Square 4 1947 rigid rear - Fitting a sidecar

[Colinbrindley]

So I am about to buy a Steib TR500 sidecar, I know very little about sidecars, other than they are an acquired taste. One thing that I need advice on is, how will it fit to my 1947 Square four with a rigid rear end. Does anyone know what fittings are required.

[will_curry]

You'll need a clamp to fit around the front downtube as close up under the headstock as it will go,
a fitting to go through the holes in the front engine plates, an adaptor to replace the top oiltank
and battery holder stud and nuts and a fitting to suit the lug by the rear wheel spindle, Various
lengths of metal tube will connect there with the attachment points on the sidecar.

To my mind it's worth chasing the original parts as the moderrn versions are both 'boxy' and
horribly expensive.

Some Steibs had special quick-release fixings allowing the sidecar to be fixed or removed
in minutes. There was one in the village when I was a lad - two blocks of wood to hold the
sidecar up while the bike was positioned alongside and a few minutes with the spanners
and away.

Sidecar riding is fun as they don't go in a straight line. Open the throttle and the bike will
try to overtake the sidecar, close it and the sidecar will try to overtake the bike.

[nevhunter]

You either Love them, or Hate them. I prefer them to TRIKES. They also make engines run HOT. Early in my life of bikes and motors I used to deliver and Pick up stuff in a RE J2 and sidebox Mostly in CITY Traffic where you drive to survive. A good grounding Looking back on it, Brakes were Hopelessly inadequate. Anticipation is the "thing" with Outfits. Also disregard any SUSS advice or you Will end up going BUSH. Not sure how that saying will register with Brits. Nev

[nevhunter]

A RIGID rear end makes it More stable as it will lean less. A wider rear tire WILL be an advantage. Rear tire wear can be significantly More as it scrubs No matter how it's set up. Avoid riding with sidecar empty and watch road camber. Down hill left turns with OFF camber can get you into strife. Beware if you get too fast. Beef up your front tele fork springs. Nev

[Colinbrindley]

Thanks for the replies, it sounds more difficult than I thought as finding the correct fittings is taking some doing.

[paul.jameson]

I had a 1948 rigid Square Four and sidecar. I did around 24,000 miles on it although some of that was solo. I sold the bike for funds to buy my first Healey and it disappeared to be bought 20 years later by son Rob who had travelled many miles in the sidecar as a child before using the outfit as his first independent means of transport. Rob has since done the London-Edinburgh run on the bike solo. I did it with sidecar back in 1991.

So they are a perfectly acceptable means of transport, solo or with sidecar. I do have details of the measurements I used for the sidecar fitting if they are of interest to you.

One piece of advice I will give you which is when approaching the first bend TURN THE HANDLEBARS. I repeat TURN THE HANDLEBARS. Why I put that so strongly is that you will instinctively NOT turn the bars as it is alien to an experienced solo rider. Whether you go through the hedge / fence or crash into another vehicle will depend upon how quickly you remember this advice when the time comes.

[daveleek]

Colin,do you have the 4 attachment fittings on the Stieb,if you do it will save you having to get them from Germany ,expensive ,heavy postage cost and customs duty,there are two Stieb dealers that I know of,one is called Bornowski parts, The Classic Bike Shop Germany ,their parts diagrams will give you an idea what parts you need on the Stieb. On the bike the fittings have to be a good fit in the 3 frame lugs,I used a reamer to remove the paint out of them to get an accurate diameter measurement,the bottom front attachment is the easy one,as you can make it yourself ,it needs a thick walled sleeve spacer between the engine plates.I dont know if the Stieb ball joint claws are compatable with the British ball fittings,the Stieb type balls are available from F2 M/Cs a Ural dealer in either threaded or weld type.It is possible to do away with the ball joins but the European ball joints dont seem to loosen like the British ones. Once you know the diameters and length of the bike frame fittings,
keep looking on Ebay ,I visited Andy Tiernans a couple of years ago and bought fittings from him.Any pipe you use for fabricating should be at least Red Band heavy [BSP] pipe or preferably seamless pipe,I would avoid MIG welding anything,its handy for tacking ,and use MMA stick welds,if you cant weld get it done by a competant welder.Good tyres are Avon Safety Mileage front and rear try to avoid a ribbed front tyre,if your bike was originally fitted with a sidecar it could possibly still have heavy springs in the forks.One of the photos tells you the part numbers for the fittings for your bike,which would be great if it was the 1950s,I hope there is some information there that will be of some use to you

[Colinbrindley]

Many thanks for the superb info. I will investigate further.