sidecarcross
September 21, 2015 8:33 PM   Subscribe

You ever see a motocross race?
You ever see a motocross race WITH SIDECARS?! posted by the man of twists and turns (21 comments total) 7 users marked this as a favorite
 
When they go over the jump they look like popcorn.

Unstable, slightly insane popcorn.
posted by Dip Flash at 8:39 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]


OH MY GOD IM HALLUCINATING ROMMEL AND J.C.
posted by JHarris at 8:44 PM on September 21, 2015 [4 favorites]


♫ ♬ Siiidehackin' is the thing to do.....♫ ♬
posted by JHarris at 8:46 PM on September 21, 2015 [12 favorites]


I want to see them swap sides mid race (mid air? :-))
posted by smidgen at 8:52 PM on September 21, 2015


eponysteri... HOLY SHIT
posted by not_on_display at 8:57 PM on September 21, 2015 [3 favorites]


I don't usually approve of the eponysterics, but gosh, it sure fits here and probably you need a sidekick named "the assistant of bumps and bruises."
posted by notyou at 8:58 PM on September 21, 2015 [3 favorites]


Please tell me there is some sort of suspension on the sidecar.
posted by xedrik at 9:03 PM on September 21, 2015


He hit big Jake.
posted by vrakatar at 9:20 PM on September 21, 2015


I saw this type of racing on TV some time in the 1970s and didn't have enough of a memory of it to recall what was going on. Thanks for this post, and now I'm going to spend time wincing in sympathy.
posted by datawrangler at 9:21 PM on September 21, 2015


Sidecar racing is cool. Vintage, modern, a different kind of vintage...
posted by danny the boy at 9:38 PM on September 21, 2015


I came for the Side Hackers reference. I thought, I bet I could make a Side Hackers reference, but then I thought, I bet JHarris has beaten me to it. I was not disappointed.

vrakatar for the assist

Filmed in Long Torso Vision
posted by gc at 10:00 PM on September 21, 2015 [2 favorites]


Also only came for the Side Hackers reference. That's really the first and last thing I ever want to see about sidecar racing, though. Goodnight.
posted by WaylandSmith at 10:15 PM on September 21, 2015 [1 favorite]


Sidecar racing used to be fairly popular and a fixture on UK television in the 70s/80s. See also speedway.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 11:08 PM on September 21, 2015


I came for the Side Hackers reference.

As did I. It occurred to me several weeks ago that I should go Googling to see (a) if sidehacking was an actual thing outside the movie and (b) if it was still being done. Might make for a good Metafilter post. Never got to it, of course, but I'm glad some Mefites can read minds.
posted by AlonzoMosleyFBI at 3:57 AM on September 22, 2015


Wait, there's no standard position for the side car in competition?
posted by ardgedee at 4:03 AM on September 22, 2015


Is it wrong that I now want to sidehack? I can't drive a motorcycle, but as someone with many years of experience on Boston's Green Line, I think I'm really good at holding on to bars for dear life and effectively redistributing my weight.
posted by Countess Elena at 7:54 AM on September 22, 2015


"Hmmm, motorcycle racing is dangerous but I'm thinking it could be more dangerous. But how?"

"How about we slap on a sidecar and second rider whose job it is to continually move around to balance everything out, more or less, while barely hanging on?"

"It's a start, but can we kick it up a notch?"

"Do it in motocross?"

"Brilliant!"
posted by tommasz at 7:57 AM on September 22, 2015


Oh, is this weird? Grew up with this as one of the local sports, and there was the annual highlight of seeing folks pretty much trying to kill themselves on sidecars at speed at the local meet. We saw some accidents, some I may never be able to unsee. The local farm boys loved their motorbikes, and some of them - like the now third or fourth generation speedway-mad McKinna family - got really good.
posted by scruss at 8:45 AM on September 22, 2015


Where do I sign up here in the US PNW?

Am debating selling my BMW R100RS oe adding a sidhack. But I can do it to a dirt bike?!
posted by Dreidl at 9:19 AM on September 22, 2015


"Hmmm, motorcycle racing is dangerous but I'm thinking it could be more dangerous. But how?"

"How about we slap on a sidecar and second rider whose job it is to continually move around to balance everything out, more or less, while barely hanging on?"


You know, someone wrote a song about it.
posted by JHarris at 11:36 AM on September 22, 2015


There's a whole section on advrider for hacks, and many people have them on dirtbikes or dualsports.

There are also a lot of Urals that people take out into the dirt. They're available with selectable two-wheel drive. I had one that was one-wheel drive but I still took it in the dirt and snow. Getting stuck is half the fun.

I'd love to race an outfit but I don't think I have the physical strength even to be the pilot, let alone the monkey. Even if I got a smaller one.

Sidecar racing is definitely still a thing at AMA Vintage Days.
posted by elizilla at 12:36 PM on September 22, 2015


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