Sidecar Adventure Riding: Helga Pedersen's Global Journey

Helge Pedersen, an adventure tourer, shares his passion for sidecar riding, emphasizing stability and unique challenges over traditional motorcycle travel.

### Helge Pedersen: A Life of Adventure Riding with Big Red, a Sidecar Rig
* 🏍 Helge Pedersen has been adventure touring since 1982, riding extensively through **over 100 countries**.
* 🌎 In 1988, he traveled from Colombia to Panama through the **infamous Darien Gap**.
* 📚 Helge has written a book, speaks **four languages**, and spends **5-6 months a year riding the world**.
* 🛵 He runs a company called Globe Riders, **organizing tours worldwide**.
* 🔴 Helge's sidecar rig, Big Red, is a BMW with **125 horsepower** and **various custom features**.
* 🔧 The sidecar was designed by DMC Sidecars, with unique features like an **electric trim system** and **interchangeable wheels**.
* 🛣 ️ Helge explains the differences in riding a sidecar compared to a solo motorcycle, emphasizing the **need for weight balance in turns**.
* 🌍 Despite the challenges, Helge finds riding with a sidecar to be a **unique and stable adventure experience**.

I've been adventure touring non-stop since 1982, and I've ridden extensively through more than a hundred countries. In 1988, I traveled overland from Colombia to Panama through the infamous Darien Gap. I've written one book, speak four languages, and spend five to six months a year riding the world. I'm Helga Pedersen, and this is my sidecar rig. Hi, I'm Helge, and this is Big Red, the sidecar I have been riding all for the last year. And if you stick around, I will teach you a little more about the sidecar adventure riding, and we'll even gonna go and visit the workshop that designed and created Big Red. The first time I saw a sidecar that I really want to ride was in Norway during the Crystall Rally. I think was in the early eighties. It was like minus 30 degrees, and I was just hanging on for my dear life on my R80 GS BMW.

here comes this guy passing me with a sidecar, just sliding around the corners at all. I have to try that, and I did. I tried it. It was crazy. I slide all over the place, but it was really fun. I run a company called Globe Riders, and we do tours all over the world. Some of my clients have been riding sidecars. I've been looking at it, and it looked like, Wow, that's a lot of work and stuff, but I tell you, I knew that one day I have to try this. The biggest attraction for me is the way to get in connection with people. It really have opened my eyes and opened the world in a way. When you come with that sidecar, you know, as a motorcyclist, people normally say hello, but not everybody. On a sidecar, everybody. Well, it's something romantic, I think, with the sidecar that people associate with it. So I knew I wanted a sidecar, and I kind of knew what sidecar I wanted.

wanted that boxer BMW. I tried that Ural. I've seen the Ural. I actually been to the Ural factory in Irbit, Russia.
Great bike in their own ways, but not for me. It's too slow, too many mechanical
problems, and I wanted something that had the horsepower and the speed that I like
to go with. I've seen the other guys, they were always struggling with the power
and they're wearing out the clutch. You dry clutch this new water-cooled BMWs
have wet clutch that was very good. It have 125 horsepower, people say
overkill. Well, you tow a big tub on the side, you need all the help you
can. You have cruise control, stupid things like that, but it really it's nice.
So I have a personal rule, I have a limit of two bikes in my garage. I don't need
more than two bikes. I do tours all over the world, one is
always gone in a container or when I'm out riding it, and the other one sits at
home waiting for me. Then I decided I

was going to have a sidecar bike so one
of the bikes became a sidecar by. I were excited to find out that one of
the best sidecar builders in the country is just a couple of hours ride away
from home. So one thing that really intrigued me with the DMC was to
set up here. So Jay can you tell a little bit how that works? Well this is our
electric trim and what it does is it raises or lowers the upper shock pickup
point, which raises or lowers the sidecar suspension to trim for load and road
conditions, which will lower your steering effort and help you maintain
a straight line. Just the press over the button and I could straighten myself
out, and I did this, I don't know, hundreds of times during the day. They're 
just like trim tabs on a boat or an airplane. Yeah so what's interesting about this bike,
these wheels are interchangeable. All three wheels on this motorcycle
interchange, we're actually running an

original rear wheel on the front, which involved building a custom hub. That you bolt the wheel on, then you bolt five spacers that pass through the wheel. Then you bolt on an adapter, then you bolt on a pair of Ducati brake rotors. Then you bolt in an adapter, then you bolt the ABS tone ring on. Then you put it all together with a longer axle. Which sounds like a lot of work, and it is, but it certainly beats walking when you get a flat tire. We've got an automotive wheel on the back, which is done with an adapter that can be taken off. So the original wheel will still go on. And in the case of the sidecar, he's currently running a BMW wheel. But our hub also has a bolt pattern on it that allows you to put an automotive wheel on it. So while he has an automotive wheel on the back of the bike, that could have easily been put on the sidecar as well. And this allows

you to carry one spare that'll fit all
three positions, or if you notice the treads getting a little thin on one of
the tires. The sidecar tire is just more or less along for the ride, and sometimes have been known to dry rot before you ever wear it out. In order to ride a
sidecar bike here in Washington state, you have to have an endorsement, so I
went to a two-day course, and I think it was the best investment of time and
money that I ever did. The sidecar bike is a completely different animal from a
solo bike. A two-wheel single track motorcycle could be steered entirely
like just shifting your body weight without any input from your hands or
from your arms. A sidecar motorcycle cannot be
leaned the same way; all the steering force needs to come from your arms and
upper body. So on the sidecar, if you want to turn to the right, you turn the
handlebar to the right, just like a car.

but you also troll your body over the
centrifugal force. Want you to go off the road, want to go straight, but you are
working against that. To compensate, you'll lean to the right with your body.
The faster you go, the more you need to lean, the more weight you need over to
this side. If you have a person sitting here and you have more weight, the less
you didn't need to lean. So if you don't have enough weight over the sidecar, you
might end up just flipping over. The sidecar wheel will go up in there, and
you might flip over. It's probably the most tricky part with a sidecar. The
right turn because it has a tendency to lift off the sidecar. Making a left-hand
turn for a sidecar rider is much easier than going to the right. When you're
turning to the left, you turn the handlebar to the left. You also put your weight
over to the left side, but it's not as critical as if you were turning to the
right because you have the sidecar wheel.

keeping your steady and it takes very
much to flip over the bike while doing a left-hand turn, and if the sidecar is on the wrong left
side of the bike, everything is in Reverse. What can I say after a long day
on the road, and especially on curvy roads all day, you're sitting like this,
working it, and you feel it. It's a workout. So I just got my endorsement. I
got this beautiful new bike, and I were going to go to South America. I was a
little nervous in the beginning, but I made it all the way 8,000 miles to
Tierra del Fuego, and I'm really glad I did. We were going on good roads, bad
roads, we will see level up to 14,000 feet. I think we did like seven or eight
countries from Colombia to Argentina. We encountered all kind of weather. We had
snow, we had blistering hot weather, roads that was incredibly difficult. We got a
lot of wind at parts. It was what you

expected an adventure. An adventure is
not supposed to be an easy thing, and doing it by a sidecar, I saw that it was
quite different adventure because I had three wheels.
I was stable when the other guys were forming around in the snow. I could take
pictures of them, have fun with it, you know. I were not gonna fall down, but
he was also a challenge on the switchback in Colombia, like thousand
switchbacks, really hard. I got strong after that trip for sure. This last year, riding the sidecar has
really opened my eyes to new adventures. I was very nervous in the beginning, but
when I got the hang of it, it's really fun. I would still ride my solo bike for
the majority of my travels. It's much more flexible than the sidecar, and
that's my main tool for my trade. It's a big commitment getting a sidecar
economically, space in the garage, but so do your homework, try it out if you have
the chance before you commit, perhaps I

don't regret it a bit for this last year.
I had a lot of fun, and I know I'm gonna have more fun into the future riding the
world on three wheels. Just give it a try. It's not gonna hurt, hopefully.

Adventure Sidecar Tips from Helge Pedersen

MOTOTREK

Helge Pedersen: The Sidecar Adventure Rider

Helge Pedersen has been adventure touring for almost 40 years and has traveled through over a hundred countries.

He is the owner of Globe Riders and has a deep passion for sidecar adventure riding, which allows him to connect with people all over the world.

His love for sidecars was sparked when he saw one during the Crystall Rally in Norway, and he has since been riding his sidecar, Big Red, for the past year.

Comparison of Boxer BMW and Ural Motorcycles with Sidecars

The Boxer BMW is preferred over the Ural due to its higher speed, lower mechanical problems, and better clutch system.

The narrator has a personal rule of owning only two bikes, one of which is now a sidecar bike.

The sidecar bike is equipped with an electric trim that adjusts the sidecar suspension for varying load and road conditions, making it easier to maintain a straight line.

Customizing Motorcycle Wheels for Sidecar Use

Customizing a motorcycle wheel for sidecar use involves building a custom hub, adding spacers, brake rotors, an adapter, and an ABS tone ring, as well as using a longer axle.

This customization allows for the use of an automotive wheel on the back and the sidecar, providing the convenience of a single spare for all three positions.

Riding a sidecar bike requires a different skill set from riding a solo bike, as it relies on steering input from the arms and upper body, similar to a car, rather than body weight shifts.

Riding a sidecar motorcycle requires leaning to the opposite side to compensate for centrifugal force.

Insufficient weight on the sidecar can lead to flipping over, making right turns the most challenging.

Left turns are easier due to the support of the sidecar wheel.

Mastering sidecar riding requires physical effort and is a rewarding experience for long-distance travel through various terrains and weather conditions.

Embracing New Adventures with Sidecar Motorcycle Riding

Riding a sidecar motorcycle offers stability and unique opportunities for adventure, such as capturing moments and facing challenging terrains.

While initially nervous, the experience ultimately brings a lot of fun and personal growth.

Despite being a big commitment, the adventure and fun it brings make it worthwhile.