A Watsonian sidecar and a pompom hat!

I’ve just read the article about MoTs and how they apply to outfits which took my memory back to 1976.

At that time I owned a Suzuki GT750 two-stroke.

Our son Chris was three years old and so, not willing to give up the bike, I searched for a used Watsonian sidecar and, after several weeks, spotted a GP Sports in Motor Cycle News.

I borrowed the works Transit and fetched it from Solihull, about 20 miles from where we lived. It was hand painted a purple colour and needed a new hood and screen. Over the next few weeks I rubbed it down and coach painted it black.

I went over to Watsonian Sidecars – at that time the company was in Greet, Birmingham – and met the wonderful Cyril Heath who supplied fittings, hood and screen. He also described how to fit the sidecar to the bike as I took notes on a writing pad.

At the second attempt of fitting, and a quick ride round the housing estate, it was early to bed, ready for tomorrow’s journey up the M6 to Liverpool and the Isle of Man TT. My wife Linda rode pillion with Chris in the chair.

I had bought a second-hand Britax seat from the local newspaper and a size 0 crash hat with a pompom hat inside to take up the slack out for him. He still has it on his sideboard to this day.

Ignorance being bliss at that time, I didn’t even think of MoT rules and we had a great time at the IoM. I am now 73 , Linda 71 and we are all still riding.

John Bellamy