an@hou2h.UUCP (A. Nguyen) (09/24/84)
- I agree with Joe Weinstein for the most part, ie. street going sidecars are quirky, and possibly dangerous, vehicles that go against the high performance nature of most motorcycles. (Note also that all high performance street three wheelers, ie. Morgan, Tri-Hawk, etc, have two wheels up front - it's best to have the most rubber at the end that does the steering.) Joe must have meant the opposite, however, when he said that racing sidecars have 'limited movement for the "monkey" or passenger.' The driver is the one who kneels in knee-cups attached to the floor of the car, with foot braces to keep him from sliding back, and hands practically locked onto the stubby clip-ons that are covered under car-like bodywork. The monkey on the other hand can move from one side of the car to the other with complete freedom. I've seen monkeys hang off far enough to drag their buns, elbows, shoulder, and helmet too if they like, on either side! Pete Essaf, who was US Sidecar Champion a couple of years back, once said driving the racing sidecars are more dangerous than people think, because if the monkey falls off while going around a corner, the "chair" will "come up RIGHT NOW!" And the driver can't jump off, so he'll probably be caught underneath if the vehicle overturns. And those things don't have roll-cages! Au