It’s hard to deny the allure of a vintage BMW boxer with a sidecar. But for one French brand, the combination signifies more than just fond nostalgia.
Founded in 1935 by Victor Bastide, Précision Side-Cars got its start building sidecar rigs specifically for BMW motorcycles. The story goes that Monseiur Bastide visited Germany to secure the French import license for BMW, only to be turned down. So he returned to France and began manufacturing sidecars instead.
Précision changed hands a few times over the years before being acquired by another French outfit, Alternative Side-Car, four years ago. “We used to work with the original Précision Side-Cars, but only to get their bodies to put onto our frames,” says Gene-Vincent Burdet, who runs Alternative Side-Car with Jene Burdet and Vivien Boisserie.
“We finally bought the brand, because the former owner was turning 75 and we didn’t want to lose that handcrafted knowledge. So we worked with him for several months while he taught us how to make the bodies. Now we craft the whole sidecar rig in our workshop.”
Since the Précision Side-Car brand turns 90 this year, the guys decided to celebrate with a special BMW boxer-powered anniversary project. But instead of using a vintage BMW, they picked the modern BMW R18—specifically, the 2023-model ‘100 Years’ edition, which sports a livery that recalls the iconic R32 and R5.
The R18 was paired with a Précision Gran’Large sidecar—a nine-year-old design that’s become one of the company’s staples. The bike and bucket look like they were made for each other, with the Gran’Large perfectly balancing the 1,803 cc boxer’s heft.
As with each of their projects, the team built the sidecar and sidecar chassis from scratch in their workshop, in Paris’ southeastern suburbs—a process that took 150 hours to complete. The design is impossibly elegant, with the rig’s swooping fuselage bearing the same cocktail of black paint, chromed sections, and white pin-striping that adorns the bike.
The sidecar chassis attaches to the R18 via existing mounting points, so that the donor bike can go unmolested (it takes an hour to detach the rig). It uses a custom-made wheel that replicates the look of the OEM hoops, plus a custom-built shock from Shock Factory, and a Brembo disc brake that’s linked to the R18’s back brake pedal.
Every detail oozes style. The windscreen is a vintage British sports car item, mounted on a bespoke bracket, while the rear luggage rack comes from a supplier in Spain. The latter is mounted atop the sidecar’s trunk, which is secured by a pair of classy leather straps and a chromed latch.
The generous seat, plus the side panels and grab rail, all wear faux leather upholstery that matches the two-tone design of the 100 Years edition R18. Vintage-style lights round out the package.
The BMW R18 itself is completely original, but that’s not because this crew is lazy. As Gene-Vincent explains it, their mission is to design sidecars that fit their partner bikes so seamlessly, that the whole package looks like it came straight out of the factory.
They certainly nailed it on this project. With France heading into spring, we’re itching to take this rig out for a lazy picnic in the countryside.
Alternative Side-Car | Instagram
