Summer Combo 2019?

tuftywhite

getting away with it so far!
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My wife has agreed to a motorbike family holiday, with certain provisos.

Obviously to cater for me, the wife and small person we will need a motorcycle combination.

I can't see me being able to buy one, so I'm going to have to borrow or rent one.

We will be limited to touring one of the Channel Islands, either Jersey or Guernsey. Probably find a hotel and use the combination for days out etc.

So questions here are:

Would anyone let me have 10 minutes on one so I can scare myself stupid and forget the whole idea? :eek:

I'll go and check on the internet, but does anyone know of a Channel Island combination rental company? if not, I'll have to look for one near the relevant port.

I'm quite excited that I've been given the go ahead to plan so I'd like it all to be all positive.

Discuss. :beerjug:
 
If you've never ridden a combo before you're going to need good tuition and quite a bit of experience before you can be considered safe to take two other people as passengers.
It's one thing cocking it up and scaring or hurting/killing yourself, but quite another to have two people's welfare in your inexperienced hands.
Those with no sidecar experience may scoff but they are completely unlike any other vehicle and you cannot just learn it as you go.

I'll happily demonstrate to you with one of my Urals, and will gladly give you tuition but I implore you to think long and hard about your idea.

Feel free to contact me via PM and you are quite welcome to sort out some training time.....combos are fun but they're not toys....you can quite easily kill yourself or someone else at moped speeds.
 
Good advice. Since posting, I've been reading up on it. I concur with your comments.

I am grateful for your offer of tuition, however, I've a feeling I'm going to knock it on the head before I get going. It's one thing learning to ride a combination, another to have my wife and, then, 5 year old exposed to the experience. Also, it will be next to impossible to hire one on the channel islands.
 
I will add to this thread,riding a combo is not brain surgery,
The basics are soon mastered,
Tufty ,you are an excellent driver and advanced motorcyclist,and a good off road rider.
It ain’t hard
Don’t be put off doing something that could be a lot of fun and adventure for both yourself and your family,by a few negative comments.
If I had the space I’d have a combo just for shits and giggles.:D
 
My comments weren't negative.

If you meant them.

There's lots to learn before you even start to learn.

You can't just go out and do it.

And there's two other bods to consider, too.

Riding a solo in any situation is no preparation whatsoever.
 
I will add to this thread,riding a combo is not brain surgery,
The basics are soon mastered,
Tufty ,you are an excellent driver and advanced motorcyclist,and a good off road rider.
It ain’t hard
Don’t be put off doing something that could be a lot of fun and adventure for both yourself and your family,by a few negative comments.
If I had the space I’d have a combo just for shits and giggles.:D


Thanks Mike, that's nice of you to say.

I wasn't put off by Tarka's comments, it was more the website I found which teaches a novice how to take bends and corners. The bits that stuck with me was the difficulty of taking a fast, downhill left hand bend, having to scrub off lots of speed so you can accelerate around the sidecar, whilst not getting into trouble downhill or lifting the sidecar off the ground. Also, the bit that, turning right on a wet road, from a standstill, e.g. a junction, you can steer right, accelerate and find that you have gone straight ahead!

Combined with not having my own for practising and getting familiar, I was touched by Tarka's offer for a go on his and some tuition, but as I probably would need to purchase a combination to complete all of this I may have to put it on the back burner.
 
My comments weren't negative.

If you meant them.

There's lots to learn before you even start to learn.

You can't just go out and do it.

And there's two other bods to consider, too.

Riding a solo in any situation is no preparation whatsoever.
I’m not suggesting any comparison to a solo machine,
Yes lots to learn,
Yes you can”just go out and do it” why not ,given the right approach,I learned to ride a bike this way,and drive a car,and an articulated lorry,and a car and caravan outfit,and surprise surprise a motorcycle and sidecar outfit.
I agree the process is easier with tuition but,as I said ,not brain surgery.
With outfits as you well know,the difficulties start when you push the machine a bit harder ,
This is where advanced training will come into itself.
Or someone that has natural machine control will excell anyway.
I’ve ridden with tufty on the road,on the dirt,and been in his car when he has been driving like ari vatanem.
To even suggest he cannot master it or will put his family in danger is plainly and simply arrogant
 
I might get shot down for this, but riding in the Channel Islands will certainly be no hardship for yourself, as other op,s have said you can ride a bike, a combo in the Channel Islands will be fun, and you cannot break speed there anyway, otherwise the local constables or plod will have you, just do it and enjoy.
 
To even suggest he cannot master it or will put his family in danger is plainly and simply arrogant

Come back to me with that when he enters a left hander too hot, or one tightens up more than he expected, feels the chair go a bit light or lift a bit, and he does the classic inexperienced move of shutting off the throttle.
 
Thanks Mike, that's nice of you to say.

I wasn't put off by Tarka's comments, it was more the website I found which teaches a novice how to take bends and corners. The bits that stuck with me was the difficulty of taking a fast, downhill left hand bend, having to scrub off lots of speed so you can accelerate around the sidecar, whilst not getting into trouble downhill or lifting the sidecar off the ground. Also, the bit that, turning right on a wet road, from a standstill, e.g. a junction, you can steer right, accelerate and find that you have gone straight ahead!

Combined with not having my own for practising and getting familiar, I was touched by Tarka's offer for a go on his and some tuition, but as I probably would need to purchase a combination to complete all of this I may have to put it on the back burner.
They really are making things sound more difficult than to needs to be,for sure, if you jump on one and ride like a twat you will come unstuck.
But riding a well set up combo at speed is a challenge because of its inherent instability,it will have oversteer ,understeer,,
Torque reaction from both power and brakes,but all of its foibles can be used to advantage in one way or another.
I didn’t mean to undermine Tarka,s comments but,anyone CAN ride one.
Buuuuutttt it isn’t like hiring a camper van for the weekend:D
 
Come back to me with that when he enters a left hander too hot, or one tightens up more than he expected, feels the chair go a bit light or lift a bit, and he does the classic inexperienced move of shutting off the throttle.

I hear you ,,,
But the same could be said for learning to control any machine on the road
 
Come back to me with that when he enters a left hander too hot, or one tightens up more than he expected, feels the chair go a bit light or lift a bit, and he does the classic inexperienced move of shutting off the throttle.
No different from lifting off the throttle in a pokey 80s fwd hatch back,and no different than using oversteer to corner?
Which is normal when riding dirt bikes
 
Word up Tufty.
Ask Paul Vernon about riding a combination. :D
 
I’ve riden (and crashed) more combos than I care to remember.

Mikey is pretty much cock on with everything he says. You’ll be fine Tuffty, I’d have no problem getting in a chair with you :)

Andres
 


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