New Member - 1953 A10 plunger with Watsonian sidecar

[tsubahog]

Hi there - new member joining the forum. Lots of experience with old British bikes but the rig looks like it will be a challenge. Its all original but very tired. I imported it to New Jersey USA from UK as a project and have just started the work. I plan to post updates and ask a lot of questions.

Thanks

Dave = tsuba = tsubahog

[muskrat]

G'day Dave, welcome to the forum.
                                               don't see many sidecars down here anymore. I love riding behind one to watch the antics through the corners. Never rode one but been a passenger a few times, once on a speedway rig in a race, NEVER again.
 So when you put it on the wrong side does it face backwards? LOL.
Cheers

[sinbad]

Hi there Dave welcome, bit like Muskrat I had one lap on a mates racing sidecar once and that cured me .
Anyway I think one or two lads on here will have had better experiences, so good luck with the project.
Cheers.

[Sidcar]

Hi Dave,
Good choice a sidecar rig, I've got three at the moment and my first, way back in the sixties, was a '54 plunger Golden Flash with a Rankin double adult chair (and slightly bent forks), great fun.
Look forward to seeing a picture or two.
Need help just ask

Sid

[Rocket Racer]

Any chance of some sidecar chassis pics if thats not too rude! "show us yer chassis!"

I'm currently messing about with a chair that has a watsonian avon body but the chassis has me confused. My current suspicion is that its australian as the chair is mounted quite high (Australians had hazards like kangaroos which you want to go under not over you) and it has all american threads (but these could have been changed).
Its also a 3 point mount and is not fixed, but pivots on two of the mounts with the third being sprung. Its a lovely light chassis and done with proper cast lugs, but no identifiers to show heritage or age. Initial runs suggest its good on bumpy dirt roads (like in australia!), but may not like fast tarmac corners , may just need to be ridden more sympathetically, it is what it is.

Need to wire in a pilot light, apply some chassis paint and get some fresh bolts and fitting for the body but not far from mobile (on my B33 not the A10). Quite a different beastie from my race rig which has a 5 point mount.

Apologies to all australians reading for any implication that your country is flat, full of dangerous animals and doesnt have much in the way of good roads with bends  just long straight bumpy ones with animals that like to randomly leap across at head height... I'm sure this would be grossly incorrect.

 

[muskrat]

Sounds like your gum boots are a tad tight, no room for the bah legs. LOL
Funny how we bag each other, but are side by side in a stouch.
But your right. I've hit a roo, two wallabys and a wombat. One broke my shoulder in 13 places.
Cheers

[Sidcar]

Round here it's the speed cameras that ruin your day (and licence)
a sprung mounting point sounds interesting if not dangerous. how about a picture.

Sid

[Rocket Racer]

I was chatting to a mate who's into pre war stuff and he was saying there are a lot of old sidecars knocking around in the lucky country as the country was ideal for them. But nowadays nobody wants them! You blokes apparently had quite a swathe of small manufacturers like Dusting back in the day...
But apparently rather than the UK style being low fitting, the Australian designed ones are often high and point upwards at the front partly due to the bad dirt roads (obviously in times gone by) and natural hazards hopping about.
Shame there's not much info about on old chairs and chair manufacturers. Its a bit of an arcane subject.
Just had to have a dig at my cousins across the ditch, probably just jealousy as you blokes have better weather and earn more! But when our rain clears once in a blue moon we have a ripper of a country to ride our old pommy junk around in.  


Ah will try and take some pics soon, still all a bit of a lash up bodywise...the setup effectively seems to have a degree of passive steering but it does mean the bike can lean out on corners (only a bit but sure feels weird at any speed)
But bounces and jiggles quite happily up & down my gravel drive.
The front and back mounts pivot, while the third cross mount from under the seat towards the sidecar wheel is the one thats sprung, so the sidecar wheel moves fore and aft slightly as the bike tilts.

the a10 in the background is just mocked up with a dummy engine, forks loose in the triple clamps, tanks off my racing rig so lots to be done there...still collecting parts

[LJ.]

Hi RR...

That body looks like a Watsonian Avon Sports like my one, the deluxe version has the hinged back door. Mine is fixed directly to the chassis with no springs, there is just a damper by the sidecar wheel. You might even find a small brass identification plate inside the body. The biggest problem will be in making up and fixing a screen. They are fun to ride though, I use mine a lot locally when shopping.

[tsubahog]

Is there any info available about the brass plates inside the boot/trunk lid? Mine has one that says Body No. G1582.

tsuba

[Rocket Racer]

Is there any info available about the brass plates inside the boot/trunk lid? Mine has one that says Body No. G1582.

tsuba

Now I'm jealous, my body although well made isnt an original just a good copy but I'm pleased we've returned to the original thread of your chair!
These third wheels are a lot of fun

might be worth contacting watsonian's webmail given they are still around...