A bit on the side: Watsonian report post-pandemic sales boom

British sidecar specialists Watsonian are reporting a post-pandemic sales boom and are celebrating their success with a new Triumph Speedmaster kit.

Based in Moreton-in-Marsh in the heart of the Cotswolds, Watsonian have been building sidecars since 1912 and this year celebrate their 110th anniversary. 

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But they’re also celebrating a 50% boom in sales compared to pre-pandemic levels, something Managing Director Ben Matthews says, is heavily fuelled by product development.

“While the design of our sidecars hasn’t changed significantly over the past 50 years, the bikes we attach them to are completely different,” he told MCN.

“In order to build an outfit that handles properly, you need a bike-specific fitting kit to ensure the geometry is balanced and that’s where our experience and expertise comes in.”

The latest kit is built for the Triumph Bonneville Speedmaster and consists of four individual fittings, designed and engineered in Watsonian’s factory.

The example shown (above) employs their £6395 Grand Prix Jubilee sidecar, which has a fibreglass bodyshell, siting in a tubular perimeter frame, with a 16in spoked wheel. Expect to pay another £525 for the fitting kit.