Project 1955 Tilbrook RHD sidecar

I just bought my next sidecar project - a 1000km road trip to pick up this week end.
Chairs are going for big prices in Oz now so I couldn't resist.
It may end up being far too light a design for my Rocket but if so It will find a home.
Australian made 1955 Tilbrook RHD

Tilbrook was an Aussie motorcycle racer and small scale manufacturrer of bikes and sidecars in South Australia.
Believe it or not he ended up in Victor Harbor, South Australia in a another Tin Shed of sorts!

Apart from enjoying the contents of his crammed workshop, Rex and his wife Dorothy made a complete break from the business that had been their lives for 30 years and re-established themselves at the seaside town of Victor Harbour, south of Adelaide in 1976. There they built a prominent restaurant, The Whalers Haven, and a museum that housed artefacts from the whaling heritage of the area. Far from taking it easy, Rex became a significant figure in the district, heading several local associations, leading the project that rescued the historic Victor Harbour railway from demolition, and even standing for Parliament at one stage. Rex died of leukaemia on December 3rd, 1997.

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Similar models fitted... don't think I will have a Vincent attached any time soon though!



The different stumpy "Dandaloo" type and my style but wider double adult from rear.

This covered Three Seater version would be cool !

In a shed in the back yard of his home in the Adelaide suburb of Kensington Park, he produced the first in a long line of accessories – a universal pillion footrest. By 1947 business was ticking over sufficiently for him to expand to a proper workshop that he built in the same suburb, where he produced a greater range of motorcycle components as well as the first of the stunning Tilbrook sidecars. These unique creations featured a lightweight tubular chassis with torsion bar suspension carrying a stressed metal skin body mounted on tension springs.

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A Dandaloo sidecar and a stylish Three-Seater sidecar. A double adult sidecar hitched to a BSA (left) and a Tilbrook sidecar fitted to a Victoria 350 cc v-twin (right).

He did indeed live here.

Picked it up Saturday, solid little thing. welded curved steel shell on a light internal steel frame. It came with a recently rebuilt wheel but the side fender mudguard is fiberglass. Easy to cut some marine ply or smilar to re-floor it. Came with a couple of the sidecar mounts but would need them plus more customised to fit whatever it gets mounted to.

Steel reproductions are Au$690 Gulp!

Also missing the unknown 'compression spring' mounts for the boat.

But I have found photos of the correct type fitted that look a bit like a trampoline spring with a purpose made mounting method not just a wire spring hook.

The seller of mine has a Vintage MC club contact who may be able to assist locating the springs so that should be a great help!

OK the bug has bit once more and Karma must agree!

My mate in Sydney is borrowing our Trailer for a 6000Km round trip to drop his son's stuff off from storage to his son's new residence in Mt Isa. He was coming 300Km down from Sydney to pick it up 27 Dec.
This morning a great old sidecar with mounts and all came up in Pialba, Queensland for just Au$2000 with a mere 600km detour required.
Deal done, and I will flip him back his extra 600 km by driving the trailer to Sydney myself and we will re-pack the wheel bearings before he heads off on the Mission.
I'll have to buy him a black fedora for Xmas now too, as he already has heaps of Raybans from years in Customs Marine ops

Sidecar originally came off a '75 model Honda Goldwing then on a R series R/75/5 BMW. It has mounting brackets to suit BMW twin shock models ,spoke wheel new sidecar tyre, drum brake, foot brake, hand brake, steering damper, windscreen and seats hinge out, lap sash retractable seat belt and rear rack. A very solid steel outfit, no rust in excellent condition will need new paint ready for refit.
Bike not included.

Last one of interior bits