About Side Cars
Sidecars are attachable, three-wheeled, non-motorized vehicles that affix to the rear side of a motorcycle and that can add an additional passenger. Typically, they are mounted on the right side of the vehicle to make left turns safer, and also to reduce the risk of the sidecar tipping.
The sidecar’s history goes all the way back to 1912, when Watsonian, a British company, began first producing them as attachments for bicycles. Jaguar Cars would soon after began mass producing them as motorcycle attachments in 1922, under a company name: Swallow Sidecar Company. As motorcycling became more popular, around the end of the 1920s, new companies would emerge to compete, like the Flxible Sidecar Company.
Sidecar racing, made popular in the 1920s, but later banned until the early 1950s in the U.S., has reemerged as a popular powersports contest during the present day. Professional sidecar races like Formula One and Formula Two feature sidecars attached to racing motorcycles that boast (up to) 1000cc engines, capable of exceeding speeds of 110 mph. A variety of racing sidecars are offered by numerous manufacturers with focuses on safety, durability and maneuverability.