BARBOUR TEAMS UP WITH WATSONIAN FOR CENTENARY CELEBRATION

Barbour has joined forces with two of the oldest names in UK motorcycling, Watsonian Squire and Royal Enfield, to produce a one off sidecar outfit to celebrate Watsonian’s centenary year.

The combination consists of a gloss black Royal Enfield Bullet motorcycle and  Watsonian GP Manx sidecar.  Both have taken Barbour’s iconic International Original A7 motorcycling jacket, famously worn by actor Steve McQueen in the 1964 International Six Day Trials, as their design inspiration.  The design incorporates the signature black and gold of the Barbour International logo, Barbour’s Modern tartan, grey cord and zip pulls from the original A7 jacket.  The outfit also sports a new tank badge, which includes both the Barbour and Royal Enfield logos, designed by the fashion photographer and film maker Nick Clements.

Founded by T.F.Watson in 1912, Watsonian sidecars provided an economical mode of transport for families throughout the UK.  The brand experienced considerable growth in the ensuing years, culminating in the height of its success in the 1950s. With the introduction of affordable family cars in the 60s, the company experienced an inevitable downturn in demand.   More recently interest in sidecars has increased again with demand growing year on year since the early 1990s.

Barbour, whose International motorcycle clothing was worn by almost every British team from the late 1930s until the 70s has a long association with Royal Enfield.  The great British trials rider Johnny Brittain, successfully rode Royal Enfield motorcycles in his Barbour International jacket throughout the 1950s and 60s.

The Barbour sidecar outfit will be on show at Watsonian's centenary rally on August 18th-19th and on the Royal Enfield stand at the Goodwood Revival from 14–16th September. For more information call 01386 700907 or visit www.watsonian-squire.com. 

Watsonian Centenary Rally

Watsonian sidecars celebrate their centenary this year and to mark the occasion the British manufacturer is throwing a party at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry on 18-19th Aug 2012. 

Founded by TF Watson in 1912, Watsonian has survived two world wars, the Great Depression of 1929 and a devastating factory fire in 1930. Today the company still makes Great British sidecars in the Heart of England, exporting across the globe.

Attractions at the Centenary Rally will be displayed in two exhibition halls and historic sidecars like Eric Oliver's world championship winning Norton, the Brough outfit that starred in hit 1970's sitcoms George and Mildred and Dad's army and a one-off Watsonian 1000cc v-twin motorcycle combination from 1950. Star guests include multiple TT champions Dave Molyneux and Mick Boddice, 1953 world sidecar champion Stan Dibben and sidecar speed record holder Norman Hyde (on Sunday). 

Among the many other attractions are the company archives, driving skills test, prizes for Best in Show (whatever the make), trade stands and an opportunity to test ride Royal Enfield motorcycles, which have been distributed by Watsonian since 1999.

Camping and self catering accommodation is available on site, as is the Stoneleigh Park Lodge guest house. On Saturday evening there will be entertainment with a live band and bar selling a special celebration ale.

Tickets for the weekend cost £10 per person in advance; day tickets will only be available on the Sunday and can be purchased at the gate for £5.  Children under 16 go free and parking is also free  For more information on the Centenary Rally call 01386 700907 or visit watsonian-squire.com. 

MP joins Ride to Work Day to promote British exports

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown, MP for The Cotswolds, travelled to work at the House of Commons in a sidecar on Monday 18th June as part of the Ride to Work Day celebrations.  Ride To Work Day is an international opportunity for motorcycle and scooter riders around the world to share the enjoyment of their daily commute and Geoffrey was invited to participate by Watsonian sidecars, Britain's only remaining major manufacturer of sidecars, who are located in the MP's constituency in the Heart of England.

“Not only is Geoffrey Clifton-Brown our MP, he's also a champion of British manufacturers like us, who export their products, so this is a great opportunity to raise the profile of Great British sidecars” explains Watsonian sales director Ben Matthews, who drove the outfit.

“Watsonian celebrates its centenary this year and not many companies in the British motorcycle industry can make that claim” he continues.  “We've survived two world wars, the Great Depression of 1929  and a devastating fire that destroyed our factory in 1930.  Today exports account for half of our production, with strong sales to Japan, Germany and France, so it's vital that the Government does all it can to support British manufacturing.”

The sidecar in which Geoffrey rode is a Watsonian Wizard, powered by a Royal Enfield 500cc motorcycle, based on the combinations that the factory supplied for the filming of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, which appeared in the spectacular chase sequence in which Harry Potter flees from the Death Eaters in a sidecar outfit driven by Hagrid. 

“Ever since I first visited Watsonian Squire a number of years ago and discovered what an effective exporting company they were I have been a great supporter of theirs” says Geoffrey Clifton-Brown. 

“We had about a 3/4 of an hour trip in from Putney” explains Geoffrey. “It's been a wonderful experience.  You see things that you wouldn't normally see in a car.  I think this is a great way to travel.”

Watsonian will be hosting a centenary celebration rally at Stoneleigh Park near Coventry on 18th-19th August 2012.  For more information on this and Watsonian's current range of sidecars and details of the centenary rally call 01386 700907 or visit watsonian-squire.com. 

Manx to the Manx

Product testing for British sidecar manufacturer Watsonian Squire is a family affair. Sales Director Ben Matthews has just returned from the Isle of Man, where he spent several days riding the company's latest GP Manx demonstrator outfit around the island's roads accompanied by his son Troy (12) in the chair.

Their trip coincided with the Manx Grand Prix, after which the sidecar is named; painted in distinctive light blue “Wizard” colour scheme, created to celebrate the appearance of Watsonian sidecars in the blockbuster movie Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the outfit attracted considerable attention wherever it went.

"I've been nagging my dad for the last few years to take me to the Isle of Man, so when he told me we were going to the Manx GP I was so excited!" comments Troy.

“Testing the outfits is certainly a fun part of the job” Ben admits. “But there's also a serious side to it, because a significant proportion of our customers are motorcyclists who want to include their family in their hobby. So it's important to test the outfits from the passenger's view.”

Troy certainly enjoyed the experience; "I love riding in the sidecar - it's so much fun, and it's a great way to explore the Isle of Man. I can't wait to go back next year".

Styled to replicate the traditional octagonal nose shape dating from the 1920's, the fibreglass Manx retains the aluminium beading originally used to hold the wooden body panels together. Prices for the Watsonian GP Manx start at £3995 and a full factory fitting service, with tuition for novice drivers, is also available. For more information on sidecars contact Watsonian-Squire on 01386 700907.

From show business to snow business

British sidecar manufacturer Watsonian Squire has been experiencing increased interest since one of their distinctive Manx outfits featured in the latest Harry Potter blockbuster, so the team at the Cotswold factory wasn’t going to let a little bit of cold weather stop the production line.

 

In the attached photos General Manager Rob Jones can be seen checking that it is possible to walk across the car park without freezing one’s assets and also that all icicles are neatly arranged.

 

Margate to Land's End by Vespa and Sidecar

Watsonian Squire, Britain’s longest established sidecar manufacturer, is delighted to be supporting Paul King, who will be riding his Vespa T5 scooter outfit from Margate to Lands End to raise money for Help For Heroes.   Setting out on 10th April 2010, Paul will be accompanied by wife, Jules, and daughter Sophie, along with members of Modern Vespa, who will all be riding from Margate in Kent along the coast until they reach Lands End the following day – a journey of 466 miles.  Riders wishing to join the group for all or part of the journey are asked to raise a minimum sponsorship of £50.00 per rider; more details can be found at http://helpforheroessouthcoastvesparide.blogspot.com/. Help for Heroes raises money to support members of the Armed Forces who have been wounded in the service of their country.  Find out more about Watsonian-Squire's range of sidecars for motorcycles and scooters at http://www.watsonian-squire.com/

Squire ST3 sport sidecar and Yamaha XJR1300 outfit

Squire has paired one of their ST3 sport sidecars with Yamaha’s muscular XJR 1300cc for the 2009 Motorcycle Show. This British company pioneered modern sports sidecars, developing their first model in 1973 for use with multi-cylinder Japanese superbikes of the time, such as Honda’s 750-4.

With an exceptionally strong perimeter frame, single-piece glass fibre body and 13” polished alloy wheels, the single-seat ST3 sports sidecar is particularly suitable for high performance sports motorcycles, where precise high speed handling is essential. Tipping the scales at 91KG, the ST3 measures 218cm long x 86cm wide, with 114cm of legroom for comfort and a generous boot for extra carrying capacity.

Squire merged with Watsonian sidecars in 1989 and the company still manufactures sidecars in the Heart of England, all hand built by British craftsmen.

Powered by a muscular 96 horsepower 4-cylinder engine with quality Öhlins suspension, the torquey Yamaha XJR is well suited to sidecar work and its a traditional tubular steel frame is both strong and practical for attaching sidecar fittings.

Prices for Squire ST3 sidecars similar to the one shown start at £3495 (colour matched paintwork is an optional extra). A full factory fitting service, with tuition for novice drivers, is also available.

Contact Watsonian-Squire on 01386 700907 or at http://www.watsonian-squire.com/

Take control from a sidecar

Watsonian Squire has been helping Warwickshire's road safety tema in their campaign urging riders to take control.  We supplied a Royal Enfield Classic motorcycle and Watsonian Manx sidecar outfit to transport a cameraman, filming riders for a new road safety DVD.  We hope he enjoyed his ride - the man driving the outfit is an ex-British Sperbike racer!  For more details on road safety in Warwickhire click here.