FAQs
Founded in 2004, our current fleet of 50 sidecars have transported well over 50,000 satisfied passengers & covered almost 2,000,000 incident-free kilometers. All our drivers have many years of driving experience & carry valid motorbike drivers licenses with a PDP endorsement (Public Driving Permit). This PDP is an extra safety check to ensure your driver complies with all the regulations required by the South African Department of Transport.
Because our bikes carry passengers for reward, we need to comply with the strict criteria required by the South African Department of Transport. All our vehicles carry valid Operating License Permits issued by the National Land Transport Regulator (NPTR) and, as such, are fully roadworthied, licensed & insured at all times. We are fully insured for General Public and Passenger Liability. Cape Sidecar Adventures is certified by the Department of Transport as an Accredited Tourist Transport Operator.
No age restrictions at all. We are happy to carry any ages from 0 to 100 years and over!! However, all adult passengers need to complete an indemnity form before departure & any passenger under the age of 21 needs to have an indemnity form signed on their behalf by a parent or a guardian. Children under 5 years are required to be seated on an adult’s lap in the sidecar bucket. Children under the age of 12 years must be accompanied by an adult at all times.
Yes. We supply the coolest retro leather jackets, helmets & goggles as well as a complimentary bandana. All our riding gear is sanitised after every ride. Hairnets, gloves & beanies are supplied on request. We provide kiddie-sized riding gear if needed.
No self-drive options available on our bikes.
Absolutely. If required, disabled passengers can even have their (collapsible) wheelchairs strapped on to their sidecar, so, they’ll be able to get around at the various stops en route. Please ensure you inform us of any special needs when booking your trip.
We have a very flexible wet weather policy. Up until the day before the ride, if the weather looks bad, we will allow either a cancellation with a full refund OR a rescheduling of the date OR continue with the ride using our wet weather gear which is provided on all the bikes.
Refer to our T&Cs’
All our sidecars are decommissioned military bikes originally used by the Peoples Liberation Army of China between the early 1950’s and mid-1970’s. They are known as cj750’s and are based on the old German BMW R71 used extensively during from World War II. Our fleet has been fully refurbished & modified to suit South African Road traffic requirements. Refer to the history page
Since 2023, we have started introducing the Russian Ural sidecars into our fleet. The Russian Urals & the Chinese Cj750s share a similar DNA and date back to the early 1950’s’.
We supply both conventional sidecars (Driver plus 2 passengers, one on pillion seat behind driver plus 1 seated in the sidecar) as well as tandem sidecars (Driver plus 3 passengers, one on pillion seat behind driver plus 2 passengers in the tandem sidecar bucket. Weight restrictions apply on tandem sidecar)