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The sidecar, for those who don’t know what it is, or have never heard of it, is exactly what the translation of the word from English to Portuguese means: a sidecar. Or rather: a cart attached to the side of the motorcycles.
The main function of the sidecar is to accommodate more than one person on a motorcycle in a comfortable and safe way, since the fitting ends up transforming the two-wheel vehicle into a three-wheel vehicle, easier to be piloted.
Despite the three wheels, however, it is important to stress that a sidecar is not a type of motorcycle or purely a tricycle. According to the definitions of Denatran (National Traffic Department), there are differences between a motorcycle, a sidecar and a tricycle.
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- Motorcycle: Motor vehicle with two wheels, with or without sidecar, driven in mounted position;
- Sidecar: Car or bucket provided with a wheel attached to the side of the motorcycle;
- Tricycle: Self-propelled road vehicle with the same mechanical structure as a motorcycle, equipped with three wheels.
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How did the sidecar come about?
You may not know how the sidecar came about, but the device created to be attached to motorcycles is actually almost as old as the bike itself. While the motorcycle dates back to 1869, the sidecar first appeared in 1883, but as an accessory designed for bicycles.
Only 20 years later, however, the product was duly patented and production started by WJ Graham and Jonathan A. Kahn. From then on, due to its cheaper price than other vehicles, its use expanded.
The sidecar became an option to equip the police and the armed forces, with the right to produce models with the signature of Harley-Davidson for the United States Army during the 1st World War.
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The “craze” for the sidecar in the United States subsided as cars became cheaper, but the sidecar attached to motorcycles continued to rise in Europe, mainly for military use by Soviet, German and British troops in World War II.
Sidecar inspired creation of Jaguar
An interesting point about the history of sidecars is that they inspired the creation of one of the most famous and luxurious car brands in the world: Jaguar. And the story is told by the automaker on the Jaguar Brasil website.
According to Jaguar, in 1922, Bill Lyons, aged just 20, met William Walmsley, who was building a sidecar in Blackpool, England, and was excited about the opportunity to set up a lucrative business. Thus came the Swallow Sidecar Company.
The automaker manufactured the first car, the Austin 7, and in 1927 decided to remove the Sidecar nomenclature from the company’s name, which was renamed Swallow Coachbuilding Company.
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Success continued with the launches of the SS, SS1, SS2, SS Jaguar 90, SS Jaguar 100, until, in 1945, the company became Jaguars Cars Limited, giving rise to the luxury brand that is now respected around the world. .
Where to buy a sidecar in Brazil?
Now that you know what a sidecar is and the origin of the accessory, initially made for bicycles, but later incorporated into motorcycles, one question remains to be answered: where to buy a sidecar in Brazil?
There are several specialized companies that produce the accessory in Brazil, such as Motocarga and Saidbrasil. It can be manufactured according to the motorcycle model that the customer has. The average price charged for a fiberglass sidecar starts at R$3,600, and it takes about a month to get ready.
There are also more luxurious options, which can cost the price of a used car. This is the case with the sidecars produced by Watsonian, which is headquartered in Birmingham but exports worldwide.
The brand, responsible for producing a sidecar for the film Harry Potterentered into a partnership with Royal Enfield, and can send the model here for “only” R$ 46,000.
Read the article on Canaltech.
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