1916 Harley Sidecar Rig Isn't Something you See Everyday

One of a Kind

There's nothing terribly uncommon about Harley-Davidson motorcycles with sidecars, but this particular 1916 model is undoubtedly one of a kind. In fact, it is the only surviving such creation built by H-D that's designed to be driven from the sidecar, not the actual bike. The incredibly cool piece of history is given a once over in this video from the Wheels Through Time Museum, which is home to all kinds of other unique vehicles from across the course of history.

Interesting Combo

The interesting thing about this bike is the fact that no one really knows why it was built in the first place, nor who it was actually built for. The bike itself is a 1916 bog-standard model, which appears to be in great shape. Attached to that is the sidecar, which is a double-wide two-seater with a convertible top and some rather interesting modifications.

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Total Conversion

The sidecar, which looks more like a horse-drawn carriage of sorts, was intended from the start to be the control center of this wild machine. In fact, the Harley has no seat, and the handlebars are custom pieces. The hand and foot controls have been transferred over to the sidecar, which required quite a bit of work from the looks of things.

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Open-Air Comfort

Clearly, a lot of thought and work went into making this a viable running and driving machine. Even the carb was relocated to the right side for easy access. Throw in the super large custom sidecar, and you've got a bike designed to carry a couple around town in total open-air comfort.

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Special Setup

The Kickstarter, brake, and clutch are all operated from inside the car, and the former uses a large lever connected to a gear mechanism to operate. The handlebars themselves are one of a kind as well, consisting of early H-D cast lugs with a special bend arrangement. The sidecar is meant to be driven from the left-hand side, where the driver can reach over and operate things like the spark advance and decompression throttle.

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Fully Loaded

On top of that, the bike is decked out with just about every option and accessory available at the time. That includes an electrically operated headlight, taillight, horn, double tool boxes, and a luggage rack. Amazingly, the whole thing remains in mostly original and unaltered condition, making it quite the coup for the museum to show off.

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Surviving History

Machines like this are often lost to history, so it's pretty awesome to see this rare bike survive all these years intact. And it gives us just one more reason to hit the Smoky Mountains sometime soon and check out everything the Wheels Through Time Museum has to offer.

>>Join the conversation on this 1916 Harley sidecar right here at HDForums!

For maintenance and repair guides for your Harley, browse our technical How-to articles right here on HDForums.