| The majority of
sidecars in the USA are produced as a separate product to be attached
to the owner's motorcycle either by the sidecar manufacturer or by
a local installer. The only motorcycle manufacturers who currently
offer both motorcycles and sidecars for sale in North America are
Harley-Davidson (USA), Ural (Russia), Dneper (Ukraine), and MUZ (Germany).
Sidecar manufacturers, importers, and installers in North America
have generally been totally independent of each other. Each firm
either imports a product designed and manufactured in some other
country, designs and produces it's own product, or installs someone
else's product on a customer's motorcycle. The result of this fragmentation
is virtually no standardization of hardware, fittings, connections,
or engineering between different sidecar manufacturers, so the installation
of a sidecar on a motorcycle is often a custom job.
With stricter government specifications for motor
vehicles, the attachment of a sidecar to a motorcycle which has previously
been certified as a two-wheeler creates hurdles for sidecar related
businesses. It has become obvious to many in the industry that there
are advantages in dealing with government regulations collectively
rather than independently. While there is a Motorcycle Industry Council
in North America, and there have been motorcycle manufacturers in
the past who have incorporated sidecars, the present two-wheeled
motorcycle industry now generally ignores or recommends against sidecars.
It has been impractical for individual sidecar manufacturers or importers
to have a voice in the MIC given the relatively high cost of membership.
In the response to the needs for more accessible
information, standardized engineering, a focused strategy for marketing
and greater cooperation with government agencies, a core group of
commercial sidecar firms formed the Sidecar Industry Council in 1997.
The SIC produces information for distribution to potential sidecarists
and the motorcycle press and assists with sidecar promotion at various
regional and national events. The SIC communicates with the Motorcycle
Safety Foundation and other motorcycle training organizations such
as the State Motorcycle Safety Administrators and also with foreign
sidecar trade and training organizations. |
