A MOTORCYCLIST inspired by Fred Dibnah has been bringing smiles to the faces of residents across the town with his handmade sidecar for his French Bulldogs.
Ken Cross, a goldsmith who lives in Darcy Lever, has been riding around the town on his motorbike with his pets Bruce and Ted in a sidecar he made himself for the last six weeks.
The 57-year-old is always finding materials and upcycling them into new products in his spare time, with the dog sidecar his latest invention.
His hobby went viral on Reddit when a picture of Ken out on his bike with Bruce was posted on the social media site.
Ken told The Bolton News how he’s always happy to bring a smile to the faces of people who see him riding with the Bulldogs, and how Bolton legend Fred Dibnah is his main inspiration.
He said: “It’s just a hobby of mine really. I’m making things all the time using whatever materials I can find or am passed on by friends.
“I came across the old metal gas cylinder and thought ‘this would make a great sidecar’.
“I’ve got it all taxed up and it’s got it’s own MOT, stabilisers, seatbelts for the dogs — it’s all safe and road legal.
“If I tried to buy one it would cost about £4,000, but I’ve done this myself for about £100. It only took about five weeks to fully build and I’ve been driving it for about six weeks now.
“People who I stopped by have said we remind them of Wallace and Gromit, which I quite like.
“I’ve always been good at building things. Fred Dibnah was a massive inspiration growing up and typified Bolton for me. He showed you didn’t need a university education or other proper qualifications to do a good job, you can do amazing things with your hands and by building.
“I can’t believe the reception its got, the dogs seem to love it too. People are always taking photos of us when we’re out on the bike. The dogs are completely safe too, I’ve only got a seatbelt for one at the moment but I’m adding another soon."
He's also been in touch with a care home manager, who has asked Ken to bring the sidecar along to cheer up residents.
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