1998 Kawasaki GT550 and sidecar, scruffy runner, withMOT For Sale

Kawasaki GT550 with Ural sidecar

Tatty old work horse that just keeps going.
We are sidecar specialist and we put this together about about 17 years ago using the customer?s Kawasaki GT550 and a new (in 2006) Ural sidecar. It has stood the test of time and although it now show obvious signs of age, use, and abuse, it still has plenty of life.

It has lived a lot of it?s life outside and it shows, the lacquer has lifted on the engine, the chrome is mostly spotted with rust and much of the frame paint has given up clinging to the metal. This is all cosmetic, so not a worry unless you want a bike to polish and take to a show to have your polishing skills admired.

To stop the cosmetic decay the frame has been cleaned up and painted, but don?t for one minute think it has been restored, the paint has been applied with a brush. Looks great from 20 feet away and you can?t see it at all when you are enjoying riding it.

It would make a great winter hack as it is already fitted with roughty toughty on/ off road tyres, a stainless steel Predator exhaust system and a rather fetching red top box to keep your waterproofs and thermals in.

Handling is pretty good, but if you have never ridden a sidecar when I say pretty good you should read it as, possessed by the devil and definitely out to get you. All sidecars need a careful rethink when you are new to them, don?t expect to jump on and feel instantly at home.

It has shaft drive and leading link forks which are both considered desirable in the world of sidecars. The GT550 was one of the top picks amongst dispatch riders back in the day because they are simple, robust, comfy and tend to keep going if you simply service them. This one has never been a dispatch bike, which can only be a good thing. It has fresh oil and filter, and the front brakes have been overhauled for the MOT.

It runs OK, but it is a 90s Kawasaki so it does have that slightly odd clutch side rattle at tickover that seems to be the hall mark of Kawasaki fours of this era. Still could be worse it could be a Ducati with the clutch that sounds like you should turn the motor off before it escapes from the casing.

In summery, it is a scruffy but perfectly useable sidecar outfit with a decent MOT and a bit of life left. It could be cosmetically improved, or not, that?s up to you. It comes with some spare bike wheels with normal road tyres fitted, if you find the whole massive knobbly tyre thing not to your taste.

Registered 06/ 05/ 1998
Mileage 23750
MOT 20/ 11/ 2024

If you have read this far it is most definitely available, please read that again, before asking if it is available, and it is located at PE13.