Sidecars on show at Motorcycle Live

Watsonian Squire have been making great British sidecars in the Heart of England since 1912 and remain Europe’s biggest volume manufacturer.

Originally sidecar bodywork was either wicker or aluminium, mounted on an ash wood frame; today all Watsonian sidecars are manufactured from glass fibre, with a steel frame. The GP Manx is single-seater sports sidecar that retains the traditional octagonal nose shape dating from the 1920's and has a large 16” spoke wheel. It is the most compact and lightest model in the GP range, making it well-suited, both practically and aesthetically, for the new generation of traditional British bikes.
 
Two versions are on display, featuring a choice of single and twin cylinder machines. Watsonian have teamed up with Norman Hyde (www.normanhyde.co.uk), Triumph performance specialist and sidecar speed record holder*, to create a sporty outfit that combines a Manx sidecar with a twin cylinder 865cc fuel-injected Bonneville equipped with a host of performance accessories from Norman Hyde.

The Manx has a shorter chassis than other models in the GP range and is thus lighter and more compact. Meanwhile the Bonneville is fitted with a Power Commander, bell-mouth air intake and
sport silencers, for extra go, with an AP Lockheed front brake disc and calliper for additional stopping power.

A steering damper and up-rated Ikon shocks beef up suspension to handle the extra weight of the car and Hyde has also specified a Givi screen for touring comfort.  Also on display is a GP Manx paired with a Royal Enfield single cylinder 500cc Classic, which may seem familiar to anyone who has seen the latest instalment of the Harry Potter film series (The Deathly Hallows, released on 19th November 2010).  Watsonian Squire supplied several sidecar combinations to the film-makers for use in the spectacular chase sequence in which the hero (Harry Potter) flees from the Death Eaters in a sidecar outfit driven by Hagrid.
 
Prices for Watsonian GP Manx sidecars start at £3695 and a full factory fitting service, with tuition for novice drivers, is available. See these outfits at Motorcycle Live Birmingham NEC, 27 Nov - 5 Dec 2010,

* Norman Hyde captured the World Sidecar Land Speed Record in September 1972 on the Concorde runway at Fairford, Gloucestershire. Using a supercharged 850cc Triumph Trident powered, home built sidecar outfit (Road Runner 3) Norman averaged 161.8 mph (260.8kph).

Rev up for Christmas with Malaguti Grizzly

It's a well-worn cliché that every child asks Santa for a new bike for Christmas, and what could be more thrilling for good little boys and girls than one with an engine?

New for 2010, the Grizzly RXC12 is a 50cc motorcycle designed specifically for children. Manufactured in Italy by Malaguti, a family-owned company that has specialised in this area for decades, the Grizzly offers parents the reassurance of a fully developed and robust product that meets current European standards for machine safety and carries the CE mark to prove it.

Suitable for children aged from 7-12, the Grizzly RCX12, is supplied in a soft state of tuning, with twist-and-go transmission, making it easy for youngsters to build their riding skills and confidence.

With upside down front forks, hydraulic rear mono shock and 90mm steel drum brakes front and rear, only genuine automotive quality components are used, assuring owners of many years service as well as a buoyant second hand market.

Harglo has imported Malaguti fun bikes from Italy for over 20 years, so full spares and technical support is readily available. Retailing for £1175- including VAT and covered by a 1-year parts warranty, the Grizzly RCX12 is ideal for anyone with a large garden or access to private land (e.g. a field or paddock). For more information contact 01386 701162 or visit www.harglo-performance.com

Watsonian sidecar shines with the stars in Harry Potter and the Deatly Hallows

ONE of the “stars” of the latest, much-anticipated Harry Potter blockbuster due to be released nationwide next week hails from the north Cotswolds. The pale blue Royal Enfield motorcyle and Watsonian Manx sidecar which features in the seventh Harry Potter movie- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 -have been supplied by Blockley-based company Watsonian Squire.

Read the full article in The Cotswold Journal.

Ride on the side for Harry Potter in the Deathly Hallows

British built Watsonian sidecars help Harry Potter get off a to flying start in the latest movie – Deathly Hallows – which is due for UK release on 19th November 2010.  Harry (Daniel Radcliffe) is rescued from his relatives’ house by Hagrid (played by Robbie Coltrane) riding a Royal Enfield Bullet Classic, paired with a Watsonian Manx sidecar.  Watsonian Squire supplied a number of sidecar outfits to be used in the dramatic chase sequence, filmed on location in and around London.  The Blackwall Tunnel has never looked so exciting!  Visit the official movie website at http://harrypotter.warnerbros.com/harrypotterandthedeathlyhallows/mainsite/index.html