All change at Watsonian Squire Ltd

Watsonian Squire are no longer an Enfield Dealer as they have decided to leave the franchised network. They have stated their core business is the manufacture and fitting of sidecars and, with demand at its highest level in a decade, basically they need to focus on this side of the business.

Interestingly, Watsonian Squire Ltd are delighted to become the official Benelli dealer for the Cotswolds.

So will we be seeing so more Bennelli powered Outfits?

There are few contenders in the Bennelli range, here a couple.

The 502 Cruiser and the Leoncino 800 Trail.

We will just have to see what happens in 2025. One thing is certain, with the exception of the Imperiale 400 below, subframes will be needed for just about all the rest in the Benelli range, unlike the Royal Enfield’s. Also will the lesser know Benelli’s be as popular as the Royal Enfield’s, I do have my doubts on that one as Royal Enfield have become a very popular manufacturer and rightly so as the are producing very good bikes and what most will regard at a very reasonable price.

Squire SB1 Sidecar Outfit

The official launch was at the NEC Show although been seen about prior to this.

Watsonian state “We’ve streamlined the sidecar building process and paired it with a specific motorcycle to keep costs down. The result is a simple, affordable, and reliable sidecar outfit.” Well, you have to agree, it is simple and yes the price is affordable compared to the cost of sidecars / sidecar outfits today.

The Benelli Imperiale 400 is a single-cylinder, four-stroke 373.5cc, torque 15,5 kW (20,4Cv) @ 5500 rpm with a max torque of 29 Nm (2,95 kgm) @ 3500 rpm and Euro 5 compliant. It is chain driven with a 5 speed gearbox, electric & kick start, (don’t see that on many bike today). Benelli have officially been ‘Benelli QJ’ since 2005 when they were bought by Chinese automotive giants Qianjiang. Design and prototyping are done at the firm’s historic Pesaro base in Italy, but they are manufactured at the QJ factory. Bikes for the European market go through quality control in Italy before being distributed. Reliability will be a case of time and lets see, but there is no reason to think it will not be reliable, as Chinese production has come on leaps and bounds and there are some favourable reviews on the engine.

The chassis is pre-set for toe-in, lean-out, and axle-lead, and according to Watsonian, making it easy to attach and detach the sidecar. So with a nifty quick release electrical connector, you could have a solo for summer and a chair for winter. The fitting system is not adjustable which ensures that alignment is maintained, even if you remove the sidecar and then attach it again. Note, the fitting system is specific to the Benelli Imperiale 400. The rubber-in-torsion suspension (found on Squires of old) help to keep production costs down.

I really like the the look of the chair mounted on the flat bed chassis, may be they will think about using a flat bed chassis for some of their other models, although if they do, one would hope they would uprate the suspension from the rubber-in-torsion unit.

Below, there are a three of links to the Watsonian website where you will find the full specifications. At present the cost of the Outfit is £7499, which includes the Benelli Imperiale 400 motorcycle with a Squire SB1 sidecar, fitted and ready to ride away, plus the OTR charges are also included in that price.

Squire SB1 Sidecar Outfit – Watsonian Sidecars

Press release | New Motorcycle & Sidecar for £7499

New Motorcycle & Sidecar for £7499 – Watsonian Sidecars

Watsonian are the Official Benelli dealer for the Cotswolds so you will have the confidence of a full dealership back up.

May be, just may be they will think of using one of these for a tug. https://www.benelli.co.uk/model/2024-benelli-502-cruiser-pre-reg-1190

Honda Developing Electric Sidecar

Honda’s patent is for a sidecar that is powered by an electric motor with the unit’s batteries also mounted in the sidecar.

Well, worth a read but not sure how serious Honda are with this as they don’t not recommend that a sidecar is fitted to any of their motorcycles.

Honda Developing Electric Sidecar | Cycle World

Can you remember this from Ural

Electric Ural — Ural motorcycles UK (ural-uk.com)

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New Sidecar pulled by a Husky

Watsonian have developed a fitting kit that enables their sidecars to be attached the the distinctive Husqvarna Svartpilen 401.

New Sidecar pulled by a ‘Husky’ – Watsonian Sidecars (watsonian-squire.com)