Sportster With Sidecar Racks Up Miles

FALLS VILLAGE, CT – There’s no mistaking the model year of Donald Zanetti’s Harley-Davidson Sportster with sidecar or his passion for it. Adorning the heavily-chromed bike as well as the passenger compartment are more than 20 commemorative badges noting the company’s 100th anniversary, which means it’s a 2003 model.

Zannetti, who lives in Marshfield, MA, bought the Sportster new in 2003 and within a year decided to add the sidecar, wisely deciding to take a class on sidecar operation before buying the sidecar. The lessons obviously did him well as he’s put more than 71,000 miles on the bike.

“I love it. It’s different. It’s unique,” he said of his ride, which he had on display Sunday at the annual car and motorcycle show here. But it’s also tougher to operate than a motorcycle without a sidecar.

“It’s challenging because you steer it,” he explained. That’s opposed to counter-steering, which is how a motorcycle is operated.  That requires extra focus and attention. “You can tip it over in a flash,” Zanetti said. “It’s still a motorcycle, while a trike is a trike.”

Besides the extra badges, which he said he found on eBay, and a Mustang seat, he’s also added a bearded passenger, a manikin who has been given the name Sidecar Willie. Not only does the silent sidekick allow him to sneak into the H.O.V. lane on super highways, it also draws attention from drivers. “People in cars stick their head out (the window), rubber-necking,” Zanetti reported.

Zanetti learned drive the rig from Iron Stone Ventures, a MSF-certified riding training school in Massachusetts. And his advice for anyone considering a sidecar is to take the class. It’ll help in keeping the third wheel in contact with the pavement. “You just have to be careful,” he said of sidecar operation, “and keep the speed down on turns.”