Mash Black Side 445 2022 — Specifications

Imagine crossing paths with one of these outfits on a country road on a Sunday morning: people smile, children point, and even hurried motorists ease off the throttle. The sidecar holds a fascination that neither the sports bike nor the big adventure tourer can claim. It is precisely in this niche that Mash has established itself with remarkable consistency, offering accessible rigs since 2017 in a segment where competition can be counted on one hand — between the Russian Urals and a handful of European craftsmen whose prices are enough to make you wince.

Mash knows its business. After the Family-Side launched in 2017, then the Force in 2021, comes the Black Side. The mechanical base remains identical to the Force, with its 41 mm leading-link fork that gives the whole ensemble those characteristic Ural-like looks, its dual seat, its knobby 18-inch tyres on all three wheels, and its knee guards on the tank. The difference is immediately apparent at first glance: a deep black livery, highlighted by white pinstripes that unashamedly evoke the glory days of Bavarian sidecar outfits. It is a deliberate stylistic choice, and it works.

But the real argument for the Black Side lies in a radical weight-loss exercise. By eliminating the luggage rack, the spare wheel, the military-surplus-style side boxes, the headlight guard, and a few unnecessary brackets, Mash brought the total weight down from 342 to 317 kilograms. Twenty-five kilos saved with a simple toolkit, without resorting to machined aluminium or carbon fibre. The outfit loses its look of a vehicle straight out of a war film, but it gains in affordability and comes in just under 9,999 euros — below the symbolic ten-thousand-euro threshold that carries real weight in the purchasing decision.

The slightly uncomfortable question concerns the engine. The single-cylinder 445 cc four-valve unit produces 28.5 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 34.3 Nm of torque at 5,500 rpm. On a solo motorcycle, that would be respectable. On a 317-kilogram outfit with a potential passenger, the maths are quickly done and the 105 km/h top speed is reached with a clear conscience but without any surplus energy. Mash does have a 650 cc twin in its lineup, fitted notably to the Six Hundred. Its installation on this outfit would have made the Black Side considerably more capable. This choice of the 445 cc is probably explained by the price equation, but it is worth knowing before purchase. That said, nobody orders a classic sidecar to ride like a sportster: the five-speed gearbox and reverse gear are infinitely more useful in everyday use than a few extra horsepower.

The Black Side targets a public that embraces being different, that prefers slow travel to distance covered at speed, and that seeks above all a riding experience fundamentally unlike anything else the market has to offer. For under ten thousand euros, with a reverse gear as standard and a large trunk, it stands as the most accessible entry point in the new sidecar market. Those seeking conventional thrills will look elsewhere. Everyone else will find it hard to resist.