Sidecar Delay Factor: Please tell us YOUR experience(s)

[ClearwaterBMW]

Originally Posted by firebrick

I was in northern florida coming back from Daytona bike week and was fueling up next to a some guy and his beautiful chromed out CVO softail. Bike had to cost $40 grand or more. Some old dude about knocked the harley over running to see my gear up. Poor harley rider just filled up and left as I talked bikes with the old dude. Btw I like harleys but it was funny.

that's another great story
thanks for telling us about it here

As i was out for a ride in my area, i saw a street that i had never been down,i thought i'll check it out. I am slowly riding down a tree lined street. As i come to one house i see two old ladies racking leaves. One of the litte ladies stops racking and watches me ride by. The street dead ends,i make my way back toward the house of the two little ladies. The lady that had eyed me earlier throws her rack down and starts toward the street as to stop my path. " what the hell have i done...the bike is quiet wanders thru my mind". She is in the street blocking the road. I slow,then stop. She walks toward the sidecar and yells "gimmie a ride in that thing" so away we go me and this 80 year women . I gave her a little ride,back to her house out she jumps with a thanks....back to racking the leaves another ural moment in time.....maybe it was on her bucket list

[ClearwaterBMW]

Originally Posted by THREE LEGGED DOG

As i was out for a ride in my area, i saw a street that i had never been down,i thought i'll check it out. I am slowly riding down a tree lined street. As i come to one house i see two old ladies racking leaves. One of the litte ladies stops racking and watches me ride by. The street dead ends,i make my way back toward the house of the two little ladies. The lady that had eyed me earlier throws her rack down and starts toward the street as to stop my path. " what the hell have i done...the bike is quiet wanders thru my mind". She is in the street blocking the road. I slow,then stop. She walks toward the sidecar and yells "gimmie a ride in that thing" so away we go me and this 80 year women . I gave her a little ride,back to her house out she jumps with a thanks....back to racking the leaves another ural moment in time.....maybe it was on her bucket list

yeah...
her bucket list
that makes perfect sense... i bet she's STILL telling that story
well done
thanks for sharing it with us

[AeroEngineer]

My favorite story is from the guy who told me my rig was responsible for sending him to Vietnam. I was confused and asked him to elaborate -

He said he was stationed in Germany in the late 60's and after a drinking all night, him and a friend ended up stealing a german police hack and quickly ended up crashing it through a storefront. Long story short, his CO gave him two options, the better of which was volunteering for Vietnam.

Another time, I came out of Lowes to see an old man who couldn't speak english crying next to my bike. His friend was with him and translated in broken english that he was in the Russian army a long time ago and was a sidecar gunner. After leaving Russia, he never thought he would see one of those bikes again and it completely took him by surprise.

[ClearwaterBMW]

Originally Posted by AeroEngineer

My favorite story is from the guy who told me my rig was responsible for sending him to Vietnam. I was confused and asked him to elaborate -

He said he was stationed in Germany in the late 60's and after a drinking all night, him and a friend ended up stealing a german police hack and quickly ended up crashing it through a storefront. Long story short, his CO gave him two options, the better of which was volunteering for Vietnam.

Another time, I came out of Lowes to see an old man who couldn't speak english crying next to my bike. His friend was with him and translated in broken english that he was in the Russian army a long time ago and was a sidecar gunner. After leaving Russia, he never thought he would see one of those bikes again and it completely took him by surprise.

1 funny and 1 touching story
thanks for sharing them with us
i appreciate it

[chiba]

I tell people the most difficult thing about driving a rig is getting out of the parking lot.

It's even more difficult when I'm out with my daughter; she's 9. Her bright smile, pink helmet & great attitude attract attention just about everywhere we go on 2 wheels - on 3 it's even more so! When people ask her if she likes riding, she pipes up with "sidecars are WAY more fun than regular cars!" She likes to bring a book along with her (as does my wife) & I've lost count of cars that go past us, then slow down so people can take a picture of the gal in the sidecar reading a book.

A few weeks ago I got into a conversation with another rider at a gas station in Haymarket, VA. He was on a regular bike - might have been a Harley, but it was definitely a cruiser of some type. He asked the normal questions - is it hard, is it weird, what kind of mileage, how much stuff can you carry - and then said "with that bike, I bet putting the sidecar on it really affected your speed."

"Not as much as you'd think," I told him. He came back with "no way you can go over 80 with that." Sounded enough like a dare to me that I told him to grab his helmet & GPS off his bike & climb in Let's just say he's satisfied now that my rig can indeed do at least 80!

The look on his face when we got back to the gas station was priceless.

--chiba

[ClearwaterBMW]

Originally Posted by chiba

I tell people the most difficult thing about driving a rig is getting out of the parking lot.

It's even more difficult when I'm out with my daughter; she's 9. Her bright smile, pink helmet & great attitude attract attention just about everywhere we go on 2 wheels - on 3 it's even more so! When people ask her if she likes riding, she pipes up with "sidecars are WAY more fun than regular cars!" She likes to bring a book along with her (as does my wife) & I've lost count of cars that go past us, then slow down so people can take a picture of the gal in the sidecar reading a book.

A few weeks ago I got into a conversation with another rider at a gas station in Haymarket, VA. He was on a regular bike - might have been a Harley, but it was definitely a cruiser of some type. He asked the normal questions - is it hard, is it weird, what kind of mileage, how much stuff can you carry - and then said "with that bike, I bet putting the sidecar on it really affected your speed."

"Not as much as you'd think," I told him. He came back with "no way you can go over 80 with that." Sounded enough like a dare to me that I told him to grab his helmet & GPS off his bike & climb in Let's just say he's satisfied now that my rig can indeed do at least 80!

The look on his face when we got back to the gas station was priceless.

--chiba

chiba...
love this post of yours
my daughter is 17... still not sure if she'll ride with me
i suppose she will when she sees how many others are interested
2 pm tomorrow = friday, the 17th, is SUPPOSED to the TIME OF ARRIVAL
i can't wait

[KCDakar]

It's wonderful to see how we, as Hackers, can make such an affect on a persons life. For the most part all positive.

I would like to think that this works like a small wave after throwing a stone in a pool of water. The wave just keeps moving on. The effect of their/our involvement, how ever small, keeps making a positive change in their/our lives.

Speed Safe, because no one else will...

.

[ClearwaterBMW]

Originally Posted by KCDakar

It's wonderful to see how we, as Hackers, can make such an affect on a persons life. For the most part all positive.

I would like to think that this works like a small wave after throwing a stone in a pool of water. The wave just keeps moving on. The effect of their/our involvement, how ever small, keeps making a positive change in their/our lives.

Speed Safe, because no one else will...

.

very well put
thank you for posting that

[J-Dub]

Originally Posted by KCDakar

It's wonderful to see how we, as Hackers, can make such an affect on a persons life. For the most part all positive.

I've only had my Gear-Up for a week, and I have to say that the "angry" UDF was my first experience, with the bike still on the trailer. I stopped for gas and was approached by a guy checking out the bike. When he asked my what year it was, I replied that it was brand new, a 2010. He looked at me like I was being an asshole, and walked away muttering, "Whatever, Guy!"...

[AeroEngineer]

Originally Posted by ClearwaterBMW

chiba...
love this post of yours
my daughter is 17... still not sure if she'll ride with me
i suppose she will when she sees how many others are interested
2 pm tomorrow = friday, the 17th, is SUPPOSED to the TIME OF ARRIVAL
i can't wait

Nice! The heat has finally broken too!

Gonna have a fun weekend.

[ClearwaterBMW]

Originally Posted by AeroEngineer

Nice! The heat has finally broken too!

Gonna have a fun weekend.

thank you very much
but, the heat has broken?

[AeroEngineer]

Originally Posted by ClearwaterBMW

thank you very much
but, the heat has broken?

Compared to yesterday today feels like the first day of spring.

I left for work yesterday morning and it was already 90 out!

[ClearwaterBMW]

Originally Posted by AeroEngineer

Compared to yesterday today feels like the first day of spring.

I left for work yesterday morning and it was already 90 out!

i left for the newborn nursery at 0430... and it was 83... horrible
right now
at 5:47 pm
87 degrees
97 heat index
68% humidity
at my house

[Sidecar Sarge]

Back when my rig was new (2004), I stopped at the grocery store on the way home from shopping/errands. I parked next to a SUV. While I was still on the bike, a VERY attractive blond soccer mom approached the SUV and loaded it. She then just turned to me and asked for a ride! I was so flustered at being caught off guard like that, all I could do was laugh. I told her that, unfortunately, the sidecar was packed - and I mean packed - with stuff. Then she dropped the bomb, "I have tequila!" Now that REALLY got me flustered! At that point she climbed into her SUV and drove off.

Missed opportunity? Or, with my luck, we'd run into her uber-jealous husband. I'll never know.

Sarge