Breaking News, “V-Max Man” has a bit on the side
I walked passed a display at Motorcycle Live and stopped in my tracks, almost not comprehending what I just saw; then, I had to retrace my steps to look again. One of my all-time favourite muscle bikes was shackled to a sidecar. This was no “Wallace and Gromit” impersonation, but a powerful 197bhp V4 that proudly stands head and shoulders over most of it’s rivals. It was bolted to a single-wheeled ball and chain that had neutered the performance of this wonderful machine.
I asked the staff from Watsonian who supplied the sidecar to help me with my quandary. They were great guys, who explained that this motorbike was their customer’s pride and joy, yet he needed extra passenger capacity. Rather than relinquished his two-wheeled love affair and buy a car, this appeared to be a suitable compromise. Obliviously he could detach the sidecar when not needed and still entertain his Yahama mistress.
It was interesting to discover that the company Watsonian had been building custom-made sidecars for over 100 years, offering the motorcyclist versatile options for their love of bikes. This includes the founder T.F.Watson, designing folding sidecars that could be wheeled through the narrow alleyways of Birmingham and utility options such as Ambulance sidecars during the Great War.