Kids and Sidecars

[dmf1]

What do people think about driving kids (age 6-10) in a vintage sidecar? Im not talking about highway travel here. Think trip into town for ice cream on a summer evening type thing - top speed 35-40mph, CT Country one-lane roads. 5-10 min ride. In addition to the "safety" question, is it legal? Would be curious to hear everyones thoughts.

[Rubone]

If your state has helmet restrictions for children they must comply. If it has child seat and restraint laws I would guess those also apply. If there are minimum age requirements for passengers those also would apply. The distance and speed and age of the machine are irrelevant in the eyes of the law. That being said I believe kids should be taken along at any age. I know of toddlers going to rallies in sidecars. The safety factor is the driver, not the passenger. I have always given kids rides in sidecars, family members as well as friends. Just do it safely and properly.
Robbie

[39sportscout]

I think giving kids rides in vintage sidecars is the best way to encourage them to enjoy old motorcycles. If it wasn't for the rides my Grandpa used to give me in his sidecars and all the pictures he took of us on his bikes I don't know what my favorite hobby would be now. Take your kids for a ride, someday they will thank you. <a href="http://s342.photobucket.com/albums/o407/39sportscout/?action=view&current=DSC01283.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://i342.photobucket.com/albums/o407/39sportscout/DSC01283.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"></a>

[39sportscout]

Start them young !

[stevodigitalfly]

my kids love it, and i think its just as safe as any old convertible, i used a seatbelt from a old car to keep them safe over bumps.

[Gerard]

A friend of mine used for his small kids some pillows in front and a cut down piece of a childrens mattrass on the right side in the sidecar. For many years. On a sunny day, he drove the bike with kids in the sidehack, a morone came out of the sidetrack of a garage and hit the sidecar. His kids were smacked against the mattress, but not injured. Just an idea. Sidecar never mind, but kids......

[Sarge]

Here's the neighbor's grandson, nine, on his way with me in the sidecar to Walt Disney World. Photo shot by his grandfather through the windshield of his car, following. What a way for a kid to arrive for his first visit to The Magic Kingdom!

Son, Ken, didn't come home from Walter Reed in a sidecar; he rode in it only days later. The sidecar was a Watsonian "Palma," fully glazed English sidecar with a rag top, attached to a Gold Wing, in March, 1980.
He rode in Ol' Tex, on the floor of the sidecar and between his mother's feet, up from near Baltimore to the NJ Fort Mott National AMCA Meet and back, in June, 1980. Age: 3 months. It was another beautiful, sunshiny day, and we went by the scenic route, back and forth to South Jersey through Maryland, Delaware and across the Cape May-Lewes Ferry into the southern tip of New Jersey.
We even had a cop, a Maryland State Trooper, stop us (just to to check out the bike) on the way there. At the time, Maryland law exempted anyone from having to wear a motorcycle helmet "in a sidecar or enclosed cab." The trooper agreed that all was perfectly legal that day. I don't know what Maryland law says about sidecar helmet requirements these days.

[dmf1]

Well, I have been putting my 8 and 6 yr old in the sidecar together with their ski goggles and helmets on. Its a little tight but they fit side by side and LOVE IT. To this point, its mostly been rides around the neighborhood, but I did take them on the main road last weekend for a bit. They were speechless. They (like me) will always wear helmets.

So far, sounds a unanimous "yes, kids should ride in sidecars". I guess I should have expected that in here! Now if you will all just explain why this is okay to their mother, I will be all set

[Sarge]

dmf,
Tell their mama that over in England, where they track statistics of such things, as for insurance purposes, motorcycles with sidecars are considered to be the SAFEST VEHICLES ON THE ROAD! I read that somewhere.
For one thing, sidecar drivers tend to be mature individuals, not squids on Yamazaki Pocket Rocket III's and such,
and for another thing, motorcycle sidecars are the greatest safety devices ever invented for motorcycles: everyone, but EVERYONE does a double-take when they catch sight of a sidecar rig out on the road. I.e.: "Oh, isn't that cute, Roger???"
Absolute insurance against the, "But I didn't see the motorcycle, officer!" excuse.
No harm will ever come mama's little bundles of joy if she entrusts them to you to take for trips in a sidecar, that's a lead-pipe cinch. And kids just LOVE riding in sidecars!

[dmf1]

Sarge, Im gonna print this out and read it to mom. Thanks!