I've been giving serious thought to getting a sidecar motorcycle as an alternative to car:
- get one made before or in 1979 and it's classified as a historic vehicle (probably some sort of old BMW copy like an Ural but it could also be an old Jap bike with a sidecar attached)
- no London congestion charge because it's still a motorcycle
- no London emmissions charge because it's exempt as a historic vehicle
- no MOT fees because it's exempt as a historic vehicle
- no road tax because it's exempt as a historic vehicle
- cheap insurance because it's a historic vehicle
- better fuel economy than a typical hatchback
- can use motorcycle parking bays
- practical because the sidecar is basically the same size as the boot of a small car
- not as much of a hassle as a classic car because of the simplicity/ease of maintenance of motorcycles
This strikes me as an incredibly genius idea but I'm pretty drunk right now.
I'm not really a Bike Guy but this sounds like a solid plan to me, too, as long as you're confident you can get the parts and keep a bike that old running.
Also I've never seen a bike with sidecar park in a motorbike bay, you'd probably end up taking up two or three spaces.
>>4326 I like the plan in many ways, but the only problem is that with a sidecar you lose one of the primary benefits of having a bike - filtering through traffic; you would essentially be the width of a small car, and so would end up sitting in a lot more traffic than you would on a normal bike.
Have always wanted one too (particularly some of the old BMW ones) but not as a main/commuting bike.
The handling of a sidecar outfit is really fucking weird. You're totally asymmetrical and the weight distribution changes radically depending on who or what is in the sidecar. It's not like you have to totally re-learn how to ride, but there is a fairly steep learning curve and a lot of your instincts can get you into trouble.
>>4327 I think pretty much every old Soviet machine was designed to be easily fixed with a hammer and some basic tools...but I've heard that the biggest problem is that you'll be doing a lot of fixing. I've never seen a sidecar in a motorbike bay either, but I've also never seen anyone riding a sidecar bike either.
>>4328 Very true, that's why I emphasised it being an alternative to a small car in this very specific set of circumstances. There isn't much benefit if you don't need to haul a bunch of shit within central London, or greater London if the ULEZ extension in 2021 proceeds as planned.