1992 – Without a doubt Rotohak was my most ambitious build to date. I wanted to have a sidecar that would comfortably accommodate Jerilyn (she doesn’t like riding on the back of a motorcycle), that could be aggressively ridden without a passenger (sidecars tend to tip over when going fast around right hand corners without a passenger) and that could keep up with my solo rider friends in the twisties. The answer was to put the motor and transmission in the sidecar to hold it on the ground on right handers. I ended up with a 200 HP Mazda RX7 motor in the trunk of the sidecar coupled to a VW automatic transaxle and still enough room for Jerilyn. I hand built the frame, suspension, and drive train over a period of 12 months.
This image was taken on a Rider Magazine photo shoot. The editor asked if it would do a wheelie. I’d never tried it and consequently dragged the back bumper half way across the parking lot. After this experience I installed a wheelie bar to save the bumper.
Yes it does hold a passenger. I’m not sure who that is but it may be my friend Rich Seals.