News
Keith Wash
Our reporter, Dave Greenwood writes.
I have sad news to report, Keith Wash passed away on Tuesday 14th of December after a short stay in hospital. He was 90 years of age. His 90th birthday celebration had been planned but unfortunately, he was hospitalised on the day.
(Dave's full report, on the man and his creations, Hedingham sidecars, can be read in Outlook (the Federation of Sidecar Clubs Magazine).
News
F2 Import Chang Jiang outfits
F2 Import Chang Jiang outfits
F2 Import Chang Jiang outfits
Alongside their successful enterprise of importing, supporting and supplying and building Jawa outfits using Velorex sidecars, and building a variety of outfits, F2 are now importing and supplying the new Chang Jiang combinations.
Two models are offered:
The Pekin Express and the Dynasty
They exhibit at least as many accessories as a standard Ural with its aftermarket goodies, including a winch.
Performance:
These parallel twin 650cc engines produce 54 BHP and 62NM of torque. That's 12 more BHP than the modern Ural with further 6 Newton-metres of torque.
Chang Jiang are from CF Moto, one of, if not the the most highly regarded of the Chinese manufacturers.
CF Moto (highly regarded in the US) produce roadsters, tourers, quads and off road vehicles and have had some success in motorcycle competition.
Fear over Anti-tampering Laws
F2 Import Chang Jiang outfits
F2 Import Chang Jiang outfits
MAG (The Motorcycle Action Group)
The Motorcycle Action Group are still opposed to Anti Tampering Laws despite the DfTs latest statement.
MAG had held the view that owners would not be able to change so much as an air filter before this.
Visor Down (the website)
The website Visor Down thinks it's sad, that it will still mean the end of modification of exhaust systems and the addition of aftermarket exhausts.
FEMA (the Federation of European Motorcyclists Associations)
FEMA points out the British fear that motorcycle customisation would be made illegal.
The FEMA site includes the statement.‘
"Modifications that lead to increased emissions from petrol motorcycles and cars are likely to be outlawed.’
It doesn't, however seem to attribute this to any person or official body
Anti-tampering continued
F2 Import Chang Jiang outfits
The Federation of Sidecar Clubs and Anti-tampering
Motorcycle News
The Motorcycle News (the British motorcycle paper)The proposals are aimed at ensuring the motorcycles can no longer be legally modified to generate more pollution, which would rule out many performance exhaust systems and power commanders. The proposals have also been designed to stamp out the practice of modifying electric bicycles and e-scooters to make them faster and more powerful.The implication here, seems to be that allowing motorcycles to pollute more is a good thing.
Department for Transport (DfT)
The DfTs statement:The laws are NOT intended to prevent customisation of bikes or the fitting of aftermarket products that do the same job, or better, as the original equipment. It is intended to apply to anything which affects emissions, the computerised systems which are installed and such devices as the dongles advertised for increasing the speed on e.g. e-scooters.
The Federation of Sidecar Clubs and Anti-tampering
The Federation of Sidecar Clubs and Anti-tampering
The Federation of Sidecar Clubs and Anti-tampering
Former Federation of Sidecar Clubs legal officer Len Tempest feels so strongly about the implications of the governments proposals that he has stepped back into his role at the Fed.
The organisation is fortunate to have him in post to take the lead on this, and no doubt other matters, given his legal background.
Stan Dibben Tribute
The Federation of Sidecar Clubs and Anti-tampering
Stan Dibben Tribute
When building a new website it seemed ridiculous to keep the older news. Sadly this was the first news item of note in our then, new section. It remains here as a tribute to Stan.
First published here, on sidecarclub.org,
November 2020
No Ordinary Passenger
Stan Dibben (1926-2020)
World Sidecar Champion 1953
Stan entered the world of competitive motorcycling and sidecarring as a young man, not wanting anything like an ordinary job.
Stan Dibben
The Federation of Sidecar Clubs and Anti-tampering
Stan Dibben Tribute
An engaging short film was made about him, No Ordinary Passenger (which you can find on YouTube), and he wrote a book entitled Hold On!
A few of us had the pleasure of meeting him and listening to him speak in 2016 on the Isle of Man, where we mustered 40 outfits for his friend Helen's 70th birthday.
He paid a brief visit to our (Fed) southern Scatter Rally finish point at Berinsfield on the 5 September 2020.
It's clear that Stan was very well liked and a much loved character.
An instantly likeable gentleman. Gentleman is a term that comes up a lot in descriptions of Stan, when people speak of, and remember him.
He didn't want a funeral, saying:
"I shall be cross enough as it is, being dead. I would be furious if anyone died as a result of feeling the need to come to a funeral!"
A characterful and very likeable gent who loved his involvements with the Fed. He left a lasting impression, on us, and the world of motorcycling and sidecarring as a whole.