I've ridden numerous motorcycles over the years but I've never ridden a sidecar motorcycle, either as the driver of the motorcycle or as the passenger in the sidecar.
I imagine that steering takes a little getting used to – less emphasis on leaning and more on turning the handlebars. I still marvel at the acrobatics of the sidecar motorcycle racers, the passengers performing all manner of acrobatics mere inches above the tarmac to keep the machine on the ground through the various turns.
Today's photo was again taken on the streets of Xi'an in 1991. Maybe it's a coincidence that both vehicles in this shot look like military vehicles of some sort, though obviously the threesome on the motorcycle and sidecar are not dressed in uniform.
I like that the sidecar has that windshield. Clearly the lady there would be protected from the impact of bugs, but not the driver. When I used to ride, I wore a full face helmet most of the time. Inhaling flies at 70 mph was never my favorite experience!
Clearly there was no requirement in this part of china to wear helmets. Interestingly, where helmets are required, there are more head injuries. just like the introduction of steel helmets in WWI led to a rise in head injuries. The reason, of course, is that without the helmet a survivable accident becomes a fatality.
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