Driving report BMW R 1200 C with sour solar wind
Wind force 12
A motorcycle, a boat, four connection points – a North German shows how easy it is to build a sidecar. The solar wind blows away supposed tricycle truths.
Nothing. I haven‘t done anything to it. ”“ Nothing at all, absolutely nothing? ”“ The steering damper, but really nothing else. "Tea author can’t quite believe what team builder Peter Sauer told him about the conversion work on the BMW R 1200 C. tells.
Hours and a few hundred kilometers later the editor’s world has collapsed. Generations of technicians have worked hard to make two-wheelers suitable for three-wheelers. And now someone just comes from the deepest part of Schleswig-Holstein, hangs a boat on a completely standard cruiser, and the whole load goes well.
The last BMW approved for optional sidecar operation were the full swing models built until 1969. It is pure coincidence that 30 years later, of all things, the R 1200 C turned out to be a worthy successor to the "both-and" machines. Peter Sauer was looking for a gap in the market, because the air for trailer manufacturers is getting thinner and thinner. With the family teams that were still booming a few years ago, the demand has now largely been covered, and more and more providers have to share an ever smaller market.
The niche in the market was called Cruiser – a shrill eye-catcher for fashion-conscious zeitgeists instead of the honest family carriage for full-bearded system helmet wearers. No trips around the world are made with a cruiser, the driving pleasure on Sunday morning should also be noticeable for the sidecar passengers with the right team. And that’s how the solar wind came about with the unconventional row-seat arrangement. On the stepped Corbin bench, the boat passengers are similarly airy as on the R 1200 C. The open boat does not make the passengers ballast, but motivates them to participate – gymnastics is the order of the day. However, physical training is not necessary, because the very well made boat keeps the beautiful wire-spoke wheel unoccupied and clean on the ground in sharp right-hand bends. Thanks to the standard lap belts, children and cautious people are relieved of the fear of flying. To the left, the solar wind blows just as easily, there is no tendency to tilt over the boat’s nose. Straight ahead? Flawless. However, the required steering forces are higher than with specially designed swing arm conversions with greatly reduced caster.
D.he 61 hp boxer enables a wonderfully lazy driving style. When driving on country roads, the power coming from the depths of the engine capacity is always sufficient. And no one will want to do to the cruiser team for hours on the highway in the direction of the elephant meeting, which is why it is okay that the solar wind slowly runs out of breath from 120 km / h. At 140 km / h it is the final shift. The show mobile is the most fun between 80 and 110 km / h. When it comes to suspension comfort, Peter Sauer’s secret love for athletes can be felt. The load is not hard, but tight.
Sauer team building
Peter Sauer has been building teams since 1980. In the beginning it was MZ, Ural and Dnepr motorcycles that the master motor vehicle mechanic helped on three wheels, but in recent years it has mainly been BMW and Harley drivers and, more recently, Triumph drivers , who Sauer has brought closer to teamwork fun. In principle, he can help any make and model to get a third bike. The quiet perfectionist does not sell kits, he always does the conversions and additions himself. That makes Sauer teams safe to drive and of high quality, but not exactly cheap either. The specialist has eight sidecar models of its own in its range. From the entry-level boat to the family two-seater to the racing hip flask suitable for motorsport, everything is available. In addition to the solar wind, the Bruno (photo left, with a BMW R 1100 R from 34,950 marks) is particularly in demand.
Data: BMW R 1200 C-SAUER-GESPANN
Engine: air / oil-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke boxer engine, one high-lying, chain-driven camshaft, four valves per cylinder, bucket tappets, bumpers and rocker arms, wet sump lubrication, electronic intake manifold injection, engine management , regulated catalytic converter, electric starter, three-phase alternator 700 W, battery 12 V / 19 Ah, bore x stroke 101 x 73 mm, displacement 1170 cm3, compression ratio 10: 1, rated output 61 HP (45 kW) at 5000 rpm, max. Torque 98 Nm (10 kpm) at 3000 rpm Power transmission: Primary drive via gear wheels, hydraulically operated single-disc dry clutch, five-speed gearbox, cardan shaft. Chassis: load-bearing motor / gearbox unit with screwed rear frame, telescopic fork guided by trailing arms with spring strut, single-joint single-sided swing arm with central spring strut, double disc brake at the front, Æ 305 mm, rear disc brake, Æ 285 mm, wire-spoke wheels, 100/90 H 18, 170/80 H15, sidecar square tube chassis with trailing arm, Bilstein gas strut, wire-spoke wheel, tire size 135/80 R 13, disc brake, Æ 215 mm, coupled with front and rear wheel brakes of the machine, two-seater GRP boat, four-point connection to the machine, optional carriage / solo operation.Dimensions and weightsWeight fully fueled 374 kg Permissible total weight 630 kg Unladen weight sidecar 100 kgWheelbase 1648 mmTrack width 1215 mmTank volume 17 litersPricing from 49 880 sidecar delivered machine from 25,000 marks renen Gespanns 56 490 Mark ManufacturerSauer Gespannbau, Elleruher Weg 2-4, 24398 Bodersby, Tel. 0 46 44/8 93.
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