Getting the thread back on track...

I am sure your cousin is very proud of his creation and good for him for having a go, but there is no way he could ever convince me to travel in the sidecar or on the motorcycle! As you have correctly pointed out, motorcycles are not designed to carry sidecars or trailers and this is especially true for these little “toy” motorcycles that everyone rides in Laos and neighbouring countries. The additional stresses placed on the motorcycle frame can easily result in cracks and distortions that could cause the motorcycle frame to break without warning and the consequences of this event are potentially fatal.

Larger touring motorcycles that have a sidecar are professionally modified with appropriate strengthening of the frame and usually incorporate modifications to the suspension, braking, drive train ratios and steering geometry to allow for the additional weight and asymmetric drag of the sidecar. Also critical is the attachment itself, which is usually a ball and socket style of joint, which allows some flexibility between the sidecar and the attachment points on the motorcycle frame.

Your cousin’s sidecar is the perfect example of what NOT to do! Firstly, the photos show that his motorcycle is in very poor condition which obviously reflects on how well he maintains it... or not in this case. Secondly, the motorcycle is one of those awful mass-produced and poorly engineered copies of the Honda Wave that are produced with very thin steel frames. Considering the pitiable state of the already poor quality motorcycle, there is every chance that his frame may already have hairline cracks in the frame. Did he have the frame X-rayed for cracks in the weld beads before attaching the sidecar? Of course not. Then, he has used mostly one-inch box section steel with no trussing for tensile strength. At the rear, the sidecar is attached to the pillion grab handle, which is a most unsuitable location. I could go on and on, but please... if you value your cousin’s life, for goodness sake tell him to put his brain in gear before he puts the motorcycle in gear! If not, your cousin may consider himself a temporary citizen of Laos.

Very well written and answered Saovaluck 🙂🙂🙂

I am perfectly chilled, thanks. But because I have a background in both engineering and OHS, the OP's photos caught my attention and prompted a logical and sensible response. That said, I have lived in Laos long enough to know full well that most Lao folk have no sense of self preservation whatsoever and they routinely put themselves into extremely dangerous situations with little or no thought to their own safety, nor the safety of others. Saovaluck's response clearly demonstrates this casual attitude: commonsense will tell you that using this contraption on rough dirt roads does not make it any safer; if anything, it only amplifies the danger of a breakage and crash! I suppose the only saving grace is the relatively low speed at which it would normally travel. Nevertheless, the bike's owner clearly doesn't give a flying fudge about his safety or that of anyone travelling with him. Such is life in Laos. I'll open another Beer Lao, chill out some more and forget about it... 'Nuff said.

Vongvichit999 wrote on 18^th Apr, 2017 at 7:37pm:



apparently you never been to Arkansas .lol
you seem very smart. But right now you sound like
you got something stuck up yo ass.

  your cousin is a MacGyver !! Good on him.