Sidecars!

They aren't made in the UK and don't offer the sidecar bit separately, but among the outfits you've seen there could have been a Ural Dalesman, or one of the other Ural models. I have a (frankly barmy, but irrepressible) hankering after their Gear-Up model, and the Red October has an even better name (and paint job).

This is a dealer site, but very informative:
http://www.f2motorcycles.ltd.uk/

The trouble is that Urals appeal mainly to gentlemen of a certain age and taste. Meaning, I suspect, that one can probably be robbed - er, better make that "acquired" - secondhand off a retired vicar without spending too much money, if you keep your nose to the classifieds.

In a desperate rearguard action against my cravings I'm operating a policy of ramming the garage so full of junk that there's no room for more bikes. But it's probably a vain effort to stave off the inevitable...

I've ridden the Spyder and like a lot of weird vehicles, it's less fun to ride/drive/whatever you call it, than it looks. I'll post the test on here shortly, just for you...

Sussex Police are trialling the Spyder, although it would seem to be an obvious fail in the "getting through narrow gaps in a hurry" stakes. I actually saw one on the road (not in police livery) recently, which suggests that there are buyers out there (unless it was a test bike, of course).

I can't think of any advantage this would have for the police, it goes through gaps like a car and has the weather and crash protection of a bike. This must surely be for publicity than any real consideration of using it.

This raises a point of some ire actually. How can Police forces get away with this sort of thing? I suppose it does have better luggage carrying capacity than a bike and to be fair I have seen a maniac here in Prague managing to get through some pretty tight gaps in the traffic on one BUT in the main all your points are on the nail. Also in Prague the Police have a Hummer !?! In the name of all that is holy, thos abominations should never have left the drawing board for anything but military. For a Police car that is used only in the city and a bloody big one at that, it is beyond belief. It certainly has generated publicity but not of the positive variety.

Have to agree Rocca!

I really think a Monkeystrada combi is the way forward.

Shuggie, you said you were contemplating a bit of extra tinkering over the winter.

Break out the angle grinder, large hammer and welding gear. Get to work on a subframe, whilst at the same time cutting this frankly useless boat in half.

A few nuts and bolts, a bit of angle iron and viola (as you would say: rocca, please supply the accent).

Could you possibly indulge me with a modification to the arm of the sidecar extension (it could then proudly carry the decal 'Monkeystrada Combi ARSE')? Insert a linch pin at the connection point (you can tell I'm a mechanic, can't you), run this to the handlebars with a length of baler twine and wind it a few times round the brake reservoir.

Should you ever have an irritating passenger or surplus cheese, simply pull the pin out, thereby simultaneously releasing sidecar and re-enacting perhaps the greatest scene in the history of claymation.

You can't say I lack persistence!

I've ridden the Spyder and like a lot of weird vehicles, it's less fun to ride/drive/whatever you call it, than it looks. I'll post the test on here shortly, just for you...
... it might create a bit of banter by all accounts! Although I'd probably prefer to hear your Tiger 800 and Diavel verdicts once ridden.

Gutted today, as I spoke to a guy that had turned up at a bike shop with a vintage Ural, resplendent with not only a matching sidecar, but also (sat in the side car) two Weimaraner's looking cool in their 'doggles' eyewear. Would have made a great pic for this thread!

http://andyw-inuk.smugmug.com/Motorcycles/Ducati-Multistrada-1200/Multis...

There ought to be one there, I'll, er, double check that...

My own double entries are deliberate in fact, a peculiarity of the software is that the very first posts in new threads don't appear in the recent comments box on the left, so I repeat the first one to make it show up there. There doesn't seem to be much we can do about that.

Back to you about the delete button shortly...