"Life is not a journey to the grave
with the intention of arriving safely
in one pretty and well preserved piece,
but to skid across the finish line sideways,
worn out, used up, leaking oil and shouting,
'GERONIMO!'".
Think a sidecar is for old grannies and chickens? Think again! In fact, go to the race track and ask the bike racers who the craziest thrill seekers of them all are. Without hesitation, they will tell you - the sidecar riders. They are all NUTS!!! A sidecar looks stable, but as soon as it starts moving it becomes a flying nightmare, perpetually out of balance, incapable of driving in a straight line without the rider's guidance. Riders with years of motorbike experience end up in the ditch the first time they take a bend. The chair can lift, and so can the back wheel. Sidecars are a thrill a minute, and if you can pilot one, you've really made it in the world of motorbikes. They are NOT for the weak or the faint hearted!
I have always loved the look and sound of motorbikes, but for many years owning one was an impossible dream. I bought my first bike as a 50th birthday present to myself. It was a Yamaha FZR 250 and an instant source of frustration. Since my motto is Grow Old Disgracefully, I promptly traded it in on a Triumph Sprint ST 955, which was just a teeny bit illegal on my category of license, but no one stops a rider as old as me to ask if they should be on a Learner's Permit, wicked grin.
Since then I have owned a Virago 1100, a Yamaha Roadstar 1600, and I am currently enjoying a Hyosung Aquila 650. But I've always yearned for an older style bike of the type I admired throughout all those bikeless years - and I've always wanted a sidecar. I saw the Enfield Bullet with its Cozy sidecar at a bike show in November and it was love at first sight. The open road is ahead and we will grow old disgracefully together.
My longest trip to date has been two weeks on the road right round New Zealand, North and South Island, down one side and up the other. Currently exploring The Big Country, Australia.
For continuing episodes, read the Blog below and the Trip stories as they happen - this is a Long and Winding Road...
Stay vertical folks!