HomePick of the DayThree-wheelers are popular, but vintage bikes with sidecars are cool

Three-wheelers are popular, but vintage bikes with sidecars are cool

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As baby boomers age, a series of newly manufactured three-wheeled motorcycles have become very popular. But three-wheelers have been around for decades in the form of motorcycles with sidecars.

Not only are they oh-so-cool to see, your passenger gets to ride on a seat instead of a saddle and usually has a windshield to make the ride even more enjoyable.

The Pick of the Day is a vintage 1965 BMW-powered motorcycle with sidecar, being offered on ClassicCars.com by a dealer in Los Angeles.

The dealer’s advertisement notes that this three-wheeler has undergone a complete nut-and-bolt restoration by Jimbo’s Classic Sidecars, and also underwent a complete tune-up in 2010 at CAC Vintage Motorcycles in Minneapolis (the motorcycle rides with a 1965 BMW R/60 Minnesota title).

“This is a truly classic 1965 cycle,” the dealer’s advertisement says. “The engine is a rock-solid BMW Airhead Twin. These engines are precision German engineering. BMW Airheads are completely reliable and capable of well over 100,000 miles with proper care and maintenance.

“The frame of this bike is a classic Chang Jiang Chinese copy of the BMW R71 (of the 1930s). These bikes are great on there (sic) own, but the 1930s technology side-valve engines are not set up to modern standards and were unreliable. This is why this bike has been completely re-built using the (newer) BMW engine.

“The bike has undergone a complete and total restoration. The entire bike was disassembled and stripped to bare metal. All welds were inspected and re-welded where necessary. The cycle and sidecar are powder coated. The tank and fenders are painted in classic red.

“The entire wiring harness was removed and replaced with new to bring the bike up to modern standards. All bearings have been replaced. The transmission and final drive unit were completely rebuilt using modern bearings. All chrome parts were re-chromed. The engine, transmission, and final drive unit have all been polished to a mirror-like finish.”

The seller also notes that the R/60 engine has been upgraded with a modern Euromotto 3-phase generator kit and new carburetors. The ad also notes that the bike has been ridden less than 2,100 miles since its restoration was completed, and that many spare parts are included in the $15,900 asking price.

To view this listing on ClassicCars.com, see Pick of the Day.

Larry Edsall
Larry Edsall
A former daily newspaper sports editor, Larry Edsall spent a dozen years as an editor at AutoWeek magazine before making the transition to writing for the web and becoming the author of more than 15 automotive books. In addition to being founding editor at ClassicCars.com, Larry has written for The New York Times and The Detroit News and was an adjunct honors professor at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University.

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