The first time I saw the Flexit in action it forced me to reassess sidecars. It was fast and manoueverable. It cornered at speed. It didn't require any special skills from a solo bike rider to make it work. This was a radical change from the usual experience of having a chair strapped to the side of a motorcycle.
Designed by Hannes Myburgh, a skilled engineer in South Africa, the Flexit found a small but devoted following all over the world.
My Flexit was coupled to a K100RS, which had adequate torque and power to heave the outfit at speed to most destinations. It always attracted attention, comments and questions. The adult and child combination (passengers seated one behind the other) allowed four of us to share the pleasures of motorcycle travel and made a great shopping trolley when I needed to lug a lot of groceries home.
The chair could be demounted in a matter of minutes if you needed to ride the bike solo, and reattached
again just as quickly. It had to be one of the best throught out additions to a
motorcycle ever invented. I loved it!
The aerodynamics are excellent, and thus barely raise the fuel consumption on a long trip. Urban riding required a bit more throttle to overcome the inertia, so it drank a bit under those conditions
These pictures show an Australian Flexit mounted to a Guzzi, and illustrate just how nimble the outfit is going round bends
The design may be over 30 years old now, but it still looks fresh and timeless - much like some of the classic sports cars
.
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