Would a motorcycle with side-car qualify as an environmentally-friendly vehicle?

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Considering it would increase the cargo capacity of a motorcycle while still retaining a lower fuel consumption than a compact car, could it qualify as an "eco-friendly" vehicle?







Since they also require less raw materials to be made of, and subsequently a smaller amount of them is required to make replacement parts, it also seems like an environmental advantage. EFI is getting widespread even in small motorcycles, and Honda even makes some flexfuel ones able to run on ethanol. Also, the side-car can be eventually considered a good platform for experiences with alternative fuels such as CNG, or even some sort of hybrid conversion.

[Arragonis]

They would probably qualify, but I can't see them being used much in colder countries.

[slowmover]

Only if it's a 1959 BMW with R69 sidecar.

[larrybuck]

In Portland OR., they would embrace them for the limited room they would take to park!

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Altough I'm not a fan of sidecars, I like that old BMW

Originally Posted by Arragonis

They would probably qualify, but I can't see them being used much in colder countries.

Nothing that a good jacket, gloves and boots couldn't deal with
Or the folks who enjoy streamlined and fully-enclosed motorcycles could do one of their workarounds, which would eventually enhance the thermal comfort in cold weather

[Ryland]

In good weather a trailer would be more streamlined but in the winter the big risk of ridding a motorcycle is slipping on the ice and a side car would help fur sure in keeping you upright in the winter.

A side car is going to reduce your mileage tho, so to be able to give a good answer we need to know by how much!

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by Ryland

In good weather a trailer would be more streamlined but in the winter the big risk of ridding a motorcycle is slipping on the ice and a side car would help fur sure in keeping you upright in the winter.

I'm not so favorable to trailers for motorcycles, I've already seen a few ones and strongly disliked them. Synchronizing the brakes in a trailer, when they're available, is a hard point...

A side car is going to reduce your mileage tho, so to be able to give a good answer we need to know by how much!

A carburettor-fed 4-stroke air-cooled 125cc motorcycle, such as a Honda CG 125, with Brazilian gasoline which varies from 20 to 25% ethanol, usually falls from 80 to 58 MPG. But it's definitely not so torquey, so it feels the heavier weight much harder than a 250cc motorcycle.

[PAFirefighter11]

I would think it's somewhat eco friendly, but what are the emissions going to be? Even if it gets 45 MPG it could be polluting horribly. I've seen this before.

[cRiPpLe_rOoStEr]

Originally Posted by PAFirefighter11

I would think it's somewhat eco friendly, but what are the emissions going to be? Even if it gets 45 MPG it could be polluting horribly. I've seen this before.

Regarding emissions, nowadays that EFI and catalytic converters are getting more widespread even in cheap motorcycles, this issue is easier to overcome, and the amount of pollution proportionally to the fuel consumption is comparable to a regular car

[War_Wagon]

A vehicle that can move 2 people, that has a small displacement engine. Hmmm. Smart car, first gen Insight, CRX HF...and a motorbike with a sidecar. Ya, I would think it would qualify, especially if you live in a climate where it is useable all year.