Honda-SOHC
SOHC.co.uk Forums => Project Board => Topic started by: Spav on August 31, 2017, 07:34:05 AM
-
Well, after being reminded by Trigger it’s about time to reveal the old girl. First a bit of history. She was purchased new in Nov 1972 by my late father in law John and from new was fitted with a Sidecar developments Astralite sidecar. During the 70’s she was fitted with a set of leading links manufactured by another fellow sidecarrist with materials and parts acquired from the engineering firm where he worked. In early 1982 I met my future wife at a sidecar rally at which they were attending. It was John and Rose his wife’s sole transport for over 40 years and carried both of their children and all of their grandchildren in her. Later in life he was not able to manage the weight and we fitted a light weight sidecar and “Moby” as the sidecar was affectionately named was retired to the garage. John carried on riding into his 80’s but unfortunately he passed away three years ago and left the bike and sidecar to my wife Tracy. Finally after three years and taking early retirement I now had time to put the bike back on the road and in as close to the original trim as when John rode it. It was my first real restoration and originally thought very little would require doing however he used it in all weathers and sprayed loads and I mean loads of chain lube over everything which had preserved somethings but trapped water and not others. Finally after eight months of work I was able to roll her out on the 23 August and get her MOT’d just in time for the Federation of Sidecar clubs annual rally. After a few minor hiccups she completed her first outing in many years.
Also many thanks to Trigger for all the assistance and advice and Nurse Julie for the tea.
Regards Spav
-
WoW !!!!
what a lovely history,
and so nice to see the fruits of your labours on the road ,
and its great that both Trigger and Julie get a mention,as they both do a lot to off support and friendship on here
welldone to all involved
BTW, loved the "kettle" outfit !!
-
I am not a sidecar fan but, I love this bike and all of its history. It just reminds us that the reason for owning a bike for many people years ago was to get from A to B as cheap as possible.
-
Awesome, simply awesome. Great effort all round.
-
Superb effort well done to everyone :)
-
I love this outfit.....Wallace and Gromit always come to mind. John has done a grand job on it and the side car is an absolute beauty.
-
I enjoyed reading the history the bike and sidecar. The kettle isn't a bike I would normally associate with having a sidecar but there's probably a sidecar been fitted to anything and everything, Fizzies included.
-
A Fizzie with a sidecar. Now there's a challenge for the internet generation!
I await the results...
-
There are guys on the C90 forum with big sidecars attached, which is also very common in South East Asia, as well as aftermarket seats to accommodate 5 people!
Sent from my X6pro using Tapatalk
-
Great story and bike! Dad will be looking down with pride!
-
There are guys on the C90 forum with big sidecars attached, which is also very common in South East Asia, as well as aftermarket seats to accommodate 5 people!
Sent from my X6pro using Tapatalk
Still waiting for a picture of this C90 ;)
-
Just for you Trig ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D[attachimg=1]
-
And a U.K. one, just think, you could get rid of the CD250's AND Julie's car and let her ride this! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D[attachimg=1]
-
And a U.K. one, just think, you could get rid of the CD250's AND Julie's car and let her ride this! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D (Attachment Link)
:'( :'( :'( :'( :'(
-
As above not a fan of sidecar outfits but bikes with lots of history are great and deserve restoration no matter what they are.
Even the Italian ones ;)
-
Maybe not a c90 though
-
Nice to see you awake young Mick. Now off to bed now, I'm sure you have an early start tomorrow ;D
-
Don't make me think about work I managed to get today off and only woke up a couple of hours ago.
-
So your still part time then ;D As your awake you may as well head off now and get an early start then ;D ;D
-
I'm still trying to work out weather to have breakfast or dinner
A fry up may be in order its kind of both
-
nowt wrong with sidecars they are very different animal
you ride a bike and you drive a sidecar
-
I wouldn't refuse a go on one if someone offered ;)
Just don't hold me accountable if I crash on the first bend
-
My mate had an XS650 combo. Great laugh that was. I remember taking off at speed, all 3 wheels off the ground, over a level crossing.
-
PDI'd a cossack with posh sidecar once, chair on rh side made it a very interesting(honest) pig to drive!!
-
PDI'd a cossack with posh sidecar once, chair on rh side made it a very interesting(honest) pig to drive!!
Most l of those Russian bikes were imported into Hull and sold by Neval motorcycles and my mate dodgy Roger worked there in the 70's prepping the bikes for sale and doing the necessary mods to make them UK legal. It was part owned by a very colourful character called Nev Mason who, at one time, made his money catching eels from the river where the sewerage from the local maternity hospital was discharged and he used to go down the Billingsgate market and sell them. From what Rog tells me he used an old air raid shelter to store them that was partially sealed up and filled with water with a hose pipe constantly running into it to combat the leaks.
-
Nice story Spav
I wasn't a fan of sidecars either... until kids came along, I bought one of the Dnepr military jobs for £20 and bolted it on a rough CB550F that I'd bought for £120. I ran that for years including camping trips with all the kids, happy times and memories, its still in my garage but I'm going to bolt an XS1100 onto it freeing up the CB550 to break for parts.
-
A few more pics, also footnote on finally clearing the shed where the bike had been for many years, I was about ready to leave when my wife said le'ts have a last look and she went in and called out I have found a mudguard stuffed in to a hole in the side of the shed, when she pulled it out it was the original front mudguard with its original front number plate, mudguard was to far gone but thanks to Trigger again a new blade supplied and the number plate is back where it should be.
Spav
-
That is a lovely looking combo. Personally I love sidecar. I used a cb500/4 with a Watsonian Palma chair for years as my only transport. Its still in the shed awaiting finishing off, shamefully stalled for years again. Kids or bikes, not time for both and self employment. They are indeed not at all like a bike to ride. My first trip out on mine I was into hedges and verges every time I brakes, once I had the technique sorted some 40 miles later it was nearly impossible to get me off the thing, another 500 miles and I had enough confidence that every corner was taken sideways and power slides were frequent. Every outfit handles differently, I had a bmw outfit with another Palma chair, it was set up badly so heavy braking caused the geometry to alter - really horrid. Sold the chair after buying a Busmar Asteral double adult chair to take its place, with leading link forks and a twin plugged 1000cc boxer engine it was effortless to pilot, easy to chuck round bends with only 1 hand on the bars at any speed allowable on UK roads, but in my books this made it bland, I perversely prefer the cb500 outfit that handled worse, made it more fun. Took it round the clock a few times, roughly it's done 250, 000 miles give or take and I hope to put a few more on there one day.
Tomb, before you break that bike for parts see if the xs 1100 is as much fun as the cb550. I thought the Btw outfit should have been the bees knees, and on paper it is, ticks every box but somehow it's just a bit bland, I would be great to tour Europe, but for mere 100 mile each way trips I found it was somehow too good at it to be fun. - It was also electrically rubbish which did it no favours.
-
She looks lovely with the front numberplate John. Finishes her off a treat.