because of problems with the 750, that were mostly down to my own errors. Things such as blowing up the ignition control box by opening the ignition circuit whilst charging the battery. A trapped wire from the front brake switch caused a short-circuit which took ages to trace. It took out the rear bulb checking relay, causing an unusual side effect on the engine - it would not rev beyond 3000! Thinking the injection control was dying I bought a used one from Motobins (a very useful source for BMW bits) along with a new light relay. Weird electrics on these bikes...
The final straw was when a bolt holding the sidecar to the front upper engine mounting sheared (the K series aren't supposed to run chairs - Ed). Hence purchase of a used K100RT, the K75 kept for solo use. This time I let Unit Sidecars do the job, neater but more expensive. This outfit is much better. The 1000cc engine does its job in a very relaxed manner which suits me fine but has the extra power available to get past Sunday drivers when they are encountered on single carriageways. Even at 70mph the engine is pulling well and showing none of the tiredness of the K75. The big drawback’s economy, on the first long journey I was horrified to work out that it'd done 30mpg doing 70mph!
There's a roughness around 3100 revs, 46mph in top that carries through to 55mph, being worst at 50mph. The vibration only really disappears above 65mph. The K75 was much smoother and does 45mpg. Tyres range from 4000 to 10000 miles depending on type. A car would cost the same, be more economical and carry more gear. Both my wife and I hate cars though, so I’m happy with the outfit much to the consternation.of some people who can’t understand us having it.
P. W. K.