On two wheels!

I take my car to Champlin Sinclair whenever it brakes or needs mechanical attention. I also go there for certain bike needs too—tire changes, stripped oil drain plug hole. Jim the owner and his brother are avid bike fans and have been for many a year. Jim has numerous bikes, one of which is a brand new Harley Electra Glide centenary limited edition—with a sidecar! Well, after he had filled the tires on the GS—with nitrogen—I asked a couple of questions about his new outfit. “Can I sit on it”? “You can do more than that” he says, “You’re going to take me for a ride”! “Erm, Jim, I have never ridden a Harley before, or a sidecar come to think of it”. “First time for everything” was his response.

He wasn’t letting up and seemed quite adamant that I was going to take him and his new bike out for a spin.

What an experience. So very different from anything else I had ridden, I would like to take the Harley for a spin sans sidecar. It’s a lot of work getting used to it, the bike doesn’t lean so it feels like you have to muscle the bike around—it’s a Harley, ever tried muscling one of those around?

Anyway, we rode out—about five miles—stopped, turned around and Jim rode it back. First time I had been in a sidecar. Well, what a buzz! Not a great deal of room but very, very comfortable. It has what appears to be a leaf spring suspension that works very well, it’s soft and spongy!

We get closer back to the garage and go around the last bend before home. Jim goes a lot faster than I did obviously because he is used to it, but he opens the bad boy up mid bend. The next thing I know I am almost looking down on Jim as he gets it on two wheels. Two things have kept me laughing all week about this experience; one, he kept it on two wheels for the better part of the street, two, he was looking around at me during this, and the most enduring image was the mischievous grin plastered all over his face!

As you may have gathered we made it back in one piece both smiling from ear to ear.